Momentary Theatre

Home
United States
Chicago, IL
Momentary Theatre

Curating stories that record, reveal, and react to human progress over time.

01/26/2026

Time is running out to see THE UNKNOWN VARIABLE!

With only 5 performances left, get your tickets now for:

- Monday, 1/26 - Industry Night
- Thursday, 1/29 - ICIRR Benefit Performance
- Friday, 1/30
- Saturday, 1/31 - Talkback w/ Playwright Nahal Navidar
- Sunday, 2/1 - Final Performance

Ticket link in bio.

📸: .on.set

01/24/2026

A fundraiser so nice, we decided to do it twice!

After our first sold-out benefit performance, we were able to send over $1,000 to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. And you can help us do it again:

On Thursday, January 29th, all ticket sales will once again go to

See a beautiful play and support a beautiful cause. Ticket link in bio!

📸 .on.set

01/16/2026

Reviews are in! The Unknown Variable is “excellent,” “tender, subtle, and poetic.” Don’t miss your chance to experience this play critics “highly recommend that you make time to see.”

Alli Doubek of Entertaining Chicago writes “There is a depth to The Unknown Variable – a simmering just under the surface. It reaches you. It touches you. And between the laughing and the sniffling around me, I know that I wasn’t the only person having this experience.” Kerry Reid of Chicago Reader writes “The Unknown Variable wears its mathematical metaphors lightly and makes its points about our current cruel and criminal attacks on immigrants without bombast. It’s a strong reminder to treasure the people who treasure you while they’re still around.”

Have you reserved your ticket yet? We have 13 performances left. Head to (thisismomentary.com/schedule) to book your tickets. Student tickets are $15 and theater artists can use the code INDUSTRYMONDAY on Monday performances for $10 off.

01/08/2026

Tonight we open THE UNKNOWN VARIABLE, by Nahal Navidar.

There are many words to say about this play, the process, what it has meant, and how it has been shaped by every artist pictured here (and more who aren’t). But the words that matter most—and the reason why we’re here today—are Nahal’s script itself.

🏔️🚪

Come see THE UNKNOWN VARIABLE before it closes on February 1. We promise, it will transform you.

📸 .on.set

12/29/2025

Tech week starts today and we couldn’t be more excited! Our actors and director have shaped this timely story with empathy and deep insight and our designers are hard at work layering in the facets that will bring the magical world to life. Have you purchased your ticket yet? This is one you don’t want to miss!

12/21/2025

Today is Yaldā, an Iranian celebration of the winter solstice.

To celebrate (and fortify us for our first run off-book), Nahal brought us a bountiful harvest of food and poetry.

Tina also pulled a tarot card for each of us (not unlike the Yaldā tradition of finding fortunes in the words of Hafez).

We’re having such a good time bringing “The Unknown Variable” to life! We can’t wait to share it with you in a few short weeks (ticket link in bio).

🏔️ 🚪

12/10/2025

We’re so lucky to be in the room with these stars! ✨ Just one week into rehearsal, and our actors are already giving all the feels.

This January, see Tina El Gamal as Āvā; a young girl who moves from Iran to the United States and has to learn the facts of life in a new language and a fractured family. See Ninos Baba as Bābā; Āvā’s father who remains in Iran and experiences their separation from the other side of the world. And see Antonio L. Rodriguez as Chorus; six American characters Āvā comes to in search of an answer:

How long do they have to wait? 🕰️

📸 Glamour shots by .on.set

12/03/2025

We’re finally in rehearsal! This week, The Unknown Variable is becoming known to us through the insights and interpretations of our actors, understudies, designers, and production team.

We’re finding so much depth—poetry and math—in the pages of Nahal’s play. We can’t wait to share our work with you in January; get your tickets now (link in bio)!

📝 🧮 🎟️

📸 by the brilliant .on.set

11/24/2025

Rehearsals for The Unknown Variable start this weekend! 😱

Here, playwright Nahal Navidar sits silhouetted by the sun as we discuss 1st rehearsal plans. In The Unknown Variable, Nahal uses silhouette to build a world of magical realism and memory.

We can’t wait for you to see the lights (by Ellie Fey), set (by Amy C. Gilman), costumes (by Allyson Leisure), and sound (by Harper Justus) come together with our actors to tell this story! These tech components are so essential to the world of this play, and it’s a part of the reason we knew we had to bring it to the big stage!

We’ll see you there this January!

Now swipe to see a special guest at our meeting (a ladybug that landed on Nahal’s sweater🐞).

11/03/2025

🎟️ TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE UNKNOWN VARIABLE. 🎟️
Follow the link in our Linktree to reserve your seats today. Performances run Thursdays through Mondays, January 8th through February 1st at The Edge Off-Broadway. 🕰️ 🏔️🚪

Address

1133 W. Catalpa
Chicago, IL
60640

Website

http://thisismomentary.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Momentary Theatre 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 Momentary Theatre:

Shortcuts

Want your establishment to be the top-listed Arts & Entertainment in Chicago?