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Nothing Without a Company

LXCL:Nothing Without a Company (NWaC) utilizes theatre and film to amplify culturally inclusive stories by immersing audiences in site-specific environments. VisionTo create a safe space where everyone feels welcome, highlighting authentic stories about LGBTQIA+, Women, Trans and Gender Non-Binary/GNC, AANHPI and BIPOC communities.

Tickets Available at the Door&nbsp;A Night of Art, Community &amp; Halloween Mischief Nothing Without a Company&rsquo;s annual Junior Board fundraiser is back for another KickBack! The auction is LIVE online, and you can start your bidding now, you do not have to be at the event to win BIG! Check out the prizes <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/silent-auction-for-kickback-with-nwac" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">HERE</a>. This year&rsquo;s event is planned and produced by our current Junior Board, bringing together everything they&rsquo;ve learned, created, and contributed throughout their year with NWaC. It&rsquo;s their chance to take the lead, bring their ideas to life, and celebrate the community they&rsquo;ve helped build. The Junior Board is made up of emerging arts leaders aged 18&ndash;28 who get hands-on experience with the real work of running a nonprofit theatre company. Throughout their year with NWaC, they have the opportunity to build skills in leadership, producing, fundraising, community engagement, and event planning while working alongside our staff and artistic team. KickBack With NWaC is their night! It&rsquo;s a celebration of what they&rsquo;ve accomplished, a chance for them to show off what they can do, and a way for all of us to help make the next Junior Board possible. Your support helps NWaC continue providing emerging arts leaders the opportunity to learn by doing, taking creative risks, building community, and finding their place in Chicago&#39;s arts ecosystem. How the KickBack WorksYour admission ticket grants you entry to the fun. Once you&#39;re inside, you can purchase KickBack tickets for $1, which you can use throughout the night for drinks, karaoke, the costume contest, and other activities. Raffle tickets will be available for $5, for a chance at winning a prize of your choosing! Every dollar helps support NWaC&#39;s Junior Board program, so while you&#39;re having a good time, you&#39;re also helping create opportunities for the next group of young arts leaders. The Night&rsquo;s Hauntings6 PM &mdash; Doors Open7 PM &mdash;&nbsp;KickBack with NWaC Variety Show We&#39;re opening the crypt for a Halloween-themed open mic featuring performances from the community.8 PM &mdash; Costume Contest &amp; Prizes Come dressed to impress, disturb, delight, or simply confuse us.8:15 PM &mdash; Karaoke Grab the mic. Exorcise your demons. Sing something.10 PM &mdash; The Haunting ends... until next year. Come celebrate this year&#39;s Junior Board, support the next one, and have a hell of a good time while you&#39;re doing it.

KICKBACK WITH NWAC

Bid in our Silent Auction and help Nothing Without a Company continue providing emerging arts leaders the opportunity to learn by doing, taking creative risks, building community, and finding their place in Chicago&#39;s arts ecosystem. Each item you win directly backs the next generations of arts leaders!The Junior Board is made up of emerging arts leaders aged 18&ndash;28 who get hands-on experience with the real work of running a nonprofit theatre company. Throughout their year with NWaC, they have the opportunity to build skills in leadership, producing, fundraising, community engagement, and event planning while working alongside our staff and artistic team.

Silent Auction for Kickback with NWaC 2026

The Chicago Theatre Authority presents Smile CollectorsA new play in development by John Michael Colgin Directed and workshopped with Felix Nothing Without a Company is getting onto the train with a new play. We&rsquo;re hosting two PAY WHAT YOU CAN workshop performances of Smile Collectors, a new work by John Michael Colgin. All donations go to help support the continued development of the artist making the work. This is a play in progress. It&rsquo;s not finished, and that&rsquo;s kind of the point. Come see where the piece is right now. Then stick around and talk with us about it. After each performance, we&rsquo;ll open up the conversation to the audience. Got a thought? A question? Something you loved? Something that confused you? A moment you can&rsquo;t stop thinking about? We want to hear it. Come interact or just observe this new solo show, sit with it, and share what you experienced with the artist so they can continue developing this story about BPD and other important timely topics our society is experiencing. &nbsp; &nbsp; Description: Chicago Theatre Authority&#39;s Smile Collectors is an interactive, participatory performance about strangers, big feelings, and the weird little ways we take care of each other. Come play along, meet some strangers, and help turn everyday encounters into moments of connection, joy, and community care. No sitting quietly and watching from a distance. We&rsquo;re collecting smiles, and you&rsquo;re part of the crew. Chicago Theatre Authority, assemble! PAY WHAT YOU CAN WORKSHOP PERFORMANCE Two performances only 📍 RSVP and get the Redline location we are meeting.&nbsp;You&rsquo;ll receive additional meeting details after registering. This is a workshop, not a finished production. Come see the work while it&rsquo;s still becoming.

Chicago Theater Authority: Presenting Smile Collectors

Center on Halsted — The Trouble With My Hair (Sun, Aug 30)

