In its sixth installment, Footholds intertwines The Impostors Theatre Co.’s unique vision with local voices. Footholds is an anthology series written by playwrights from across the Chicagoland community. Ensemble members conceived the idea in reaction to one of the most frustrating and intimidating villains an artist can face: a blank page. A blank canvas allows for infinite possibilities, but this can sometimes act as a hindrance. With no definitive starting point, it can be difficult to realize a final product. By introducing a single, ambiguous constraint, a crack in the block of marble, we ask our writers and collaborators to start with the same limitation and branch off wherever their imaginations take them.

This year’s foothold: A lamp-lit alley, fringing the noise—before, during, or after the party.

The Plays:

“The 13 Times I May or May Not Have Said Hi to My Ex at His Birthday Party” by Conlan Carter

“Leave Only Crumbs” by Alex Fortune

“Hole in the Wall” by Jared Goudsmit

“In the Mood” by Matt Schutz

“Lincoln Lincoln Lincoln Lincoln” by Samantha Hurley

“Fragments” by Stephen Gerrie

“Storytellers… or a little Black joy for your Sunday” by Chels Morgan