ELIZABETH REX
By Timothy Findley Directed by Barbara Zahora
One of them has nothing left to lose. The other is “Good Queen Bess” on the worst night of her life. And William Shakespeare remembers it all.
The Earl of Essex, Elizabeth I’s favorite and her rumored lover, has been found guilty of treason and is scheduled to be executed in the morning. Seeking distraction, the troubled queen visits the stables where Shakespeare and his players are lodged for the night after a court performance of Much Ado About Nothing. Here she meets Ned, the man who plays Shakespeare’s greatest leading ladies, and a force who might prove to be a greater danger to her than Essex ever was.
As more than one life hangs in the balance before the dawn, Elizabeth wrestles with the duality of her nature. Can she ever truly be a woman and rule England as a prince? Must she always deny her emotions and her very essence to keep and protect her country?
“If you will teach me how to be a woman, I will teach you how to be a man.”– Elizabeth Rex
DATES
JUNE 12 – JULY 21, 2019 Thursday-Saturday (8pm) | Sunday (7pm)
PREVIEWS
JUNE 12 | JUNE 13 8pm | JUNE 14 8pm (Community Appreciation night, free admission)
OPENING NIGHT JUNE 15
TICKETS
General admission $35 | Seniors $28 | Children under 12 & dogs free
Previews: $20
Students – any performance $15
(valid student ID must be presented at box-office to claim student tix)
Questions: Call our Box office (708) 300-9396
AUSTIN GARDENS
167 Forest Avenue
Oak Park IL 60301
Only 25 minutes from downtown Chicago!
“Strongly directed by Barbara Zahora, the play is totally in period and inspired by historic reality, but it also covers topics of gender and sexuality, which are not often associated with the Elizabethan era. It’s quite fascinating.” – The Wednesday Journal
The Essex Rebellion:
Disease and Elizabeth Rex:
Gender in Elizabethan England
Major Dates
1590s: Major outbreak of syphilis hits the London arts community
1592: Plague hits London. Approximately 15,000 deaths.
1593: Beginning of the Nine Years’ War in Ireland
1599: Essex is assigned to crush a rebellion in Ireland against the Queen, but fails, attempting a compromise instead
1599: The Lord Chamberlain’s Men build their new theater… The Globe!
1601: Southampton requests that Shakespeare’s actors perform Richard II on the night before Essex Rebellion…
1601: Essex Rebellion
Meet the Dramaturg:
THE CAST
Wendy Robie* (Elizabeth) is delighted to be back in Chicago after an extended visit to the West Coast to appear in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: The Return (Showtime), reprising her role as Nadine Hurley. In Chicago, Robie has appeared at Drury Lane, Chicago Dramatists, Northlight, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, Remy Bumppo, The Next Theatre. As a company member at Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Ontario, Robie played Regan in Brian Bedford’s King Lear in 2007. Most recently, Robie appeared in The Beauty Queen Of Leenane at Northlight . While in Seattle, Robie played Volumnia in the critically acclaimed all-female production of Coriolanus: Fight Like A Bitch. Film: Wes Craven’s The People Under The Stairs, Vampire In Brooklyn, The Attic Expeditions, Lost Voyage, Devil In The Flesh, The Dentist II, Were the World Mine, and the soon to be released Dreaming Grand Avenue. Other T.V.: Star Trek Deep Space 9, Any Day Now, Party of Five, Quantum Leap, Dark Skies, C-16, Baywatch, Prophet of Evil, A Place for Annie, and two seasons as Nadine in the original Twin Peaks. Proud member of Actors’ Equity (AEA) since 1985.
Niko Kourtis (Ned) most recently appeared in the Chicago premiere of Homos, Or Everyone In America at Pride Films & Plays directed by Derek Van Barham. Other Favorite Credits Include: Fear & Misery in the Third Reich (Haven Theatre), Three Days of Rain (BoHo Theatre), The Assembled Parties (Raven Theatre), The Good Person of Szechwan (Cor Theatre), A Splintered Soul (ARLA Productions), Animals Commit Suicide (First Floor Theatre), Bent (The Other Theater Company), Angels in America Parts I&II (Kansas City Repertory Theater),Cock (Profiles Threatre), and The Normal Heart (TimeLine Theatre). Niko is represented by Gray Talent.