Five Pay What You Can tickets will be available at the door on a first-come, first-served basis. We will also start a walk-up list, and any remaining seats will be offered to those on the walk-up list beginning at 7:30 PM. The Trouble With My Hair by Ada Cheng&ldquo;Hair is never just hair, it holds our histories, our rebellions, our identities, our desires to belong, and our declarations of independence. This show is about coming home to oneself and learning to love the person underneath it all.&rdquo; - Ada Cheng About the ProductionThe Trouble With My Hair: Coloring, Cutting, and Coming into Who I Am,&nbsp;is an intimate exploration of gender, sexual identity, and boundary-making through Ada&rsquo;s evolving relationship with her hairstylist and her hair. Blending narrative art and theatrical storytelling, Ada Cheng playfully brings her audience on a journey of self-discovery and self-love through her struggles with hair. From early memories of negotiating belonging to courageous acts of boundary-making in adulthood, Cheng uses her changing hairstyles and haircolors as milestones marking her path toward self-definition. Each cut, color, and conversation becomes a metaphor for reclaiming voice and visibility in a world eager to define her first. This site-responsive Chicago presentation spans five performances across the city, each featuring guest performers and a post-show conversation or response. Performances (5 total)Each performance runs approximately 2 hours and includes guest artists and a post-show discussion or response.<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Friday, Aug 21 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm Scissor &amp; Fork 3968 N Elston Ave, Irving Park</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Saturday, Aug 22 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm Visceral Adventure Lounge 3638 W Grand Ave, Humboldt Park</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Sunday, Aug 23 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm REM Salon 3035 W Fullerton Ave, Logan Square</li><li fr-original-style="font-weight: bold;" style="font-weight: bold; box-sizing: inherit;">Saturday, Aug 29 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm Haibay&ocirc; 1132 W Argyle St, Uptown</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Sunday, Aug 30 | 1:00&ndash;3:30pm Center on Halsted 3656 N Halsted St, Northalsted Featuring a performance response by Stir Friday Night, followed by a closing reception until 3:30pm. This final performance will not include a post-show talkback.</li></ul>Guest Artists&nbsp;Each performance will feature guest artists, with a different lineup at every venue.&nbsp; Lynn An: Lynn will be sharing original pieces from her upcoming solo musical - a show following an isolated queer woman&#39;s reclamation of faith. Lynn An&nbsp;(she/her) is a Chicago-based composer/lyricist dedicated to impacting a world beyond herself. She is currently earning her Master of Arts in Songwriting at Berklee College of Music while producing her first solo musical and composing for various other projects. She was a finalist in Write Out Loud&rsquo;s 2022 contest for her song &ldquo;Closet&rdquo; and is returning as a finalist this year for her song &ldquo;My Land&rdquo;. Karen Su:&nbsp;&quot;Hair Snippets&rdquo; is a collection of narrative snapshots with family photos. Each snippet spotlightsa hair story revealing the quotidian dynamics of diasporic identity and belonging, race, gender, and queerness in my life. Karen Su is a children&rsquo;s picture book creator and educator who is passionate about diversifying stories for everyone. In June, she did a children&rsquo;s storytime for the American Writers Festival presenting a picture book in progress called Ai Ya Boo Means I Love You. She is the author of Asian American Leaders Like Us biographies of Grace Lee Boggs, Philip Vera Cruz, Yuri Kochiyama, and Dalip Singh Saund for 1st-4th grade readers. This past March, she was selected as a Picture Book Rising Star Mentee Runner-Up, one of only 40 runners up chosen from over 4000 applications. She was awarded the Many Voices Prize by the Society of Children&rsquo;s Book Writers and Illustrators-IL in 2022 and was a We Need Diverse Books non-fiction mentee in 2018. She teaches in the Global Asian Studies Program at the University of Illinois Chicago. Host Partner:<a fr-original-style="" href="https://haibayo.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">HAIBAY&Ocirc;</a> is a creative initiative that aims to energize the historic Asia on Argyle corridor through innovative cross cultural, multi-generational collaborations. Our intention is to create spaces, events, digital content, while incubating a diverse range of artists, creative, entrepreneurs, and local Asia on Argyle businesses. History of&nbsp;The Trouble With My Hair:&nbsp;Coloring, Cutting, and Coming into Who I AmThe performance is developed with and directed by <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.soaringsolostudios.com/bio/" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Jessica Lynn Johnson</a>, an award-winning director and solo show development expert known for shaping compelling, authentic solo works. &ldquo;Ada is a brilliant and gifted storyteller. Gentle, perfectly paced and warmly welcoming in her sweetly sarcastic way. The writing is magical. Evocative, sensual and human.&rdquo; -<a fr-original-style="" href="https://nohoartsdistrict.com/author/samantha-simmonds/" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros</a> of NoHo Arts District. Ada has performed The Trouble With My Hair&nbsp;nation-wide, including the Asheville Fringe Art Festival, was an official selection of the Soaring Solo Studios Stars Series&nbsp;2025, and she continues to have more shows throughout the year in and out of the country. Writer + Performer BioDr. Ada Cheng is an award-winning storyteller, solo performer, and producer. Committed to amplifying and uplifting marginalized voices, she has created numerous storytelling platforms for BIPOC and LGBTQIA community members to tell difficult and vulnerable stories. She has consistently engaged in public education and public outreach through the use of storytelling and performance arts. Since 2016, she has toured her solo performances Not Quite and Loving Across Borders nationwide, presenting at universities, theaters, and conferences. She premiered her third solo performance, The Trouble with My Hair, in Los Angeles in October 2025 as part of Soaring Solo Studios&rsquo; Stars Series. She has been a speaker with the Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau since 2019. Dr. Cheng was named the 2023&ndash;24 Lund-Gill Endowed Chair at Dominican University and was a recipient of the 2024 Public Humanities Award from Illinois Humanities.&nbsp; Discussion Moderator BioKevin Sparrow (they/them) is a Chicago-based playwright, performer, dramaturg, and the Literary Manager for NWAC. They premiered the pop-punk musical Sofa King Queer in 2024 and the self-help satire Cornerstone in 2018. As Literary Manager, Kevin was dramaturg for the productions Down the Moonlit Path and ThroatPunch, and they produced the 2018 and 2019 editions of the New World Play Festival, which showcased 16 new short plays from local and national playwrights. PoliciesCommunity / Student / Industry Tickets: To help make this performance accessible while ensuring artists are fairly compensated, a limited number of Community / Student / Industry tickets are available for each performance. Pay What You Can Tickets: Five Pay What You Can tickets will be available at the door for each performance on a first-come, first-served basis. Availability is limited, so advance ticket purchase is recommended. Refunds &amp; Exchanges Policy: All ticket sales are final. We are not able to offer refunds. If you are unable to attend, we appreciate your understanding that your ticket purchase directly supports the artists and production.Exchanges may be requested up to one week prior to the scheduled performance, subject to availability. Within one week of the event date, we are unable to accommodate exchanges.

Haibayô — The Trouble With My Hair (Sat, Aug 29)

