Open Space Arts

October 29 – November 8, 2026
7:30PM, 3:00PM Matinee

1411 W. Wilson Ave.,
Chicago, IL 60640

Jerker

Written by Robert Chesley, starring Jason Bowen and Joshua Bowen. Two men begin an intimate relationship through a series of late-night telephone calls. What starts as anonymous sexual fantasy gradually develops into something deeper, a connection shaped by humor, tenderness, imagination, and the rapidly changing world around them.

Written in 1986, Jerker is one of the defining theatrical works to emerge from the AIDS crisis. Frank, provocative, and unexpectedly moving, the play celebrates gay sexuality while revealing the profound human need for intimacy and connection. Open Space Arts presents it in recognition of the play’s 40th anniversary, as part of BEFORE WE ARE HISTORY, a three-week examination of theatrical works created in response to the AIDS crisis.

Playwright Robert Chesley was a playwright, composer, critic, author, and activist who wrote more than 30 plays, including Night Sweat, one of the earliest full-length dramas about the AIDS crisis. His work continues to challenge shame, censorship, and the erasure of gay experience.

Runtime is 75 minutes. Content advisory: explicit sexual language, mature subject matter, and partial nudity.

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