Open Space Arts To Co-Produce GANGSTA BABY U.S. Premiere

Open Space Arts, in association with Emmy-winning Chicago producer G. Riley Mills and Kate Garassino (GB Productions), will co-produce the American premiere of GANGSTA BABY.

The drama, which premiered at London's Hope Theatre in January 2024, will again be directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair, who was appointed an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for his services to drama, and will star its playwright, Cameron Raasdal-Munro.

The autobiographical play follows the story of the young gay sex worker “Junior” in the working-class city of Hastings, southeast of London, and his relationship with his homophobic gangster father. A Chicago cast to be named will join Raasdal-Munro for the three-weekend run of GANGSTA BABY, to play September 19 through October 5 in Open Space Arts, 1411 W. Wilson Avenue.

Cameron Raasdal-Munro. Photo by Isabelle Suwan. Click on image to download high-res file. GANGSTA BABY explores themes that represent often forgotten communities; the realities of growing up working class, sex work, of having incarcerated family members, the cruelness of internalized homophobia, classism and the truth of addiction. How growing up in a criminal class affects your perception of self, and what it is like to be raised in that environment as someone queer. After an exceptional stage reading at the Kings Head Theatre, GANGSTA BABY had a three-week run at The Hope Theatre in January 2024. 

The Chicago staging in Open Space Arts' intimate 25-seat theatre will follow the tradition of London Pub Theatre, where GANGSTA BABY began. Co-producer Mills says “Chicago's stages have long been home to fearless storytelling, making it the ideal home for a narrative that pushes boundaries and challenges societal norms. It's an honor to share our story in a city that values bravery and creativity as deeply as we do, and we couldn't imagine a more fitting home for GANGSTA BABY."

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