Michael Joseph Mitchell* (Will Shakespeare) is thrilled to return to OPFT, where he previously played Polonius in Hamlet.Other Chicago credits include: Count Bellievre/Sir Davison, Mary Stuart (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Zoltan Karpathy, My Fair Lady (Lyric Opera); Hillel Levin, Assassination Theater (Russell Lane/MBC); Oberon/Theseus in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Antigonus in The Winter’s Tale, and Antonio in The Merchant Of Venice (First Folio Theater); Ross, The Goat Or, Who Is Sylvia? (Remy Bumppo); The Librarian, Underneath The Lintel (City Lit); Scrooge & Bob Cratchit, A Christmas Carol (Drury Lane Oakbrook); as well as numerous staged readings of Shakespeare and his contemporaries with The Shakespeare Project Of Chicago. Regional credits include work with The Asolo Repertory, Syracuse Stage, Indiana Repertory Theatre, BoarsHead Theater, and Colonial Theater. Film credits include Falsely Accused and Scrooge And Marley. Television credits include Chicago Fire (NBC). Mr. Mitchell received a BFA in theater from Drake University, and also studied at the National Theatre Institute, and at the Teatre des Amandiers in France.
Christopher Walsh (Luddy) is very happy to be making his OPFT debut. Recent credits include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at Steppenwolf Theatre, and The Man Who Was Thursday at Lifeline Theatre. Other Chicago credits include Monstrous Regiment and The Three Musketeers (Lifeline Theatre); The Hammer Trinity and Season on the Line (The House Theatre of Chicago); and A Home on the Lake (Piven Theatre Workshop). TV credits include Chicago Fire and Betrayal. Christopher is also a playwright and a member of the artistic ensemble at Lifeline Theatre. He is represented by Big Mouth Talent. Love and thanks to Mandy. christophermwalsh.com
Daniella Pereira (Stanley) is thrilled to be returning to OPFT where she was last seen in The Taming of the Shrew. Some of her most recent credits include Bus Stop (Eclipse Theatre); Women Laughing Alone With Salad (Theater Wit); and Letters Home (Griffin Theatre). She is also an ensemble member of Strawdog Theatre, most recently appearing in Cymbeline. Other Chicago credits include:Electricidad, and As You Like it (Chicago College of Performing Arts, where she received her BFA in Acting). TV credits include Empire (FOX). She is represented by Gray Talent Group.
Brandon Wright (Cecil) is excited to return to the Park! He first joined OPFT last season as an understudy for The African Company Presents Richard III. Originally from Newark, NJ, Brandon studied at Rutgers University, and the NY Conservatory for Dramatic Arts before earning his MFA in Acting from Wayne State University (Detroit, MI). Other Chicago credits include Aaron in the Shakespeare Project of Chicago’s Titus Andronicus. Mr. Wright is gratefully represented by Paonessa Talent. Brandon thanks God, family, and friends for continued love & support. Social media: @iactwright
Jack Hickey*^ (Percy) is delighted to return to the Festival Stage, where he was seen last season in The African Company Presents Richard III, and You Can’t Take It With You. With the Festival over the years Jack has been privileged to play roles in Macbeth, The Fair Maid of the West, Pygmalion, The Taming of the Shrew, To Kill A Mockingbird, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Seascape, Inherit the Wind, The History of King Henry the Fourth, Henry V, Faith Healer, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the title role in Cyrano de Bergerac. He was nominated for an Equity Jeff Award for playing Michael in Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me. Jack has served as Artistic Director of the Company for the past 15 years, where he has acted in or directed over 25 productions, Jack will now serve as Artistic Director Emeritus of Oak Park Festival Theatre where he hopes to help continue the growth of this extraordinary company. Jack is also a company member of ShawChicago, where he has been seen in Jeeves in Bloom, The Devil’s Disciple, Misalliance, Jeeves Intervenes, Heartbreak House, Don Juan in Hell,You Never Can Tell, Geneva, Major Barbara, Pygmalion, Widower’s Houses, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Man and Superman, St. Joan, Androcles and the Lion, Candida, The Philanderer, The Doctor’s Dilemma, The Apple Cart, and John Bull’s Other Island. Jack is a founding member of The Chicago Shakespeare Project now celebrating its 23 Season where he has been seen in Coriolanus, Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Julius Caesar. He has been seen with The Backroom Shakespeare Project playing in The Tempest, Cymbeline, Titus Andronicus. TV credits include Chicago Med and Unsolved Mysteries. He was in two commercials with Michael Jordan and appeared briefly (uncredited) in Continental Divide with John Belushi. Thanks to his wife Torry Hickey for her unfailing support.
