Trap Door Theatre Debuts S.L. Daniels' Dark Comedy, "Any Rebellion of Will"

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The dark absurdist comedy stars Shawna Franks, Camilla Frontain, Lawrence Grimm, and Lenin Izquierdo at the Chicago venue.

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Trap Door Theatre will continue its 33rd season with Any Rebellion of Will, written by S.L. Daniels and directed by Spencer Huffman. Any Rebellion of Will will play October 8th – November 1st, 2026 at Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W Cortland St. in Chicago. Tickets are now on sale at trapdoortheatre.com or by calling (773)-384-0494. Press is encouraged to attend after Friday, October 9th, 2026 at 7:30 pm.

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The cast will include Shawna Franks, Camilla Frontain, Lenin Izquierdo, and Lawrence Grimm .

A dark absurdist comedy with a twist of vaudeville, Any Rebellion of Will finds a depressed, anguished Will being kicked out of his authoritative parents' home on his 25th birthday. Will returns home with an odd, mystical street performer Giselle who ignites a rebellious passion in Will, and a demented, destructive mania in his parents.

This production is housed under our Trap Open Series and is being independently produced by a grant from the Independent Projects Initiative and Grey Area Productions.

The production team includes Emily Blanquera (Scenic Design), Myron Elliott (Costume Design), Josiah Croegaert (Lighting Design), Daniel Poppen (Sound), Chas Mathieu (Props), Max Fabian (Violence and Intimacy Design), Lauren Lassus (Stage Manager), Maggie Perisho (Assistant Stage Manager), George Hudson (Publicity and Still Photographer), Lawrence Grimm and S. L. Daniels (Co-Producers), Independent Projects Initiative and Grey Area Productions (Production Sponsors).

Free street parking is available.

Trap Door Theatre is wheelchair accessible.

Any Rebellion Of Will has found its way to a production thanks to the Independent Projects Initiative. The visionary IPI Founder, LC Bernadine remarked on the way IPI has fulfilled a specific need in Chicago, 'As much as we love and regularly attend the work of existing companies, there is a rich vision as to where Chicago theater is headed, and independent work is part of it. IPI grants are helping an entire track of theatre happen in Chicago -- ambitious, brilliant projects created by teams working outside of traditional theater company seasons.'

Director Spencer Huffman's pioneering work with New Theatre Project of reimagined classics in unconventional and non-traditional theatre spaces (Far Away, Uncle Vanya, Blackbird) now extends his vision with new and originally penned work like Shape of Bones and Any Rebellion of Will in Chicago's traditional storefronts.

Lawrence Grimm (Ferdinand), a founding ensemble member of A Red Orchid Theatre, has long been a diehard fan of this play which he is excited to co-produce with its playwright. The storefront veteran finds his perfect marital match in Shawna Franks (Mona) who originated the role of Dottie in Tracy Lett's Killer Joe and continues to marvel audiences as a Jeff Award Winner (Right Now) founder and ensemble member with Facility Theatre.

Rounding out the younger end of the cast generationally by way of Utah, Texas and Idaho comes Camilla Frontain (Giselle) whose talents in clown and improv bring a captivating mystique to the fast emerging Lenin Izquierdo (Will) whose first two professional productions in Chicago with Goodman Theatre's Life of Oscar Wao and City Lit's Jesus Hopped The A Train landed him actor Equity and Non-Equity Jeff Nominations in 2026.

Playwright and Director Bios

S. L. Daniels (Playwright) (she/her) S. L. Daniels' plays have been produced around the world including Victory Gardens Theatre, American Blues, etc. (Chicago), New York Theatre Workshop, the West End Theatre, Hudson Warehouse (New York), Bread and Roses Theatre, Matchstick Theatre (London), and Newtown Theatre, Defector Art Theatre (Australia). Her play Rain, River, Ice, Steam received the Illinois Artist Award for Playwriting, and was produced in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Television: Committed, starring Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara, ROC, starring Charles Dutton (HBO IND/FOX TV), Workout (NBC pilot), and the Chicago indie pilot, The Resentful Angel, which won multiple film festival awards for Best TV Pilot, and streamed on Amazon Prime and The Indie Channel.

Spencer Huffman (Director) (he/him) is a playwright and director based in Chicago. His plays include: The Shape of the Bones (The New Theatre Project, 2026), Evil Perfect (Bramble Theatre Co, 2024), The Baseball Gods, When We Were Little, and Shine Down On Us. His plays have earned recognition from theatres and festivals across the country, including The National Playwrights Conference, The Bay Area Playwrights Festival, The Austin Film Festival, American Stage's 21st Century Voices New Play Festival, and Landing Theatre Company's New American Voices Festival, among others. He has been a fellow at Millay Arts, The Marble House Project, and the Kerouac Project of Orlando. His directing work includes productions of Blackbird by David Harrower (NTP, 2025), Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov (NTP, 2025), Far Away by Caryl Churchill (NTP, 2024), Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth , Bug by Tracy Letts , and Aalst by Duncan McLean and Pol Heyvaert, among others.

Additional funding for this project has been granted by Heidi Hoblit Graham's Grey Area Productions whose mission is to support Chicago female, BIPOC and LGBTQIA artists who might not otherwise have the resources to produce their work. Graham succinctly summarizes 'In a nutshell, Grey Area Productions strives to leverage privilege to lift the voices of the most underserved artists.'

Trap Door Theatre is dedicated to seeking out challenging, obscure, and culturally significant works rooted in political outcry that address timeless and borderless existential themes. Our mission is to provide a platform for voices that confront and question social norms, inspire dialogue, and foster understanding across diverse cultures and perspectives. Through bold, imaginative productions, we strive to push artistic boundaries and create transformative experiences for our audiences. We are committed to serving as a cultural hub for our community, supporting artists through equitable practices, and engaging audiences with works that illuminate the human condition in innovative and thought-provoking ways.

Trap Door Theatre is funded in part by The Paul Angell Foundation, The Bayless Family Foundation, a CityArts Program Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, The Cliff Dwellers Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council Agency, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The John R Halligan Charitable Fund, The Reva and David Logan Foundation, and the generosity of individual donors.

For additional information, visit trapdoortheatre.com

Artistic Director: Beata Pilch beata@trapdoortheatre.com

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/chicago/article/ANY-REBELLION-OF-WILL-to-Open-at-Trap-Door-Theatre-20261005)._