About Face Theatre Presents OM Mission Limited Engagement for Pride Month at The Den Theatre June 20-28, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

About Face Theatre presents 

OM Mission

Co-Created and Performed by Zahra Baker and Shanta Nurullah

Directed by Kezia Waters

Limited engagement for Pride Month at The Den Theatre

June 20-28, 2025

About Face Theatre announces OM Mission, a special, limited engagement event for Pride Month, to be held at The Den Theater for two weekends only. This spellbinding and joyful journey through stories, music, and ritual amplifies the lives and legacies of Black lesbians. Co-created and performed by award-winning artists Zahra Baker and Shanta Nurullah and directed by Kezia Waters, this theatrical celebration runs June 20-28 at The Bookspan at The Den Theatre, 1331 North Milwaukee Ave.

Co-creators Zahra and Shanta set out on an adventure to find stories of Black lesbians in the public archive. At first they are met with silence and gaps, until they come to discover unexpected and remarkable unsung histories of some loud and out Blues women of the 1920s and ‘30s. Gathering inspiration from the past, these visionary performers build a vibrant and joyful tribute that shines a light on Black lesbians today. Along your journey with them, you’ll get to add your voice to the growing chorus of people building a future that is safe and inclusive for all.

Through a combination of performance, ritual, and communal storytelling, this collaborative team aims to disrupt erasure, amplify Black lesbian narratives, and invite audiences into a brave, joy-filled space of remembrance and transformation.

OM Mission was originally commissioned and produced as part of About Face Theatre’s KICKBACK festival in partnership with the Stony Island Arts Bank. The show has since been featured as part of Chicago, Live! Festival on Navy Pier and other venues.

Director Kezia Waters, in collaboration with Baker and Nurullah, aims to “create a space where Queer Black histories are not only redressed but celebrated like a rotating kaleidoscope.” Waters envisions “a living archive, an embodied celebration, and a call for visibility.” 

TICKETS

Tickets available at AboutFaceTheatre.com by calling 773.697.3830, or by visiting The Den Theatre box office. Ticket prices range from $5 to $35.

AFT offers a ticket pricing system that allows each patron to decide the price that they can comfortably afford to pay for a ticket. Ultimately, About Face wants everyone who wants to attend a show to be able to do so. Please note: there are limited quantities available at each pricing level.

The Performance Schedule is: 

Friday, June 20 8PM

Saturday, June 21 8PM

Sunday, June 22 3PM 

Wednesday, June 25 8PM

Thursday, June 26 8PM

Friday, June 27 8PM

Saturday, June 28 3PM and 8PM

ABOUT FACE THEATRE advances LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. AFT envisions an affirming and equitable world in which all LGBTQ+ individuals are thriving and free from prejudice and discrimination. Due to the intersectionality of our identities, we understand that our work to advance LGBTQ+ equity is directly connected to movements for economic and racial justice and we are guided by our values of collaboration, care, equity, courage, sustainability, and joy.

PRIDE PICKS: COMEDYSPORTZ CHICAGO PRESENTS LGBTQIA+ ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCES FOR CHICAGO PRIDE MONTH JUNE 7 – 22

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

COMEDYSPORTZ CHICAGO PRESENTS

LGBTQIA+ ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCES

FOR CHICAGO PRIDE MONTH

JUNE 7 – 22 

ComedySportz Chicago (CSZ) will Host First Pride Month Program by Celebrating LGBTQIA+ members in Select Performances Every Week in Junet

(L to R): Mishell Livio, Simon Collier, Cynthia Kmak, Jason Geis, Kevin Daliva

by Edward Fox Photography 

ComedySportz Chicago (CSZ) will commence Pride Month with the company’s very first ComedySportz Chicago Pride Month featuring a series of performances,and a Pride Weekend celebration with CSZ’s LGBTQIA+ cast members from June 7 – 22 at ComedySportz Theater Chicago, 929 W. Belmont Ave.  A special one-night only 18+ Rainbow A-Go-Go Variety Show will take place Saturday, June 22 at 10 p.m. In addition to the regular performance schedule, the company will hold family-friendly performances. These all-ages performances will be Fridays  June 7, 14, and Saturday, June 22 at 6 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 a person for 6  and 8 p.m. shows and $10 a person for the 10 p.m. performances and may be purchased at cszchicago.com or by calling 773-549-8080.
Members of the ComedySportz Chicago’s LGBTQIA+ ensemble including Simon Collier, Artistic Director Jason Geis and ensemble member and D&I Director Luis Cortes are organizing the event, as well as performing. All performances will contain an all LGBTQIA+ cast, made up of ComedySportz Chicago ensemble members and they will be performing in the classic ComedySportz format with new and unique LGBT takes on each match.

