Photos: First Look at the Chicago Premiere of Terry Guest’s OAK at Raven Theatre

Raven Theatre Company has released first-look photos from the Chicago premiere of OAK, written by Terry Guest and directed by Mikael Burke, now playing through November 9, 2025, on Raven’s Johnson Stage.

Three kids, an old woman with a shotgun, and a mysterious creek monster. Set firmly in the Southern Gothic tradition, OAK follows three Black children navigating a world where safety is uncertain and the adults around them fail to protect them. Guest’s haunting new work combines myth, memory, and menace to explore how innocence survives when the world refuses to stay kind.

OAK stars Jazzy Rush (Pickle), Brianna Buckley (Peaches), Stephanie Mattos (Suga), and Donovan Session (Big Man).

The production team includes Chris Moan (Assistant Director), Kenya Ann Hall (Dramaturg), Lauren Littlejohn (Stage Manager), Sydney Lynne (Scenic Design), Mariah Bennett (Props Design), Harri Horsley (Costume Design), Eric Watkins (Lighting Design), Ethan Korvne (Sound Design), Caitlin McLeod (Puppetry Design), Catherine Miller (Casting Director), Ruby Lowe (Master Electrician, Assistant Lighting Design), Lucy Whipp (Production Manager), and Mikael Burke & Ethan Korvne (Co-Media Design).

Raven Theatre’s OAK runs October 8 – November 9, 2025. Performances are held Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. on the Johnson Stage at Raven Theatre (6157 N. Clark St., Chicago).

Photo Credit: Michael Brosilow