First Floor Theater Announces 2026 Blueprint Commission Recipient Netta Walker
Announcement Comes During Run of WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY at Raven Theatre in Edgewater Through June 6, 2026
CHICAGO, Illinois (May 26, 2026)– Chicago’s First Floor Theater today announced playwright, actor, and multidisciplinary artist Netta Walker as the recipient of its 2026 Blueprint Commission, the company’s new play development initiative supporting the creation of bold, original works.
Walker’s new play, NORDICA, is currently in development through the commission and will receive a multi-phase workshop process culminating in a staged reading later this year. The Blueprint Commission provides selected artists with resources and a collaborative team to develop new plays through two dedicated workshops over the course of the commission.
The announcement comes as First Floor Theater continues its run of WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY, by reid tang, now playing at The Schwartz Stage at Raven Theatre. Like tang’s genre-bending exploration of technology, alienation, and modern capitalism, the Blueprint Commission reflects the company’s ongoing investment in daring and socially engaged new work.
“The Blueprint Commission is about giving artists the time, space, and support to take real risks,” said Andrew Cutler, Artistic Producer at First Floor Theater. “Netta’s work is ambitious, imaginative, and deeply rooted in questions of identity and culture–exactly the kind of storytelling we’re committed to developing.”
Born and raised on the Florida/Georgia line in Jacksonville, Florida, Walker is an award-winning artist whose work spans theater, television, and film. She is widely recognized for her role as Keisha McCalla on ALL AMERICAN; HOMECOMINGand has received a Joseph Jefferson Award for her performance in YEN at Raven Theatre. As a playwright, her work has been developed and produced nationally and internationally, including selections for the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Definition Theatre’s AMPLIFY Festival, and workshops in London and Chicago.
Her play, NORDICA, developed through the Blueprint Commission, draws inspiration from George S. Schuyler’s Harlem Renaissance novel BLACK NO MORE and continues her exploration of culture, mythology, and identity through a contemporary lens.
Launched in 2020 and made possible by a generous donation from Michael and Mona Heath, the Blueprint Commission is First Floor Theater’s flagship new play development program. Past commissioned works include THE HOUSE OF AUDACITY!by Ariel Zetina and ONE PARTY CONSENT by Omer Abbas Salem, the latter of which went on to receive a full world premiere production with the company during its twelfth season.
First Floor Theater’s Chicago premiere of WORK HARD HAVE FUN MAKE HISTORY runs through June 6, 2026, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m. at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St. Tickets are available at www.firstfloortheater.com.
ABOUT NETTA WALKER:
Netta Walker is an actor, playwright, and multidisciplinary artist. She is best known for starring as Keisha McCalla on ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING and ALL AMERICAN (The CW). Chicago stage credits include YEN (Raven Theatre, Jeff Award for Best Supporting Performance), THE GRAPES OF WRATH and HAMLET (The Gift Theatre), HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF (Victory Gardens), and CONTINUITY (Goodman Theatre). Regional and additional credits include MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY (Milwaukee Rep).
As a playwright, her work has been developed and recognized nationally and internationally, including HAYWARD (Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference semifinalist), keerah (Definition Theatre’s AMPLIFY Festival), and NORDICA, currently in development with First Floor Theater as the 2026 Blueprint Commission recipient. She has also participated in development programs with Goodman Theatre, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, and the Dramatists Exchange.
Walker is an ensemble member with The Gift Theatre and a Jeff Award recipient. She is originally from Jacksonville, Florida.
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ABOUT FIRST FLOOR THEATER
Founded in 2012, First Floor Theater is known for pairing cutting-edge scripts with innovative design. As a vanguard for what’s next in Chicago theater, FFT aims to pave a new path for American theater, centering equity, radical interrogation, and unapologetic live performance that challenges the status quo. Shortly after its inaugural season, FFT was named “Best New Theater Company” by the Chicago Reader and has since received numerous Joseph Jefferson Award nominations, along with national recognition, including the 2018 Francesca Primus Prize from ATCA. Notable productions include Hooded, or Being Black For Dummies; Mike Pence Sex Dream; Peerless; Plano; Pro-Am; and One Party Consent. Continuing its commitment to new work, in 2020 FFT launched The Blueprint Commission, made possible by Michael and Mona Heath, a program that has produced new plays by artists such as Ariel Zetina, Omer Abbas Salem, and Gloria Imseih Petrelli. First Floor Theater is in residence at the Raven Theatre.
ABOUT THE BLUEPRINT COMMISSION
The Blueprint Commission is First Floor Theater’s new play development program. Through an extensive development process, including two dedicated workshops over the life of the commission, the program provides resources for commissioned writers and a team of theater artists to bring new, daring plays into being. The ultimate goal of the initiative is to help shape the future of American theater—one that is more inclusive, brave, and revolutionary than what has come before.
Prior works generated by the commission include THE HOUSE OF AUDACITY! by Ariel Zetina and ONE PARTY CONSENT by Omer Abbas Salem. THE HOUSE OF AUDACITY! reimagined Mother Courage, drawing on elements of TO WONG FOO, THANKS FOR EVERYTHING! JULIE NEWMAR and medieval pageant plays, and was streamed for audiences in 2021. ONE PARTY CONSENT, a play about the degradation of trust set in a prestigious drama school, received its world premiere as part of First Floor Theater’s twelfth season.
The Blueprint Commission is made possible by a generous donation from Michael and Mona Heath.