“Bitter Sweets” takes you into the heart of Humboldt Park, Chicago, where a family bakery is more than just a business—it's a repository of unspoken truths, long-buried secrets, and a stage for long-overdue justice. At the center of this gripping drama is Mia, a 23-year-old aspiring actress, who is suddenly thrust into a real-life mystery that could shatter everything she believes about her family.

The Story Behind the Story

Mia dreams of being on the stage, to shine in the spotlight as the next great actress. However, her path is far from ordinary—she's also the "heiress apparent" to her family's bakery, a place filled with history, community, and secrets. When she learns that her father's death wasn’t the accident she was led to believe, Mia’s dreams are put to the ultimate test. In a dramatic act of defiance and determination, she decides to use her art to find the truth—staging Shakespeare's Hamlet right in the bakery where it all happened.

The bakery, Bitter Sweets, becomes both a stage and a battleground for Mia. Her production of Hamlet turns into a chilling reflection of her own family’s betrayal, with her uncle Mike cast as a modern-day Claudius. The parallels between Shakespeare’s tragic prince and Mia's own quest for truth create a layered, emotionally charged narrative that pulls audiences in and refuses to let go.

A Complex Tapestry of Themes

At its core, “Bitter Sweets” is a story about family secrets and trauma. It explores how unspoken truths can shape lives, how trauma can be passed down through generations, and how, sometimes, facing the ghosts of the past is the only way to find peace.

Mia's journey is also a powerful exploration of identity and self-discovery. Torn between her ambition to be an actress and her duty to her family, Mia's path is filled with difficult choices. She must decide whether to continue pursuing her dream or to stay and fight for the justice her father deserves. In the process, she learns that both roles—actor and daughter—are intertwined in ways she never imagined.

The play also emphasizes the power of community. Set in the culturally rich neighborhood of Humboldt Park, Mia is supported by a diverse group of friends—from her Shakespeare-quoting uncle to her tech-averse best friend Sophie, who returns unexpectedly, forcing Mia to confront her grief and re-evaluate her choices. The neighborhood itself becomes a character, with its vibrant blend of cultures and histories creating a backdrop that highlights the importance of community connections in times of hardship.

Why This Story Matters

“Bitter Sweets” isn't just a family drama—it's a story that resonates with anyone who has ever faced a difficult truth. The play raises questions about loyalty, duty, and the lengths we go to for those we love. It challenges us to consider what we would do if faced with the choice between our dreams and our obligations, between the past and the future.

Mia's story is deeply personal, yet universal. Her struggle to reconcile her ambitions with her responsibilities, her bravery in seeking the truth even when it might destroy her, and her ultimate realization of where her true strength lies—these are themes that speak to audiences across generations.

The Setting: A Bakery with a History

The family bakery, Bitter Sweets, isn’t just a setting—it’s a symbol. A symbol of tradition, of family history, and of the secrets that lie hidden just beneath the surface. It’s in this bakery that Mia decides to stage her Hamlet, turning it from a place of comfort and nostalgia into a dramatic battleground where the lines between performance and reality blur.

The bakery is alive with memories—the laughter of customers, the warmth of fresh bread, the echoes of arguments long forgotten. But beneath that warmth is a chilling history that Mia is determined to uncover. The play skillfully uses this setting to show how the past and present are forever linked, how the places we call home can be filled with both comfort and pain.

Meet the Characters

• Mia: What can we say about Mia? She's a little spitfire—intense, passionate, and unafraid to throw herself fully into whatever captures her interest. When she’s excited about something, she pours all her energy into it, which draws people to her naturally. This drive is what led her to gather a group of friends, including Vlad and the boys, whom she met in Angelo's acting class. It was Mia’s idea to stage Hamlet at the bakery where she works twelve-hour days, a choice driven by necessity because she couldn’t afford to take time off work. She’s lived in the neighborhood her entire life, and everyone knows her well, respecting her tenacity and dedication.
  