Elliot Baker (Jack) is an actor and playwright based in the Chicago area. Chicago credits include Phoebe in Winter (Facility Theatre), Twelfth Night (Writer’s Theatre), Celebration (A Red Orchid Incubator) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Piccolo Theatre). He is a member of the artist collective The Stoop Feast, where his plays Marin and The Shoedog have been mounted. He has also had work produced by Facility Theatre and The Space in London, UK. He is proudly represented by Paonessa Talent Agency.
Tyshon Boone (Matt) is thrilled to be making his Chicago debut with OPFT. Past credits include As You Like It, Romeo & Juliet, Our Town, and Winnie the Pooh (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Macbeth, Richard III (Commonwealth Shakespeare Festival), All’s Well That Ends Well, Antony & Cleopatra (Virginia Shakespeare Festival) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Two Noble Kinsmen (Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey). BFA in acting from The University of the Arts, much love to family, friends and Brandon.
August Forman^ (Harry) is thrilled to be spending another summer with OPFT where they were last seen as Bess Bridges in The Fair Maid of the West. August most recently appeared in the Chicago premiere of Girl in the Red Corner at Broken Nose Theatre, for which they received a Jeff Nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Other favorite Chicago credits include: Twelfth Night (Midsommer Flight), The Innocents ((re)discover theatre), and The Lady Demands Satisfaction (Babes With Blades). August is a Core Ensemble Member and Facilitator with Imagination Theater, a touring company addressing social issues with young people. They are an Artistic Associate with Oak Park Festival Theatre, and an Artistic Affiliate with Babes With Blades Theatre Company. As a playwright their plays have premiered throughout the United States. This fall you can catch them performing at both Victory Gardens Theater and TimeLine Theatre Company. They are represented by Big Mouth Talent.
Belinda Bremner^ (Tardy) has worked with OPFT since 2007 when the theatre first presented her play Mrs. Coney as a fundraiser. OPFT Directing credits: Dancing At Lughnasa, Of Mice and Men (Jeff Nomination for Best Set), Richard III (Jeff Recommended), Faith Healer (Jeff Recommended), Someone To Watch Over Me (Jeff Nominations for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor) as well as all the six Midwinter’s Tales (which she wrote), Mrs. Coney, several of thethe WVOP radio benefits (all of which she adapted), as well as several benefits. Acting roles for OPFT include: The Chorus, Amanda Winfield, Lady Bracknell, Mrs. Pierce, and Maudie Atkinson. A veteran of The Goodman, Northlight, Court, St. Nicholas, Briar Street, Irish Theatre Chicago, she was a founding member of the Body Politic Ensemble and the co-founder of ShawChicago. Most recently she appeared in First Folio Theatre’s As You Like It and their Silent Sky which was Jeff Nominated for Best Production.
Barbara Figgins (Henslowe) returns to OPFT where she was last seen in the 2012 production of Richard III. She is an ensemble member with Irish Theatre of Chicago where she most recently reprised her Jeff-nominated one-woman show My Brilliant Divorce at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at University of Notre Dame. Other ITC credits include In Pigeon House, The Shadow of a Gunman, Dancing at Lughnasa, Our Father, Scenes from the Big Picture, WAR and Bold Girls. Other credits: White Lillie-Anne in Barbecue (Strawdog Theatre at Steppenwolf); Ellie in Scapegoat: Or Why the Devil Always Loved Us (New Colony); Pam in Exit Strategy (Jackalope Theatre); Miss Tesman in Hedda Gabler (Writers Theatre); The Awake (First Floor Theatre); Polina in The Seagull (The Artistic Home); The History Boys (Timeline, Jeff Award Best Ensemble), Cherrywood (Mary Arrchie).
Sam Theis (Tom/Ben) is delighted to return to OPFT for the fifth time after appearing in Richard III, Macbeth, and two years of A Dickens Carol. Other favorite performances include Don John in Much Ado About Nothing and Karl Linder in Clybourne Park, both through Oak Park and River Forest High School. They also performed at the Lincoln Center in the National Shakespeare Monologue Competition and they hope you enjoy the show!