The Trouble With My Hair by Ada Cheng&ldquo;Hair is never just hair, it holds our histories, our rebellions, our identities, our desires to belong, and our declarations of independence. This show is about coming home to oneself and learning to love the person underneath it all.&rdquo; - Ada Cheng About the ProductionThe Trouble With My Hair: Coloring, Cutting, and Coming into Who I Am,&nbsp;is an intimate exploration of gender, sexual identity, and boundary-making through Ada&rsquo;s evolving relationship with her hairstylist and her hair. Blending narrative art and theatrical storytelling, Ada Cheng playfully brings her audience on a journey of self-discovery and self-love through her struggles with hair. From early memories of negotiating belonging to courageous acts of boundary-making in adulthood, Cheng uses her changing hairstyles and haircolors as milestones marking her path toward self-definition. Each cut, color, and conversation becomes a metaphor for reclaiming voice and visibility in a world eager to define her first. This site-responsive Chicago presentation spans five performances across the city, each featuring guest performers and a post-show conversation or response. Performances (5 total)Each performance runs approximately 2 hours and includes guest artists and a post-show discussion or response.<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Friday, Aug 21 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm Scissor &amp; Fork 3968 N Elston Ave, Irving Park</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Saturday, Aug 22 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm Visceral Adventure Lounge 3638 W Grand Ave, Humboldt Park</li><li fr-original-style="font-weight: bold;" style="font-weight: bold; box-sizing: inherit;">Sunday, Aug 23 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm REM Salon 3035 W Fullerton Ave, Logan Square</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Saturday, Aug 29 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm Haibay&ocirc; 1132 W Argyle St, Uptown</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Sunday, Aug 30 | 1:00&ndash;3:30pm Center on Halsted 3656 N Halsted St, Northalsted Featuring a performance response by Stir Friday Night, followed by a closing reception until 3:30pm. This final performance will not include a post-show talkback.</li></ul>Guest Artists&nbsp;Each performance will feature &nbsp;guest artists, with a different lineup at every venue. Dawn Heilung: I would love to perform two pieces that are near and dear to my heart as a born and raised trans Texan who had to migrate to Chicago for safety and legal gender protections. The first piece is an interactive dance and storytelling piece called Debi Never Taught Me to Braid. A part of transitioning to be a woman has including figuring out what the hell to do with my hair and my mom (Debi) barely knows what to do with her own her. In this piece, I braid a 3 foot hair extension on my head as I share transphobic acts I&#39;ve faced in Texas as the audience calls and responds with a hell know underscored to the music &quot;Redneck Woman&quot; By Gretchen Wilson. The piece ends with me singing the chorus of this song and leading willing audience members in a absolute beginner country line dance. The second half of this work is set to a historical Queer Folk Artist Meg Christian titled &quot;Southern Home&quot;. In the work, Me and 2 other collaborators sing an original 3 part harmony to the song while dancing with some comfy blanket choreography. This song explores the heartbreak of leaving home when there is no other options and the joy of finding home in chosen family and community.&nbsp; Dawn Heilung&nbsp;(they, them) is a performer, producer, and choreographer. Dawn has been dancing for 16 years and choreographed for multiple musicals like the Addams Family and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Dawn studied Dance and Musical Theatre at the North East School of the Arts and graduated with a BFA in Acting from Texas State University. They founded Queer Dance Freakout in Texas in 2018 and Gender Fucked Productions in Chicago in 2022! They have performed at Thalia Hall, Steppenwolf, and Navy Pier with See Chicago Dance. They have had their choreo featured in performances with the Chicago Dance Maker&rsquo;s Forum, Noumenon Dance Ensemble, and the Fly Honeys. &nbsp;Dawn is a guest teacher at Ball State University and a company member of Comedy Dancer Chicago. Dawn had their dance videography featured in Short Stacks Dance Film Festival and they&rsquo;ve been a featured performer at the International Physical Theatre Festival, THEYFRIEND Nobinary Performance Festival, and the Trans Movement Festival! Cal Walker: Revenge of The Daddy Issues is solo deconstruction of queer masculinity. Cal Walker recounts their own experience loving and tolerating masculinity: a verbally abusive father as a child, unrequited high school crushes and questionable boyfriends as a closeted teenager, and queer love in frightening adulthood. In a coming-of-age story of self-actualization and survival, Walker uses humor and audience interaction to explore what it means to &ldquo;be a man.&rdquo; Cal Walker (they/them) is an obnoxiously queer humorist and occasional performer. Their writing is known for its dark humor and witty dialogue, its focus on queer subculture, and its emphasis on the intersection of connection and despair. They are so thankful to work with Nothing Without a Company. Previous work with NWaC includes a workshop reading of Cal&rsquo;s horror-comedy That Thing In The Bathroom, and two iterations of the New World Play Festival. More recently, Cal earned a Master&rsquo;s in English Education from DePaul University. When not writing or teaching, Cal can be lurking around a thrift store or watching garbage reality TV. Love to Ronan and Ozzy: the two biggest reasons to keep going. Community Partner:Look Great. Feel Amazing.Nestled in the heart of Logan Square, <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.remsalonchicago.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">REM Salon</a> is an oasis of opulence and purity. Guided by Chicago&#39;s elite stylists, we champion the art of personalized natural &nbsp;beauty. Every detail, from cleaner air to the transparency of our products, is curated with the discerning client in mind. At REM Salon, beauty goes beyond the surface&mdash; it&rsquo;s an immersive experience, tailored organically to each individual who sits in our chairs.&nbsp; History of&nbsp;The Trouble With My Hair:&nbsp;Coloring, Cutting, and Coming into Who I AmThe performance is developed with and directed by <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.soaringsolostudios.com/bio/" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Jessica Lynn Johnson</a>, an award-winning director and solo show development expert known for shaping compelling, authentic solo works. &ldquo;Ada is a brilliant and gifted storyteller. Gentle, perfectly paced and warmly welcoming in her sweetly sarcastic way. The writing is magical. Evocative, sensual and human.&rdquo; -<a fr-original-style="" href="https://nohoartsdistrict.com/author/samantha-simmonds/" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros</a> of NoHo Arts District. Ada has performed The Trouble With My Hair&nbsp;nation-wide, including the Asheville Fringe Art Festival, was an official selection of the Soaring Solo Studios Stars Series&nbsp;2025, and she continues to have more shows throughout the year in and out of the country. Writer + Performer BioDr. Ada Cheng is an award-winning storyteller, solo performer, and producer. Committed to amplifying and uplifting marginalized voices, she has created numerous storytelling platforms for BIPOC and LGBTQIA community members to tell difficult and vulnerable stories. She has consistently engaged in public education and public outreach through the use of storytelling and performance arts. Since 2016, she has toured her solo performances Not Quite and Loving Across Borders nationwide, presenting at universities, theaters, and conferences. She premiered her third solo performance, The Trouble with My Hair, in Los Angeles in October 2025 as part of Soaring Solo Studios&rsquo; Stars Series. She has been a speaker with the Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau since 2019. Dr. Cheng was named the 2023&ndash;24 Lund-Gill Endowed Chair at Dominican University and was a recipient of the 2024 Public Humanities Award from Illinois Humanities.&nbsp; Discussion Moderator BioKevin Sparrow (they/them) is a Chicago-based playwright, performer, dramaturg, and the Literary Manager for NWAC. They premiered the pop-punk musical Sofa King Queer in 2024 and the self-help satire Cornerstone in 2018. As Literary Manager, Kevin was dramaturg for the productions Down the Moonlit Path and ThroatPunch, and they produced the 2018 and 2019 editions of the New World Play Festival, which showcased 16 new short plays from local and national playwrights. PoliciesCommunity / Student / Industry Tickets: To help make this performance accessible while ensuring artists are fairly compensated, a limited number of Community / Student / Industry tickets are available for each performance. Pay What You Can Tickets: Five Pay What You Can tickets will be available at the door for each performance on a first-come, first-served basis. Availability is limited, so advance ticket purchase is recommended. Refunds &amp; Exchanges Policy: All ticket sales are final. We are not able to offer refunds. If you are unable to attend, we appreciate your understanding that your ticket purchase directly supports the artists and production.Exchanges may be requested up to one week prior to the scheduled performance, subject to availability. Within one week of the event date, we are unable to accommodate exchanges.

