Chicago Storefront Theatres Unite for National New Play Network Rolling Premiere of ‘Other Paths to God’
Perceptions Theatre and Coalescence Theatre Project are joining forces to bring Other Paths to God, a new play by award-winning playwright Kelundra Smith, to Chicago audiences as part of a National New Play Network (NNPN) Rolling World Premiere. The production runs November 5–15 at Definition Theatre in Hyde Park.
Directed by Myesha-Tiara, founder and producing artistic director of Perceptions Theatre, and produced by India Nicole Burton, associate artistic director of Coalescence Theatre Project, the production highlights diverse artistic voices while exploring the lives of five women working in healthcare.
In this dramatic and comedic story, five intensive care unit nurses at Morey Medical Center find themselves caught in a scandal involving $3 million in missing money. As suspicion spreads, workplace tensions rise, and personal struggles collide, the women must navigate unexpected challenges that test their resilience, relationships, and sense of purpose.
Funny, poignant, and filled with scandal, Other Paths to God explores the complicated realities of being a frontline healthcare worker while revealing that the journey toward healing and redemption is rarely straightforward.
Smith returns to Chicago following the success of her play The Wash, which debuted at Synchronicity Theatre and Impact Theatre and received a short run at ETA Creative Arts Foundation in 2025. Her connection to Chicago runs deep, with family ties and longstanding relationships throughout the city.
“Chicago is a city that I consider to be a second home,” Smith said. She explained that the project grew from her curiosity about how frontline workers, celebrated as heroes, experience their realities in the workplace. Inspired in part by relatives who work as nurses and healthcare administrators, Smith said the writing process also helped her heal aspects of her relationship with labor and work as a Black woman.
The play was commissioned by Horizon Theatre Company in Atlanta, Georgia, as part of its Black Women Speak initiative, which aims to support the production of nine new plays by Black women playwrights across the country. Other Paths to God is among the works supported through the initiative.
The NNPN Rolling World Premiere brings together professional theatres to support the development and presentation of new plays across multiple communities. Coalescence Theatre Project, based in Bloomington-Normal, joins Perceptions Theatre in this collaboration, building on both organizations’ commitments to expanding opportunities for diverse artists.
“It is inherently important that we share our own stories as Black women, artists, and the various roles we have taken on in the history of our society,” Myesha-Tiara said.
Perceptions Theatre, based in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood, was recognized by Chicago Magazine in 2023 as “Best Storefront Theatre on a Mission.”
This production marks Smith’s second collaboration with the company. Burton also has a previous connection to Perceptions Theatre through her play Panther Women: An Army for the Liberation, which the company presented under Myesha-Tiara’s direction.
Performance Information
Dates: November 5–15, 2026
Schedule:
Thursdays–Saturdays: 7:30 p.m.
Sundays: 2 p.m.
Venue: Definition Theatre1160 E. 55th Street Chicago, IL
Special Events:
November 7: Industry Night
November 12: Blackout Night
Talkback: November 8, following the matinee, featuring the director, playwright, and cast.
Tickets: Purchase tickets through Cur8
Follow on Social Media
Instagram: @perceptionstheatre
Instagram: @coalescencetheatre
Instagram: @nationalnewplaynetwork
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