G. Riley Mills and Willie Round's MUD LIFE is Coming to Collaboraction

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Mud Life, a world premiere drama by Chicago writing duo G. Riley Mills and Willie Round, drawn from Round’s life experiences as an emerging writer, rapper and producer, opens Collaboraction Theatre’s 2026-27 season, October 21 - November 15.

Round and Mills are the Emmy Award-winning writing team behind Collaboraction’s acclaimed immersive docudrama, Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till. Set in North Lawndale, Mud Life is a powerful new play exploring the bonds that hold us together, the forces that keep us stuck, and what we’re willing to risk for the chance at a better life.

Mud Life follows Roc and his cousin Tae, two aspiring hip-hop artists from Chicago’s West Side, struggling to build a future while under the thumb of a manipulative strip-club owner named Littles. When a mysterious outsider offers Roc and Tae a rare opportunity to break free, loyalties fracture, ambitions collide, and they are forced to make choices that will alter the course of their lives forever. 

In addition to co-writing the play, Willie Round leads the cast as Anthony “Roc” Harris, and Round’s new hip-hop single “Bottom to the Top” is featured in Mud Life (listen to an excerpt on Tidal.) The cast also features DeMorris Burrows as Devontae “Tae” Shields, Simeon Henderson as Malcolm “Littles” Gardner and Carina Lastimosa as Casey Reyes.