Revisiting ‘Fun Home’: Wheaton theater artist who co-starred in tuner now directs Porchlight’s revival
In 2022, after a seven-year absence, multihyphenate theater artist Stephen Schellhardt returned to acting in Paramount Theatre’s revival of “Fun Home,” the musical by composer Jeanine Tesori and writer/lyricist Lisa Kron based on Alison Bechdel’s 2006 graphic novel.
His performance earned the Wheaton actor/director/choreographer/educator a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination and marked the first of three shows for him at the Aurora theater, including a revival of “Into the Woods” and the regional premiere of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” both in 2023. Last year, the Joseph Jefferson Award-winner starred in TimeLine and Court Theatre’s revival of “Falsettos.”
Now he steps offstage to helm Porchlight Music Theatre’s revival of “Fun Home,” the same musical that marked his return to acting. The Daily Herald caught up with the director, who described revisiting the musical as its director. Below is an edited transcript of the conversation.
Q: This is your first time directing “Fun Home.” What about the musical attracted your interest? Why is this an important show for right now?
A: Its portrayal of courage is what drew me immediately to the piece, first as an audience member, then as a cast member, and now from a director’s lens.
I loved Alison Bechdel’s 2006 graphic novel, for which the musical is based, and I’m a huge fan of (composer) Jeanine Tesori’s musical canon of work. So when I saw the musical for the first time, I was immediately drawn to the gorgeous score, the cinematic feel to the overall shape of the piece and its raw and nuanced portrayal of human relationships, behavior and desires.
The show’s central themes captured me as well: themes of coming-of-age; gender and sexual identity; family dynamics and dysfunction; the search for truth, clarity and meaning in our lives; and the universal fight to be seen, heard and live truthfully.
“Fun Home” also is an inherently queer story, as the protagonist is a lesbian. That in and of itself is groundbreaking and interests me deeply. Especially as the central relationship is that of a father and daughter. With the chaos and division in our world today, I thought, “What better time than now to be telling a story that centers around the courage it takes to live authentically?”
It's a lesson I strive to model daily for my own daughter. I don't always succeed, but this story and this show gives me the courage to keep trying.
Q: When we talked in 2022, you were rehearsing to play Bruce in Paramount Theatre's “Fun Home” revival and hadn’t been onstage as an actor in 7 years. How has it been to work almost exclusively as an actor in Chicago these last few years? How has that experience informed your direction of “Fun Home”?
A: In Chicago, my time in the recent past has mainly been spent on the stage as an actor. But I left Chicago for four-and-a-half months this past summer to return to Virginia’s 92-year-old Barter Theater to direct “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Play That Goes Wrong” and to act in a play … I try to follow the good work and am grateful that interesting and exciting projects keep popping up, whether in this city or elsewhere.
When my husband and I decided to start a family, I pivoted from acting to directing. Now that our daughter is in kindergarten, I realize I can now stretch myself a bit … This next year happens to be full of really exciting directing roles.
I have no clue what 2026 will bring. With a husband who also is busy performing on Chicago stages and in concert halls around the country, we simply do our best to consider every opportunity that arises, local or not, and determine if it makes sense in our lives and our daughter’s life right now. If it does, we say yes and make it work.
Q: You’re set to direct Paramount Theatre’s upcoming revival of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Does that mean you intend to wear both hats for the foreseeable future? What are the challenges shifting from one role to the other?
A: I enjoy wearing many theater-related hats and actively strive in my career for that artistic variety … My plan is to keep doing what I love and what fulfills me for as long as I can. I just want to continue to work with kind, passionate, smart, joyful and collaborative colleagues.
With a 6-year-old and an equally busy theatrical husband, my time is precious and life is short. Work life balance has become a sacred priority. So I tend to focus solely on projects based on if the story resonates with me, if it is in conversation with the world we live in today, on whom I may get to collaborate with, and on what project will further stretch my artistic muscles and creative interests.
I feel very fortunate to be able to wear many creative hats and love them all equally for different reasons. Acting makes me a better director and directing makes me a more curious actor. Every project informs the next for me. I am grateful to be working and doing what I love.
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“Fun Home”
When: Previews at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Jan. 16-17; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 18; and 2 p.m. Jan. 19. The show opens at 6 p.m. Jan. 19 and runs through March 2
Where: Porchlight Music Theatre at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, porchlightmusictheatre.org
Tickets: $20-$85