Packages Donations xtras

Search Upcoming Events

Showing All 5 Events

Eva i Bea

STREAMING FILM EVENT! Bea is a film director and waits for her partner on the terrace of a bar. Eva is an actress and arrives late for the date. They have arranged to talk about the crisis in their relationship, but each has a very different idea of how the meeting will end. Cinema, job insecurity, feelings and lies will envelop a conversation that will be located on the limits of reality and fiction and that will mark their lives. After that afternoon, nothing will ever be the same again.

  • Wed, Aug 20, 2025 12:00am CST
    (Virtual)
    Tickets Available

GANGSTA BABY Sept 19 to Oct 5

THEATER EVENT Open Space Arts is proud to present the American premiere of GANGSTA BABY, a bold, semi-autobiographical drama from the UK. Directed by renowned artist Rikki Beadle-Blair (MBE), this electrifying production runs September 19 – October 5, 2025 in our intimate 25-seat theatre at 1411 W. Wilson Avenue. Written and performed by Cameron Raasdal-Munro, GANGSTA BABY follows Junior, a young gay sex worker in the working-class city of Hastings, UK, and his tangled, volatile relationship with his homophobic gangster father. Through Junior’s eyes, the play confronts urgent issues—sex work, addiction, classism, and internalized homophobia—illuminated by a fierce, unfiltered exploration of queer identity and masculinity. The play has earned major honors, including "Fringe Show of the Year" and "Best Male Performer of the Year" for Raasdal-Munro’s unforgettable performance. Critics have hailed it for its raw honesty, fearless storytelling, and vivid portrait of life on society’s margins. For this American debut, Raasdal-Munro will share the stage with a Chicago-based cast, delivering a powerful, socially urgent work that promises to resonate deeply with audience

  • Sep 19, 2025 7:30 pm
    Open Space Arts
    Sold Out
  • Sep 20, 2025 7:30 pm
    Open Space Arts
    Tickets Available
  • Sep 21, 2025 2:00 pm
    Open Space Arts
    Tickets Available
  • Sep 26, 2025 7:30 pm
    Open Space Arts
    Tickets Available
  • Sep 27, 2025 7:30 pm
    Open Space Arts
    Tickets Available

  • 4 more showtimes

QE Film Fest Best of the Fest Shorts

STREAMING FILM EVENT! The QUEER EXPRESSION Film Fest is proud to announce the eight exceptional short films selected for its 2025 Summer Shorts program. This year’s lineup represents bold and diverse storytelling from emerging LGBTQ+ filmmakers around the globe. These shorts—each under 22 minutes—offer compelling glimpses into queer lives, dreams, and struggles, blending honesty and artistry in unforgettable ways. The selected films are: all that’s left., Directed by Fae Hartt – 17 mins, USA; Gogo, Directed by Sergio Alvarado, – 22 mins, Canada; Long Gone by Icarus Roberts – 15:21 – USA; Man Cured by Kyle Heiner – 17:55 – USA; Pages in the Wind by Lucas Haviland – 14:46 – USA; Small Talk by Megan Jensen – 8 min – USA; XY, Directed by Stephan Fleet – 12 min- USA

  • Wed, Aug 13, 2025 12:00am CST
    (Virtual)
    Tickets Available

Storytellers: An Oral History Anthology

STREAMING FILM EVENT! Storytellers: An Oral History Anthology Directed by Eric Handel (USA) – 61 min Produced through Rainbopedia’s one-day oral history workshop, this anthology introduces 13 compelling storytellers—from a trans photographer embedded in the frontlines of political art, to a son uncovering his father’s brush with Noël Coward, to tales from LA’s punk and leather bar scenes, and a performance artist once targeted by Jesse Helms. About the Director: A lifelong LGBTQ+ and AIDS activist, Eric Handel is the founder of Rainbopedia and a former ACT UP/LA organizer. His design and storytelling experience fuel his vision for a more inclusive queer narrative worldwide.

  • Aug 27, 2025 to Sep 10, 2025
    (Virtual)
    Tickets Available

UNSPOKEN

IN PERSON FILM EVENT! Unspoken follows the story of Noam, a closeted teenager in a religious community who discovers that he might not be alone. When he finds a love letter written to his grandfather by another man before the Holocaust, he sets out to find this mysterious person and uncover his grandfather's identity as well as his own.

  • Sep 29, 2025 7:00 pm
    Facets
    Tickets Available

Showing All 5 Events

About Open Space Arts

The QUEER EXPRESSION FILM AND THEATER FEST showcases powerful LGBTQ+ storytelling through five exciting components:

  • Full productions of bold and innovative plays.
  • Staged readings of classic and new plays.
  • Staged readings of winners from our QUEER EXPRESSION WRITING CONTEST FOR STAGE AND SCREEN.
  • In-person screenings of feature films at FACETS in Chicago.
  • A virtual selection of short and mid-length films, available for streaming anywhere.

Learn more about our programs at openspacearts.org.