REM Salon — The Trouble With My Hair (Sun, Aug 23)

The Trouble With My Hair by Ada Cheng&ldquo;Hair is never just hair, it holds our histories, our rebellions, our identities, our desires to belong, and our declarations of independence. This show is about coming home to oneself and learning to love the person underneath it all.&rdquo; - Ada Cheng About the ProductionThe Trouble With My Hair: Coloring, Cutting, and Coming into Who I Am,&nbsp;is an intimate exploration of gender, sexual identity, and boundary-making through Ada&rsquo;s evolving relationship with her hairstylist and her hair. Blending narrative art and theatrical storytelling, Ada Cheng playfully brings her audience on a journey of self-discovery and self-love through her struggles with hair. From early memories of negotiating belonging to courageous acts of boundary-making in adulthood, Cheng uses her changing hairstyles and haircolors as milestones marking her path toward self-definition. Each cut, color, and conversation becomes a metaphor for reclaiming voice and visibility in a world eager to define her first. This site-responsive Chicago presentation spans five performances across the city, each featuring guest performers and a post-show conversation or response. Performances (5 total)Each performance runs approximately 2 hours and includes guest artists and a post-show discussion or response.<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Friday, Aug 21 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm Scissor &amp; Fork 3968 N Elston Ave, Irving Park</li><li fr-original-style="font-weight: bold;" style="font-weight: bold; box-sizing: inherit;">Saturday, Aug 22 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm Visceral Adventure Lounge 3638 W Grand Ave, Humboldt Park</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Sunday, Aug 23 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm REM Salon 3035 W Fullerton Ave, Logan Square</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Saturday, Aug 29 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm Haibay&ocirc; 1132 W Argyle St, Uptown</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Sunday, Aug 30 | 1:00&ndash;3:30pm Center on Halsted 3656 N Halsted St, Northalsted Featuring a performance response by Stir Friday Night, followed by a closing reception until 3:30pm. This final performance will not include a post-show talkback.</li></ul>Guest Artists&nbsp;Each performance will feature guest artists, with a different lineup at every venue.&nbsp; Darshita Jain:&nbsp;This piece is about hair triggers. Being the only person in my family/household to have curls I am just now still learning to style them, live with them and not freak out about my curls. This spoken word piece will be talking about the act of finding hair in all parts of the curves of my body. Elbow, back of knee, butt cheeks, they are everywhere and with my history of tuberculosis and lung damage, every time I see a 3 foot hair strand, it triggers me and scares me.&nbsp;The piece will encompass the stigma of my curls, the trauma of them falling and losing my hair when I did, and the self love / hatred they encompass and how being in this country is the first time my curls feel normal, yet the cost of it is massive. Darshita Jain&nbsp;is a Chicago-based poet, art critic, an arts administrator and a voracious consumer of content, matched only by her need to critically converse about the said content. Her work takes the shape of exhibition direction, art journalism, writing, performance, and non-profit arts administration. Darshita serves as a Board member at the Chicago Poetry Center. Ivy McPherson:&nbsp; I will be reading a creative nonfiction essay about being 14 and unable to come out as trans, while searching for external support from both the vying forces of my parents and my best friend at the time, which eventually culminates into a breaking point for everyone.&nbsp; Ivy McPherson is a playwright, essayist, poet and musician from St. Louis, Missouri. Her work centers around themes of transfeminine identity, race, belonging, and queerness.&nbsp; Kin Ribeiro: My piece engages with the theme of hair by connecting it to relationships with different family members. I explore on the one side, fetishization from my mother&#39;s White adoptive family, and on the other side internalized texturism from my aunt on my father&#39;s Latinx side. I receive push back from both sides of the family for defying gender and beauty standards by choosing to wear my hair short. Despite the troubled nature of my family&#39;s perception of my hair, we still seek a sense of belonging and continuity, symbolized through the act of braiding hair. The piece engages with race, migration, and belonging by telling my mother&#39;s adoption story and references her and her family&#39;s straddling of the US and South Korea. The way my mother&#39;s adoptive family perceives our race is interesting both in that it idealizes our Asian features but also White-washes my mother&#39;s Korean heritage. The piece also wonders how much success at conforming to an exotic, yet White-adjacent idea of beauty was a factor of my mother belonging to this family. The piece also touches on themes of gender and queerness through its discomfort with the idea of beauty. It presents beauty as a form of control of one&#39;s gender presentation and sexuality, but also redefines beauty through the scream as an expression of grief.&nbsp; Kin Ribeiro is a writer based in Chicago and haunted by the DMV. They are the author of Pachakuti published by INCA Press and their work has appeared in the Allegheny Review and the Wright Side Review. Kin received the Paul Carroll Creative Writing Award for their poetry and performed their work in collaboration with Nothing Without a Company.&nbsp; Host Partner:Located in Chicago&#39;s Humboldt Park neighborhood, <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.visceraladventure.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Visceral Adventure Lounge</a> is a multidisciplinary arts venue that hosts immersive performances, live events, exhibitions, workshops, and community programming. The artist-run space brings together creators from across disciplines, fostering experimentation, collaboration, and new ways of engaging audiences through performance and the arts. History of&nbsp;The Trouble With My Hair:&nbsp;Coloring, Cutting, and Coming into Who I AmThe performance is developed with and directed by <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.soaringsolostudios.com/bio/" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Jessica Lynn Johnson</a>, an award-winning director and solo show development expert known for shaping compelling, authentic solo works. &ldquo;Ada is a brilliant and gifted storyteller. Gentle, perfectly paced and warmly welcoming in her sweetly sarcastic way. The writing is magical. Evocative, sensual and human.&rdquo; -<a fr-original-style="" href="https://nohoartsdistrict.com/author/samantha-simmonds/" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros</a> of NoHo Arts District. Ada has performed The Trouble With My Hair&nbsp;nation-wide, including the Asheville Fringe Art Festival, was an official selection of the Soaring Solo Studios Stars Series&nbsp;2025, and she continues to have more shows throughout the year in and out of the country. Writer + Performer BioDr. Ada Cheng is an award-winning storyteller, solo performer, and producer. Committed to amplifying and uplifting marginalized voices, she has created numerous storytelling platforms for BIPOC and LGBTQIA community members to tell difficult and vulnerable stories. She has consistently engaged in public education and public outreach through the use of storytelling and performance arts. Since 2016, she has toured her solo performances Not Quite and Loving Across Borders nationwide, presenting at universities, theaters, and conferences. She premiered her third solo performance, The Trouble with My Hair, in Los Angeles in October 2025 as part of Soaring Solo Studios&rsquo; Stars Series. She has been a speaker with the Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau since 2019. Dr. Cheng was named the 2023&ndash;24 Lund-Gill Endowed Chair at Dominican University and was a recipient of the 2024 Public Humanities Award from Illinois Humanities.&nbsp; Discussion Moderator BioKevin Sparrow (they/them) is a Chicago-based playwright, performer, dramaturg, and the Literary Manager for NWAC. They premiered the pop-punk musical Sofa King Queer in 2024 and the self-help satire Cornerstone in 2018. As Literary Manager, Kevin was dramaturg for the productions Down the Moonlit Path and ThroatPunch, and they produced the 2018 and 2019 editions of the New World Play Festival, which showcased 16 new short plays from local and national playwrights. PoliciesCommunity / Student / Industry Tickets: To help make this performance accessible while ensuring artists are fairly compensated, a limited number of Community / Student / Industry tickets are available for each performance. Pay What You Can Tickets: Five Pay What You Can tickets will be available at the door for each performance on a first-come, first-served basis. Availability is limited, so advance ticket purchase is recommended. Refunds &amp; Exchanges Policy: All ticket sales are final. We are not able to offer refunds. If you are unable to attend, we appreciate your understanding that your ticket purchase directly supports the artists and production.Exchanges may be requested up to one week prior to the scheduled performance, subject to availability. Within one week of the event date, we are unable to accommodate exchanges.

