Displaying items by tag: White Rooster

Lookingglass Theatre Company, in keeping with its celebrated tradition of bringing to life Ensemble-created new work, presents the world premiere of White Rooster, written and directed by Ensemble Member Matthew C. Yee (Lucy & Charlie's Honeymoon). Drawing from a personal family story rooted in early 1900s China, Yee's inventive and haunting play with music reimagines an American ghost town in a way only Lookingglass can, weaving together puppetry, movement, song, and folklore. Single tickets to the production, which runs March 5 – April 12, 2026, are available for purchase at www.lookingglasstheatre.org or by phone at 312.337.0665. $30 tickets are available for all performances. 

The cast includes ensemble members Louise Lamson (Judy), and Joey Slotnick (John), along with Karen Aldridge (Maria), Sunnie Eraso (Min), Elliot Esquivel (Fang/Wu through April 5), Nik Kmiecik (Fang/Wu April 8-12), Noelle Oh (June), Reilly Oh (Pong), and Daniel Lee Smith (Hao/Ba).

The creative team includes Natsu Onoda Power (Scenic Designer), Mara Blumenfeld (Costume Designer), Hannah Wien (Lighting Designer), Justin Cavazos (Sound Designer/Co-Composer), Amanda Herrmann (Props Supervisor), Caitlin McLeod (Puppet Designer), Heidi Stillman (New Works Consultant), Sheryl Williams (Intimacy Director), Tess Golden (Production Stage Manager), and Emma Lipson (Assistant Stage Manager).

White Rooster is a darkly funny tale of love, loss and the strange things we inherit. After a family tragedy, Min is pulled into a world of restless spirits, old curses and mysterious traditions. Her fiancé won't stay dead, her sister won't stay buried and a rooster won't be ignored. Blending spooky folklore with offbeat humor, White Rooster is a haunting tale of grief, family and the messiness of moving on.

About Matthew C. Yee
Matthew Yee (he/him) is a playwright, composer, actor, and musician living in Chicago, IL. Much of his work focuses on the Asian American experience, and features actor-musicianship, movement, and puppetry. His original musical Lucy And Charlie's Honeymoon premiered at Lookingglass Theatre in 2023, where he is an ensemble member. His new play White Rooster, which transposes Chinese folklore into an Americana setting, will have its world premiere this spring at Lookingglass. Lookingglass acting credits include: Treasure Island, Moby Dick, and Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon. He has performed at Writers Theatre, Steppenwolf, Court Theatre, Paramount, Berkeley Rep, The Old Globe, Alliance Theatre, and on Broadway in Almost Famous: The Musical.

Membership and Groups Information
Lookingglass Theatre Company's popular Memberships are now on sale, offering guaranteed ticket prices plus a host of exclusive perks. Members receive tickets to every Lookingglass production this season, including White Rooster and Untitled Vampire Play, along with free drinks at each performance, 15% off additional tickets, bar purchases, and merchandise, unlimited ticket exchanges, priority booking, and automatic entry into the company's biannual raffle. Members also enjoy 15% off Lookingglass camps and classes, and bonus savings on group sales.

New this year, Memberships now include tickets to GglassFest '26, Lookingglass's inaugural New Works Festival, and flexible group membership options. Audiences can join solo or build their own ensemble group of up to 4 patrons with four package levels: Solo ($140), Duo ($280), Trio ($420), and Party Pack ($560). Every Membership package includes all ticketing benefits, bar bonuses, and exclusive perks for each member of the group—making it the most immersive, flexible, and rewarding way to experience Lookingglass all season long.

Lookingglass Theatre Company offers group ticket discounts for parties of 10 or more, providing savings of up to 25% off regular ticket prices. Group ticket packages include priority access to tickets before public on-sale, best-available seating, and flexible payment plans based on group needs. Additional benefits may include post-show discussions at select performances, educational resource guides, and pre-show restaurant and hotel recommendations, offering planning support and contextual resources for groups attending performances at Lookingglass Theatre Company.

