OPEN SPACE ARTS ANNOUNCES SMILEY, AN INTERNATIONAL HIT FROM
Open Space Arts is proud to present SMILEY by Guillem Clua, a sharp, funny, and deeply relatable queer romantic comedy that has captivated audiences around the world.
Originally premiering in Barcelona, SMILEYquickly became a breakout success in Spain, enjoying extended runs in Barcelona and Madrid and earning widespread acclaim. Since its debut, the play has been produced internationally across Europe and Latin America, with productions in Germany, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Chile, Puerto Rico, Peru, and beyond.
While SMILEY has become a global audience favorite, it has had only limited exposure in the United States, with select Spanish-language productions in New York and Miami. Open Space Arts’ production introduces this internationally celebrated work to Chicago audiences, offering a fresh opportunity to experience one of the most engaging contemporary queer love stories to emerge from the European stage.
When ÁLEX leaves a voicemail for his ex, it lands in the inbox of BRUNO—a stranger. What begins as a wrong message turns into an unexpected connection between two very different men. As texts turn into calls, and calls into something more, they navigate attraction, vulnerability, and the complicated reality of modern love.
Funny, fast, and disarmingly honest, SMILEYexplores the thrill and risk of connection in a world shaped by screens, expectations, and the fear of being truly seen.
Guillem Clua is one of Spain’s most widely produced contemporary playwrights, whose work has been staged internationally and translated into multiple languages. His plays, including SMILEY and THE SWALLOW, are known for their emotional intelligence, wit, and insight into the complexities of human connection.
Open Space Arts continues its commitment to bold, intimate storytelling that centers queer lives and voices with SMILEY, a play that reflects the company’s ongoing exploration of connection, identity, and the evolving nature of love.
About the Author
Guillem Clua is a playwright from Barcelona, Spain. He is considered one of the most innovative voices in the Spanish theater scene and part of a new generation of playwrights born in the seventies who are transforming the Catalan stage with their plays. Critics have described his work as multidisciplinary, eclectic, and very much concerned with narrative structure and plot. Storytelling is at the heart of his style, which combines elements of comedy, thriller and melodrama, a vibrant rhythm, and the unabashed influence of other media, such as television and cinema.
Guillem Clua holds a degree in Journalism from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain) and started his theatre training at the London Guildhall University (UK) in 1994. In 2000 he completed his theatre studies in the prestigious Obrador de la Sala Beckett, where he was taught by Jordi Galceran, Enric Nolla, David Plana, Sergi Pompermayer, Martin Crimp and Juan Mayorga, among others.
His first play, INVISIBLES, won the 2002 Theatre Prize Ciutat d’Alcoi, one of the most important awards for new plays in Spain. He also wrote the stage adaptation of Thomas Mann’s DEATH IN VENICE (Sala Muntaner, 2002). In 2004, his play LA PELL EN FLAMES (SKIN IN FLAMES) (Villarroel Teatre, 2005) won the Ciutat d’Alcoi for the second time and the 2005 Critics Choice Award for Best Play of the Year. Its English translation premiered in several American cities as well. Clua is also the author of numerous and celebrated short plays, such as GOLIATH, ANDROMEDA OR DORIS DAY, ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE, presented at the Sala Beckett. In 2006, the playwright moved to New York, where he presented the English version of GUST DE CENDRA (TASTE OF ASHES) at the Spanish Repertory Theatre. His last play MARBURG, the most ambitious so far, premiered at the National Theatre of Catalonia in May 2010, making Clua the youngest playwright that’s ever had the chance to premiere in that venue. His first musical, KILLER, premiered in Barcelona in January 2011 (Sala Muntaner) and transferred to a bigger venue after its run (Villarroel Teatre) due to the great success. Clua is currently working on his last full-length play, LA TERRA PROMESA (PROMISED LAND), a farce about climate change that will be produced in Barcelona in 2012.
In recent years he has worked as scriptwriter for the television series EL COR DE LA CIUTAT(TV3), of which he became the head writer for the 2005/06 and 2007/08 seasons. Clua is currently working for other Spanish TV shows like 90-60-90 and LA RIERA, and is writing the big screen adaptation of his play MARBURG.
About the Director
Jack Dugan Carpenter (Director, SMILEY) is delighted to return to Open Space Arts after directing the staged reading of BREAKING THE CODE last April. Jack is a distinguished director and actor with extensive experience in the Chicago theater scene. He has collaborated with numerous theater companies, including The Plagiarists, where he served as Managing and Development Director from 2011 to 2025. His directorial credits with The Plagiarists include productions of WHEN YOU AWAKE YOU WILL REMEMBER EVERYTHING, MÜNSTERSPIEL, SOME LIKE IT RED, GILGAMESH, THESE SAINTS WILL BURN, WAR SONG, MATRYOSHKA, and CAESURA: A BUTCHERY. Beyond The Plagiarists, Carpenter directed THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, BELL BOOK AND CANDLE, BAREFOOT IN THE PARK, CHARLEY’S AUNT, THE WOMAN IN BLACK, MEASURE FOR MEASURE, and FIGMENTS with Saint Sebastian Players, as well as THE ALCHEMIST and THE ARMAGEDDON DANCE PARTY with Nothing Special Productions. He also co-directed THE LIVING CANVAS: RX. www.jackdugancarpenter.com