Wendy Parman (u/s Tardy/Henslowe) is a actor/singer/writer, with a thriving voice studio in Chicago. Her solo performance, Fragments of Heartbreak Reassembled Here, is a part of the 30th Annual Rhinoceros Festival 2019 at Prop Theater. It debuted at the Solo Festival Chicago at Three Cat Productions, in the Spring of 2018. In the fall of 2018, Wendy was thrilled to play the part of Adele in The Flora and Fauna at The Apollo Theater, a performance to benefit the #metoo movement. She looks forward to the release of two films in 2019, Venere, which explores women’s reproductive issues, and, Grey Area, a look at the political climate today. You can check out Wendy’s web series, by searching Callie’s Solo Web Series, on Youtube. It’s a kooky musical comedy about life as a middle-aged voice teacher in Chicago going through a divorce. She is SO excited and grateful to be a part of this production of Elizabeth Rex.
Gunner Bradley (u/s Luddy/Jack) is excited to make his debut with OPTF. Recent Chicago area credits include Eurydice (Jedlicka Theater Company), Almost, Maine (Theater D), Stronger Than a Break Down Festival (Off-Key Anthem Theater Company). He received his BFA in Acting from Texas State University. Lastly, he always owes a huge THANK YOU to his friends, family, and fiancé for all their support, enjoy the show! For more info: gunnerbradley.com
Anthony Whittaker (u/s Percy/Cecil) is pleased to be making his Oak Park Festival debut. Recent credits include “Into the Woods” (Music Theatre Works,, “Twas the Night Before Christmas” (Emerald City Theatre), “Deep In The Heart Of Tuna” and “Trash” (NAFT) and “Funny Thing…Forum” (Porchlight). Anthony is the Co-Artistic Director of the New American Folk Theatre, a six-year old storefront theatre.Check us out at: Newamericanfolktheatre.org. He is represented by Big Mouth Talent.
THE CREATIVE TEAM
Becs Bartle (Master Electrician) is a lighting designer, master electrician in the Chicago area. Mx. Bartle credits include 20% Theatre Company, Brown Paper Box Co., Highland Park Players, Urban Theatre Company, Fremont Street Theatre, Interrobang Theatre Project, Commission Theatre, Babes with Blades, Flying Elephant Productions, Pride Films & Plays, Saltbox Theatre Collective, and Edge of the Wood Theatre.
Wallace Craig (Stage Manager) is thrilled to spend her summer with Oak Park Festival Theatre again. She is a graduate of The University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music with a BFA in Stage Management. Previous Chicagoland productions include A Dickens Carol, The African Company Presents Richard III (Oak Park Festival Theatre), The Firestorm, All Childish Things, The Madness of Edgar Allen Poe (First Folio Theatre). Other Production credits include The Magic Flute (Cincinnati Opera), Peter Pan, Love & Information, Seussical The Musical, A Chorus Line (CCM), and Mary Poppins JR (CCM Prep).
Margaret Garofalo (Props Designer) Margaret is so happy to be involved in her fourth production with OPFT. For the past two years you may have seen her on stage as Ms. Hall in A Dickens Carol while also working on the props team. Lately she’s been excitedly branching out into more properties design with I and You and now Elizabeth Rex. As a history nerd with an MA in Classical Theatre from Kingston University–London and a BFA in Dramatic Writing from SUNY Purchase, Margaret loves working on historical productions the most. You might catch her understudying in OPFT’s next production Much Ado About Nothing. After that her next Prop Design can be seen at MadCap’s production of The Fantasticks in Skokie. Thank you for the privilege of building beautiful things.
Rachel Lambert (Costume Designer) is delighted to be working with Oak Park Festival for the first time. Her other Chicago design credits include Santaland Diaries and The King of Hell’s Palace (Goodman Theatre); Twist Your Dickens (The Second City); Mothers and Sons (Northlight Theatre); Puff: Believe It Or Not, Henry IV, The Life of Galileo, and Travesties and Northanger Abbey (Jeff nominations–Remy Bumppo Theatre); Mary’s Wedding, Silent Sky, Cymbeline, Merchant of Venice, and Romeo & Juliet (Jeff nomination);Time Stands Still and The Dingdong (Buffalo Theatre Ensemble); A Swell In The Ground (The Gift); Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train, A Perfect Ganesh, Intimate Apparel (Jeff nomination), After the Fall (Eclipse Theatre); Hansel & Gretel, The Merry Widow, Die Fledermaus, Magic Flute, Gianni Schicchi (DePaul School of Music); Rose (Greenhouse Theatre); Next to Normal (BoHo Theatre); My Name Is Annie King (Underscore Theatre); The Drowning Girls (Signal Ensemble); and American Myth (American Blues Theatre). Regionally she has designed for Peninsula Players and the Texas Shakespeare Festival.
