Under the leadership of Artistic Director Barbara Gaines and Executive Director Criss Henderson, Chicago Shakespeare has redefined what a great American Shakespeare theater can be—a company that defies theatrical category. This Regional Tony Award-winning theater’s year-round season features as many as twenty productions and 650 performances—including plays, musicals, world premieres, family programming, and presentations from around the globe. The work is enjoyed by 225,000 audience members annually, with one in four under the age of eighteen. Chicago Shakespeare is the city’s leading producer of international work, and touring its own productions across five continents has garnered multiple accolades, including the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award. Emblematic of its role as a global theater, the company spearheaded Shakespeare 400 Chicago, celebrating A NOTE FROM Shakespeare’s legacy in a citywide, yearlong international arts and culture festival, which engaged 1.1 CREATOR PHIA MÉNARD million people. The Theater’s nationally acclaimed arts in literacy programs support the work of English FROM FRANCE and drama teachers, and bring Shakespeare to life on stage for tens of thousands of their students What is the life expectancy of each school year. Over the summer, the company tours a professional production of Shakespeare’s COMPAGNIE NON NOVA’S a plastic bag? From crude oil work, free for all, to neighborhood parks across the city. In 2017 the Theater unveiled The Yard at polyethylene to the moment it Chicago Shakespeare—with its innovative design that has changed the shape of theater architecture. is thrown away? How long is it Together with the Jentes Family Courtyard Theater and the Thoma Theater Upstairs, The Yard positions actually in use? Chicago Shakespeare as the city’s most versatile performing arts center. Not long at all compared to BARBARA GAINES CRISS HENDERSON the length of time it will then Artistic Director Executive Director stray across the planet, blown Carl and Marilynn Thoma Chair and buffeted by the wind. ARTISTIC ADVANCEMENT STAGE MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS/FACILITIES RICK BOYNTON E. BROOKE FLANAGAN DEBORAH ACKER SUSAN KNILL This is where its real life begins; its autonomous Production Stage Manager/ Creative Producer Managing Director for Facilities and Operations Director life. A little anonymous plastic bag amongst the Advancement and External Affairs Associate Producer BOB MASON JEANNE DEVORE DOTTIE BRIS-BOIS CLAIRE HAUPT Technology Manager world’s countless little plastic bags, on its way to Artistic Associate/ Associate Director of Advancement CST L’Apres Project Coordinator Casting Director DANIEL LOPEZ a rot-proof eternity. JENNY SEIDELMAN Assistant Facilities Manager AISLINN FRANTZ Director of Partnerships SCENERY Associate Producer FELIX ROSS created by PHIA MÉNARD Let’s hope there’s a strong wind to help it KRISTEN CARUSO ANGELA MCMAHON Custodial Supervisor DOREEN SAYEGH Senior Advancement Manager/ ROBERT L. WILSON overcome any obstacles, to carry it across Manager of International Board Liaison Scenery Supervisors DWAYNE BREWER and Special Projects FLOYD CONWAY oceans and mountains, to encounter new GRACE SCHNECK CALEB MCANDREW MARIBEL CUEVAS ROSIE BROSS Advancement Manager Technical Coordinator RESHARD HUFF possibilities and to try out different lives. Producing Assistant OCTAVIOUS MOODY BRYAN HOWARD JACK BIRDWELL TYLER GUYNES TAMAL STEVENS DIEGO ZOZAYA Grant Writer RICHARD TENNY Interim Casting Assistant ADAM HELD What if we humans, so firmly anchored to the EMILY MCCLANATHAN MICHAEL JANSSENS SHENISE THOMAS ground, could escape the pull of gravity and fly MIKEY GRAY Advancement Communications ADAM TODD Custodial Assistants Assistant to the Coordinator House Carpenters Creative Producer with the wind, free at last, carried along by the KARL SISSMAN TICKETING, GUEST arbitrary waltz of the air? ALYSSA SOTO VIP Concierge and Stewardship COSTUMES SERVICES AND EVENTS Casting Intern Coordinator RYAN MAGNUSON MAKEDA COHRAN VIKTORIA STEFANOVA Costume Shop Manager Events Director What if we were unconsciously feeding our MANAGEMENT Donor Records and Data Coordinator CATHY TANTILLO CAITLIN DUNLAP thirst for the discovery of unknown territories, DEBORAH VANDERGRIFT Costume Design Assistant Front of House Coordinator/ General Manager FRANCZESKA VELEZ House Manager fighting uncertain battles to make each one Advancement Coordinator REBECCA DOROSHUK DANIEL J. HESS Wardrobe Supervisor VICTORIA GILBERT of our members part of us, autonomous Company Manager MELANIE LEFTAKES RAECHEL KARAS and uncontrollable. KEVIN SPELLMAN Advancement Intern ELECTRICS JENN OSWALD Associate General Manager ALEX ROGGOW JEFF GLASS House Managers SAMANTHA BRAZILLER MARKETING Lighting Supervisor Upright or upside