Dates & times
All times are local to the venue · America/Chicago
- 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
The Gradient at Mandrake Park: Steph Del Rosso’s accountability satire
Mandrake (Henry Brown) Park is named for a Chicago campaigner who used a pseudonym while challenging objectionable billboards. On Nov. 20, Campfire Repertory Theatre brings a different accountability story to the park: Steph Del Rosso’s The Gradient, about a rehabilitation center where reform and business interests collide.
A reform center with a business plan
The Gradient follows men accused of sexual misconduct who enter a futuristic center designed to reform them. Tess, an idealistic new employee, joins the organization and discovers that its stated purpose is entangled with technology, corporate ambition and profit.
Tess gives the audience a view from inside the institution as good intentions meet its commercial interests. That makes the play’s conflict about more than whether an individual can change: the center’s business model is also part of the story.
Further reading: The Gradient at Mandrake | Chicago Park District ↗ · Buy tickets – The Gradient by Steph Del Rosso ↗
The campaign behind the park’s name
The park is in Chicago’s Oakland community and honors Henry McNeil “Mandrake” Brown (1935–1996). Brown adopted the name Mandrake to protect his identity when he began whitewashing objectionable billboards in 1990, part of a grassroots effort against alcohol and tobacco advertising aimed at African American and Latino children.
The Chicago Park District credits Brown’s efforts with helping prevent Power Master Malt Liquor from being marketed to African Americans, remove 700 illegal billboards under city zoning rules, and eliminate alcohol and tobacco billboards within 500 feet of schools and churches. He also founded the Citywide Coalition Against Tobacco and Alcohol Billboards and the National Association for Positive Imagery. The play is not presented as a history of Brown’s campaign; the connection is the park setting, not a claim that the production tells his story.
Further reading: Mandrake (Henry Brown) Park ↗
A Chicago company’s season frame
Campfire Repertory Theatre presents the play, with Gina Cioffi directing. The Park District identifies Cioffi as a Campfire Rep associate artist; the company’s team page lists her as Associate Artistic Director. Campfire describes her broader artistic practice as engaging with feminine rage and the silencing of femme voices—context about her work, rather than a claim about this production’s staging.
The Gradient is part of Campfire’s 2026–27 season, No Small Womxn, which the company describes as femme-forward and centered on womxn, queer voices and stories that resist being diminished. Campfire’s stated mission is to celebrate distinctive Chicago voices and foster connection and mutual understanding through theater.
Further reading: The Gradient at Mandrake | Chicago Park District ↗ · Home | Campfire Repertory Theater| Chicago ↗ · Tickets/Events | Mysite ↗ · Our Team | Mysite ↗
One listed production
For Nov. 20, the Park District lists The Gradient, written by Steph Del Rosso and presented by Campfire Repertory Theatre, with Gina Cioffi directing. The listing does not announce a separate activity or performance segment.
Friday, Nov. 20, 2026 · Theater
- The Gradient, written by Steph Del Rosso, presented by Campfire Repertory Theatre and directed by Gina Cioffi.
Before you go
Friday, Nov. 20, 2026
The Park District lists the event from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. That is the listed event window; the page does not give a separate running time for the play. A Nov. 13 listing is a separate date, not an additional session on Nov. 20.
The Gradient at Mandrake | Chicago Park District ↗ · The Gradient at Mandrake | Chicago Park District ↗
No event fee listed
The Park District lists the event fee as $0.00. The available event details do not establish whether an advance reservation is required, so check with the organizer before relying on walk-up entry.
The Gradient at Mandrake | Chicago Park District ↗ · Buy tickets – The Gradient by Steph Del Rosso ↗
Read the warning before deciding
The Park District’s age-range field says Adult. Its description recommends the play for ages 16–17 and older and warns of themes of sexual assault, sexism and misogyny, and adult language.
The listing names the park, not a performance room
The event address is Mandrake (Henry Brown) Park, 3858 S. Cottage Grove, Chicago, IL 60653. The Park District’s general facility information also lists Mandrake Auditorium at 900 E. Pershing Road, but the event page does not confirm that auditorium as the performance space. Check with the organizer if you need the specific building or entrance.
The Gradient at Mandrake | Chicago Park District ↗ · Mandrake (Henry Brown) Park ↗ · Mandrake Auditorium ↗
Getting to Mandrake Park
Directions and arrival
Use the event’s published destination, 3858 S. Cottage Grove, Chicago, IL 60653, when planning directions from your starting point. The Park District directs public-transit users to CTA directions but does not list an event-specific route. The supplied event details do not give parking arrangements or access instructions; the specific performance room and entrance are also unconfirmed.
The Gradient at Mandrake | Chicago Park District ↗ · Mandrake (Henry Brown) Park ↗
Before you make a plan
Does the $0 event fee confirm that no reservation is needed?
No reservation requirement is established in the available details. The Park District lists a $0.00 fee; check the organizer’s ticket listing before relying on walk-up entry.
The Gradient at Mandrake | Chicago Park District ↗ · Buy tickets – The Gradient by Steph Del Rosso ↗
Is Mandrake Auditorium confirmed as the performance room?
No. The event listing names Mandrake (Henry Brown) Park but not a room. The park’s general facility information lists Mandrake Auditorium at 900 E. Pershing Road, without connecting it to this performance.
The Gradient at Mandrake | Chicago Park District ↗ · Mandrake (Henry Brown) Park ↗ · Mandrake Auditorium ↗
Location & Google Maps
Mandrake (Henry Brown) Park
3858 S. Cottage Grove, Chicago, IL 60653
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.