Oil Lamp Theater Presents its Inaugural IGNITE NEW WORKS FESTIVAL, July 20 - 22

Oil Lamp Theater presents its inaugural IGNITE NEW WORKS FESTIVAL showcasing three new plays in staged readings at Oil Lamp Theater, July 20 - 22. This new festival focuses on playwrights who have a strong voice and underrepresented backgrounds.

The 2026 Festival includes:

YES, DEEP IN MY BLOOD by Isis Elizabeth, Directed by Brittney Brown

Monday, July 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Black. White. One Bloodline. When Amara is sent to care for her dying grandmother in rural Georgia, she expects an uncomfortable reunion. Instead, she finds herself trapped inside a house haunted by memory, race and a family history neither of them can escape. As her grandmother’s mind begins to unravel, buried truths surface, forcing both women to confront what blood can carry…and what it can never erase.

LOVE IN THE TIME OF _____ by Mantra, Directed by Alondra Rios

Tuesday, July 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Set in a world of pop songs, dating apps and coincidences, pattern play, LOVE IN THE TIME OF _____ interrogates the gap between the idealized notion of love we consume and the messier reality that love entails. When the rose-colored hue of novelty falls away, where do we go from there?

SERENADE by Zach Barr, Directed by Cee Scallen

Wednesday, July 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Pip and Lou have come to celebrate their friend Mia’s engagement to a man named Jan. But they’ve come with a secret goal: to break up Mia and Jan, for Mia’s own good. As the evening falls and more about both couples’ pasts are revealed, everyone will have to reconsider the true costs of believing that you know someone better than they know themselves.

Tickets are $20 for each reading or $50 for all three! For more information, visit OilLampTheater.org.

Oil Lamp Theater acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.