down, free up those hands, Executive Assistant MEL GILL JULIE STANTON ALEC THORNE Concessions Supervisor Director of Marketing and Sales be the object of all motion and movement. Just BEN GATES-UTTER Assistant Lighting Supervisor BESSIE BESS –THE STAGE Company Management Associate HANNAH KENNEDY a sound in the air’s caress. Public Relations Director JOAN E. CLAUSSEN ERIN HUNTER EDWARD MCCREARY Lighting Crew Head JENNIFER SLOAN KRISSI MCEACHERN CATHY TAYLOR Interim Box Office Supervisors Arts Leadership Fellows Public Relations Consultant MARTHA TEMPLETON This performance piece uses a simple turbine Lighting Technician MICHAEL RUSSELL in order to create a vortex. The little plastic bag AMANDA CANTLIN JACQUELINE POJASEK Senior Marketing Manager BRIAN ELSTON Concessions Leads EDUCATION AND MEGHAN ERXLEBEN characters evolve in the air space, responding COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT JESSICA CONNOR TRISTAN MEREDITH ANTHONY BALDASARE to the movement of the air, which is in turn MARILYN J. HALPERIN Marketing and Communications ALI WOJCIEWICZ DANIEL BALSAMO Director of Education Associate Electricians REBECCA BOERMAN controlled by the protagonist. and Communications TYRA BULLOCK Ray and Judy McCaskey Chair MIKAYLA SHAW MEGAN CLAUHS Marketing Assistant SOUND JASON HARRINGTON BYRON COOLIE Education Outreach Manager ABIGAIL TOTH JOSEPH DISBROW ANGELA COTEY Digital Marketing Manager Sound Crew Head SARA CROUNSE MOLLY TRUGLIA NICK CUELLAR Learning Programs Manager DANIEL WALTERS MAT PIOTROWSKI MEAGAN EDWARDS Marketing and Communications Sound Technician JEFFREY GOUGIS SARA B.T. THIEL, PH.D Designer Public Humanities Manager TIFFANY GOUGIS AARON WEGNER WIGS AND MAKE-UP BRITTNEY GRANT PASSION ROCHELLE MAYA HOPKINS Marketing Manager, RICHARD JARVIE ANASTASIA WRENN Insights and Analytics KATE LASS Education Interns Wig and Make-up Supervisor BRI MCCABE RACHEL HOLDERMAN MIGUEL ARMSTRONG WILL NICHOLSON FINANCE MADISON KESSELRING Wig and Make-up Assistant DIANNE NORA #CHICAGOSHAKES #CHIPUPPETFEST Marketing Interns ZACHARY PARKHURST LINDA ORELLANA MEGAN PIRTLE DARA PRENTISS Director of Finance PRODUCTION Wig and Make-up Apprentice MAYA PRENTISS KATIE RANEY Annual support perennially provided by The Davee Foundation WorldStage Fund DAN GRYCZA CHRIS PLEVIN PROPERTIES XAVIER ROE Human Resources Manager/ ANTHONY SANTIAGO Finance Associate Director of Production CASSANDRA WESTOVER AUDREY SIMON MAJOR 2018/19 SEASON SUPPORTERS ALANA RYBAK JEFF WILLIAMS Properties Supervisor EMIL SUECK Assistant Director of Finance Associate Director of Production MARA RICH HANNAH WILLIAMS Front of House Associates ALYSSE HUNTER EMMALINE KEDDY-HECTOR Assistant Properties Supervisor Accounting Manager Production Coordinator LISA GRIEBEL SARA BENBELLA ANEYA COBBS BECKY TRAISMAN ALEXA BERKOWITZ Properties Carpenter Production Office Manager BLAKE CORDELL Accounting Associate AARON ROBERTS ALEXIS FACEMYRE ZOE ROSENFELD Lead individual support provided by Raymond and Judy McCaskey, Burton X. and Sheli Z. Rosenberg, Production Management Box Office Associates Timothy R. Schwertfeger and Gail Waller, Carl and Marilynn Thoma, and Donna Van Eekeren Foundation. Apprentice BARBARA GAINES CRISS HENDERSON Artistic Director Executive Director Carl and Marilynn Thoma Chair JEAN-LOUIS OUVRARD (Performer) A professional actor since 1983, Mr. Ouvrard has PROFILES trained in contemporary dance, clown, mask, mime, voice techniques, gestural theater, RICK BOYNTON E. BROOKE FLANAGAN and object theater. Jean-Louis is also a choreographer and costume designer. Creative Producer Managing Director for PHIA MÉNARD (Artistic Director & Creator) After watching Jérôme Thomas’s show Advancement and External Affairs Extraballe in 1991, Ms. Ménard felt an overwhelming desire to train in the performing In 1991 he co-founded Théâtre ZOU and performed in Un coup de pied dans les étoiles arts, so she began training in modern dance, mime, acting, and juggling. In 1994 she (A Kick in the Stars), Jean-François la Malice (Jean-François the Wickedness), and 669. studied juggling techniques and theatrical composition with Jérôme Thomas, and He then directed Poème élastique (Elastic Poem) and AXIS. In association with went on to join his company, performing in Hic Hoc. It was during her globetrotting tours with this company that her desire to write grew, and she defined her personal Mr. Ouvrard created Les Dimezelles for the company Arcalande, Racontines à croquer Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival vision of contemporary art forms. As artist and improviser, she created numerous (Little Bites of Tales) and T’aime Pousse for Théâtre du Pré en bulles, and Tako’solo for shows for the company up until 2003: Le Socle (The Pedestal), le Banquet (The the percussionist Thierry Ouvrard. He also participated in the