Interview: Director Devon Hayakawa On the Chicago Area Premiere of MEAN GIRLS at Paramount Theatre

Paramount Theatre presents the Chicago area premiere of MEAN GIRLS, the hit musical based on the beloved film, in a fresh, Gen-Z take set in 2026. Directed by Devon Hayakawa, the production leans into everything that makes the show fierce, campy, bright, satirical, and surprisingly honest, while introducing a newly revised version of the script to Chicagoland audiences.

Hayakawa is a multidisciplinary artist based in Chicago making their solo directing debut at Paramount. Their previous Paramount credits span an impressive range of roles, including co-director of SOUTH PACIFIC, associate director and dramaturg on COME FROM AWAY, associate director on CATS, ensemble and understudy in WAITRESS, assistant director on FROZEN, and dramaturg on MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, BILLY ELLIOT, and WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME. Other directing credits include MY BIG BROTHER FIGHTS MONSTERS at the Rogue Theatre Festival and Chicago Dramatists.

BroadwayWorld spoke with Hayakawa about making their solo directing debut, honoring the film and stage versions while embracing a Gen-Z sensibility, and the universal truth that makes MEAN GIRLS resonate.

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What does it mean to you to be making your solo directing debut at Paramount Theatre with this particular production of MEAN GIRLS?

I feel extremely lucky. I have been so grateful to make my solo directing debut at Paramount with this group of artists in particular, our cast is young, diverse, queer, and super stoked to be bringing a fresh take on MEAN GIRLS to the Chicagoland area. I'm working alongside some of my favorite collaborators on this side of the table, and I'm doing it at a theatre that has shaped most of my professional career. It means the world to me!

How did your previous experience in various roles at Paramount, from ensemble member to associate director, prepare you for stepping into the solo director's chair?

My favorite way to approach theatre is to wear a lot of different hats, and to see the process from as many different angles as possible. I've found that my acting background has helped me communicate direction to our actors in a way that's useful and tangible for them. My experience as an associate director has helped me understand all of the steps in the Paramount production process. My work as a dramaturg has shaped the way I think about storytelling as a whole. Every role has a new lens for me to look at directing through, and directing reflects back into all of those roles in just the same way.

Since MEAN GIRLS is having its Chicago area premiere, what unique responsibility or opportunity do you feel in introducing this production to local audiences?

Since the last tour of MEAN GIRLS came through Chicago a few years ago, the script has seen some major revisions (including updating some of the pop culture references in the script), our production will be a very Gen-Z MEAN GIRLS! Honoring the original movie, the original musical, and the revised musical is a tricky balancing act that we're tackling in the rehearsal room. Expect a little something old and a little something new.

You've described the show as fierce, campy, bright, satirical, fresh, colorful, and surprisingly honest. Can you unpack how those qualities show up in your directorial vision?

Absolutely, these are the words that kept coming up throughout the design, pre-production, and rehearsal processes over and over again. Janis and Damian serve as our narrators throughout the show, and we're telling the tale of MEAN GIRLS with their flair and creative spin! It's fierce and colorful because we're watching their version of it. It's campy and larger than life and bright because they're choosing to tell it as a musical. The satire sits in the humor of this show, the Gen-Z take on it feels fresh, and there are moments of such earnest emotion that take us by surprise amidst all of the wild chaos onstage.

How do you balance the comedic, campy elements of MEAN GIRLS with the more honest, emotional themes underneath the satire?

What makes MEAN GIRLS so successful as a story is the universal truth within it. We've all been somewhere in a social hierarchy, whether we've been on top like Regina, or on bottom like Damian and Janis, and the comedy comes from just how seriously everyone is taking it. Teenage girlhood is a game of life or death (speaking from experience), and seeing the drama played out onstage, stakes at 100% is what gives us the permission to laugh at the ridiculousness of it.

Looking at your journey at Paramount Theatre across so many different productions and roles, how does directing MEAN GIRLS feel like a culmination of that experience?

MEAN GIRLS will mark the 11th production I've been a part of since 2022. Over these past four years I've learned a lot about myself, the art I like making, and the roles I like to take in the making of it. FUN HOME brought me to Paramount and gave me a home here. WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME brought me to the other side of the table for the first time as a dramaturg. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY introduced me to the scale of the shows in the Broadway Series and proved just how much joy is at the center of my favorite stories. BILLY ELLIOT was the first time I wore two hats in one show (dramaturg and young performer supervisor cover). MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET let me curate a story within the immersive lobby of the Stolp Island space. FROZEN was my first time at the directing table. WAITRESS gave me the unique insight post-sitting at the directing table as an actor, and allowed me to see the show in a more macro way. CATS gave me a sense of just how far a strong directing concept can go. COME FROM AWAY gave me a little extra practice in leading the room. SOUTH PACIFIC was my first time working as a director on a golden age musical. Now, we're here with MEAN GIRLS! I've learned so much from each and every production I've had the chance to work on, and it feels like all of those tools and lessons are coming together to make something great.

How do you want audiences to feel walking out of the theatre after seeing your production of MEAN GIRLS?

I want them to feel like they just had a fun night out at the theatre! I want audiences to have the time of their lives watching the show, and leave it humming their favorite tunes, or talking about their favorite funny moments! We're having a blast making it, and we want the audience to celebrate all the fun of this show with us!

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