Mark Lancaster† (Intimacy & Violence Designer) has been working with OPFT since 2017 when he joined the casts of Macbeth, The Fair Maid of the West, and A Dickens Carol. He also served as the fight/movement director for the 2018 season’s You Can’t Take it With You and The African Company Presents Richard III. Mark is a 2012 graduate of the MFA Acting program of The Theatre School at DePaul University, an Advanced Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors—easy to love, hard to miss, thinks he can write, is damned handsome, and adores his cat.
Gary Nocco (Assistant Costume Designer and Wardrobe Master) is pleased to return for his fifth show with Oak Park Festival Theatre. He is a Chicago-based freelance stylist, costume designer and make-up artist. Film Credit: Every 21 Seconds (Wardrobe Supervisor and Personal Stylist / Make-up Artist / Assistant to lead – Two 9 Productions). Theatrical Design Credits: The Fantasticks (Ogorod Productions), The Next Big Thing (The Factory Theater), Muthaland (Jeff Recommended–16th Street Theater), The Liar (Jeff recommended–Promethean Theatre Ensemble), Eurydice (Promethean Theatre Ensemble), Carroll Gardens (16th Street Theater), Dating & Dragons (The Factory Theater) and The Taming of the Shrew (Oak Park Festival Theatre). His work has been seen at Improv Olympic Chicago and Victory Gardens Biograph Theater.
Nicholas James Schwartz (Scenic Designer) Originally from New York , Nick now resides is Chicago as a scenic designer, scenic artist and production manager. He has been recently nominated for best Scenic Design by the BTAA for his work on Juneteenth Street at ETA Creative Arts Center and for Harbur Gate at 16th Street Theatre. Nick’s previous works include: Comedy of Errors (Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre), Elephant Man (William Street Repertory), King Lear, Between Riverside and Crazy (Red Twist Theatre), Blood at the Root, Antigone (Elgin Community College), In The Blood, Rounded Heads and Peaked Heads (Red Tape Theatre), Naked Trapdoor Theatre, Book of Merman, Defacing Michael Jackson (Flying Elephants Productions), Juneteenth Street (ETA Creative arts), Green Book, YPF (Pegasus Theatre Company), Memphis, Young Frankenstein, Memphis (Parkland College), and Revolt (Vision Latino Theatre).
Avi Sheehan (Lighting Designer) is so excited to be making their Oak Park debut with Elizabeth Rex this summer! They’ve most recently spent the season at Portland Center Stage at The Armory in Portland, Oregon as the Lighting Apprentice and Assistant Lighting Designer on Crossing Mnisose and The Breath of Life. Recent lighting design credits include Love’s Labours Lost, Reflections, Next to Normal (the University of Chicago), Josephine the Mouse Singer (Rhinoceros Theatre Festival), and RISE (Logan Center for the Arts).
Brian Sprague (OPFT Technical Director) Brian Sprague is a Chicago based freelance theatre artist. He received his Master of Fine Arts in Acting from Northern Illinois University and has studied and performed internationally at the Moscow Art Theatre and Adana State Theatre in Adana, Turkey. Some past technical director credits include: Fun Harmless Warmachine (The New Colony), Warrior Class (Comrades), The Harvest (Griffin Theatre Company), Akeelah and the Bee (Adventure Stage Chicago), JB, Arms and the Man (City Lit Theatre Company), Invisible Hand, Birdland, Earthquakes in London (Steep Theatre), You Can’t Take it With You, Fair Maid of the West, Macbeth, The African Company Presents Richard III (Oak Park Festival Theatre), Grace, The Goat: or Who is Sylvia (Interrobang Theatre Project), Happiest Place on Earth, Give It All Back, Truth and Reconciliation and HeLa (Sideshow Theatre Company), Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing (Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival).
