Barbara Zahora joined the OPFT staff as Interim Artistic Director in 2018, and at the beginning of 2019 became the permanent Artistic Director for the company. Barbara directed 2019’s Elizabeth Rex as well as their acclaimed 2017 production of Macbeth. Other Chicago directing credits include Hollow/Wave (Silk Road Rising); Shrewish (Artemisia Theatre); Candida, Hay Fever, Misalliance and “Private Lives (ShawChicago); and several productions with The Shakespeare Project of Chicago, where she served as associate artistic director for eight years.

As an actor she’s appeared on OPFT stages as Penny in You Can’t Take It With You, Maggie in Dancing at Lughnasa and in other performances such as Mrs. Coney, Midwinter’s Tales, and her husband George’s latest work, Christmas Comes But Once a Year. Additional acting credits include American Players Theatre, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Writers’ Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Goodman Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Illinois Theatre Center, ShawChicago, and Shakespeare Project of Chicago. TV and film credits include “Chicago Fire” and “Operator.”

Barbara is currently the co-head of Acting at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College for the Performing Arts (CCPA), and she previously taught at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and North Central College.  She is represented by Paonessa Talent and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.  

     Wallace Craig (she/her) has been an Artistic Associate with Oak Park Festival Theatre since the Fall of 2019. Wallace moved to Chicago in 2018 following her graduation from The University of Cincinnati with a BFA in Stage Management. She has since worked on the OPFT Stage Management teams for African Company Presents Richard III, A Dickens Carol, Elizabeth Rex, The Madness of Edgar Allen Poe: A Love Story, and most recently their Zoom production of Christmas Comes But Once A Year. Other Chicagoland productions include Measure for Measure (Any Other Name Company); The Firestorm, All Childish Things, The Madness of Edgar Allen Poe: A Love Story, and Jeeves Saves The Day (First Folio Theatre).

     Danielle Sanders has been a member of the Chicago live entertainment industry for more than 15 years. During that time she has held positions with numerous organizations, including 13 years as lighting engineer at House of Blues, where favorite artists included BB King and Flogging Molly. For the past sixteen months, Danielle worked in a variety of capacities for Meals on Wheels, helping to ensure that at-risk seniors in the Melrose Park area continued to receive much needed support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Danielle is delighted to be returning to live entertainment with Oak Park Festival Theatre.

Vocal Composer 

     Jennifer Harlee Mitchell She/her- Currently a resident Artist at Rosewood Music Theatre in Wisconsin, Jen is a composer, singer/songwriter, and performer. She graduated from the Chicago College of Performing Arts, as a Musical Theatre Major, quickly finding her niche in traveling the country acting, performing as a vocalist/pianist onstage, and writing music offstage. She was Music Director and Composer for Ovidian Myths (Dir. Barbara Zahora) and is now currently writing music, and performing as a vocalist, for upcoming shows at Rosewood. Follow the fun @jenniferharleemitchell or www.jenniferharleemitchell.com

Scenic Design

    Ryan Fox is a theatrical designer based in Rockford, IL, where he is an Assistant Professor of Lighting and Scenic Design at Rockford University.  He hails from Waco, Texas, and holds a MFA in Scenic Design from the University of Maryland, College Park. He graduated from the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, OK with a B.A. in Theatre. His work has been seen in Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Michigan, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and into the digital realm. ryanfoxdesign.com<http://ryanfoxdesign.com/>

   Mark Lancaster has been working both on stage and behind the scenes with Oak Park Festival Theatre since 2017. He has been seen in OPFT’s Macbeth, The Fair Maid of the West, and A Dickens Carol. He has choreographed fights and/or intimacy for You Can’t Take It With You, The African Company Presents: Richard III, Much Ado About Nothing, and Elizabeth Rex. You can see him on stage this fall when Paramount Theatre mounts the regional premiere of Kinky Boots.

Dance/Movement Choreographer     

     Erica Bittner is thrilled to return to OPFT where she previously managed choreography and movement for A Dickens Carol. Her physical direction has been seen in multiple Redmoon productions and installations, at Links Hall, and in several productions at the Organic Theater Company. Erica’s long background in dance, physical theatre, and devised work has taken her to both coasts and abroad to Japan, China, and the UK. Erica is also an actor whose credits include productions with Windy City Playhouse, Theatre Wit, Cardinal Stage Company, Drury Lane, First Folio Theatre, Redmoon, Oracle Theatre, Piven Theatre, Music Theater Works, Victory Gardens, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Her television credits include Soundtrack (Netflix), The Chi (Showtime), Chicago Fire (NBC), and American Greed (CNBC). Finally, Erica is an OPFT Artistic Associate where she has performed in more than ten productions and readings. She is represented by Gray Talent Group.