35th Season · 2026
Panther in the Sky
by Lani T. Montreal
Performances
About the show
A finalist for Chicago Reader’s Best New Play of 2024, Panther in the Sky tells the story of three mothers from working-class neighborhoods who lost their sons to gun violence. Their mourning becomes metaphoric and metaphysical as their sons join the grieving mothers onstage as spectral onlookers from the afterlife.
The play premiered at the Chicago Danztheatre in May 2024 to sold-out houses. This performance is part of a two-day event hosted by the University of Illinois Chicago on gun violence and its intersection with mental health and disability.
Production sponsors
What people are saying
“With exquisite sensitivity and profound insight, Montreal crafts each character with depth and authenticity, allowing their voices to resonate with universal truths while honoring the specificity of their individual experiences.”