The Hat is the Dead Sister

A man with dark hair and a beard wearing a beige shirt and black pants holds his stomach and looks distressed. Next to him, a woman wearing a pink ski mask, green hoodie, and plaid shorts is pointing a handgun.

THIDS is a dark comedy written by Ojan Assadollahi, directed by Liza Gross, and stars Lily Rosenberg and Ojan Assadollahi. The show premiered at the Chain’s 2025 Winter One Act Festival. Act 2 premiered at the Triad Theater with live musical accompaniment in April 2025. The full 3-act play is currently in development (as of June 2026).

A first-time burglar tricks his way into a single woman’s home. For a reason he comes to discover, her survival instincts are offline. To be honest, she’s kind of glad for the company. This is a play about taking off your mask, unlikely friendships, and the lies we tell ourselves.

“That was crazy. I’m processing a lot. It made me cry a lot after.”

“Still thinking about it.”

“GREAT work. The writing was brilliant!!”

“I absolutely loved it. Inspiring stuff.”

“The chemistry between the actors was perfect. The interactions and dialogue were funny and captivating.”

Two women on stage. One woman wearing a red ski mask, beanie, and plaid shirt. The other woman is red-haired, with a distressed expression, wearing a green hoodie, and holding the masked woman's arm.
A woman with red hair sitting on a couch, holding food and looking surprised or confused, while a man standing in front of her appears to be talking or arguing, in a room with bookshelves filled with books in the background.
Poster for the TV show 'The Hat is the Dead Sister,' Season 1, features two characters sitting on a couch inside a large vintage television set. One character is a woman with reddish hair leaning on a man wearing a red ski mask and holding a remote. The poster includes text credits for starring Lily Rosenberg and Ojan Asadollahi, and the show is described as a sitcom for theater, directed by Liza Gross and written by Ojan Asadollahi.

555

A man and a woman standing on a dark stage, with the woman looking at her phone and the man looking at her, both appearing focused.

555 premiered at the Chain’s Winter One Act Festival 2026. It is a one act play about starting relationships on equal footing, meeting potential partners halfway, and overlooking the small quirks we all possess… even the most abstract quirks, like the inability to successfully follow some basic rules of being a fictional character in a play.  Written by the co-creator of off-Broadway’s Murder For Two, Kellen Blair, Directed by Liza Gross.


"“555” is a silly, meta, campy, and very fun show. It morphs into a show within a show complete with self-aware jokes, a bit of improv, breaking of the fourth wall… For me though, the message that stood out was of trust and taking the risk, even if it is new and scary.”

— Lord Cherry’s Reviews

Upcoming…

When college admissions season hits Manhattan's elite, the masks come off, but only behind closed doors. A tragicomedy about two NYC families — one worth $40 million, the other a mere $20 million — locked in an arms race to get their unqualified sons into Stanford. No shame. No rules. And absolutely no safety schools.

Promotion poster for a play titled '555' featuring two pairs of shoes, one white and worn-out, and one black and polished, with a sparkler under the white shoes. The text indicates it is a play by Kellen Blair, directed by Liza Gross, and shows the chain logo.
See music videos

CRICKETS: A COMEDY SPECIAL

CRICKETS: A COMEDY SPECIAL

A one-man variety show directed by Liza Gross.

Watch Crickets