Theatre News Wire

Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars, a Chicago-set world premiere written by and set to feature Sandra Delgado, one of the city's most celebrated "triple-threat" theater artists, in the lead role of Clara, kicks off TimeLine Theatre Company's milestone 29th season, October 8 - November 9, 2025.

TimeLine's production of Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars will be hosted by Lookingglass Theatre in the historic Water Tower Water Works, 163 E. Pearson Street at Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, while TimeLine continues construction of its new home in Uptown, anticipated to open in May 2026.

TimeLine Associate Artist Kimberly Senior directs Delgado's captivating new play that blends grounded family drama with otherworldly wonder for a moving and provocative exploration of our country's most fundamental values.

Several years in development, Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars is a play of the moment, echoing stories pulled from today's news of families being torn apart.

Like millions of Americans, Clara is doing her best to hold everything together-working hard, raising her tween daughter Stella, caring for an aging father, and supporting her under-employed ex-husband. But when she applies for U.S. citizenship ahead of a mother-daughter trip to Paris, her application is unexpectedly flagged, exposing minor infractions in her past and threatening the only home she's ever known.

In addition to writing Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars, Delgado will lead the cast as Clara. More production details, including the full cast and design team, are to be announced.

"I can't think of a more timely topic than this play about a mother being pulled away from her daughter, forced from the only home she has ever really known," said Artistic Director PJ Powers. "Sandra's script is moving, provocative, funny, and deeply emotional, putting a human face on the headlines surrounding us today."

Powers continued: "Set in 2015, this play is also a testament to TimeLine's mission of connecting past with present, underscoring that a broken immigration system is not new, yet its resonance with where we are today in 2025 couldn't be more apparent. We are deeply honored to launch this transformative year for TimeLine by welcoming back our longtime colleague, director Kimberly Senior, and premiering Sandra's must-see new work."

"After the election, I thought this play I've been working on for years is suddenly of the moment. Someone has to produce it," said Delgado. "People aren't often forced into action beyond watching the news, until it becomes personal. So this is a very personal family tale, not unlike those playing out more and more, every day in Chicago and around the U.S."

"At the same time," Delgado added, "the play also explores the multiverse, or the possibility of an infinite number of parallel universes, and astral projection, the ability of a person's spirit to travel to distant places, to bring a layer of magic and hope to an otherwise daunting tale of a mother at risk of losing her daughter and being sent to a country she has never known."

Originally commissioned by the Chicago Park District's Theatre on the Lake In the Works project, in partnership with Chicago Dramatists, previous development of Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars included stagings as part of Goodman Theatre's New Stages Festival in 2018 and Northeastern Illinois University's thINKtank Series, co-produced in partnership with Teatro Vista, in 2024.