Stephanie Shum was looking for a way to make friends when her family moved from Canada to Illinois when she was nine, settling in Buffalo Grove.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomebody who became my best friend in third and fourth grade was doing a summer theater program,\u201d Shum said. \u201cI followed her to that because she was my only friend. I fell in love with theater through that experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
That led to a lifelong love of acting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did school plays when I went to Aptakisic Junior High as well as when I went to Stevenson High School,\u201d she said.\u00a0 In addition, she performed with Summer Stars, a program of the Buffalo Grove Park District.<\/p>\n
Although she knew that she would continue acting, Shum said she didn\u2019t think of it as a possible career. \u201cPlanning for the future and doing something stable was always something that was top of mind in my family as well,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
Shum earned a marketing degree from McGill University in Montreal and continued acting there.<\/p>\n
\u201cStrangely, after that I kind of melded the two paths,\u201d she noted. \u201cI started working in theater administration. I worked for quite a few years at Lookingglass in marketing, and my day job now is at A Red Orchid Theatre as well.\u201d She is the Marketing & Development Director at that theater.<\/p>\n
Shum said she chose to study marketing because her father has an accounting and business background. \u201cSo that was something that was always on my mind,\u201d she explained. \u201cMarketing felt the most creative in a way. It felt somehow connected to theater for me in terms of thinking outside the box.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Shum couldn\u2019t give up acting.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I delved deeper into the administrative side of theater, the calling to be onstage was always still there,\u201d she reported. \u201cSo I started auditioning again and was able to do both.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shum has performed with numerous theater companies, including Goodman, First Floor, Gift, American Theater Company, Neo-Futurists, The New Coordinates, and TheatreSquared, among others. She is represented by Gray Talent Group.<\/p>\n
One of Shum\u2019s favorite roles was in \u201cDogs\u201d at Red Theater last fall. She earned a Jeff nomination for Performer in a Supporting role in that show.<\/p>\n
To increase her acting knowledge, Shum attended and graduated from the School of Steppenwolf. \u201cI didn\u2019t go to college for theater so I think for a long time I had a bit of imposter syndrome,\u201d she admitted. Through training there she said that she was \u201cable to sort of immerse myself in a lot of different acting techniques that I hadn\u2019t necessarily encountered. It gave me a bit more confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shum\u2019s latest role is a character named Mia in the world premiere of \u201cThe Targeted\u201d by Hanna Kime at A Red Orchid Theatre.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2019The Targeted\u2019 is about a community of people \u2014 self-identified folks who believe they\u2019re being systematically stalked or harassed or psychologically tortured by organized or government groups,\u201d Shum related.<\/p>\n
Mia\u2019s brother identifies as a targeted individual. She decided to go with her brother to a conference for targeted individuals.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants her to understand better what he\u2019s going through, and she\u2019s making a concerted effort to be there for him, although she might have her doubts herself,\u201d Shum explained.<\/p>\n
Although the play is about targeted individuals, Shum believes it addresses larger themes in the current world.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are being divided over beliefs, and how can we continue to be there for each other or to be empathetic for each other even if we might not see eye-to-eye,\u201d Shum explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such a juicy role,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n
The actor\/marketing professional is particularly enjoying the fact that her two careers are both at the forefront now.<\/p>\n
\u201cA Red Orchid is where I work during the day,\u201d Shum said. \u201cThe fact that I\u2019m able to be here as an artist and an administrator feels special. And to get to work with ensemble members that I get to interact with on a daily basis in a different capacity \u2014 that I admire and want to emulate as an actor myself \u2014 feels really special.\u201d<\/p>\n