Visceral Adventure Lounge — The Trouble With My Hair (Sat, Aug 22)

The Trouble With My Hair by Ada Cheng&ldquo;Hair is never just hair, it holds our histories, our rebellions, our identities, our desires to belong, and our declarations of independence. This show is about coming home to oneself and learning to love the person underneath it all.&rdquo; - Ada Cheng About the ProductionThe Trouble With My Hair: Coloring, Cutting, and Coming into Who I Am,&nbsp;is an intimate exploration of gender, sexual identity, and boundary-making through Ada&rsquo;s evolving relationship with her hairstylist and her hair. Blending narrative art and theatrical storytelling, Ada Cheng playfully brings her audience on a journey of self-discovery and self-love through her struggles with hair. From early memories of negotiating belonging to courageous acts of boundary-making in adulthood, Cheng uses her changing hairstyles and haircolors as milestones marking her path toward self-definition. Each cut, color, and conversation becomes a metaphor for reclaiming voice and visibility in a world eager to define her first. This site-responsive Chicago presentation spans five performances across the city, each featuring guest performers and a post-show conversation or response. Performances (5 total)Each performance runs approximately 2 hours and includes guest artists and a post-show discussion or response.<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Friday, Aug 21 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm Scissor &amp; Fork 3968 N Elston Ave, Irving Park</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Saturday, Aug 22 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm Visceral Adventure Lounge 3638 W Grand Ave, Humboldt Park</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Sunday, Aug 23 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm REM Salon 3035 W Fullerton Ave, Logan Square</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Saturday, Aug 29 | 7:30&ndash;9:30pm Haibay&ocirc; 1132 W Argyle St, Uptown</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Sunday, Aug 30 | 1:00&ndash;3:30pm Center on Halsted 3656 N Halsted St, Northalsted Featuring a performance response by Stir Friday Night, followed by a closing reception until 3:30pm. This final performance will not include a post-show talkback.</li></ul> Guest Artists&nbsp;Each performance will feature guest artists, with a different lineup at every venue.&nbsp; Ginger &amp; Larry Leopoldo: Crazy on the Inside is a two-voice Storyaoke love letter tracing how care, migration, memory, and theater bind two generations of Filipino American stories. Set before a communal singing of Patsy Cline&rsquo;s &ldquo;Crazy,&rdquo; the piece asks what it means to cross oceans, keep promises, and find a heartbeat strong enough to carry us home. Ginger Leopoldo is an artist, educator, teaching artist, cultural producer, and disability justice advocate whose lifelong artistic practice bridges cultures, narratives, intersections, and generations. She holds a Master&#39;s degree in Theatre from the University of Illinois Chicago and is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership through an integrated arts approach. A recipient of the 2026 DCASE Individual Artists Program grant and the 2024 DCASE Neighborhood Access Program grant, Ginger is a founding member and Executive Director of CIRCA Pintig, now celebrating its 35th anniversary season. Rooted in theater since adolescence, Ginger&#39;s artistry thrives both onstage and offstage, where she uses the arts as a catalyst for belonging, healing, civic engagement, and community power. Recent artistic work includes a lead role in Bear Cat Productions&#39; Queer Up the Details, a Chicago 48-Hour Film Project production, and serving as Co-Producer of Pink Ribbon Plays, a 24-Hour PlayFest presented in partnership with Nothing Without a Company (NWaC) and the Asian Health Coalition. She previously appeared in Daryo&#39;s All-American Diner, recognized as Best New Play in 2023, and received support from Illinois Humanities for The Art of Belonging, a community-centered storytelling initiative. Through arts leadership, instructional design, youth development, and community-based cultural programming, Ginger advances creative practices that expand access, amplify underrepresented voices, and strengthen connections across communities. Her work reflects a deep commitment to empowering individuals through collaborative artistic experiences at the local, national, and global levels. Lawrence &ldquo;Larry&rdquo; Leopoldo is a Chicago-based performer, writer, visual artist, chef, and community arts organizer. He is a founding member of CIRCA Pintig, where he has spent more than 35 years helping develop, produce, and perform works centered on Filipino and Filipino American experiences. Larry also works with the Filipino American Historical Society of Chicago and the Rizal Center on arts, cultural, archival, and community-development projects. As a visual artist, he is known for his work in Kut-Kut, a contemporary approach inspired by traditional Filipino layered-art techniques. He is also the author of The Mysteries of the V.E.R.M., which he is currently developing for television. In Ada Cheng&rsquo;s The Trouble With My Hair, Larry shares &ldquo;Crazy on the Inside,&rdquo; a personal story about his parents&mdash;two Filipino nurses whose love story began at a psychiatric hospital near Manila. Ursa Miles:&nbsp;A rapunzel story with a contemporary twist.&nbsp;Description:&nbsp;Rapunzel gets the rescue she always dreamed of, but life after rescue is nothing like the books she&#39;s read trapped in her tower. She doesn&#39;t know how to fall in love with the prince who rescued her. She&#39;s not sure what love is at all. All she knows is that her hair saved her once, and it can do it again. Ursa Miles&nbsp;is a professional storyteller originally from the Ozarks now based out of Chicago. She delights in blending traditional oral styles with new contemporary storytelling structures. She has recently appeared at Stone Soup Storytelling Festival and St. Louis Storytelling Festival and serves on the boards of Fox Valley Folklore Society and Illinois Storytelling Inc. Community Partner<a fr-original-style="" href="https://scissorandfork.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Scissor &amp; Fork</a> was created to do things differently. Built by and for artists, this is a caf&eacute; and salon rooted in ethical labor, collective care, and community gathering. We reject burnout culture and extractive systems and instead choose intention, sustainability, and respect. This space exists because we believe a better way is not only possible but necessary.&nbsp; History of&nbsp;The Trouble With My Hair:&nbsp;Coloring, Cutting, and Coming into Who I AmThe performance is developed with and directed by <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.soaringsolostudios.com/bio/" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Jessica Lynn Johnson</a>, an award-winning director and solo show development expert known for shaping compelling, authentic solo works. &ldquo;Ada is a brilliant and gifted storyteller. Gentle, perfectly paced and warmly welcoming in her sweetly sarcastic way. The writing is magical. Evocative, sensual and human.&rdquo; -<a fr-original-style="" href="https://nohoartsdistrict.com/author/samantha-simmonds/" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros</a> of NoHo Arts District. Ada has performed The Trouble With My Hair&nbsp;nation-wide, including the Asheville Fringe Art Festival, was an official selection of the Soaring Solo Studios Stars Series&nbsp;2025, and she continues to have more shows throughout the year in and out of the country. Writer + Performer BioDr. Ada Cheng is an award-winning storyteller, solo performer, and producer. Committed to amplifying and uplifting marginalized voices, she has created numerous storytelling platforms for BIPOC and LGBTQIA community members to tell difficult and vulnerable stories. She has consistently engaged in public education and public outreach through the use of storytelling and performance arts. Since 2016, she has toured her solo performances Not Quite and Loving Across Borders nationwide, presenting at universities, theaters, and conferences. She premiered her third solo performance, The Trouble with My Hair, in Los Angeles in October 2025 as part of Soaring Solo Studios&rsquo; Stars Series. She has been a speaker with the Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau since 2019. Dr. Cheng was named the 2023&ndash;24 Lund-Gill Endowed Chair at Dominican University and was a recipient of the 2024 Public Humanities Award from Illinois Humanities.&nbsp; Discussion Moderator BioKevin Sparrow (they/them) is a Chicago-based playwright, performer, dramaturg, and the Literary Manager for NWAC. They premiered the pop-punk musical Sofa King Queer in 2024 and the self-help satire Cornerstone in 2018. As Literary Manager, Kevin was dramaturg for the productions Down the Moonlit Path and ThroatPunch, and they produced the 2018 and 2019 editions of the New World Play Festival, which showcased 16 new short plays from local and national playwrights. PoliciesCommunity / Student / Industry Tickets: To help make this performance accessible while ensuring artists are fairly compensated, a limited number of Community / Student / Industry tickets are available for each performance. Pay What You Can Tickets: Five Pay What You Can tickets will be available at the door for each performance on a first-come, first-served basis. Availability is limited, so advance ticket purchase is recommended. Refunds &amp; Exchanges Policy: All ticket sales are final. We are not able to offer refunds. If you are unable to attend, we appreciate your understanding that your ticket purchase directly supports the artists and production.Exchanges may be requested up to one week prior to the scheduled performance, subject to availability. Within one week of the event date, we are unable to accommodate exchanges.