Accessibility at Lookingglass Theatre Company

Lookingglass Theatre Company is committed to making its performances accessible to all audiences. Each mainstage production offers open captioning, audio-described performances with Touch Tours,, and mask-required performances. For White Rooster, open captioning will be April 3, 2026 at 7:30PM, the audio-described performance with Touch Tour will be April 9, 2026 at 7:30PM (Touch Tour at 6:30PM), and the mask-required performance will be March 25, 2026 at 7:30PM. Discounted $35 tickets are available for each performance using the codes CAPTION, AUDIO, and MASK, respectively.

An accessible entrance is located on Pearson Street, west of the main entrance at 163 E. Pearson Street. The Joan and Paul Theatre is fully accessible via elevator or ramp, with seating available on the ground floor and balcony for patrons using wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, or other mobility aids. Assistive Listening Devices, sensory bags, and large-print programs are available for all performances, and accessible group sales offer up to 25% off for parties of 10 or more.

For assistance with accessible seating, tickets, or accommodations, contact the Box Office at 312.337.0665 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

FACT SHEET / White Rooster  

Title:                                        White Rooster  

Written and Directed by:         Ensemble Member Matthew C. Yee

Dates:                                      Previews:  March 5 – 13, 2026

Press Performance: March 14, 2026 at 6:00pm

            Regular run: March 15 – April 12, 2026

            Community Nights: March 12, 22; April 9, 2026

Schedule:                                Wednesdays:               7:30 p.m.

Thursdays:                   2:00 p.m. (except March 5 & 12) and 7:30 p.m.

                                                  Fridays:                       7:30 p.m. 

Saturdays:                    2:00 p.m. (except March 7 & 14) and 7:30 p.m. (except March 14)

Sundays:                      2:00 p.m. 

Accessible Performances:      Open Caption – April 3, 2026 at 7:30pm

Audio Described/Touch Tour – April 19, 2026 at 7:30pm
            Touch tour starts at 6:30p.m.

Masks Required – March 25, 2026 at 7:30pm   

Tickets:                                   Previews: Tickets begin at $30

                                                Regular Run: Tickets begin at $30

Box Office:                              Buy online at lookingglasstheatre.org 

or by phone at (312) 337-0665

The Lookingglass box office is located at Water Tower Water Works, 

821 N. Michigan Ave.

Notes of Interest:

• Playwright and Lookingglass Ensemble Member Matthew C. Yee's first play Lucy & Charlie's Honeymoon premiered at Lookingglass in 2023. As an actor, he has appeared at Writers Theatre, Steppenwolf, Court Theatre, Paramount, Berkeley Rep, The Old Globe, Alliance Theatre, and on Broadway in Almost Famous: The Musical. White Rooster marks his directorial premiere.
  
  
• Lookingglass continues its artistic mission of creating and producing new, ensemble-based works. White Rooster includes the work of several ensemble members making their mark on the American theater and the company's legacy. 

• Karen Aldridge comes to the Lookingglass stage after originating the role of Mrs. Phelps in the Broadway premiere of Matilda the Musical, and following acclaimed television work including in recent seasons of Fargo and Severance.

• Lookingglass, a destination arts hub for programming and community engagement on Michigan Ave., welcomes audience members through its new, community lobby space.

About Lookingglass Theatre Company

Founded in 1988 by graduates of Northwestern University, Lookingglass Theatre Company is a nationwide leader in the creation and presentation of new, cutting-edge theatrical works and in sharing its ensemble-based theatrical techniques with Chicago-area students and teachers through Education and Community Programs. Guided by an artistic vision centered on the core values of collaboration, transformation and invention, Lookingglass seeks to capture audiences' imaginations leaving them changed, charged and empowered. Recipient of the 2011 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Lookingglass has built a national reputation for artistic excellence and ensemble-based theatrical innovation. Notable world premieres include Mary Zimmerman's Tony Award-winning Metamorphoses and The Odyssey, J. Nicole Brooks' Her Honor Jane Byrne, David Schwimmer's adaptation of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Studs Terkel's Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel about the American Obsession, Matthew C. Yee's Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon and David Catlin's circus tribute to Lewis Carroll, Lookingglass Alice, which was captured by HMS Media and reached 1.6 million PBS viewers. Looking Alice is now available to more than four million students worldwide through Digital Theatre+. Work created by Lookingglass artists has been produced in Australia, Europe and dozens of cities throughout the United States.

