White Rooster at Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago
Drawing from a personal family story rooted in early 1900s China, Yee’s new play reimagines an American ghost town in a distinctly Lookingglass way, weaving together puppetry, movement, song, and folklore. The result is an inventive piece that pairs theatrical spectacle with intimate emotional stakes, inviting audiences into a world where the past doesn’t stay buried—and grief can be as strange as it is familiar.White Rooster centers on Min, whose life fractures after a family tragedy. As she tries to make sense of what’s been lost, she’s pulled into a realm of restless spirits, old curses, and mysterious traditions. In this off-kilter universe, nothing behaves the way it should: her fiancé won’t stay dead, her sister won’t stay buried, and a rooster refuses to fade into the background. It’s spooky, surprising, and often laugh-out-loud funny, all while circling the ache of love and the messy work of moving on.
Yee traces the play’s origin to a startling discovery in his own family history. “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?"
That collision—between inherited tradition and the haunted landscape of an American myth—shapes the play’s atmosphere and its theatrical language. With Lookingglass’ signature physicality and visual invention, White Rooster uses movement and puppetry not as decoration, but as essential storytelling tools, bringing spirits, folklore, and buried histories to vivid life onstage.
Artistic Director Kasey Foster praises the balance Yee strikes between humor and heartbreak, and the way Lookingglass’ core techniques feel freshly recharged in his hands. “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."
Chicago audiences may recognize Yee from his wide-ranging work as a playwright, composer, actor, and musician, with a body of work that often centers the Asian American experience and features actor-musicianship, movement, and puppetry. His original musical Lucy And Charlie's Honeymoon premiered at Lookingglass in 2023, and his Lookingglass acting credits include Treasure Island, Moby Dick, and Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon, along with performances at theatres across the country and on Broadway.
Founded in 1988 by Northwestern University graduates, Lookingglass Theatre Company has built a national reputation for ensemble-based innovation and bold, cutting-edge new work. A recipient of the 2011 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, the company is also deeply committed to sharing its techniques with Chicago-area students and teachers through education and community programs—values that resonate through its collaborative approach to creating new plays.
Single tickets to White Rooster, 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.