Lear

“Nothing comes from nothing. When everything falls away there is… there is what is there.”

  • Maybe it’s just me, but very little of my life feels universal. I am alone, I feel, in my pain, in my joy, in the grinding everyday. My world contracts like a poorly fitted corset, shrinking and constricting until I disappear into the glowing square of my phone, notifications pressing in on me, terrifying me with tales of wars, murders, and old friends from high school. While our lives are our own, Lear reminds us that it is through their specificity that they find universality. It’s true that you are pressingly, crushingly alone in every action you take – but so is everyone else. Right now, every person in the Sheldon Patinkin Theatre will be alone as the lights dim and music swells, as the actors zip each other into their costumes, as the stage manager whispers “standby” into her headset, and it is precisely this isolation that pushes us so magically and violently together.

From Nov. to Dec. 2025, I directed Lear by Young Jean Lee, a whirlwind meditation on grief which follows the children of Shakespeare’s King Lear as they discuss Lear and Glouster’s assumed deaths. The play then dives into nostalgia — and absurdity — with a transcribed episode of Sesame Street.

by Young Jean Lee | Columbia College Chicago | Dec. 3-6, 2025

  • Production
    Playwright: Young Jean Lee
    Director: Maybelle Patterson
    Stage Manager: Whitney Ratlif
    1st ASM: Sailor Peterson
    2nd ASM: Rae Ruiz

    Design
    Scenic Designer: Brooke Rose
    Lighting Designer: Gabby Easterly
    Costume Designer: Jason Sullivan
    Costume Assistant: Darcey Gibson
    Sound Designer: Heather Young
    Puppet Designer: Andy Alcott
    Props Designer: Kate Fraider
    Intimacy and Combat
    Hair and Makeup Designer: Kaylee Zuk
    Choreographer: Lytle Landers
    Choreographer: Evie Gallivan

    Cast
    Edgar: Abel Aboye
    Edmund/Big Bird: Tyler Francis
    Goneril: Jaimee Gachaga
    Cordelia: Emma Green
    Regan: Lana Howell

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photos by Dustin Janicki and Lytle Landers

Production marketing

"What are you doing with your life? Every minute, every second of the day. This is your one chance. What are you doing?" proud of our wonderful cast and crew for their vulnerability and effort. thank you to our wonderful audience for maki
"What are you doing with your life? Every minute, every second of the day. This is your one chance. What are you doing?" proud of our wonderful cast and crew for their vulnerability and effort. thank you to our wonderful audience for making each performance unique, wonderful, weird, and terrifying. Cast: Abel Aboye: Edgar Tyler Francis: Edmund Jaimee Gachaga: Goneril Emma Green: Cordelia Lana Howell: Regan Crew: Maybelle Patterson: Director Whitney Ratlif: Stage Manager Sailor Peterson: 1st assistant stage manager Rae Ruiz: 2nd Assistant Stage Manager Lytle Landers: Intimacy and Stage Combat Choreographer Sofia Galliano: Asst. Stage Combat Choreographer Evie Gallivan: Dance Choreographer Brooke Rose: Set Designer June Coghill: Set Assistant Jason Sullivan: Costume Designer Darcey Gibson: Costume Assistant Gabby Easterly: Lighting Designer Heather Young: Sound Designer Kate Fraider: Props Designer Ben Brindley: Props Assistant Andy Alcott: Puppet Designer Kaylee Zuk: Hair & Makeup Designer Photos 1-4, 7, 8 by Dustin Janicki Photos 5, 6 by Lytle Landers
Ate, devoured!!! For the last time 😔 💚💜🩵🩶💛
Woah Woah Wooooahhhh! I think they are all crazy! Come see Lear’s last show Saturday 2:30pm in the Sheldon! 💚🩵💜🖤🧡
The best duo we could ask for! Don’t forget we have one more show come see their amazing work!! Last show is Tomorrow, Saturday 2:30pm!!!
She got there in the end… kinda. It’s the effort that counts! 😭
Clearly all the turkey they ate over break affected their memory 😬😬😬 show was still hillarious though! Don’t miss it, get your tickets!!! Link in bio!
She’s so scary…I heard that comes after people who don’t have their tickets for LEAR! So get your tickets to stay safe. Costumes by @spooky_scary_sullivan 💚💜🩵🧡🖤. Hair by @kayleezukperformingarts 💚💜🩵🧡🖤.
The Lear Cast & Crew have been working extra hard to bring to life this amazing show, so don’t forget to get your tickets! You don’t want to miss this! 💜💚🩵🖤🧡
A moment for the stunning costumes by @spooky_scary_sullivan 😍😍😍
He always got something to say 🙄 Come see Lear for more family bickering!!! Hurry, tickets are going fast! Ticket link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lear-tickets-1782915270569
Shake my hand in character! With the full Lear cast! Come see Lear Dec 3-6th to see if these were accurate! ❤️ Ticket link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lear-tickets-1782915270569 Edmund 🩶: played by Tyler Francis @tyler_francis_1 Edgar 💛: played by Abel Aboye @abelaboye_ Regan 💚: played by Lana Howell @lana_bby1129 Cordelia 🩵: played by Emma Green @emmaa.green._ Goneril 💜: played by Jaimee Gachaga @jaimee_gachaga Costumes by Jason Sullivan @spooky_scary_sullivan Hair and makeup by Kaylee Zuk @kayleezukperformingarts
Meet the sisters! Cordelia 🩵, Goneril 💜, and Regan 💚! Played by Emma Green, Jaimee Gachaga and Lana Howell! Costumes by @spooky_scary_sullivan
it's time!! tickets for Lear are up in the link in bio. come see the show Dec. 3-5 at 8, Dec. 6 at 2:30. tickets are free!
it's time!! tickets for Lear are up in the link in bio. come see the show Dec. 3-5 at 8, Dec. 6 at 2:30. tickets are free!
some people who want you to audition for lear Oct. 20 & 21: - Shakespeare - Patrick Page as king lear for the folger shakespeare library - Maybelle Patterson, director - the shapeless omniscient entity which we can only assume is god (probabl
some people who want you to audition for lear Oct. 20 & 21: - Shakespeare - Patrick Page as king lear for the folger shakespeare library - Maybelle Patterson, director - the shapeless omniscient entity which we can only assume is god (probably) - big bird link in bio.
edgar took this personality quiz and he got dolphin -- let's just say he's feeling pretty [dolphin noise] good about it. would you also get dolphin on this test? audition for lear Oct. 20th and 21st! link in bio :) didn't get this joke? read Lear b
edgar took this personality quiz and he got dolphin -- let's just say he's feeling pretty [dolphin noise] good about it. would you also get dolphin on this test? audition for lear Oct. 20th and 21st! link in bio :) didn't get this joke? read Lear by young jean lee up on the audition sharepoint now!
That's right, your favorite audition information is FINALLY out! Link in bio. See you there!! Auditions are Oct. 20 & 21 at 6:30 in 72 E. 11th St, room 507! Reach out to me or stage manager Whitney Ratliff with any questions.
That's right, your favorite audition information is FINALLY out! Link in bio. See you there!! Auditions are Oct. 20 & 21 at 6:30 in 72 E. 11th St, room 507! Reach out to me or stage manager Whitney Ratliff with any questions.
"What are you doing with your life? Every minute, every second of the day. This is your one chance. What are you doing?" proud of our wonderful cast and crew for their vulnerability and effort. thank you to our wonderful audience for maki
Ate, devoured!!! For the last time 😔 💚💜🩵🩶💛
Woah Woah Wooooahhhh! I think they are all crazy! Come see Lear’s last show Saturday 2:30pm in the Sheldon! 💚🩵💜🖤🧡
The best duo we could ask for! Don’t forget we have one more show come see their amazing work!! Last show is Tomorrow, Saturday 2:30pm!!!
She got there in the end… kinda. It’s the effort that counts! 😭
Clearly all the turkey they ate over break affected their memory 😬😬😬 show was still hillarious though! Don’t miss it, get your tickets!!! Link in bio!
She’s so scary…I heard that comes after people who don’t have their tickets for LEAR! So get your tickets to stay safe. Costumes by @spooky_scary_sullivan 💚💜🩵🧡🖤. Hair by @kayleezukperformingarts 💚💜🩵🧡🖤.
The Lear Cast & Crew have been working extra hard to bring to life this amazing show, so don’t forget to get your tickets! You don’t want to miss this! 💜💚🩵🖤🧡
A moment for the stunning costumes by @spooky_scary_sullivan 😍😍😍
He always got something to say 🙄 Come see Lear for more family bickering!!! Hurry, tickets are going fast! Ticket link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lear-tickets-1782915270569
Shake my hand in character! With the full Lear cast! Come see Lear Dec 3-6th to see if these were accurate! ❤️ Ticket link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lear-tickets-1782915270569 Edmund 🩶: played by Tyler Francis @tyler_francis_1 Edgar 💛: playe
Meet the sisters! Cordelia 🩵, Goneril 💜, and Regan 💚! Played by Emma Green, Jaimee Gachaga and Lana Howell! Costumes by @spooky_scary_sullivan
it's time!! tickets for Lear are up in the link in bio. come see the show Dec. 3-5 at 8, Dec. 6 at 2:30. tickets are free! some people who want you to audition for lear Oct. 20 & 21: - Shakespeare - Patrick Page as king lear for the folger shakespeare library - Maybelle Patterson, director - the shapeless omniscient entity which we can only assume is god (probabl edgar took this personality quiz and he got dolphin -- let's just say he's feeling pretty [dolphin noise] good about it. would you also get dolphin on this test? audition for lear Oct. 20th and 21st! link in bio :) didn't get this joke? read Lear b That's right, your favorite audition information is FINALLY out! Link in bio. See you there!! Auditions are Oct. 20 & 21 at 6:30 in 72 E. 11th St, room 507! Reach out to me or stage manager Whitney Ratliff with any questions.

I ran the marketing for this production, including Instagram posting (with the help of the cast, especially Jaimee Gachaga) and poster design.

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