Lookingglass Theatre Company, in keeping with its celebrated tradition of bringing to life Ensemble-created new work, presents the world premiere of White Rooster, written and directed by Ensemble Member Matthew C. Yee (Lucy & Charlie's Honeymoon). Drawing from a personal family story rooted in early 1900s China, Yee's inventive and haunting play with music reimagines an American ghost town in a way only Lookingglass can, weaving together puppetry, movement, song, and folklore. Single tickets to the production, which runs March 5 – April 12, 2026, start at $33 and are available for purchase at www.lookingglasstheatre.org or by phone at 312.337.0665. Formal invitations to follow.

White Rooster is a darkly funny tale of love, loss and the strange things we inherit. After a family tragedy, Min is pulled into a world of restless spirits, old curses and mysterious traditions. Her fiancé won't stay dead, her sister won't stay buried and a rooster won't be ignored. Blending spooky folklore with offbeat humor, White Rooster is a haunting tale of grief, family and the messiness of moving on.

"I started writing White Rooster after hearing an old family story that I had never known about my Great Grandfather, who was an orphan, being adopted as the "son" of two deceased children who were bonded together via a ghost marriage," comments Matthew C. Yee. "This discovery lead me down a rabbit hole filled with weird traditions, spooky folk tales, terrifying deities and unintentionally hilarious demons. I decided to set White Rooster in a fictional American ghost town, specifically one that was originally founded by long-gone Chinese gold miners. What if the people that were left behind were not only influence by the physical world created by those Chinese immigrants, but also the spiritual world?"

"Matt always finds fascinating roots upon which to build incredible stories. He writes deep and tragic narratives that radiate his unique sense of humor," comments Artistic Director Kasey Foster. "The theatrical elements of puppetry and movement, conventions as old as Lookingglass and beyond, are somehow terribly new under Matt's direction. I have swooned at every part of the White Rooster development process. This new and original work is inventive, collaborative, and transformative. Nothing has ever felt more Lookingglass."

About Matthew C. Yee
Matthew Yee (he/him) is a playwright, composer, actor, and musician living in Chicago, IL. Much of his work focuses on the Asian American experience, and features actor-musicianship, movement, and puppetry. His original musical Lucy And Charlie's Honeymoon premiered at Lookingglass Theatre in 2023, where he is an ensemble member. His new play White Rooster, which transposes Chinese folklore into an Americana setting, will have its world premiere this spring at Lookingglass. Lookingglass acting credits include: Treasure Island, Moby Dick, and Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon. He has performed at Writers Theatre, Steppenwolf, Court Theatre, Paramount, Berkeley Rep, The Old Globe, Alliance Theatre, and on Broadway in Almost Famous: The Musical.

Membership and Groups Information
Lookingglass Theatre Company's popular Memberships are now on sale, offering the lowest guaranteed ticket prices plus a host of exclusive perks. Members receive tickets to every Lookingglass production this season, including White Rooster and Untitled Vampire Play, along with free drinks at each performance, 15% off additional tickets, bar purchases, and merchandise, unlimited ticket exchanges, priority booking, and automatic entry into the company's biannual raffle. Members also enjoy 15% off Lookingglass camps and classes, and bonus savings on group sales.

New this year, Memberships now include tickets to GglassFest '26, Lookingglass's inaugural New Works Festival, and flexible group membership options. Audiences can join solo or build their own ensemble group of up to 4 patrons with four package levels: Solo ($140), Duo ($280), Trio ($420), and Party Pack ($560). Every Membership package includes all ticketing benefits, bar bonuses, and exclusive perks for each member of the group—making it the most immersive, flexible, and rewarding way to experience Lookingglass all season long.

Lookingglass Theatre Company offers group ticket discounts for parties of 10 or more, providing savings of up to 25% off regular ticket prices. Group ticket packages include priority access to tickets before public on-sale, best-available seating, and flexible payment plans based on group needs. Additional benefits may include post-show discussions at select performances, educational resource guides, and pre-show restaurant and hotel recommendations, offering planning support and contextual resources for groups attending performances at Lookingglass Theatre Company.

