The Dark Room District’s first public offering will be a new play, DIVE, written by founding artist John Henry Roberts. Drawing inspiration from both American noir and the plays of Anton Chekhov, DIVE (as the title suggests) is set in a 2010 Chicago dive bar inhabited by 16 beautifully broken characters whose fragile community is unbalanced by the arrival of a charming newcomer. DIVE is populated with characters who have unquestionably fucked up, and our aim is to inspire audiences to find the social compassion to accept or even care for them regardless of what they've done, or (in some cases) are still doing.

While the play is not written to allow audiences to directly participate in the story, our goal is to create the most immersive production possible. By producing at Fritzy's Tavern on North Clark (Chicago IL), and using breaks between the play’s scenes to allow audiences to move about, converse, and step up to the bar for a drink ... you'll feel like a regular before you know it.

The Dark Room District is an arts organization founded by Michaela Petro & John Henry Roberts dedicated to giving focus, empathy, and community to those who are coping with the burden of their choices and/or circumstances. We specialize in using dramatic art to highlight the universal human experience of having to move forward in dark terrain where the proper path is unmarked. Our goal is to use that art to create a space in which barriers between audience members and artists are minimized, allowing for genuine connection and honest discussion. Inviting strangers to sit in the dark, watch the negative develop, and let it be what it is, a captured moment.