Photo Flash: Inside Rehearsal for KING OF THE YEES at Goodman Theatre

Explore the vivid history of America's largest Chinatown through the eyes of a new generation in Lauren Yee's King of the Yees - a Goodman Theatre-commissioned world premiere that was developed in the 2015 New Stages Festival. Yee's longtime collaborator Joshua Kahan Brody directs her offbeat and electric joy ride about living in the contemporary world while honoring one's rich ancestral heritage-and the conflict that ensues. The production will debut at A Contemporary Theatre and Canada's National Arts Centre later this year. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the company in rehearsal below!

"We are thrilled to welcome one of our country's most gifted young writers Lauren Yee to the Goodman with her truly original take on the age-old tale of a daughter's quest for acceptance-at once ambitious, charming and imaginatively idiosyncratic," said Artistic Director Robert Falls. "One of the most arresting new works I've experienced, King of the Yees is a meta-theatrical and infectiously rambunctious odyssey, sprinkled with wit, irreverence and surprising wisdom."

The affable Larry Yee (Francis Jue) remains a driving force in the San Francisco Chinese American community as the head of the Yee Fung Toy family association-a seemingly obsolescent men's club dedicated to the preservation of the Yee line. His daughter Lauren (Stephenie Soohyun Park), however, is dismissive of its patriarchal culture, despite her father's dedication. When Larry suddenly goes missing, Lauren's desperate search drops her into a foreign but familiar world where she will have to embrace the past in order to get her father back. Actors Daniel Smith, Angela Lin and Rammel Chan round out the cast, appearing in a variety of roles throughout the two-act play.

The design team includes William Boles (set), Izumi Inaba (costumes), Heather Gilbert (lighting), Mikhail Fiksel (sound) and Mike Tutaj (projections). Tanya Palmer is the dramaturg and Donald E. Claxon is the production stage manager.

King of the Yees, produced in association with Center Theatre Group, appears March 31 through April 30 (press night is April 9 and opening night is April 12) in the Owen Theatre. Tickets ($10-$40; subject to change) are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/Yees, the box office (170 N. Dearborn) or by phone at 312.443.3800.

Photo Credit: Liz Lauren

Playwright Lauren Yee and Script Assistant Sophie Blumberg
Francis Jue (Larry), Director Joshua Kahan Brody, Angela Lin (Actor 2), and Script Assistant Sophie Blumberg
Stephenie Soohyun Park (Lauren), and Francis Jue (Larry)
Francis Jue (Larry), Angela Lin (Actor 2), Stephenie Soohyun Park (Lauren), and Rammel Chan (Actor 3)
Daniel Smith (Actor 1)
Stephenie Soohyun Park (Lauren), Angela Lin (Actor 2), Rammel Chan (Actor 3), and director Joshua Kahan Brody
Angela Lin (Actor 2)
Stephenie Soohyun Park (Lauren)
Stephenie Soohyun Park (Lauren), Francis Jue (Larry), Rammel Chan (Actor 3), and Angela Lin (Actor 2)
Rammel Chan (Actor 3)
Stephenie Soohyun Park (Lauren), Francis Jue (Larry), and director Joshua Kahan Brody