Melanie Thompson (Production Manager) is thrilled to work with Oak Park Festival Theatre, and work with such a phenomenal team! Past credits include: His Life Matters (Black Lives, Black Words International Project), That Night (Erasing the Distance), Good Enough (16th Street Theatre Co.), Evil Dead (Black Button Eyes Productions), I Know My Own Heart (Pride Films & Plays), The Lonesome West (AstonRep), Koalas (16th Street Theatre Co.), Docfest 2018: Learning 101 (Erasing the Distance), The Laramie Project (AstonRep), I Can Cook Too: an evening of musical theatre with Krista Hansen (DUPAC). Erasing the Distance: Dominican, Chapter 2 (DUPAC), Shockheaded Peter (Black Button Eyes Productions), The Addams Family (DUPAC), and The Seagull (DUPAC). She thanks her friends, family, and Prince the at for their love and support.
Barbara Zahora*† (Director) was asked to join the OPFT staff as interim artistic director in 2018, and at the beginning of this year she became the permanent AD for the company. She directed 2017’s acclaimed Macbeth, and as an actor she’s appeared on our stages as Penny in You Can’t Take It With You, Maggie in Dancing at Lughnasa, and several benefit performances of Belinda Bremner’s Mrs. Coney and Midwinter’s Tales. Additional acting credits include All My Sons and Les Liaisons Dangereuses (American Players Theatre); Hamlet, Heartbreak House, A Little Night Music, and Misalliance (Writers’ Theatre); The Country Girl (Illinois Theatre Center); Marionette Macbeth, The Moliere Comedies, The Taming of the Shrew, As You Like It, Richard II, The School for Scandal, and All’s Well That Ends Well (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Lady Windermere’s Fan (Northlight Theatre); A Christmas Carol, Wit (Goodman Theatre); Hard Times (Lookingglass Theatre); Arms and the Man, The Devil’s Disciple, Heartbreak House, Major Barbara, Coward in Two Keys, and What Every Woman Knows (ShawChicago); and many appearances with the Shakespeare Project of Chicago, where she served as associate artistic director for eight years. Her other directing credits include Shrewish (Artemisia Theatre); Candida, Hay Fever, Misalliance and Private Lives (ShawChicago); and Ovidian Myths, Something Shaw, and Spoon River: Coming Home for the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. TV and film credits include Chicago Fire and Operator. Barbara is a visiting assistant professor at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College for the Performing Arts, and she previously taught at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and North Central College. She is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Love to George, always. Barbara@OakParkFestival.com
George Zahora† (Original Music/Sound Designer) has been doing sound design in various professional and semi-professional capacities for almost thirty years. He’s also a playwright, IT consultant, DJ and mostly retired music journalist, none of which should matter to you. OPFT audiences have heard his work in last season’s You Can’t Take It With You and The African Company presents Richard III, as well as 2017’s Macbeth. He’s also the resident sound designer for the Shakespeare Project of Chicago, where he has created sound and music for more than thirty shows, and in recent years created a lot of music and sound effects for the much-missed ShawChicago. He sincerely hopes that you were able to hear EVERY WORD of tonight’s performance. If you had a less-than-ideal experience, please email him at sound@oakparkfestival.com with the pertinent details (i.e. where you were sitting, what was wrong).
INTERN PROFILES
Dakotah Brown (General Internship) will be a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and will be earning his Bachelor of the Fine Arts with and emphasis in acting. This is Dakotah’s first summer working at OPFT and his debut working in the Chicago theatre scene. His previous credits include Macduff in Macbeth and Malcolm in Student Body at UWSP.
Lily Chrones (General Internship) is delighted to be joining the intern team this summer after having been inspired by attending OPFT productions during previous summers. Lily is a Junior at Boston Conservatory majoring in Contemporary Theatre. Her previous credits include Appropriate (Cassidy), The Seagull (Paulina), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Peaseblossom/Snout). She would like to thank friends, family and mentors who have inspired and encouraged her on her artistic journey.
Megan Flanery (General Internship) This is Megan Flanery’s first summer working at OPFT. She would like to thank everybody who has helped to create this amazing opportunity for her. Megan is a Freshman at Los Medanos College majoring in Theatre Arts. Her previous credits include Les Misérable (Props crew), Twelve Angry Jurors (Prop Master), The Drowsy Chaperone (Prop Master), Titus Andronicus (Prop Master), Living La Vida Loca (Light Crew), Connected (Running crew), and Bolt Bolton vs. Outer Space (Assistant Stage Manager).
