Drink the Past Dry

Written & Directed by Maria Burnham
Producer: Chad Wise
Stage Manager: Shreya Khanna
Costume Designer: Rin Menge
Cast: Alex Albrecht, Abbie Brenner, Valerie Cambron, Catherine Councell, Stephen Dunn, Katharine Jordan, Khnemu Menu-Ra and Dianne Wawrzyniak
Understudies: Dani Brady, Shantelle Rose Robbel, Sandra Samargis and Olivia Sieck

The nondescript neighborhood bar in the middle of Chicago looks like every other bar in every other neighborhood in the city. A few regulars sit sipping drinks, making small talk, doing the things people always do in bars. But this bar has a secret. It can take you anywhere in time….

…but only once and only within the walls of the bar, so it turns out not to be as popular a place as one might think.

But there are some souls who still need to reach out to the past — or to the future — and this is where they come when they do. 

Their stories include: a young adult searching for a lost family recipe, a street fair attendee looking for an old friend and a woman facing a life and death decision. Traveling to the past isn’t that simple though and they all find more than they bargained for.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the premiere of this site-specific piece of immersive theatre as part of our season on time. Season 8 celebrates a symphony of creativity that resonates across cultures and time, reminding us that art is a universal language that binds us all.

Details
Where: Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro (3905 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60613)
When: Fridays & Sundays and select Thursdays & Saturdays from May 2 to June 1, 2025
What time: Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 3 p.m.
How much: Tickets are pay-what-you-will, with an average donation of $25. By donating more, if you are able, you help offset the cost for those who can’t afford to give. A preview performance is scheduled for Sunday, April 27. Suggested donation for this performance is $10.