Chris Bower

Chris Bower is a teacher, playwright and the author of the short story collection Little Boy Needs Ride and the novella The Family Dogs, which was part of the My Very End of the Universe novella collection published by Rose Metal Press. Chris’ theatrical work includes (not exhaustively) Siberian Mouth, Mascot, Notes to Molly, Birthday Boy (co-written with Matt Test), Promises to Keep: The Poems of Robert F. Kennedy, Santa IBS, Shuttlecock’d (co-written with Tim Racine), The Correspondance (co-written with Tim Racine, The End?!?!, Little Boy Needs Ride, and most recently, The Café Neckbeard trilogy (Dinner in the Neck of the Whale, Dinner in the Forest of Ambergris and Glass, 99% Celery: Dinner in the Garden of Glass Whales). His work has been produced by Tympanic, Curious Theater Branch, Bruised Orange, Magpies, and by the Found Objects Theatre Group, where he is a founding member. His work has been featured at pretty much every Rhinoceros Theater Festival since 2005. He is the creator/curator/host of The Ray’s Tap Reading Series and has been a regular performer at Chicago “live-lit” shows such as Write Club, The Paper Machete, Essay Fiesta, The Therapy Sessions and more. He is also the PR representative and procurement specialist for Café Neckbeard, the most experimental, expensive, and imaginary cafe in The Historic Logan Square Neighborhood (THLSN). His Café Neckbeard multimedia project also includes the ongoing video series, The Pig Reads Moby Dick ; or, The Whale by Herman Melville. His most recent Café Neckbeard show, 99% Celery: Dinner in the Garden of Glass Whales, is currently played at RhinoFest 2020 at PROP THTR.