From The Office to the Stage: Jenna Fischer on Doing a Play Written By Her Husband

This post was originally published on Playbill - Features

Written by: Emily McClanathan

From The Office to the Stage: Jenna Fischer on Doing a Play Written By Her Husband. Ashland Avenue, by Lee Kirk, runs at the Goodman Theater in Chicago.

On paper, Jenna Fischer and Lee Kirk seem like a typical Hollywood couple, both immersed in the worlds of film and television. Fischer starred as Pam Beesly in all nine seasons of NBC’s The Office, winning over a loyal fan base that still follows her work on the popular Office Ladies podcast, which she co-hosts with former castmate Angela Kinsey. Kirk, who guest starred in one episode of The Office and directed another, has also written and directed films such as The Giant Mechanical Man, Ordinary World, and the upcoming New Year’s Rev.

But Fischer and Kirk, who have been married since 2010, have never lost their desire to work in theatre, the industry where they began their careers. Kirk graduated from The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago, where he studied acting, and Fischer holds a theatre degree from Truman State University in Missouri. “When I first moved to Los Angeles, I did storefront theatre productions—that’s how I got my first agent—and I think that I’ve always felt most at home there,” says Fischer. “The theatre nerd community are my people. That is where my heart is.”

This fall, Chicago’s Goodman Theater, a Tony Award winner for Outstanding Regional Theatre, opens its centennial season with the world premiere of Ashland Avenue, written by Kirk and starring Fischer (through October 12). Set in a run-down TV shop, Ashland Avenue is a family drama about Pete (Francis Guinan), a septuagenarian who used to own sixteen stores across Chicago, and his adult daughter, Sam (Fischer), an aspiring novelist who feels trapped by her father’s narrow expectations. Chiké Johnson plays Mike, Sam’s husband, and Cordelia Dewdney and Will Allan round out the cast in supporting roles. The Goodman’s artistic director, Susan V. Booth, directs the production.

Kirk’s fond memories of his college years in Chicago inspired the play’s setting. “I just loved being in the city, I loved exploring the city, I loved seeing theatre in the city, I loved taking the El. It’s just such a unique place,” he says. “I’ve lived in LA for many years and tried to seek out that same neighborhood feel that Chicago offers, and I just haven’t quite found it here. So, there’s a part of my heart that’s still in Chicago, even today, which ultimately led to me writing this play.”

When Kirk visited Chicago in 2023 and saw how many of his favorite places were gone, it sparked the idea for Ashland Avenue. “I became so nostalgic for the city. The play explores the theme of change on several levels, with each character responding differently to changes in their own needs and desires, those of their loved ones, or their external circumstances. Pete struggles to come to terms with the decline of his own business and the transformation of his industry, while Sam and Mike long for a fresh start that will allow them to pursue their creative ambitions.”

For Fischer and Kirk, this Goodman production represents a welcome change after a difficult period in their personal lives. Fischer was diagnosed with breast cancer in late 2023 and completed treatments in February 2025; she’s now in remission. “This is my first lead role since all of that happened, and so we’re kind of carrying that into this as well,” she shares. “We were locked down for a year and a half, just making sure I got through treatment, and our family was just all about that. It feels a little bit like I’m a butterfly coming out of a cocoon or something.”

The spouses have plenty of experience working together, seamlessly transitioning between their personal and professional partnerships. In addition to their collaborations on The Office, Fischer has acted in several of Kirk’s films and produced a 2010 production of his play, Sad Happy Sucker. The biggest challenge when they work on the same project is a logistical one: splitting the parenting duties and finding enough time to spend with their two children. “We had the kids out in Chicago with us for a couple weeks over the summer, and it was really great, they got to experience the city,” says Kirk. ““I’m secretly hoping that everyone falls in love with Chicago, and then we get to move to Chicago.”

Both Fischer and Kirk hope to focus more on theatre in the future. Fischer originally planned to pursue this goal after their kids start college, but her recent health journey prompted her to reconsider this timing. She quotes one of Pete’s lines in Ashland Avenue: “You gotta start living your life right now. Because someday you’ll wake up and it’s over.”

“Going through all of that, you get a glimpse of your own mortality, and it makes you want to do things now,” she observes. “So, I’m very appreciative that we are getting to make our theatre dreams come true at the Goodman.”