Hayward- A World Premiere by Netta Walker

As part of our 25th Anniversary Season, The Gift Theatre is proud to present Hayward by  ensemble member Netta Walker.

Hayward reimagines Hamlet and Electra through the eyes of Luna, who reveals to her family — on the day of their father’s funeral — that his ghost has come to see her. Beneath the haunting, this is a love story: a daughter’s love for her father, and the complicated, unresolved feelings he left behind. The story follows a family shaped by the trauma passed down by a father who served in the Navy during the Gulf War. Across grief, they reach for each other, trying, imperfectly, to come back together.

Developed through the Pearl Cleage Writers Workshop with Goodman Theatre and Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, and named a semifinalist for the 2025 Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Hayward is exactly the kind of bold new work The Gift Theatre was built to tell.

Hayward will be presented at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater

Hayward runs October 14-November 22nd, 2026

Tickets are available now at Steppenwolf’ Theatre’s website: Click here for tickets!