Scissor & Fork — The Trouble With My Hair (Fri, Aug 21)

Not Without Company Film Festival

Pink Ribbon Plays presented by&nbsp;CIRCA-Pintig and Nothing Without a Company is fast-paced 24-Hour Play Festival bringing together 30 AANHPI artists to create six original short plays in just one day, centering community storytelling around breast cancer, healing, and collective care, supported by the SCREEN Project and the Asian Health Coalition. What is a 24-Hour Play Festival?A 24-Hour Play Festival at the Rizal Center brings together six playwrights, six directors, and eighteen actors who are randomly sorted into six teams composed of a writer, director, and three actors. Every team is assigned a specific location within the building and given 24 hours to devise a brand-new ten-minute play inspired by their space. The festival celebrates collaboration, site-responsive storytelling, and the excitement of creating live theatre under a shared deadline. Accessible TheatrePay-What-You-Can tickets will be available at the box office on the day of the event, subject to availability. If the performance sells out, a Pay-What-You-Can waitlist will be offered. Who is CIRCA-Pintig?For 35 years, CIRCA Pintig has been at the forefront of Filipino American theatre in Chicago, creating powerful, socially relevant productions that educate, entertain, and inspire. The company remains committed to amplifying diverse voices, developing new works, and addressing pressing social issues through the power of theatre. Who is Nothing Without a Company?Nothing Without a Company (NWaC) is a Chicago-based theatre and film company committed to immersive, site-specific storytelling that puts audiences inside the action. We collaborate to create original work that is raw, inventive, and built for shared spaces where art and community meet. What is the SCREEN Project?The SCREEN Project (Screening for Cancer, Reducing Inequity, and Engaging Asian Neighborhoods) is a community health initiative led by the Asian Health Coalition that works to reduce cancer disparities across Asian neighborhoods in Chicagoland. At its core, SCREEN combines culturally and linguistically appropriate breast health education with community-centered storytelling to address stigma, shame, fear, and misinformation, while also increasing access to screening and strengthening pathways to timely follow-up care.

Pink Ribbon Plays

<span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">Nothing Without a Company and Rishi Productions presents a one-night-only fundraiser Not One Batu: The Film Experience. Catch the filmed version of Not One Batu, NWaC&rsquo;s groundbreaking 2018 production and the first full-length play we ever captured on film. <span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">VIP guests can kick off the evening with a meet &amp; greet and a variety of musubi from Aloha Eats and Kanin, then everyone is invited to stay after the screening for a Q&amp;A panel with the creative team. <span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">Come share in this powerful story and celebrate a landmark moment in NWaC history. <span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">Q&amp;A:<span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">Guests Marie Tredway (Actor: Honey Girl), Scott Hanada (Actor: Uncle Makana), Hannah Ii-Epstein (Writer), Anna Rose Ii-Epstein (Film Director), Sandeep Pamulapati (Film Editor), and Rachel Slavick (Play Director). Led by Kevin Sparrow (NWaC Literary Manager) <span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">Synopsis:<span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">Meet Honey Girl: a former meth user, now an expert drug dealer. At Haleʻiwa beach park one morning, Honey Girl meets with customers and friends, rival dealers, and her addict mother. Amusing, intimate and occasionally disturbing, Not One Batu&nbsp;follows Honey Girl&rsquo;s struggle to stay clean in a world turned upside down by meth. This film contains strong language, physical violence, and drug use.&nbsp; <span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">Process:<span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">In 2018, Nothing Without a Company, in association with Aloha Center Chicago and the Chicago Park District produced Not One Batu, an award winning play written by Hannah Ii-Epstein, &nbsp;directed by Rachel Slavick, film direction by Producing Director Anna Rose Ii-Epstein. For the first time in NWacʻs history, a theatre production was filmed. After completing the editing process, we are thrilled to present Not One Batu: The Film Experience in a special one-night-only event. <span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">Cast Credits:<span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">Marie Tredway (Honey Girl), Leleaʻe Kahalepuna-Wong (Ma), Scott Hanada (Uncle Makana), Gloria Alvarez (Sherri), Heather Jencks (Max), Bobby Wilhelmson (Jason), Tony Rossi (Toully), Ian Voltaire Deanes (Braddah).&nbsp; <span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">Production Team Credits:<span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">Rachel Slavick (Play Director), Savannah Cannistraro (Cinematographer), Anna Rose Ii-Epstein (Film Director), Raphael Goldberg (Production Manager), Sandeep Pamulapati (Editor), &nbsp;Lanialoha Lee (Cultural Specialist/Music Artist), Mark Bracken (Set and Light Designer), &nbsp;Matt Collera (Sound Recording), Alan Contreras (Sound Mix/Sound Master), Gabriel Garavaglia (Color Correction), Whitney Masters (Costume Designer), Jaq Seifert (Fight Choreographer), Almanya Narula (Assistant Fight Choreographer), Val Gerard Garcia Jr. (Dramaturge/Play Box Office), Christopher Sylvie (Production Assistant/Stage Manager), Jake Fruend (Poster Designer), and Cale Manning (Indiegogo Video).&nbsp; <span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;"><span fr-original-style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:400;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;white-space:pre-wrap;" id="isPasted" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: inherit;">All proceeds will go toward the Chicago premiere of the final installment of Ii-Epstein&rsquo;s State of Highwaiʻi Drug Plays, Aloha Fry-day.