Leanne Hays (General Internship) This is Leanne’s first summer working in the Chicago area and at OPFT. She is a sophomore at the Chicago College of Performing Arts working towards a B.F.A. in Acting. Her previous credits include The Wild Party (Mae), Inherit the Wind (Rachel Brown) and Learned Ladies (Martine & Lepine).
Catherine Healey (Administrative Internship) is thrilled to join OPFT as an intern for her first summer in Chicago! Catherine is a recent graduate from Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut where she earned her BA degree in Theater. Additional training includes semesters at the Gaiety School of Acting (Dublin, Ireland) and the National Theater Institute (Waterford, CT). Previous credits include Susan in bobrauschenbergamerica by Charles Mee (dir. by Kimberly Senior) and Tour Guide in Information for Foreigners by Griselda Gambaro (Connecticut College).
Brianna Jones (Administrative Internship) is a senior at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga and is completing both a BA degree in Theatre and a BS degree in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management. Recent university credits includes A Doll’s House Part 2 (Nora), By The Way Meet Vera Stark (Lottie McBride/ Carmen Levy-Green) ,and Eurydice (Big Stone), This is Brianna’s first time working for OPFT and she is excited to learn more about the arts administrative process.
Max Martin (General Internship) currently studies acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. He is thrilled to be spending the summer working with Oak Park Festival Theatre. Max grew up in Naperville, Illinois and he also studied acting last year at Chicago College of Performing Arts. Other Chicago area professional work includes Friedrich in The Sound of Music (BrightSide Theatre in Naperville) and the role of The Caddie in Fairways (The Steel Beam Theatre in St. Charles).
Matthew Rohan (General Internship) will be a sophomore pursuing a BFA in Stage Management at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In high school, he served as the Stage Manager for the Illinois All-State Company of Big Fish, produced by the Illinois Theatre Association. Previous collegiate credits include Footloose (ASM), Studio Dance I and Extended (ASM), and Marat/Sade (PA). In the coming fall semester, he will serve as the Stage Manager for Songs for a New World and the Production Stage Manager for the Armory Free Theatre.
Meredith Rupp (General Internship) is thrilled to join Oak Park Festival Theatre for her first summer as an intern. Meredith is a recent graduate of Kenyon College with a degree in Drama with a focus in acting. Some of her previous credits include her senior thesis, Slowgirl (Becky), Crimes of the Heart (Chick), and a staged reading of I’m Revolting (Lucinda) by Gracie Gardner.
Joshua Stein (General Internship) will be a Sophomore at Rider University. He is pursuing a major in Musical Theatre with a minor in Psychology. This is his first summer in Chicago and his first summer working with OPFT and he is thrilled to jump into the vibrant Chicago theatre scene. Previous credits include Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus), Dogfight (Birdlace), and Billy Elliot (Braithwaite/Older Billy). He is also the founding captain of the Rider Brunks improv team at Rider University.
Sarah Valeika (General Internship) will be a sophomore at Yale University, pursuing a double major in Theater Studies and Psychology. This is Sarah’s first summer with OPFT and she is incredibly grateful to have joined this community! Previous credits include The Matchmaker (Dolly Levi), The Glass Menagerie (Laura Wingfield), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Helena).
Kierra Walker (General Internship) will be a senior at University of Iowa, focusing on Stage Management. She’s been involved with the university’s New Play Festival and school productions. This is her first summer working at OPFT and she is excited to share contributions to the team!
Sophia Zinger (General Internship) This is Sophia’s first summer working at OPFT and they could not be more excited. Sophia is a Sophomore at Millikin University, where they are pursuing a major in Acting and a minor in Gender Studies. Their collegiate credits include Julius Caesar (Flavius/Lepidus), The [Blank] Monologues (Writer/Actor), and a staged reading of Seminar (Kate). They are also an Artistic Associate of Millikin’s prison outreach class, Shakespeare Corrected.
LET’S GET SOCIAL!
CONTRIBUTE TO AN EXCITING TRADITION!
Oak Park Festival Theatre is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, charitable organization. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.[give_form id=”4488″]