Youlim Nam's LAST BIRTDHAY To Have World Premiere At Chain Theatre Summer One-Act Festival

Last Birthday, a new one-act play written and directed by Youlim Nam, will have its world premiere at the Chain Theatre Summer One-Act Festival in New York City. See photos from the production.

This marks Nam's second work selected by the Chain Theatre within the year-her previous one-act was featured in the 2025 Winter Festival-highlighting her rising voice in the New York independent theater scene.

The play was previously selected for Axial Theatre's Cactus Flowers Series (2022-2023), a national virtual platform for new short plays in development. The play was read live via Zoom with Youlim Nam and Yoshi Sudarso (Bullet Train, Power Rangers) in the cast. The series, led by three-time Emmy Award winner Cady McClain, spotlighted new voices through online presentations to audiences across the U.S.

Yumi is determined to host the perfect birthday dinner for her father. But as the evening unfolds, reality begins to slip-memories surface, tensions simmer, and time bends in strange, quiet ways. What begins as a simple celebration transforms into something far more haunting, as a daughter confronts the weight of love, guilt, and the need to say goodbye.

"My goal with this production is to offer comfort to those who have lost a loved one," says Nam. "Through this story, I hope to create space for audiences to confront unresolved grief, release guilt, and move toward self-forgiveness."

The cast features Jun Kim (Law & Order) as James and Han Na Shin (Vogue Magazine, Maybelline) as Yumi, with Youlim Nam's direction.

• Saturday, July 19 at 2:00 PM
• Wednesday, July 23 at 6:30 PM
• Wednesday, July 30 at 8:30 PM