Not One Batu: The Film Experience

Kick Back with NWaC

Kick Back with NWaC Silent Auction

Help Us Make the NWaC Documentary For almost 20 years, NWaC has been making theatre in Chicago. For the past 11 years, we&#39;ve been making short films, too. We&#39;ve worked in apartments, parks, bars, borrowed spaces, reclaimed spaces, and wherever else we could pull something together. We&#39;ve made work with artists we love, told stories we wanted to see, taken risks, broken a few rules, and figured shit out along the way. Now we&#39;re turning the camera around on ourselves. We&#39;re making a feature-length documentary about NWaC, the people who&#39;ve shaped it, and the world that&#39;s shaped us. From Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI+) and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) storytelling to pop culture, anarchy, activism, social change, and the cultural landscape of Chicago, this film looks at almost two decades of making art outside the box. It&#39;s about how the stories we tell reflect the world around us, challenge the status quo, and become part of the culture that shapes what comes next. We&#39;re bringing together new interviews and archival footage from NWaC&#39;s history to bring this film to life. Here&#39;s the deal: the full documentary budget is $50,000. We&#39;re kicking off with a $10,000 fundraising goal, which represents 20% of the total. The rest will come from grants, sponsorships, additional fundraising, in-kind support, and other project resources. No mystery money, no smoke and mirrors. We want to be upfront about what it takes to make this thing. The budget covers research and producing, production crew and equipment, post-production, insurance, administration, accessibility, publicity, festivals, and distribution. That means paying the people doing the work, getting the film across the finish line, and making sure it actually gets seen. Why now? Because we&#39;re here, and we&#39;re queer, so get used to it! We have nearly 20 years of immersive theatre, short films, big swings, unexpected turns, and stories worth revisiting. NWaC has grown and changed alongside the artists, communities, and cultures around us. We&#39;ve made space for AANHPI+ and queer voices, taken creative risks, and kept finding new ways to make work happen. There&#39;s a lot of history here, and we&#39;re ready to put it on film. If you&#39;ve seen a show, worked on a production, bought a ticket, donated, volunteered, shared a post, lent us a space, or been a&nbsp;part of the chaos, you&#39;re a part of this story. We&#39;re raising $10,000 to get this film started. Give $25, $50, $100, $250, or whatever works for you. Every contribution helps move the project forward. 20 years in, we&#39;re still making shit happen. This time, we&#39;re documenting it.Help us make the damn thing!

Help Us Make the NWaC DocumentaryFor almost 20 years, NWaC has been making theatre in Chicago. For the past 11 years, we've been making short films, too. We've worked in apartments, parks, bars, borrowed spaces, reclaimed spaces, and wherever else we could pull something together. We've made work with artists we love, told stories we wanted to see, taken risks, broken a few rules, and figured shit out along the way.Now we're turning the camera around on ourselves.We're making a feature-length documentary about NWaC, the people who've shaped it, and the world that's shaped us. From Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI+) and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) storytelling to pop culture, anarchy, activism, social change, and the cultural landscape of Chicago, this film looks at almost two decades of making art outside the box. It's about how the stories we tell reflect the world around us, challenge the status quo, and become part of the culture that shapes what comes next.We're bringing together new interviews and archival footage from NWaC's history to bring this film to life.Here's the deal: the full documentary budget is $50,000. We're kicking off with a $10,000 fundraising goal, which represents 20% of the total. The rest will come from grants, sponsorships, additional fundraising, in-kind support, and other project resources. No mystery money, no smoke and mirrors. We want to be upfront about what it takes to make this thing.The budget covers research and producing, production crew and equipment, post-production, insurance, administration, accessibility, publicity, festivals, and distribution. That means paying the people doing the work, getting the film across the finish line, and making sure it actually gets seen.Why now? Because we're here, and we're queer, so get used to it! We have nearly 20 years of immersive theatre, short films, big swings, unexpected turns, and stories worth revisiting. NWaC has grown and changed alongside the artists, communities, and cultures around us. We've made space for AANHPI+ and queer voices, taken creative risks, and kept finding new ways to make work happen. There's a lot of history here, and we're ready to put it on film.If you've seen a show, worked on a production, bought a ticket, donated, volunteered, shared a post, lent us a space, or been a part of the chaos, you're a part of this story.We're raising $10,000 to get this film started. Give $25, $50, $100, $250, or whatever works for you. Every contribution helps move the project forward.20 years in, we're still making shit happen. This time, we're documenting it.Help us make the damn thing!

NWaC: The Documentary

In Summer 2027, Nothing Without a Company brings Aloha Fry-day, the final play in Hannah Ii-Epstein&rsquo;s ALL BUSS UP IN A HI STATE: A TRILOGY OF HAWAIʻI PLAYS, to Theatre Wit for a full-performance run. Aloha Fry-day By Hannah Ii-Epstein | Directed by Rachel SlavickProduced by Anna Rose Ii-EpsteinArt by Luluka The play follows four friends gathering in the forest to mourn a friend&rsquo;s death. As they spread his ashes and take hallucinogens, buried trauma surfaces, and their stories become haunted by the ghosts of the ʻāina. Beyond the stage, we&rsquo;re creating space for connection, conversation, and community care. Every performance will be followed by a facilitated discussion exploring grief, trauma, substance use, suicide, and mental wellness. We&rsquo;re also bringing an actor and a cultural specialist from Hawaiʻi to Chicago to foster cultural exchange and deepen connections between our communities. Through storytelling and shared dialogue, Aloha Fry-day invites audiences to engage with the complexity of Hawaiʻi beyond the tourist image and explore how culture, land, grief, and belonging shape our lives. Aloha Fry-Day: Where Your Donation Goes 1. Paying the Artists &mdash; $16,200Theatre doesn&#39;t happen because of one person. It takes a team of creative professionals bringing their skills, experience, and expertise to the project. We are committed to compensating the people who make this production possible.Creative Team &amp; Production Crew &mdash; $6,400Performers &mdash; $6,000Design Team &mdash; $3,800 2. Bringing Hawaiʻi to Chicago &mdash; $8,000Aloha Fry-Day brings collaborators from Hawaiʻi to Chicago, making their participation an essential part of the production. Supporting these collaborators means more than covering airfare and housing. It also means helping with the everyday expenses of living in Chicago while they work on the project.Travel &amp; Transportation &mdash; $3,800Housing, Meals &amp; Per Diem &mdash; $4,200 3. Building the World of the Play &mdash; $11,200Every production needs a place to perform and the materials to build its world. This category covers theatre rental, production materials, supplies, and a reserve for unexpected production needs.Theatre Space &mdash; $6,000Production Materials &amp; Supplies &mdash; $5,200 Every contribution helps bring Aloha Fry-Day closer to the stage. Whether you give $25, $100, $500, or more, your support helps pay the artists, bring collaborators from Hawaiʻi to Chicago, and create the production our audiences will experience.<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">$25 &mdash; Help provide materials and supplies for the production.</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">$50 &mdash; Help support the creative work happening behind the scenes.</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">$100 &mdash; Help cover production materials and resources.</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">$250 &mdash; Help make travel and participation possible for essential collaborators.</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">$500 &mdash; Help support compensation for the artists bringing this story to life.</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">$1,000 &mdash; Make a significant investment in bringing Aloha Fry-Day to the stage.</li></ul>These giving levels illustrate the impact your contribution can have. Unless otherwise arranged, donations support the overall production budget rather than a single designated expense. Our full goal is $35,400. Together, we can bring&nbsp;Aloha Fry-Day&nbsp;to the stage.

