Laced
Written by Sam Mueller
Directed by AFT Artistic Associate Lexi Saunders
March 17 – April 16, 2022
Tickets
This production has closed.
Location
The Den Theatre
1331 N Milwaukee Ave,
Chicago, IL 60622
Learn more about The Den Theatre…
Safety Protocols
All About Face Theatre events require proof of vaccination to attend and a face mask to be worn at all times. These safety procedures may be revised. Learn more about our safety protocols…
About The Show
Three bartenders arrive at their beloved queer bar to find that the establishment has been vandalized. As they try to piece together the events of the night before, the three friends grieve, riot, point fingers, and ultimately must decide: is it better to understand what and why this happened, or to just clean up and move on? Fiery, poetic, and up-to-the-minute contemporary, Laced is a timely story about the importance of queer-positive spaces and of what it takes to come back together after your world has been shaken.
Run time: 90 minutes with no intermission
“Sam Mueller has crafted a world full of laughter, heart, and muscle in the midst of absolute ruin. In a landscape that wants to only further politicize and vandalize our bodies, our love, our spaces—how can we keep ourselves and each other safe?”
–Director Lexi Saunders
Our bar partners
Laced is a love letter to the queer-positive spaces where we can be ourselves. In that spirit, we are spotlighting some of our favorite hangouts in Chicago. We encourage you to check them out and support them as we all emerge from the pandemic.
Media
Production photos
Behind-the-scenes
Reviews & Awards
“What makes Laced so engaging is the refrain that because of the existence of suffering, there must, must, must be happiness. Not just hope, but true joy and celebration.”
–New City
“Laced portrays the need for happiness not as sentimentality or escape but as a hard-nosed and battle-ready response to a harsh world. Its characters’ trials and triumphs show that joy can be thrown like a brick, like a molotov cocktail, like a party.” RECOMMENDED
–New City
“Laced is a study of struggling with the aftermath of a violent, personal act. But it is also more: it is a show of faith in the power of human beings to come together even in the face of hatred”
–Chicago OnStage
“When each [character] speaks their own truth, we understand the complexities involved with identifying as being queer”
–Around the Town
“The result is a play that tells us about the horrors of the violence we face but also offers us the hope of friendship, strength and community. It is the tonic we all need now.”
–Theatre Raves
Show Events
All events are free with attendance to the performance that day.
Thurs, March 31:
Post-show conversation with Assoc. Sound Designer & DJ Ariel Zetina
Fri, April 1:
Post-show mixology with Choreographer & Asst. Director Jacinda Ratcliffe demonstrating how to make drinks from the show
Sun, April 3:
Open Captioned performance
Thurs, April 7:
Post-show conversation with playwright Sam Mueller and director Lexi Saunders
Fri, April 8:
Post-show mixology with Choreographer & Asst. Director Jacinda Ratcliffe demonstrating how to make drinks from the show
Wed, April 13:
Understudy performance
Artists
Cast
- Audra Mariah Copeland
- Minnow Daniela Martinez
- Cat Collin Quinn Rice*
- u/s Audra Caitlin Dobbins
- u/s Minnow Jalbelly Guzmán
- u/s Cat Patrick Romano
Crew
- Director Lexi Saunders
- Choreographer/Asst. Director Jacinda Ratcliffe
- Dramaturg Hannah Herrera Greenspan
- Scenic Designer Sydney Lynne
- Scenic Design Advisor Regina Garcia
- Scenic Art Altman Art Haus
- Lighting Designer Heather Sparling
- Lead Electrician Ben Carne
- Sound Designer Thomas Dixon
- Assoc. Sound Designer Ariel Zetina
- Costume Designer Jos N. Banks
- Properties Designer Caitlin McCarthy
- Technical Director Alan Weusthoff
- Stage Manager Amalie Vega*
- Assistant Stage Manager Becky Valek
- Production Manager Audrey Kleine
*Denotes a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers