Remy Bumppo Theatre Company is pleased to announce the cast, creative and production teams for the Chicago premiere and first production in its 30th anniversary season, Wish You Were Here, written by Sanaz Toossi and directed by Azar Kazemi, September 18 - October 19, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Previews are Thursday, Sept. 18 through Saturday, Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. with the press opening Sunday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. Regular performances are Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. with an additional matinees on Thursday, Sept. 25 and Thursday, Oct. 9 at 2:30 p.m. There will be an audio described performance with a touch tour on Thursday, Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. and an open captioned performance on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 2:30 p.m. Remy Bumppo’s Between the Lines offering, which includes a pre-show lecture and a post-show talkback, will occur on Sunday, Oct. 5 at 2:30 p.m. Subscriptions are on sale now with single tickets, $15 - $55, going on sale Wednesday, July 30 at 12 p.m. at RemyBumppo.org. Groups of 10 or more may call the Theater Wit Box Office at 773.975.8150 to receive group discounts and make reservations.
It’s 1978 and protests are breaking out all across Iran, encroaching on this suburb where a tight-knit circle of girlfriends plans weddings, trades dirty jokes and tries to hang onto a sense of normalcy. But as the revolution escalates, each woman is forced to join the wave of emigration or face an equally uncertain future at home. With breathtaking humanity and cutting wit, Wish You Were Here chronicles a decade of life during war, as best friends forever become friends long lost, scattered and searching for home
“Wish You Were Here is an exquisite examination of friendship. Set in Iran and spanning 1978 to 1991, Sanaz Toossi’s play charts the bonds between five women as they grapple with events in their lives and in the world,” said Artistic Director Marti Lyons. “I am thrilled to present Sanaz Toossi’s work, directed by Azar Kazemi, at Remy Bumppo this fall.”
“It has been exhilarating to dive into the juicy language and beautiful imagery of the play. I have been speaking to my parents to gain more insights about the landscape and culture in Iran pre-revolution. Digging up photos from that time to share,”said Director Azar Kazemi. “I learned recently that my parents actually came to America on vacation and ended up never leaving due to the escalation of unrest in Iran during the regime change. My mission as an artist is to direct plays where the political and personal collide and this process is proving to be at the heart of that mission.”
The cast of Wish You Were Here includes Shadee Vossoughi* (she/her, Nazanin); Gloria Imseih Petrelli (she/they, Salme); Yourtana Sulaiman (she/her, Zani); Tina Arfaee* (they/any, Shideh/New Friend) and Joan Nahid (she/her, Rana) with understudies Joelle Sarab Denhof (she/her, Naznin U/S); Preeti Thaker (she/her,Salme U/S); Maliha Sayed (she/her, Zari U/S); Sahar Dika (she/her, Shiden/New Friend U/S) and Marielle Issa (she/her, Rana U/S).
Top row: Shadee Vossoughi, Gloria Imseih Petrelli, Yourtana Sulaiman and Tina Arfaee; Second row: Joan Nahid, playwright Sanaz Toossi and director Azar Kazemi
The creative and production team for Wish You Were Here includes Sanaz Toossi (she/her, playwright); Azar Kazemi~ (she/her, director); Paige Mesina (she/her, assistant director); Adelina Feldman-Schultz, Tertulia Creative Solutions (she/her, casting director); Katie Galetti (she/they,casting consultant); Kristina Fluty (she/her, intimacy director); Jacob C. Shuler (he/him, dramaturg); Lauren M. Nichols^ (she/her, scenic director); Saskia Bakker (she/her, properties designer); Conchita Avitia (she/her, lighting designer); Thomas Dixon (he/they, sound designer); Emily Lynch (she/her, assistant sound designer); Kristy Leigh Hall^ (she/her, costume designer); Johnnie Schleyer (he/him, production manager); Olivia Sullam (she/they, stage manager), Nick Chamernik (he/him,,lighting supervisor); Marti Lyons (she/her, artistic director); Margaret McCloskey (she/her, executive director); Christina Casano (she/her, creative producer); Missy Preston (they/them, development manager); Emily Szymanski (she/her, patron services & communications coordinator) and Cynthia A. Hanks (she/her, AEA representative).
~ denotes member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
+ denotes Core Ensemble Member
^ denotes Associate Artist
* denotes member of Actors Equity Association
Cast and creative team members are subject to change.
ABOUT SANAZ TOOSSI, playwright
Sanaz Toossi (she/her) is an Iranian-American playwright from Orange County, California. Her plays include the critically acclaimed, Pulitzer Prize-winning English (co-production, Atlantic Theater Company/Roundabout Theatre Company) and Wish You Were Here (Playwrights Horizons; Williamstown/Audible, released 2020). She is currently under commission at Atlantic Theater Company (Launch commission; Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation grant), Roundabout Theatre Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Manhattan Theatre Club, South Coast Repertory and Oregon Shakespeare Festival (American Revolutions Cycle).
In television, Toossi recently staffed on “Invitation to a Bonfire” (AMC), “A League of Their Own” (Amazon) and “Five Women” (Marielle Heller/ Big Beach), and sold an original idea, “The Persians,” to FX with Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields attached as executive producers. She is a member of Youngblood and the Middle Eastern American Writers Lab at the Lark and an alum of Clubbed Thumb’s Early Career Writers’ Group. She was the 2019 P73 Playwriting Fellow, a recipient of the 2020 Steinberg Playwright Award, the 2022 recipient of The Horton Foote Award and, most recently, the 2023 recipient of the Best New American Play Obie Award. MFA: NYU Tisch.
ABOUT AZAR KAZEMI, director
Azar Kazemi (she/her) is first-generation Persian American and thrilled to be directing the Chicago premiere of Wish You Were Here by Sanaz Toossi. Kazemi is a freelance director and educator based in Chicago who directs socially-charged plays where the political and personal collide. She is an Equity Jeff-nominated director for her work on Rivendell Theatre Ensemble’s critically-acclaimed world premiere of Motherhouse by Tuckie White. Last season, she directed a sold-out run of Sam Shepard’s A Lie of the Mind at Raven Theatre and Steep Theatre’s world premiere of Happy Days Are Here (Again) by Omer Abbas Salem at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theatre, which was named one of the top ten shows of 2024 by the Chicago Tribune. Azar received her MFA from The Theatre School at DePaul University, where she is also on faculty and received the 2021 Excellence in Teaching Award. Before moving to Chicago she assistant directed three Off-Broadway productions with The New Group, two under the direction of her mentor Ethan Hawke. Kazemi is a proud member of Stage and Directors and Choreographers Society.
ABOUT REMY BUMPPO THEATRE COMPANY
Remy Bumppo Theatre Company expands and enriches their community’s view of the world, and their own, by producing both the great plays of the past and the important plays of today. As an ensemble-driven theater company, Remy Bumppo authors a more humane culture that listens to, and seeks to understand, the voices, the ideas and the stories of one another.
Since its inception in 1996, Remy Bumppo has produced a blend of modern classics and complex contemporary works, presented in an intimate setting with clarity, wit and passion. We invite audiences to engage directly with the art through conversation with the artists.
PRODUCTION DETAILS:
Chicago Premiere
Wish You Were Here
Written by: Sanaz Toossi (she/her/hers)
Directed by: Azar Kazemi (she/her/hers)
Website link: RemyBumppo.org
Location: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago, IL 60657
Previews: Thursday, Sept. 18 through Saturday, Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Press/Opening Performance: Sunday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.
Run Time: 105 minutes with no intermission
Regular Run: Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.
Additional Matinee Performances: Thursday, Sept. 25 at 2:30 p.m. and Thursday, Oct. 9 at 2:30 p.m.
Remy Bumppo’s Between the Lines: Sunday, Oct. 5 at 7:00 p.m.
Remy Bumppo’s Between the Lines performances include a pre-show lecture led by a Chicago luminary who will discuss the themes of the play, the performance, and a post show talkback with the artists.
ACCESS PERFORMANCES:
Audio Description/Touch Tour Performance: Thursday, Oct. 9 at 2:30 p.m.
Listeners will hear a description of actions, body language, lights, costumes, scenery and other aspects of the production not conveyed by voices and sounds from the stage.This service allows blind and visually- impaired patrons to hear a description of the visual elements taking place on stage.
Touch Tours are 45 minute artistic conversations and tactile explorations of costumes, props and set pieces for patrons who are blind or low-vision
Open Caption Performance: Saturday, Oct. 4 at 2:30 p.m.
At the Open-Captioned performance, a TV monitor will present dialogue and sounds in text that is in sync with the performance.
Previews: $32.00 - $36.00
Regular Run: $36.00 - $55.00
Industry Tickets: $20.00, available for Thursday and Friday performances using
code INDUSTRY
Student Tickets: $15.00, available for all performances
Group Discounts: For groups of 10 or more, call the Theater Wit Box Office at 773-975-8150.
COMING UP FROM REMY BUMPPO THEATRE COMPANY
Hedda Gabler
Adapted by Christopher Shinn
Based on the literal translation by Anne-Charlotte Hanes Harvey
Directed by Artistic Director Marti Lyons
February 5 - March 8, 2026
The cast of Hedda Gabler currently includes Aurora Real de Asua+ (Hedda Gabler), Greg Matthew Anderson (Judge Brack), Eduardo Curley+ (Tesman), Annabel Armour+ (Miss Tesman), Linda Gillum+ (Berte), Arash Fakhrabadi (Lovborg) and Gloria Imseih Petrelli (Mrs. Elvsted).
Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.
Previews: Thursday, Feb. 5 - Saturday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 8 at 2:30 p.m.
Press Opening: Monday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.
Performance schedule: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets: $15 - $55
Subscriptions are now available at RemyBumppo.org
Single tickets go on sale Wednesday, July 30 at 12 p.m. at TheaterWit.org
This Broadway adaptation of Ibsen’s timeless drama presents a sympathetic, yet striking and powerful, Hedda in the classic tale of her struggle to find a means of escape from a loveless, ordinary existence. Beginning with the return from her honeymoon, Hedda finds herself bored of her husband, and longing for the days when she was free to exercise her wild and independent whims. With the return of an old flame and a proposition from an amorous judge, she begins a dangerous game, amusing herself by manipulating and destroying everyone around her in an attempt to regain control of her life.
+Connotes Core Ensemble Member
Readings on Ravenswood
Spring 2026
Remy Bumppo Rehearsal Room, 1751 W. Grace St.
Complete list of plays, actors, directors and dates to be announced in 2026.
Readings on Ravenswood returns for its third season with more plays featuring favorite playwrights and Core Ensemble members. Each reading includes a conversation with audience members immediately following that night’s selected play.
Dates and other information shared are subject to change.