The theatre will also sell a signature cocktail, The Pride Tai, created by our Audience Services Director, Nicko Patterson (who is also a member of the LGBTQIA+ community)  with 100% of the profits going to the Pride month partner Howard Brown Health. Howard Brown Health exists to eliminate the disparities in healthcare experience by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people through research, education and the provision of services that promote health and wellness.

ABOUT COMEDYSPORTZ CHICAGO

ComedySportz is the longest-running, game-based, short form improv comedy show in the comedy capital of the world, perfect for all ages, offering comedy for everyone! ComedySportz's interactive format is emceed by a referee overseeing a hilarious battle of wits between the home team, the blue Downtown Chicago Bosses, and the "visiting" red team, scored by live keyboard music and rocking popular music between scenes! Using audience suggestions and willing volunteers, our professional players create short games, scenes and songs on the spot, and the winner is determined by the Applause-o-Meter and your laughs.
ComedySportz Chicago (CSZ) will commence Pride Month with the company’s very first ComedySportz Chicago Pride Month featuring a series of performances,and a Pride Weekend celebration with CSZ’s LGBTQIA+ cast members from June 7 – 22 at ComedySportz Theater Chicago, 929 W. Belmont Ave.  A special one-night only 18+ Rainbow A-Go-Go Variety Show will take place Saturday, June 22 at 10 p.m. In addition to the regular performance schedule, the company will hold family-friendly performances. These all-ages performances will be Fridays June 7, 14, and Saturday, June 22 at 6 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 a person for 6  and 8 p.m. shows and $10 a person for the 10 p.m. performances and may be purchased at cszchicago.com or by calling 773-549-8080.

SAVE THE DATES: TAPPED FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME AT THE ATHENAEUM THEATRE TWO NIGHTS ONLY 6/23 & 6/29

Chi IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

TWO SHOWS ONLY! 

CHICAGO TAP THEATRE AND THE ATHENAEUM THEATRE PRESENT 

TAPPED FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME 

AT THE ATHENAEUM THEATRE, JUNE 23 AND 29 AT 7:30 P.M.

All photos by Josh Hawkins

  

Chicago Tap Theatre Celebrates the Conclusion of Pride Month and Returns to the Athenaeum for an All-new Program of Dance Inspired by Divas and Featuring Live Music by the JC Brooks Band, the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus and other Special Guests

Artistic Director Mark Yonally and Chicago Tap Theatre (CTT) present Tapped for the Very First Time at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave.,  Saturday, June 23 and Friday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m. Tapped for the Very First Time coincides with the end of Pride month and is a celebration of divas and their music that have inspired all of us to dance for decades including Patti Labelle, Whitney Houston, Madonna and others. Tapped for the Very First Time is hosted by the incomparable Mattrick Swayze and has performances with all new arrangements and live music by the JC Brooks Band and featuring special appearances by the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus. 

Doors will open at 7 p.m. and the running time is two hours with one fifteen minute intermission. Tickets are $24 - $65 for reserved admission seating and may be purchased at www.athenaeumtheatre.org or by calling 773-935-6875 or at the door. Group discounts are also available for groups of 10 or more. A preview rehearsal is open to the press at the Joel Hall Dance Center, 5965 N. Clark St. on Sunday, June 10 at 2 p.m.



“Two years ago we presented our first Pride-focused evening, We Will Tap You, to the music of Queen, and it was a HUGE success,” said Artistic Director Yonally. Indeed, that year’s production ended up on the Chicago Tribune and Windy City Times “10 Best Dance Events of the Year” list, with the Chicago Tribune saying, “an entertainment that, in under two hours, brought everybody to a new plane of joy and love.” Also, worth noting, three of the four reviews specifically asked for this to be an annual production!

“To make the 2018 performances even bigger, we have added the JC Brooks Band who are arranging and performing the music live. If you have never seen JC Brooks in person, you are in for a treat. I am also thrilled to be partnering with the Athenaeum Theatre to present TWO performances this year,” Yonally continued.

“Audiences who saw “We Will Tap You” remember CTT”s big over-the-top moments with unexpected guest artists, humor and passion. They have chosen to reprise the Act One closing scene, “Somebody to Love,” which left the audience and even many on stage with tears running down their face. Showcasing artists such as  Cher, Chaka Kahn, Janet Jackson, Tina Turner and others, gives the company many opportunities for more over the top madness and rhythmic sublimity.”

