Set in the idealistic Chicago arts scene of the 1990s, the play recasts the old debate about “selling out” and being authentic to a new generation—in this present age when every aspect of life is commodified. The trajectory of the central character of Brad from punk rocker to MAGA consultant also mirrors that of J.D. Vance, with old friends being mystified in both cases about this evolution.

Based in Evanston (IL), Paula Kamen is a playwright specializing in provocative, timely and darkly comedic work—often exploring generational feminist issues and the hidden dramas of invisible disability. Her most well-known work for the stage—with dozens of productions—is Jane: Abortion and the Underground, which was Jeff-nominated for Best Ensemble for a 2023 Chicago production with Idle Muse. Before the pandemic, it had an off-Broadway celebrity reading at Rattlestick to benefit A is For, starring Cyntha Nixon, Kathy Naijimy, and Monique Coleman. Most recently, it has been used in red states to raise money for abortion funds, such as with a benefit reading by PowerStories in Florida last year. Her play, Dionne’s House, an O’Neill finalist, had its first professional reading last fall at the Voices from the Heartland New Works Festival at the Dunes Arts Foundation Summer Theatre in Michigan City, IN—judged by Artistic Director Steve Scott, former Goodman Theatre producer. Her short play, A Cure for AIDS: 1995, which explores the loss to future generations when artists and inventors perish before their time, won a special Commendation from the Jewish Plays Project a few years ago. It will be a part of the Spectrum New Plays Festival at FIrst Run Theatre in St. Louis this spring (2026). Her newest play is GoFundMe or “The Good Poor,” dramatizing the absurdity of relying on GoFundMe as our country’s social-services safety net.