Mission

Remy Bumppo expands and enriches our community’s view of the world, and our own, by producing both the great plays of the past and the important plays of today. As an ensemble-driven theater company, we author a more humane culture as we listen to, and seek to understand, the voices, the ideas, and the stories of one another.

Value Statements

We believe in….

Language: We cherish beautiful language–clear, precise, and nuanced–in the service of great storytelling. Words are the building blocks of knowledge and shape the ideas that shape our world.

Learning: We champion the humanities as a force for examining ourselves, appreciating and understanding others, and exploring worlds we inhabit and those we discover.  Using reason and imagination, we ask questions, prize complexity, embrace ambiguity, and challenge assumptions.  

Diligence: We strive to maintain an aesthetic of clarity and precision in our work through research and preparation, and through creating with courage and joy. This aesthetic informs the entire organization and the day-to-day commitment of the Artists, Board, and Staff.

Collaboration: We build community and trust with collaborators through dialogue, respect, and openness. Our best work is done together. Our artistic success depends on the strength and equity of our entire company. Everyone’s ideas and imagination have value in the creative process. Every artist is an instrument of curiosity and inspiration.  

Diversity & Inclusion: We prioritize and pursue a breadth and depth of experiences and perspectives, and cultivate a community where individuals are fully engaged in the work, are a respected part of the whole, and are empowered to bring their all to the art.

A Healthy Culture: We create a joyful, compassionate workplace where the audience, artists, staff, and board are respected and supported, ideas are shared without judgment, and curiosity and risk-taking are encouraged. We value humility, see setbacks as learning opportunities, learn from criticism, and find inspiration in the success of others.

History

Founded in 1996, Remy Bumppo’s unique name is a combination of names of the founder’s pets. The founders’ vision was to utilize the talents of Chicago’s top-notch professional theatre artists in meaningful plays that stimulated the minds of audience members.

Our critically and publicly respected reputation is built on our consistent, high-quality presentations of the works of seminal playwrights, staged intimately and with the focus on expressing complex ideas in a clear, entertaining and moving manner. The list of seminal playwrights served by Remy Bumppo includes Caryl Churchill, George Bernard Shaw, Tom Stoppard, Harold Pinter, Athol Fugard, Thornton Wilder, and Edward Albee. The company is the recipient of numerous awards, including 14 Joseph Jefferson Awards and 70 Joseph Jefferson Nominations, including 5 for our 2019 production of Howards End.