Sweetback Productions was founded in 1994 by Kelly Anchors and Mike McKune. Their first play was an adaptation of The Queen of Spades from Jeanette Winterson’s novel, The Passion. They continued with a string of hit late-night parodies of cult films that includes: Plan 9 From Outer Space, Female Trouble, Super Pussy Vixen, Go Faster! Kill! Scarrie! The Musical, The Birds and Freaks.

 

Sweetback now focuses on more obscure and original works like Deep Fried and Suck My Nose, which featured Mike, Kelly, their son Max and Kelly’s mother, Mamaw, weaving storytelling while tap dancing and singing hymns.

 

Bipolar Bitch was a mystical ride into psychotic experiences and Dorothy Mae and the 1978 Holiday Rambler Ramblette was an outdoor extravaganza detailing Kelly’s roadtrip across the southwest during the Trump re-election season.

 

Last year, their son Max continued the tradition by directing and starring in Sam Shepard’s Tooth of Crime. Sweetback is beyond thrilled to be producing Hamburgers and Disappointment, a festival of Barrie Cole’s plays. Kelly was lucky enough to work with Barrie in Prop Theater’s 2013 production of Clumsy Sublime. 

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​Mike McKune hails from Chicago and earned his B.F.A. from the Theater School at DePaul in 1989. He worked around town for a few years and did shows at the Next, Organic, and Goodman. Shortly thereafter, he met Kelly Anchors in Working Magic at Victory Gardens and the rest is Sweetback history. They started to do their own storefront thing and have been producing hits together in Chicago for 30 years.