A THIRD WAY by Lee Osorio
Produced by Open Space Arts
NON-EQUITY
3M, 1W
Production Dates:
April 3–19, 2026
Rehearsals begin last week of February.
10 performances
Thursday–Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m.
Venue:
Open Space Arts – 25-seat storefront theatre (Uptown, Chicago)
About the Play:
A Third Way is a contemporary, sharply observed play about friendship, identity, desire, and the complicated ways we try to love and be seen. The piece centers on a tight-knit group of friends navigating adulthood, queerness, ambition, and emotional reckoning with humor, intimacy, and bite.
NICO
Mid-30s, Latine, male-identifying. Queer and reads as such in a subtle but undeniable way. Nico lives perpetually in a hurricane—sometimes in the eye, sometimes beautifully in the wind and waves, sometimes he’s just messy. A natural disaster and an awesome force of nature.
MATT
Mid-30s, white, male-identifying. Gay (as opposed to queer). There’s something magnetically All-American about him, in the truest sense of American—at once so fucking attractively cocky and deeply insecure. There’s something at once conservative (not politically, but literally) and yet always yearning for some approval he isn’t getting.
ERICA
Mid-30s, Latina, female-identifying. Highly successful, highly driven, and highly discontent with how her life, identity, and time has become almost completely built around her work. Best friends with Nico since college. Once a year they take epic vacations that Judd Apatow could make a movie out of.
HAAMID
Early to late 30s, male-identifying, but a femme queer Middle Eastern person. Born in the States, son of immigrants. Has had a lot of therapy to become comfortable with who he is. Still very much a work in progress, but the trauma he’s been through has given him a maturity beyond his years.
For the initial audition, please submit two one-minute contemporary monologues of your choice.
Email submissions to OSAuditions@gmail.com and include:
Callbacks and additional details will be shared with selected actors.
Non-Equity.
Actors will receive a $300 stipend for the initial run, with an additional fee should the production extend.
Notes:
Open Space Arts strongly encourages actors whose identities align with the roles to submit. This is an intimate storefront production focused on nuanced, actor-driven storytelling.
🎭 CALL FOR PROJECTIONS DESIGNER
A THIRD WAY
📅 Opening April 3, 2026 | Runs April 3–19, 2026
Open Space Arts
Open Space Arts seeks a Projections Designer for the production of A THIRD WAY, part of our 2026 theatre season.
This role is ideal for a visual storyteller interested in enhancing atmosphere and narrative through projection design within an intimate storefront theatre. Designers will collaborate closely with the director and design team to create expressive, efficient projection elements suited to a small space.
✨ About the Production
A THIRD WAY will be presented in Open Space Arts’ intimate storefront theatre, opening April 3, 2026, and running through April 19, 2026. The production emphasizes emotional intimacy, inventive use of limited space, and strong visual storytelling.
🏳️🌈 About Open Space Arts
Open Space Arts produces bold, intimate LGBTQ+ theater with small casts and big resonance. Past productions include SCANDALOUS BOY, MR. PARKER, MERCY KILLING, GANGSTA BABY, LIGHT SWITCH, DORIAN, and MY LIFE AS A COWBOY.
🎬 Responsibilities May Include
🌈 Who We’re Looking For
📍 Location: Chicago (in-person required for tech and performances)
💰 Fee: $300, plus an additional fee if the production extends
📩 To Apply:
Send your resume and a brief statement of interest to:
with the subject line Projections Designer – A THIRD WAY
🎭 CALL FOR NON-EQUITY STAGE MANAGER
A THIRD WAY
📅 Opening April 3, 2026 | Runs April 3–19, 2026
Open Space Arts
Open Space Arts seeks a Non-Equity Stage Manager for the production of A THIRD WAY, part of our 2026 theatre season.
This role is ideal for an organized, collaborative stage manager who thrives in an intimate storefront theatre environment and enjoys working closely with artists throughout the rehearsal and performance process.
✨ About the Production
A THIRD WAY will be presented in Open Space Arts’ intimate storefront theatre, opening April 3, 2026, and running through April 19, 2026. The production emphasizes emotional intimacy, inventive use of limited space, and strong ensemble storytelling. Rehearsals begin the final week of February.
🎬 Responsibilities May Include
🌈 Who We’re Looking For
📍 Location: OSA, 1411 W Wilson, Chicago, IL 60640
💰 Fee: $300, plus an additional fee if the production extends
📩 To Apply:
Send your resume and a brief statement of interest to:
with the subject line Non-Equity Stage Manager – A THIRD WAY
Open Space Arts produces bold, intimate LGBTQ+ theater with small casts and big resonance. Past productions include SCANDALOUS BOY, MR. PARKER, MERCY KILLING, GANGSTA BABY, LIGHT SWITCH, DORIAN, and MY LIFE AS A COWBOY.
🎭 CALL FOR SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR
A THIRD WAY
📅 Opening April 3, 2026 | Runs April 3–19, 2026
Open Space Arts seeks a Social Media Director for the production of A THIRD WAY, part of our 2026 theatre season.
This role is ideal for a creative storyteller who loves theatre, queer narratives, and shaping a show’s public voice from early rehearsals through opening and closing. You’ll collaborate closely with the director and producing team to build momentum, visibility, and audience engagement leading up to—and throughout—the run.
✨ About the Production
A THIRD WAY will be presented in Open Space Arts’ intimate storefront theatre, opening April 3, 2026, and running through April 19, 2026. The production emphasizes emotional intimacy, inventive use of limited space, and strong visual storytelling—perfect for dynamic, behind-the-scenes social media content.
🏳️🌈 About Open Space Arts
Open Space Arts produces bold, intimate LGBTQ+ theater with small casts and big resonance. Past productions include SCANDALOUS BOY, MR. PARKKER, MERCY KILLING, GANGSTA BABY, LIGHT SWITCH, DORIAN, and MY LIFE AS A COWBOY.
🎬 Responsibilities May Include
🌈 Who We’re Looking For
📍 Location: Chicago (in-person presence preferred, especially March–April 2026)
💰 Fee: $300, plus an additional fee if the production extends
📩 To Apply:
Send your resume and a brief statement of interest
with the subject line Social Media Director – A THIRD WAY to
Open Space Arts (OSA) is seeking visionary, collaborative directors for upcoming full productions and staged readings of new plays, classics, and screenplays that uplift the rich, diverse spectrum of LGBTQ+ stories.
Based in our intimate 25-seat storefront theatre in Uptown Chicago, OSA produces small-cast works and bold 90-minute experiences that invite audiences into immersive, emotionally resonant worlds. Recent productions include GANGSTA BABY, SCANDALOUS BOY, it’s been ten years since they all died, MR. PARKER, MERCY KILLING, and LIGHT SWITCH. We also develop fresh interpretations of LGBTQ+ classics and champion overlooked works that deserve new life.
We are seeking directors who bring:
To Apply
Please email your resume and a brief note of interest to openspacearts2022@gmail.com
with “DIRECTOR” in the subject line. Tell us about your artistic background, your directing style, and any plays or projects you feel align with OSA’s mission.
Join us in bringing bold, authentic LGBTQ+ stories to life on the Chicago stage
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