About Face Theater, a cornerstone of Chicago’s LGBTQ arts community since 1995, has announced its 2026-2027 season featuring two Midwest premieres that explore identity, resilience, and the power of queer storytelling.
Megan Carney, the company’s producing artistic director, joined The Gaily Show to discuss the newly revealed lineup, which includes the highly anticipated regional debut of the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “A Strange Loop” followed by the world premiere production of “I Never Asked for a GoFundMe.”
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A Landmark Musical Coming to the Midwest
The season kicks off October 8 through November 8 with “A Strange Loop,” a groundbreaking work by Michael R. Jackson directed by About Face Artistic Associate Michael Burke. The production will run as a co-production with Raven Theater at the Johnson Stage on North Clark Street.
“We are beyond excited that we’re getting to produce the Midwest premiere of A Strange Loop,” Carney said. “And we’re doing this in a co-production with our dear friends over at Raven Theater, so we’re super pumped.
The musical centers on Usher, a Black, queer, fat man writing a musical about a Black, queer, fat man working as an usher in a Broadway theater—a meta-narrative exploring the complexities of self-identity and societal messaging.
“A Strange Loop kind of refers to that thing that I relate to, that a lot of us do, where it’s like your thoughts take on this power of defining who you are or questioning or doubting or making yourself,” Carney explained.
The creative team spent approximately 11 years developing the show through various developmental processes before it won the Pulitzer Prize and multiple Tony Awards.
“My wife and I got to see it in New York and it just landed so hard. When it ended, I was like, ‘Can I see that again?’ It just was so remarkable,” Carney recalled.
Carney described the score as pop culture-infused, incorporating ’90s influences alongside rich Black musical theater traditions. The soundtrack references Liz Phair and captures what she called “’90s white girl singer-songwriter energy,” balanced with Black theatrical and musical references.
“Yeah, it’s super pop culture infused,” Carney said.
“I Never Asked for a GoFundMe” Explores Homecoming
The second production in the season, “I Never Asked for a GoFundMe” by playwright Jane Deely, will follow “A Strange Loop.” Carney herself will direct the production, which she said addresses healthcare access, faith communities, and the complexities of returning to one’s hometown.
The story follows a queer couple relocating from New York to a Southern hometown while one partner recovers from gender-affirming top surgery. Complications arise when a misunderstanding leads to a GoFundMe campaign that misrepresents their situation.
“What ensues is this really funny train-going-off-the-tracks kind of story, of misunderstandings and relationships unfolding in unpredictable ways,” Carney described.
The play also connects to current events, related to March Madness and the WNBA playoffs.
“And I kind of love in that way how it’s going to allow us to shine a light on a couple of things. One, healthcare for queer folks and trans folks. And also this question I have about faith communities,” Carney said.
Arts as Resistance in Challenging Times
Discussing the relevance of theater amid ongoing attacks on LGBTQ rights, particularly for trans and gender nonconforming people, Carney highlighted Illinois’ growing role as a sanctuary state for queer migrants seeking recognition, healthcare access, job security, and safe housing.
“We believe it’s really important to take a stand, to claim our space, to be loud, to be bold, to be joyful, to be exuberant, not to let that narrative of wrongness or otherness take us down,” Carney stated.
She observed the difficult moment the LGBTQ community is living through.
“LGBTQ folks, specifically LGBTQ folks of color, trans and gender nonconforming people, our rights are getting stripped away. We’re being used as political fodder in debates and taken down.”
Why Theater Remains a Queer Haven
When asked why theater has traditionally served as refuge for queer communities, Carney pointed to the art form’s inherent openness to experimentation and identity exploration.
“Theater is a space of imagination and experimentation. We’re trying new things all the time. We embrace the concept of performance identities and connection and storytelling and also being outside, I think, the binaries of society,” she said.
She added that queer people gravitate toward theater not only for its reflective power but also for the opportunity to find uplift and connection beyond daily struggles.
Balancing Seasons for Maximum Impact
Regarding the season selection process, Carney emphasized intentional pairing to generate meaningful conversations across productions.
“We were talking earlier about that need to feel joy and feel connection and to see our lives reflected. So in thinking about that, there’s so many great plays that could be in a season. And then when you’re in that season selection seat, you’re like, ‘Ooh, I have two slots to fill right now,'” Carney said.
She noted that connecting threads between the two shows would enable audiences to explore themes around faith-based communities and the courage required to live authentically despite backlash.
Tickets and full information for both productions are available at https://aboutfacetheatre.com.
