Black Bear Island
Friday, 25 September 2026, 01:00 · 17 dates total
Black Bear Island · 5545 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640, USA, Evanston
BLACK BEAR ISLAND
A Chicago Premiere Production
Set in the Pacific Northwest, this gothic magical realistic thriller explores regret, the unreliableness of our own memories, and the paths we choose to become who we are. When Amitra’s estranged childhood sweetheart mysteriously dies, she returns to Black Bear Island, which legend says is haunted by a monstrous man-killing bear. As she searches for the truth, the forest begins to engulf the house and her past begins to collide with the present as her memory starts to unfog. Winner of the Maxim Mazumdar New Play Award in 2023, this play was hailed as “an ambitious, psychologically complex play that explores how trauma shapes identity.”
Written by Karissa Murrell Myers*, directed by Jonathan Berry. Cast includes Carolyn Hu Bradbury, Christopher Acevedo, Suzy Krueckeberg*, Noelle Oh, Thomas B. Tran, Jesse James Hoover, and David Stobbe.
* denotes Bramble ensemble member
In an effort to make our performances financially accessible to those who might not otherwise be able to attend, we offer a limited number of $5 Access Tickets for each performance.
Friday, Oct 2 - Student Night. Free pizza, plus a post-show discussion with the artists.
Sunday, Oct 4 - Masked Performance. Masks will be required for attendees on this date.
Monday, Oct 12 - Industry Night. There will be a meet-and-greet networking hour and a panel of playwrights and directors discussing best practices regarding new work collaboration before the evening performance.
Wednesday, Oct 14 - Understudy Performance.
Please note that all late audience members will be seated at the house manager's discretion due to the actors using all entrances.
This show runs 90 minutes with no intermission
A Chicago Premiere Production
Set in the Pacific Northwest, this gothic magical realistic thriller explores regret, the unreliableness of our own memories, and the paths we choose to become who we are. When Amitra’s estranged childhood sweetheart mysteriously dies, she returns to Black Bear Island, which legend says is haunted by a monstrous man-killing bear. As she searches for the truth, the forest begins to engulf the house and her past begins to collide with the present as her memory starts to unfog. Winner of the Maxim Mazumdar New Play Award in 2023, this play was hailed as “an ambitious, psychologically complex play that explores how trauma shapes identity.”
Written by Karissa Murrell Myers*, directed by Jonathan Berry. Cast includes Carolyn Hu Bradbury, Christopher Acevedo, Suzy Krueckeberg*, Noelle Oh, Thomas B. Tran, Jesse James Hoover, and David Stobbe.
* denotes Bramble ensemble member
In an effort to make our performances financially accessible to those who might not otherwise be able to attend, we offer a limited number of $5 Access Tickets for each performance.
Friday, Oct 2 - Student Night. Free pizza, plus a post-show discussion with the artists.
Sunday, Oct 4 - Masked Performance. Masks will be required for attendees on this date.
Monday, Oct 12 - Industry Night. There will be a meet-and-greet networking hour and a panel of playwrights and directors discussing best practices regarding new work collaboration before the evening performance.
Wednesday, Oct 14 - Understudy Performance.
Please note that all late audience members will be seated at the house manager's discretion due to the actors using all entrances.
This show runs 90 minutes with no intermission