• Mike: Uncle Mike, born in Dublin, carries himself with a distinct presence—he walks stiffly and slowly, with a slight limp that hints at an old injury or burden from his past. He is generally a quiet man, preferring to stay in the background of conversations. However, when drawn in or directly asked to comment, he reveals an unexpected fluency in law and literature, particularly Shakespeare, showcasing a sharp and well-read mind. Now in his early fifties, there is an air of weariness about him—something from his past has aged him beyond his years. Mike's reserved demeanor and depth of knowledge make him an enigmatic figure, someone whose quiet exterior masks layers of complexity, secrets, and the pain of a life lived with the weight of unspoken truths.
• Sophie: Sophie is a Puerto Rican-American who resides in Humboldt Park in Chicago's north end. She’s Mia’s best friend and has been by her side through thick and thin. Sophie is quirky, fiercely loyal, and has a unique charm that often comes from her tech-averse ways, preferring face-to-face connections in a world of smartphones and social media. Her return to Chicago forces Mia to confront her grief and make decisions about her future. Sophie's humor and genuine love for Mia add both lightness and emotional depth to the story, while her strong sense of community reflects the supportive spirit of Humboldt Park. Her cultural background and deep ties to the neighborhood are essential to her character, as she reminds Mia of the importance of roots, family, and never running from who you truly are.
• Angelo: Angelo is an Italian-American originally from Brooklyn who now teaches acting at Second City. He is charismatic and immensely talented in storytelling, stage, and screen, captivating his students with his dynamic teaching style. Angelo is also bipolar, a fact he openly shares with his students—not as a limitation, but as an important context for understanding his sometimes erratic teaching style. Behind his charismatic facade, Angelo is unstable—simply put, a little mad. His mental health disorder often leads him to see the world in a binary way: you're either with him or against him. Angelo holds grudges, and those who fall on his bad side rarely find redemption.

Why You Should See It

If you love stories that are emotionally deep, filled with suspense, and layered with rich symbolism, “Bitter Sweets and the Ghosts of the Past” is a play that will stay with you long after the final curtain falls. The blending of Shakespearean themes with a modern-day family mystery creates a powerful experience that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Mia’s story isn’t just about finding the truth—it’s about understanding who we are, what we are capable of, and the power of confronting the past so we can build a future. It’s about the people we choose to stand beside us, the family we create, and the legacies we leave behind.

Inspirations

The Author Tells the Story Behind the Play's Setting

The inspiration for the bakery in “Bitter Sweets” comes from a real bakery on the east side of Chicago, a place that welcomed me soon after I arrived in the city. Within two weeks of settling in, I was invited by the a buddy who is friends of the Ferrara family, and joined in the age-old tradition of bottling homemade wine. This moment of camaraderie and warmth reminded me of the simple joys of community and the rich cultural history that surrounds small family businesses like theirs.

Ferrara Bakery holds a special place in my heart not only because of its connection to the community but also due to its history as the birthplace of one of my favorite childhood candies, the Lemonhead. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, the tangy sweetness of a Lemonhead was a small but cherished part of my upbringing, and I was thrilled to learn that its origins were tied to this Chicago institution. Bill, now in his nineties, is Italian-American, while his wife Nella is Irish-American—just like the blend of cultures seen throughout the play.

The story of Ferrara Bakery begins with Salvatore Ferrara, who at just 16 years old left his home in Nola, Italy, in 1900 and emigrated to the United States. He brought with him the art of Italian pastry making and confectionery, skills that would lead him to open the first Italian pastry and candy shop on Taylor Street in Chicago's Little Italy. The bakery was an instant success, becoming known throughout the city and its suburbs for fine pastries, wedding cakes, and confections.

Salvatore soon met and married Serafina Pagano, a dynamic businesswoman known as "The Angel of Halsted Street." Together, they worked tirelessly to provide Chicago with exceptional desserts and candies, and through their commitment to quality, they made a lasting name for themselves. Salvatore later expanded into the candy business, launching the Ferrara Pan Candy Company, which created iconic treats such as Lemonheads and Atomic Fireballs.

Today, the third generation of Ferrara’s family continues the tradition of delivering high-quality desserts, with Ferrara's Signature Italian Cannoli Cake becoming a favorite for generations. The bakery’s dedication to using only the freshest ingredients, avoiding artificial flavorings and preservatives, is a testament to the values of authenticity and quality that inspired the fictional bakery in “Bitter Sweets.”

This rich history of love, family, and hard work is deeply interwoven into the play. The setting of the bakery serves not only as a backdrop for Mia’s journey but as a symbol of heritage, resilience, and the layered stories of those who came before us. Just like the Ferrara Bakery, Bitter Sweets is a place where the past and present meet, where stories are baked into every loaf, and where the truth, though sometimes hidden, is always waiting to be uncovered.

Join Us

Come experience the powerful story of “Bitter Sweets ”. Watch as the bakery becomes a stage for truth, as secrets are exposed and loyalties tested. This is more than a play—it’s a journey into the heart of what it means to be family, to be human, and to fight for what’s right.