Accessibility at Lookingglass Theatre Company

Lookingglass Theatre Company is committed to making its performances accessible to all audiences. Each mainstage production offers open captioning, audio-described performances with Touch Tours,, and mask-required performances. For White Rooster, open captioning will be April 3, 2026 at 7:30PM, the audio-described performance with Touch Tour will be April 9, 2026 at 7:30PM (Touch Tour at 6:30PM), and the mask-required performance will be March 25, 2026 at 7:30PM. Discounted $35 tickets are available for each performance using the codes CAPTION, AUDIO, and MASK, respectively.

An accessible entrance is located on Pearson Street, west of the main entrance at 163 E. Pearson Street. The Joan and Paul Theatre is fully accessible via elevator or ramp, with seating available on the ground floor and balcony for patrons using wheelchairs, scooters, walkers, or other mobility aids. Assistive Listening Devices, sensory bags, and large-print programs are available for all performances, and accessible group sales offer up to 25% off for parties of 10 or more.

For assistance with accessible seating, tickets, or accommodations, contact the Box Office at 312.337.0665 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

FACT SHEET / White Rooster  

Title:                                        White Rooster  

Written and Directed by:         Ensemble Member Matthew C. Yee

Dates:                                      

Previews:  March 5 – 13, 2026

Regular run: March 15 – April 12, 2026

Community Nights: March 12, 22; April 9, 2026

Schedule:                                

Wednesdays:               7:30 p.m.

Thursdays:                   2:00 p.m. (except March 5 & 12) and 7:30 p.m.

 Fridays:                       7:30 p.m.

Saturdays:                    2:00 p.m. (except March 7 & 14) and 7:30 p.m. (except March 14)

Sundays:                      2:00 p.m. 

Accessible Performances:   Open Caption – April 3, 2026 at 7:30pm

Audio Described/Touch Tour – April 19, 2026 at 7:30pm Touch tour starts at 6:30p.m.

Masks Required – March 25, 2026 at 7:30pm    

Box Office:  Buy online at lookingglasstheatre.org or by phone at (312) 337-0665

The Lookingglass box office is located at Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave.

Notes of Interest:

• Playwright and Lookingglass Ensemble Member Matthew C. Yee's first play Lucy & Charlie's Honeymoon premiered at Lookingglass in 2023. As an actor, he has appeared at Writers Theatre, Steppenwolf, Court Theatre, Paramount, Berkeley Rep, The Old Globe, Alliance Theatre, and on Broadway in Almost Famous: The Musical. White Rooster marks his directorial premiere.
• Lookingglass continues its artistic mission of creating and producing new, ensemble-based works. White Rooster includes the work of several ensemble members making their mark on the American theater and the company's legacy.

• Lookingglass, a destination arts hub for programming and community engagement on Michigan Ave., welcomes audience members through its new, community lobby space.

About Lookingglass Theatre Company

Founded in 1988 by graduates of Northwestern University, Lookingglass Theatre Company is a nationwide leader in the creation and presentation of new, cutting-edge theatrical works and in sharing its ensemble-based theatrical techniques with Chicago-area students and teachers through Education and Community Programs. Guided by an artistic vision centered on the core values of collaboration, transformation and invention, Lookingglass seeks to capture audiences' imaginations leaving them changed, charged and empowered. Recipient of the 2011 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Lookingglass has built a national reputation for artistic excellence and ensemble-based theatrical innovation. Notable world premieres include Mary Zimmerman's Tony Award-winning Metamorphoses and The Odyssey, J. Nicole Brooks' Her Honor Jane Byrne, David Schwimmer's adaptation of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Studs Terkel's Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel about the American Obsession, Matthew C. Yee's Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon and David Catlin's circus tribute to Lewis Carroll, Lookingglass Alice, which was captured by HMS Media and reached 1.6 million PBS viewers. Looking Alice is now available to more than four million students worldwide through Digital Theatre+. Work created by Lookingglass artists has been produced in Australia, Europe and dozens of cities throughout the United States.