In Summer 2027, Nothing Without a Company brings Aloha Fry-day, the final play in Hannah Ii-Epstein’s ALL BUSS UP IN A HI STATE: A TRILOGY OF HAWAIʻI PLAYS, to Theatre Wit for a full-performance run.Aloha Fry-day By Hannah Ii-Epstein | Directed by Rachel SlavickProduced by Anna Rose Ii-EpsteinArt by LulukaThe play follows four friends gathering in the forest to mourn a friend’s death. As they spread his ashes and take hallucinogens, buried trauma surfaces, and their stories become haunted by the ghosts of the ʻāina.Beyond the stage, we’re creating space for connection, conversation, and community care. Every performance will be followed by a facilitated discussion exploring grief, trauma, substance use, suicide, and mental wellness. We’re also bringing an actor and a cultural specialist from Hawaiʻi to Chicago to foster cultural exchange and deepen connections between our communities.Through storytelling and shared dialogue, Aloha Fry-day invites audiences to engage with the complexity of Hawaiʻi beyond the tourist image and explore how culture, land, grief, and belonging shape our lives.Aloha Fry-Day: Where Your Donation Goes1. Paying the Artists — $16,200Theatre doesn't happen because of one person. It takes a team of creative professionals bringing their skills, experience, and expertise to the project. We are committed to compensating the people who make this production possible.Creative Team & Production Crew — $6,400Performers — $6,000Design Team — $3,8002. Bringing Hawaiʻi to Chicago — $8,000Aloha Fry-Day brings collaborators from Hawaiʻi to Chicago, making their participation an essential part of the production. Supporting these collaborators means more than covering airfare and housing. It also means helping with the everyday expenses of living in Chicago while they work on the project.Travel & Transportation — $3,800Housing, Meals & Per Diem — $4,2003. Building the World of the Play — $11,200Every production needs a place to perform and the materials to build its world. This category covers theatre rental, production materials, supplies, and a reserve for unexpected production needs.Theatre Space — $6,000Production Materials & Supplies — $5,200Every contribution helps bring Aloha Fry-Day closer to the stage. Whether you give $25, $100, $500, or more, your support helps pay the artists, bring collaborators from Hawaiʻi to Chicago, and create the production our audiences will experience.$25 — Help provide materials and supplies for the production.$50 — Help support the creative work happening behind the scenes.$100 — Help cover production materials and resources.$250 — Help make travel and participation possible for essential collaborators.$500 — Help support compensation for the artists bringing this story to life.$1,000 — Make a significant investment in bringing Aloha Fry-Day to the stage.These giving levels illustrate the impact your contribution can have. Unless otherwise arranged, donations support the overall production budget rather than a single designated expense.Our full goal is $35,400. Together, we can bring Aloha Fry-Day to the stage.

Aloha Fry-day Fundraiser

Our Junior Board is entering its third cohort in 2027, and we&rsquo;re raising funds to support the next generation of emerging arts leaders at Nothing Without a Company. Earlier this year, our Junior Board raised $1,663 through ticket sales, auctions, donations, raffles, and their Kick Back fundraiser. After expenses, $937 went directly toward supporting the program. Now, we&rsquo;re looking ahead to 2027.The Junior Board gives emerging leaders a hands-on opportunity to participate in board meetings, join organizational committees, contribute to strategic conversations, and take on projects that directly support NWaC&#39;s Junior Board program. It&rsquo;s a chance to learn by doing, while also bringing new ideas, perspectives, and energy into the organization. As we prepare for our third cohort, we&rsquo;re asking our community to help us continue growing this program. Our fundraising goal is $3,000, meaning we need just over $2,000 to help provide the resources needed for the 2027 Junior Board year. If you believe in investing in emerging arts leaders and creating real opportunities for young leaders to shape the organizations they&rsquo;re part of, we&rsquo;d love to have you behind this cohort. Mahalo for supporting the Junior Board and the future of NWaC. 💛

Our Junior Board is entering its third cohort in 2027, and we’re raising funds to support the next generation of emerging arts leaders at Nothing Without a Company.Earlier this year, our Junior Board raised $1,663 through ticket sales, auctions, donations, raffles, and their Kick Back fundraiser. After expenses, $937 went directly toward supporting the program.Now, we’re looking ahead to 2027.The Junior Board gives emerging leaders a hands-on opportunity to participate in board meetings, join organizational committees, contribute to strategic conversations, and take on projects that directly support NWaC's Junior Board program. It’s a chance to learn by doing, while also bringing new ideas, perspectives, and energy into the organization.As we prepare for our third cohort, we’re asking our community to help us continue growing this program.Our fundraising goal is $3,000, meaning we need just over $2,000 to help provide the resources needed for the 2027 Junior Board year.If you believe in investing in emerging arts leaders and creating real opportunities for young leaders to shape the organizations they’re part of, we’d love to have you behind this cohort.Mahalo for supporting the Junior Board and the future of NWaC. 💛

Nothing Without a Company

Nothing Without a Company

Nothing Without a Company

Past events

Past events

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KICKBACK WITH NWAC

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Silent Auction for Kickback with NWaC 2026

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Chicago Theater Authority: Presenting Smile Collectors

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Chicago Theater Authority: Presenting Smile Collectors

View event

Center on Halsted — The Trouble With My Hair (Sun, Aug 30)

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Haibayô — The Trouble With My Hair (Sat, Aug 29)

More ways to support us

Donate now

NWaC: The Documentary

Donate now

Aloha Fry-day Fundraiser

Donate now

Junior Board 2027: The Next Generation

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Nothing Without a Company

Past events

Past events

View event

KICKBACK WITH NWAC

View auction

Silent Auction for Kickback with NWaC 2026

View event

Chicago Theater Authority: Presenting Smile Collectors

View event

Chicago Theater Authority: Presenting Smile Collectors

View event

Center on Halsted — The Trouble With My Hair (Sun, Aug 30)

View event

Haibayô — The Trouble With My Hair (Sat, Aug 29)

More ways to support us

Donate now

NWaC: The Documentary

Donate now

Aloha Fry-day Fundraiser

Donate now

Junior Board 2027: The Next Generation

Powered by

Nothing Without a Company