When a wrongfully imprisoned man is exonerated by DNA evidence after seventeen years in prison, he is forced to re-assimilate into a cold, foreign world of toothbrush shopping, doggy day care, and a friendship with an anxious young woman with secrets of her own.

Chad Beckham’s play After. is a well researched, fascinating, carefully crafted piece of theater and he masterfully weaves in and out of this emotional pathos as we are introduced to characters that test Monty’s resolve.

Showbiz Chicago

After. is a thought-provoking tale about being cheated out of half of a lifetime. The plot is compelling and the characters are quirky. Chad Beckim provides multiple ramifications of false imprisonment... Transfixing!

Chicago Now

This concentrated drama nails the plight of an exonerated prisoner now facing his fears of freedom. Rich with telling details... An appropriately fragmented look at Monty’s return from nearly two decades of wrongful imprisonment.

Chicago Theatre Beat

After., a hauntingly powerful work by Chad Beckim, is a subtle yet moving drama filled with unique characters struggling with personal quirks. The 90 minute drama is a haunting look at the devastating effects of imprisonment . Monty’s struggle to put things behind him and move on in life are emotionally rendered in this well-acted and finely written work!

ChicagoCritic.com

Carefully, and with human detail, explores just how important our formative years are to us. And shows us just how scary the world might look if we they were taken from us with force

New York Theatre Review

A compassionate portrait of a man struggling with the challenges of socializing . . . and the anger he still feels for having his youth unjustly destroyed.

The New York Times

After. is a keenly observed portrait of not only of adjusting to a changed world but of reconciling anger with the imperative of moving on with life... Takes you on a moving journey that sets you off thinking, in this state of all states, the permanence of the damage done the wrongfully convicted!

Chicago Tribune

Human-scale social drama, approached quietly, one foot in front of the other, with compassion and courage

Vulture

In this well written play, each character finds themselves changing and adjusting to the world they live in, or rather, the world they should be living in.

Around the Town Chicago

Highly Recommended!... A moving, thoughtful, strongly acted, 90-minute drama.

Chicago Sun-Times

Premiere Production:

After. was first produced by Partial Comfort Productions at The Wild Project in New York, New York in September 2011.  The performance was directed by Stephen Brackett.