Chicago Tap Theatre is also pleased to bring back one of the most talked-about elements of We Will Tap You - host Mattrick Swayze. According to the Chicago Tribune, “Gay pride…reached new heights here, thanks in part to the extensive contributions of Swayze, backed by the Swayzettes. Truly funny, outrageously sexy, he not only offered various factoids on Freddie Mercury (which he found on the internet, so of course "they're all true!") but devised burlesque vignettes”

Tapped for the Very First Time features choreography by Mark Yonally and Kirsten Uttich. Dancers include Mark Yonally, Jennifer Yonally, Kirsten Uttich, Isaac Stauffer, Aimee Chase, Sara Anderson, Emily Broeker, Bailey Caves, Anabel Watson and Chris Matthews. Music will be arranged and performed by the JC Brooks Band, with guest artists including the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, the Lakeside Pride Freedom Marching Band and many surprise guests.

ABOUT MARK YONALLY
Mark Yonally is currently the artistic director of Chicago Tap Theatre, one of the most critically well-regarded companies in Chicago. Yonally has developed a national and international reputation as a performer, with solo performances in Chicago, Kansas City, Albuquerque, Amsterdam and Paris. He has been blessed to have Sarah Petronio, Dianne Walker, Bill Evans and Billy Siegenfeld as mentors. As a company member of the Bill Evans Dance Company and Especially Tap Chicago (ETC), Yonally performed at such prestigious festivals as the St. Louis Tap Festival, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, the Gus Giordano Jazz Dance World Congress and at the Royal Opera House in Helsinki, Finland. Furthermore, Yonally has gained the plaudits of major dance critics for his innovative approach to tap choreography. His works have been commissioned and performed by the Bill Evans Dance Company, ETC and Hope College, among others. Yonally also maintains a longstanding professional relationship with Valérie Lussac, Artistic Director of Tapage of Toulouse, France. Yonally is a noted educator and has taught at festivals throughout the U.S. and has served on the faculty at Oklahoma City University and Hope College. He is sought after for his multidisciplinary approach to tap teaching, which includes history, basic music theory and an emphasis on jazz music, and has taught in France, Germany, Switzerland and the United States. Yonally is also a published author, with pieces appearing in Dance Spirit, Dance Teacher and Dance Magazine.

ABOUT MATTRICK SWAYZE
Mattrick Swayze AKA Matthew Hollis is a long-time friend and fan of Chicago Tap Theatre.  As a dancer, Swayze has had the pleasure of performing for Hedwig Dances, The Seldoms, Joe Goode Performance Group and Mary Zimmerman.  As a choreographer, he has been a recipient of The Chicago Dancemakers Forum Grant and has presented his work throughout the world.  As a fitness expert, Swayze is a personal trainer and the co-creator of POMSQUAD Fitness which has been featured on WGN “Midday Fix,” NBC’s “1st Look” and WCIU’s “You  & Me in the Morning.”  Swayze is also a sassy mouthed high heel wearing host and late night fixture with The Chicago Dance Crash’s long running dance battle KTF. Mattrick recently competed on Wheel of Fortune, where he won fabulous cash and prizes.

ABOUT JC BROOKS
JC Brooks is a musician and actor who's main pastime is writing love letters to the Chicago arts scene. He makes a unique brand of "indiesoul" with some of Chicago's best musicians in an eponymous project (formerly The Uptown Sound). Sometimes you can catch him with electro-r&b duo, the K.i.D., or as a solo singer/poet.  He's played several Chicago venues from sweaty dance parties at the gritty Door#3 to laidback cabaret nights at City Winery to a sold out House Of Blues. Beyond Chicago he's been tapped for a week-long residency in Brooklyn at a one-of-a-kind multimedia salon called Nightcap Riot and also to play in Milan for its mayor's reception dinner for their new sister city, Chicago. He'll be releasing a brand new EP this upcoming April- find out where you can catch him at: www.JCBrooksBand.com.

ABOUT CHICAGO TAP THEATRE
Founded in 2002, Chicago Tap Theatre is a growing and vibrant dance company dedicated to preserving the quintessentially American dance form of tap while taking it to the next level of creativity, innovation and quality. CTT performs exclusively with live music provided by some of Chicago’s finest musicians playing everything from Duke Ellington to David Bowie and many artists in between. Under the dynamic direction of master teacher and performer Mark Yonally, CTT has gained a loyal and sizable following in Chicago and continues to tour both nationally and internationally. Having pioneered the “tap opera” format, which tells stories with compelling characters and intriguing plots, CTT has used the language of tap dance, live music and narration to move Chicago audiences for over 10 years.