Lifeline Theatre Names Joslyn Housley as 2026 BIPOC Annual Adaptation Showcase Playwright

Lifeline Theatre is proud to announce the selected playwright for its 2026 BIPOC Annual Adaptation Showcase: Joslyn Housley. The showcase will be presented in July 2026 and will feature a script-in-hand public presentation of the newly developed adaptation.

The BIPOC Annual Adaptation Showcase is an initiative dedicated to uplifting and amplifying the voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color playwrights through the creation of new adaptations. The program provides a platform for artists to reimagine stories through culturally responsive lenses while engaging Chicago audiences in the development process.

The selected project, Black Cyrus' Secrets of Liberation, Legerdemain, and Eternal Life, is described as "a time-warped rendering of the Osiris myth inspired by the life and work of 20th-century magician Benjamin Rucker, famously known as Black Herman. It's a fantastical tale of love, legacy, and the universal struggle for self-preservation."

"I am over the moon that I get to develop Black Cyrus at Lifeline! Working with this amazing company is the fulfillment of a dream I've held since I was an aspiring theatre-maker, fresh from university. There's no better place than Lifeline Theatre to tell a story about making magic and achieving the impossible," said Housley.