Vichet Chum News

Get a first look at footage of Steppenwolf Theatre Company's world premiere of Vichet Chum’s Bald Sisters, a brazen, comic examination of the ties that bind multigenerational families of immigrants together.

What did our critic think of BALD SISTERS at Steppenwolf Theatre Company? Steppenwolf presents a new twist on the well-trod territory of the dysfunctional family drama with Vichet Chum’s BALD SISTERS. As far as dysfunctional families go, too, the family in BALD SISTERS doesn’t have the most baggage. That said, Chum’s characters still have plenty to contend with as sisters Him and Sophea mourn the loss of their mother. The play is a meditation on the circle of life, but I appreciate that BALD SISTERS is an exercise in subtlety as far as family dramas go. As a result, some of Chum’s scenes meander and don’t seem to have a purpose within the context of the play, but I like that BALD SISTERS has themes that wash over audiences rather than hit them over the head.

See rehearsal photos of Steppenwolf Theatre Company's world premiere of Vichet Chum’s Bald Sisters, a brazen, comic examination of the ties that bind multigenerational families of immigrants together.

Chicago is never lacking outstanding theatre, whether epic Broadway shows, engrossing dramas or bold fringe offerings. BroadwayWorld is rounding up our top recommended theatre every month. Check out our top Holiday picks for the 2022 holiday season!

 Chicago theatres will present a wide variety of festive plays, musicals, dance, and comedy offerings this Holiday season. In support, the League of Chicago Theatres will create a comprehensive Holiday Theatre Guide that will be available for distribution in mid-November.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company will continue its 47th season with the world premiere of Vichet Chum’s Bald Sisters, a brazen, comic examination of the ties that bind multigenerational families of immigrants together. Directed by Jesca Prudencio, Bald Sisters will play December 1, 2022 – January 15, 2023.

Casting has been announced for Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts’ WORLD PREMIERE production of INVINCIBLE - THE MUSICAL, featuring the music of PAT BENATAR & NEIL GIRALDO, from November 22 to December 18, 2022, in The Wallis’ Bram Goldsmith Theater.

Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) has announced that Bonnie J. Butkas, Executive Director, resigned effective Wednesday October 12th, 2022 to pursue other projects. Butkas joined MRT in fall 2017. During her tenure the company broke all previous event records with its 40th Anniversary Gala; welcomed a new artistic director; posted three of the top 10 bestselling shows; and received a prestigious Barr Klarman Massachusetts Arts Initiative grant.

Something wicked this way comes. Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) will present a unique take on William Shakespeare's Macbeth: the sinister tale will be told in its entirety through the eyes of the play's three powerful witches, directed by Rosa Joshi, from October 16 through November 6, according to Nancy L. Donahue Artistic Director Courtney Sale and Executive Director Bonnie J. Butkas.

One of Boston’s most iconic actors will take on the holiday season’s most iconic character when Karen MacDonald stars as Ebenezer Scrooge in Courtney Sale’s world premiere adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol from November 30 to December 24 at Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) in Lowell. Sale, the theatre’s Nancy L. Donahue Artistic Director, will also direct.

When theaters shut down during COVID, the effects of social isolation have been acutely felt by senior citizens and those who are housebound. In response, 24/6: A Jewish Theater Company has commissioned a diverse group of 16 playwrights to write 10 minute plays to be performed over the telephone one-on-one by individual volunteers to individual senior citizens and others who are housebound and don't have easy access to the internet.

With an eye to the future, MRT announced today five new commissioned playwrights: Vichet Chum, Kevin Kling, Melinda Lopez, Dael Orlandersmith, and Kalean Ung.

Single tickets are now on sale for Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts' WORLD PREMIERE presentation of INVINCIBLE - THE MUSICAL, featuring the music of Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, from November 22 to December 17, 2022, in The Wallis' Bram Goldsmith Theater.

Broadway performers Tina Fabrique (How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying) and David M. Lutken (Ring of Fire) will headline Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s 43rd Anniversary Gala on Friday, June 17.

The Tony Awards Administration Committee will present the 2022 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre to five outstanding contributors to the Broadway industry - the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC); Broadway For All; music copyist, Emily Grishman; Feinstein's/54 Below and United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829, IATSE.

The New Harmony Project, an organization dedicated to supporting writers interrogating the complexity of hope, has announced that they will continue in-person programming with their 35th annual spring conference in idyllic New Harmony, Indiana.

The New Harmony Project, an organization dedicated to supporting writers interrogating the complexity of hope, has announced that they will continue in-person programming with their 35th annual spring conference in idyllic New Harmony, Indiana.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company has announced the 2022/23 Season today. With six Steppenwolf Membership Series productions and two SYA productions, the 47th season is the storied company’s first full season in its expanded home—welcoming audiences back to experience the next chapter of Steppenwolf’s bold, visceral and muscular work.

The Alley Theatre announces the line-up for the 2022 Alley All New Festival, June 16 - June 26, 2022. The Festival will feature five new plays including readings, workshop performances, and an early draft preview. Festival playwrights include Monet Hurst-Mendoza, Austin-based Kirk Lynn completing a Thornton Wilder work, Kemp Powers, Don X. Nguyen, and Alley commissioned artist and Houstonian ShaWanna Renee Rivon. 

The story of Vichet Chum's High School Play revolves around the Texas UIL program but it's also about everything. If you have any sort of experience with High School Theater then this play will likely speak to you.