are you ready to smash white things?

Friday, August 14, 2026 | Rubenstein Forum, Friedman Hall
Doors at 6:00pm | Reading at 6:30pm
Free (Reservations Recommended)

Court Theatre’s Spotlight Reading Series presents a thrilling staged reading of are you ready to smash white things? by multi-talented Chicago artist, playwright, and Definition Theatre ensemble member Ireon Roach. Originally championed as an inaugural commission winner of Definition Theatre’s Amplify New Play Commissioning Program, this electrifying play challenges theatrical boundaries and demands a transformation of the larger cultural landscape. 

About the Play 

are you ready to smash white things? is a hyper-poetic, break-beat memory play that centers on Esther, a young woman experiencing displacement while trapped in an attic as her father, the Doctor, hosts a raging party downstairs. Seamlessly blending sharp wit with visceral imagery, Roach examines the inner workings of family trauma and systemic confinement. The play serves as an unflinching scratch at the surface of how marginalized people laugh in the face of pain, interrogating institutions and exploring the raw realities of the Black experience.

About Definition Theatre  

Founded in 2012, Definition Theatre is a vital Chicago ensemble dedicated to celebrating stories created with, inspired by, and intended for people and communities of color. Currently operating out of an intimate storefront space in Hyde Park while developing a permanent cultural center in Woodlawn, the company acts as a catalyst for social justice and racial healing through bold, language-driven storytelling. Their flagship initiative, the Amplify New Play Commissioning Program, intentionally invests in underrepresented theater creatives by providing them with the long-term funding, resources, and development pipelines needed to bring radical new Black and BIPOC narratives to life.

Photo of Sheree Bynum, Lewon Johns, Frederick Paul Williams, Kai A. Ealy, and Robert Tobin by Ollie Photography.

Presented in partnership with