Obvious Dad

Obvious Dad Obvious Dad is a theatre company based in Chattanooga, Tennessee that unapologetically shares bold live performances.

We create innovative, aesthetically driven theatre that keeps Chattanooga interesting.

Sorry, friends. We’ve made the tough call to cancel this summer’s readings. Huge thanks to everyone who showed interest ...
06/17/2025

Sorry, friends.

We’ve made the tough call to cancel this summer’s readings. Huge thanks to everyone who showed interest and support. Stay tuned!

Four q***r plays. One fearless summer. Let’s go.It’s happening! We’re thrilled to announce the full lineup for OutWord: ...
06/11/2025

Four q***r plays. One fearless summer. Let’s go.

It’s happening! We’re thrilled to announce the full lineup for OutWord: a summer reading series of bold LGBTQ+ plays, presented with our incredible partners at ClearStory Arts and Chattanooga Q***r Empowerment Collective. All performances are free (yes, free), with free parking, at ClearStory Arts. Mark your calendars, bring your people, and support local q***r art:

📅 June 19 – SLACK WATER by Nelle Tankus
A pregnant trans mother demands a natural birth as the hospital floods, pulling her children into a darkly absurd spiral of care, survival, and collapsing family ties in this apocalyptic q***r fantasy.

📅 July 10 – ABORTION ROAD TRIP by Rachel Lynett
Three women hit the road, unpacking their pasts and the choices that shaped them in this sharp, funny, and heartfelt ride across state lines and life experience.

📅 July 31 – Howling by Jordan Elizabeth Bird
In this fairytale, an autism diagnosis catalyzes a journey through love, grief, and identity, as Birdie follows a breadcrumb trail through memory, myth, and the tangled woods of becoming.

📅 August 21 – At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen by Terry Guest
A fierce drag queen throws a no-rules funeral in this sharp, hilarious, soulful play about Blackness, southern q***rness, and the stories we leave behind.

🤝 Partnering with and ***rempowerment
🎨 Artwork by

***rTheatre ***rArt ***rJoy

‼️ AUDITIONS AUDITIONS AUDITIONS ‼️Obvious Dad is back, baby! We’re kicking things off with OutWord: a reading series of...
05/29/2025

‼️ AUDITIONS AUDITIONS AUDITIONS ‼️

Obvious Dad is back, baby! We’re kicking things off with OutWord: a reading series of new LGBTQ+ plays! Click on the audition form in the link in our bio to sign up and learn more about auditions.

📍 ClearStory Arts
📅 June 12
🕖 7:00 PM (Check-in opens at 6:45)

We’re not casting for specific roles—just come ready with a short monologue (post-2010) and show us what makes you unforgettable. New to auditioning? No worries. We got you.

💥 This is a low-commitment, high-impact series.
🌈 All genders, races, and identities welcome.
🎤 Come as you are. We’ll take it from there.
📋 Audition form required—[link in bio]!

📧 Questions? Need help finding a monologue? Hit us up: [email protected]

***rVoices ***rTheatre

Big emotions. Big choices. Big... Bird?Young Jean Lee’s LEAR wasn’t your grandpa’s Shakespeare.It was messy, funny, brut...
05/04/2025

Big emotions. Big choices. Big... Bird?

Young Jean Lee’s LEAR wasn’t your grandpa’s Shakespeare.

It was messy, funny, brutal, and weird—and it quickly became an audience favorite.

Were you there for the chaos? Drop your favorite LEAR moment below 👇

***rTheatre

Family, pine trees, and... a puppet?MJ Kaufman’s Sagittarius Ponderosa wasn’t just our first show of Season Three—it was...
04/28/2025

Family, pine trees, and... a puppet?

MJ Kaufman’s Sagittarius Ponderosa wasn’t just our first show of Season Three—it was a reminder that bold, honest stories belong in Chattanooga.

A play about transformation, identity, and carving out your place in the world. Looking back, it was the perfect start to the season where Obvious Dad leveled up.

Were you there under the trees with us? 🌲 Drop your memories 👇

***rTheatre

When the Dads found their groove.Agnes Borinsky’s BRIEF CHRONICLE, BOOKS 6–8 was when Obvious Dad really stepped into it...
04/25/2025

When the Dads found their groove.

Agnes Borinsky’s BRIEF CHRONICLE, BOOKS 6–8 was when Obvious Dad really stepped into its voice.

It was big, strange, and full of sharp tenderness—a play that held space for complexity, joy, and defiance all at once.

It was also the first full-length play by a trans writer ever produced in Chattanooga, but definitely not the last!

Got a memory from this one? Drop it below or tag your Brief Chronicle crew 👇

***rTheatre

This one meant a lot.We opened Season Two with Rajiv Joseph’s GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES. It was directed by our dear ...
04/25/2025

This one meant a lot.

We opened Season Two with Rajiv Joseph’s GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES. It was directed by our dear friend and Obvious Dad’s first board president, Gaye Jeffers, whom we miss more than words can ever express. We're eternally grateful for having the opportunity to work with her.

It was tender, messy, sharp, and full of heart—just like a true show.

If you were there, you know how much it hit👇

Remember how we ended Season One?Our take on THE HAIRY APE was a full deconstruction of O'Neill's classic play, ObvDad s...
04/17/2025

Remember how we ended Season One?

Our take on THE HAIRY APE was a full deconstruction of O'Neill's classic play, ObvDad style.

Were you there for this wild show? Tell us what you remember 👇

What was your favorite moment from Season One?Ours might be the beginning.Our very first show was Clare Barron’s YOU GOT...
04/16/2025

What was your favorite moment from Season One?

Ours might be the beginning.

Our very first show was Clare Barron’s YOU GOT OLDER—a raw, funny, gut-punch of a play that set the tone for everything Obvious Dad would become.

We had no money, but we had grit, nerve, and a stubborn determination to make relevant, modern theatre right here in Chattanooga.

Were you there for the start? Let us know 👇

🚨 NEW MERCH DROP 🚨It’s here. It’s loud. It’s very Obvious Dad, obviously.🎁 Want to win it? Take our survey for a chance ...
04/14/2025

🚨 NEW MERCH DROP 🚨
It’s here. It’s loud. It’s very Obvious Dad, obviously.

🎁 Want to win it? Take our survey for a chance to win (link in comments).
🛒 Want it now? Visit our website.

We’ve got tees and sweatshirts made for the coolest dads on the block—real or honorary. Grab yours and show some love for bold, local theatre in Chattanooga.

Address

752 Vine Street
Chattanooga, TN
37403

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Obvious Dad posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Establishment

Send a message to Obvious Dad:

Shortcuts

Share

Category