WRIGHTS OF SPRING - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Professor, Head of Arts Leadership
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Development
Job Titles:
- Professional Associate
- Actor
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- Theatre Studies Student Advising Associate
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- Member of the Sustaining Board
- Vice President, Labor and Employee Relations / Exelon Corporation
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- Chairman of Theatre Studies, Head of Playwriting
Job Titles:
- Acting & Performance Politics, Pop Culture, and the Stage
Job Titles:
- Professional Associate
- Actor & Playright
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Design and Technology Head of Lighting Design
Job Titles:
- Member of the Stage Management Team at Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Christine D. Freeburg has been a member of the stage management team at Steppenwolf Theatre Company for 15 years. Her work there has included such favorites as MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT, The Minutes, Linda Vista, The Herd, The Tempest, and Cherry Orchard. Ms. Freeburg has worked internationally at the Galway Arts Festival in Galway, Ireland; regionally at Long Wharf Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, and the Weston Playhouse; and locally at Northlight Theatre, Court Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, and Apple Tree Theatre. She is an alumna of The Theatre School at DePaul University and an adjunct faculty member. Ms. Freeburg has been a proud member of Actors Equity Association, the labor union representing actors and stage managers in theatre, for 23 years.
Job Titles:
- Audience Services Manager
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- Associate Dean for Curriculum and Instruction Theatre Studies
Job Titles:
- Professional Associate
- Executive Director / Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean of Interdisciplinary Initiatives and Academic Innovation and Professor of Directing and Acting
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- Group Sales Representative and Marketing Assistant
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- Jewish Cultural Impact on Theater, Seminar on Race, Power, & Resistance
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean
- Associate Dean, Interim Head of Theatre Arts
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- Professional Associate
- Director / Former Artistic Director, Victory Gardens Theater
Job Titles:
- Head of Graduate Acting Artistic Director, the Theatre School Showcase
Job Titles:
- Diversity Advisor at the Theatre School
Dexter Zollicoffer serves as the Diversity Advisor at The Theatre School and is a recipient of the 2011-2012 Sprit of DePaul award. Along with administrative duties, other activities include mentorship to students and supporting the school in graduating young artists who will be prepared and inspired to enter an ever-evolving multi-cultural society. Dexter also partners with other offices at DePaul University that advocate for DePaul's Diversity mission. He serves as the writer/director for DePaul's Mile Walker summer acting troupe in partnership with the Office of Diversity Education. The Mile Walkers perform during Premiere DePaul summer orientations and provide summer employment for up to 12 undergraduate students through the creation of a show that focuses on culture and identity. Each year Dexter writes and directs a celebratory performance based on the life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and has solidified a partnership with DePaul's Center for Intercultural Programs to perform the original piece during their annual Martin Luther King Jr. prayer breakfast. Dexter also served as the writer and director for The Theatre School's contribution to the university-wide 350th anniversary celebration of the lives of St. Vincent DePaul and St. Louise de Marillac: Ma Fille, Ma Naturelle: My Natural Daughter St. Louise de Marillac, supported by a generous grant from DePaul's Office of Mission and Values. Dexter is a professional actor and proud member of Actors Equity Association. He was last seen in Dartmoo r Prison at The Goodman Theatre, To Kill a Mockingbird at Steppenwolf and The Overwhelming at Next Theatre Company (Black Theatre Alliance Award nomination for Best Leading Actor, Joseph Jefferson nomination for Best Production at a Mid-Sized Theatre). Other credits include Blues for an Alabama Sky (BTAA award for Best Supporting Actor); The Odyssey, directed by Tony Award-winning director Mary Zimmerman, and A Christmas Carol at The Goodman Theatre; Relatively Close, The Sutherland (BTAA nomination for Best leading actor); and Knock Me a Kiss (BTAA nomination for Best supporting actor) at Victory Gardens Theater. He has also performed in productions at numerous other local and Regional theatres including: Berkeley Repertory, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theatre, Seattle Repertory, Madison Repertory, Steppenwolf Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Court Theatre, BoarsHead Theater, American Blues Theatre, and Northlight Theatre. He was recently seen as a guest star on the ABC crime drama Detroit 1-8-7 as well as numerous commercials, voice-overs and industrials.
Job Titles:
- Head of Theatre Management
Job Titles:
- Head
- Trainer
- Construction and Rigging
Ed Leahy is Head Trainer and Cruise Ship Division Manager at Chicago Flyhouse, and an entertainment industry veteran. He develops and implements Flyhouse safe rigging training curriculum for theater technicians at convention centers, universities, commercial venues, and cruise ships around the globe.
Job Titles:
- Manager of PR & Special Events
- Manager of Public Relations & Special Events
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Head
- Head of Wig & Makeup Design and Technology
Erin Lunsford (she/her) is the founder and head wig designer for HERO HAIR: The REEL Wig Experience™, and Journeyman Member of IATSE Local 798. As a Broadway wig, hair and makeup designer of more than a decade, a Wig Master, Department Head, and Key Hairstylist for both the motion picture, and television silver & streaming screens, Erin brings nearly 20 years of experience to inspire, train and guide the next generations of artists and artisans in the industry.
Erin's formal wig, hair, and makeup credits have included several Broadway productions, as well as off-Broadway and regional theaters from Playwrights Horizons and The Signature Theater, to the University of Michigan's School of Music Theater and Dance, and Syracuse Stages, among many others. She has worked with Academy Award® winners/ nominees, and Emmy® award winners/nominees like Angela Lansbury, America Ferrera, Richard E. Grant, Adam Driver, Michael J. Fox, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Robert Redford. Beyond elevating the craft of wig making and design, Erin's expertise includes everything from "period-to-contemporary" wig and facial hair creation, to hairstyling and makeup artistry, where she has successfully achieved both era-accurate, and era-inspired looks in nearly every historical time-period and genre of production. Erin has a BA from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.
Job Titles:
- Professional Associate
- Co - Artistic Director / