A Red Orchid Theatre is pleased to continues its 33rd Season with the Chicago premiere of Anna Ouyang Moench’s father-daughter drama Birds of North America, directed by Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald*, playing January 15 – February 22, 2026 at 1531 N. Wells St. in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood. Single tickets for go on sale Tuesday, December 2, 2025 at aredorchidtheatre.org or by calling (312) 943-8722. Season subscriptions are currently available. The press openings are Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 3 pm and 7 pm.
Birds of North America will feature Ensemble Member John Judd* with Cassidy Slaughter-Mason. Understudy: Sahar Dika
The cast of A Red Orchid Theatre’s Chicago premiere of Birds of North America includes (left to right) Ensemble Member John Judd with Cassidy Slaughter-Mason
About the Production:
John and his daughter Caitlyn are birders. As they scan the skies over their backyard in suburban Maryland looking for elusive birds, years go by. Relationships begin and end. Children grow up and parents age. The climate and the world change in small and vast ways. Birds of North America takes a close look at the relationship of a father and daughter over the course of a decade as they struggle to understand the parts of one another that defy understanding.
The production team includes Morgan Laszlo (Scenic Designer), Ben Argenta Kress (Costume Designer), Seojung Jang (Lighting Designer), Ethan Korvne (Sound Designer), Amy Carpenter (Assistant Director), Kyle Stoffers (Casting Director), Shelbi Weaver (Production Manager), Tom Daniel (Technical Director) and Alivia Arizaga (Stage Manager)
*Denotes A Red Orchid Theatre Ensemble Member
PRODUCTION DETAILS:
Title: Birds of North America
Playwright: Anna Ouyang Moench
Director: Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald*
Cast: Ensemble Member John Judd* (John) with Cassidy Slaughter-Mason (Caitlyn)
Understudy: Sahar Dika
Location: A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago
Dates: Previews: Thursday, January 15 at 7 pm, Friday, January 16 at 7 pm, Saturday, January 17 at 7 pm, Sunday, January 18 at 3 pm, Thursday, January 22 at 7 pm, Friday, January 23 at 7 pm and Saturday, January 24 at 3 pm and 7pm
Press performances: Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 3 pm and 7 pm
Opening: Sunday, January 25 at 6 pm
Regular run: Thursday, January 29 – Sunday, February 22, 2026
Curtain Times: Thursdays and Fridays at 7 pm; Saturdays 3 pm & 7 pm; and Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will be an added Industry Night performance on Monday, February 9 at 7 pm.
Tickets: Previews: $33 – $44*. Regular run: $55*. Access, student, senior, and group discounts available. Single tickets go on sale Tuesday, December 2, 2025 at aredorchidtheatre.org or by calling (312) 943-8722. Season subscriptions are currently available. *Ticket prices include a processing fee.
About the Artists:
Anna Ouyang Moench’s (Playwright, she/her) is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. Her
plays include Your Local Theater Presents: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Again, Man of God, Birds of North America, Mothers and Sin Eaters. Anna’s work has been produced at the La Jolla Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Geffen Playhouse, East West Players, the Playwrights Realm, NAATCO at the Public Theater, A Red Orchid Theater Company, The Gift Theatre, and many others. She is a former Jerome Fellow at the Playwrights’ Center, Van Lier fellow at the Lark and Page One fellow at the Playwrights Realm. Awards include two 2023 WGA Awards for her work on Severance (Apple TV+), the 2020 Steinberg Playwright Award, the Gerbode Special Award in the Arts, the Paul Stephen Lim Playwriting Award from the Kennedy Center, and the NYFA Award in Playwriting/Screenwriting. Anna received her MFA in Playwriting from UCSD and now lives in Los Angeles with her family.
Kirsten Fitzgerald (Director, she/her) is a proud member of the Ensemble at A Red Orchid Theatre and has served as the Artistic Director since 2008. Recent directing credits include the world premiere of Gorgeous by Keiko Green at Raven Theatre, The Moors at A Red Orchid (Jeff Award for Best Production and Best Director of a Play-Midsize) and Dance Nation at Northwestern University’s Wirtz Center. As an actor Kirsten has originated roles in the world premieres of The Cave, Grey House, Traitor, Pilgrim’s Progress, Weapon of Mass Impact, and more (A Red Orchid); Swing State, I hate It Here (Goodman); Lettie, Appropriate (Victory Gardens); Mary Page Marlow, The Qualms (Steppenwolf). TV: Dark Matter, Shining Girls, Somebody Somewhere, The Exorcist, Sirens, The Big Leap, Chicago Med/Fire/Justice, Underemployed, ER. Film: Widows, Working Man. Kirsten is represented by Grossman & Jack Talent.
John Judd (John, he/him) last appeared on the A Red Orchid Theatre stage in Six Men Dressed Like Joseph Stalin, and was previously seen in The Cave, The Malignant Ampersand, and Gagarin Way, as well as the McCarter Theatre’s presentation of Simpatico. A Chicago based actor for forty years, John has acted at The Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Writer’s Theatre, Court Theatre, Drury Lane, Northlight, Shattered Globe, Lookingglass, Victory Gardens and Next, as well as numerous regional, international and Off-Broadway venues.
Cassidy Slaughter-Mason (Caitlyn, she/her) is an actor and writer based in Chicago. Recent theater credits include: Brooklyn Laundry (Northlight Theatre), The Luckiest (Raven Theatre, Equity Jeff Award for Best Performer in a Principal Role), How a Boy Falls (Northlight Theatre), Kiss (Haven Theatre), Natural Affection (Eclipse Theatre), Significant Other (Theatre Wit/About Face) and Rapture Blister Burn (Goodman Theatre, Equity Jeff nomination for Performer in a Supporting Role). Recent film and TV credits include: All Happy Families, Later Days, Ultra-City Smiths, Chicago Fire, Easy, APB and Soundtrack. Cassidy is a graduate of the school at Steppenwolf and is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency.
Sponsors: Production sponsor: Northern Trust.
About A Red Orchid Theatre:
A Red Orchid Theatre has served as an artistic focal point in the heart of the Old Town community of Chicago since 1993 and was honored with a 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Over the past 32 years, its Resident Ensemble has welcomed into its fold an impressive array of award-winning actors, playwrights and theatre artists with the firm belief that live theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit. A Red Orchid is well known and highly acclaimed for its fearless approach to performance and design in the service of unflinchingly intimate stories.
A Red Orchid Theatre is: Karen Aldridge, Lance Baker, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Esteban Andres Cruz, Dado, Mike Durst, Sherman Edwards, Myron Elliott, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Levi Holloway, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, John Judd, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Travis A. Knight, Danny McCarthy, Shade Murray, Brett Neveu, Sadieh Rifai, Grant Sabin, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers and Natalie West.
Sponsor Information:
A Red Orchid Theatre remains grateful for the support of our board, donors and loyal audience who continue to champion our ambitious and powerful storytelling. These sponsors help to create a platform for our talented Ensemble to reach new audiences, and ensure that we remain a source for honest, compassionate, and aesthetically rigorous theatre-making.
A Red Orchid Theatre’s 33rd Season is sponsored by Heidi Graham. The production sponsor for Birds of North America is Northern Trust.
Interested in sponsoring a production? By partnering with us as a sponsor, you will help to take our work to the next level of artistic excellence, while also receiving deeper access to our artists and the creative process. To learn more, please contact Development Director Stephanie Shum at stephanie@aredorchidtheatre.org or (312) 943-8722.