Playwright: Jesse Jae Hoon

Director: Charlotte Murray

Dramaturgs: Al Parker, Gabriella Steinberg

Sound Designers: Nina Field, Jesse Jae Hoon, Charlotte Murray

Musical Guest: Mike O’Malley

Cast includes: Ben Langhorst, Angel Lin, Frankie Placidi, Amanda Centeno, Brandon Bogle, and Arielle Gonzalez

Stage Manager: Alyssa Rios

Sound Operator: Prince Bawuah

Former nobleman Ippolit Mateyevich Vorobyaninov’s dreary life in the early Soviet Union is about to change forever when he discovers his spiteful mother-in-law hid the family jewels in one of their dining room chairs before the Revolution. Together with a dashing con artist, Vorobyaninov must embark on an epic quest across Russia to recover the lost riches. Based on the 1928 novel by Ilya Ilf & Evgeny Petrov, 12 Chairs is an epic adventure satire exploring glory, greed, and a country desperate for the advancement of the collective good. It is a commentary on the Soviet Union and nothing else. Yeah, nothing else. You can’t prove otherwise, you haven’t even seen it. Wow, maybe you should see the play before contradicting us, you ever think about that? Wow. There’s always one. Do better.

Link to episode

12 CHAIRS is a Radio Roots Fellowship radio play commission, recorded live in June 2023.