Ashland Avenue
In Ashland Avenue, playwright Lee Kirk crafts a warm, intimate portrait of family at a crossroads. Set in Chicago, the play follows a father and daughter navigating the shifting terrain of adulthood, aging, and long-held expectations. When life circumstances force difficult decisions about independence, responsibility, and legacy, buried tensions rise to the surface — along with humor, heart, and hard truths. What unfolds is a deeply human story about the push and pull between holding on and letting go.
Blending sharp wit with emotional depth, Ashland Avenue is a character-driven drama that feels both personal and universal. It explores generational divides, artistic dreams deferred, and the complicated love that binds families together. With rich dialogue and layered performances at its core, the play offers audiences a moving and relatable look at how we define home — and what it truly means to show up for the people we love.
In the audience
Who gets to close the family business? Bring the neighbor who still calls the corner shop by its old name. By intermission, everyone will have picked a side.
On your stage
Five actors, 135 minutes. Start at a table and listen for who interrupts whom. Then map the incidental music and sound cues before you book tech.
Duration: 135 Min
Roles:
2F, 3M
Materials
Logo
Prop List
SFX (with incidental music)
Videos
Kirk’s writing is funny and his characters are vibrant … the play captures the energy of the city and its small businesses.
The themes of grappling with change versus stasis and reconciling your own desires with those of your loved ones are timeless, universal, and well-expressed.
The story becomes a thought-provoking combination of sitcom and morality tale about change and how such elements affect someone facing retirement, let alone what to do next in life.
