Open Space Arts' To Extend Run Of Chicago Premiere Of DORIAN
The play by Phoebe Eclair-Powell and Owen Horsley dramatizes the story of Oscar Wilde's novel THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY in the present-day club scene.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Dec. 04, 2025
Open Space Arts will extend the run of its Chicago Premiere of DORIAN, by by one week, adding three performances and closing on Sunday, December 14.
The play by Phoebe Eclair-Powell and Owen Horsley dramatizes the story of Oscar Wilde's novel THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY in the present-day club scene, alongside the historical record of Wilde's prosecution and conviction for the “gross indecency” of his gay relationship with the much younger Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas in 1895. This juxtaposition demonstrates the timeliness of Wilde's DORIAN GRAY theme of obsession with youth and beauty, an obsession that would later prove fatal for Wilde himself. DORIAN had its world premiere, directed by co-author Horsley, in 2021 at the Reading Rep Theatre in Reading, England, near the Reading Gaol where Wilde served the majority of his two-year prison sentence. The play received its US premiere in March 2025 by the Irish Classical Theatre Company of Buffalo, New York. Open Space Arts' DORIAN opened to the press on Friday, November 28 and will now play through Sunday, December 21.
Open Space Arts' DORIAN is directed by 20-year veteran Chicago director, actor, and playwright Aaron Holland. Holland's performance career includes roles at Chicago theaters ranging from the Goodman and Steppenwolf to TUTA and Chicago Children's Theater, as well as his drag alter-ego Shalita Cake. Holland's three-actor cast plays a multitude of roles in both the Dorian Gray and the Oscar Wilde plotlines. Luke Gerdes (TANGO at PrideArts) plays Dorian, Bosie, and others; Anthony Kayer (WAR OF THE WORLDS at Lifeline) is Henry Wotton, Oscar Wilde and others; and Brian Kulaga (YANK! A WWII LOVE STORY at Pride Films and Plays) plays Basil Hallward, James Vane and others. The production team for DORIAN includes Phoebe Huggett (Set Design), Lex Newman (Lighting Design), Aaron Holland (Costume, Sound and Projections Design), Marz Allswede (Props Design), Greta Zandstra (Intimacy Coordinator), Danny Mohr (Production Stage Manager), Alex Tuscanes (Assistant Stage Manager), and Tadhg Mitchel (Social Media Coordinator/Photography).
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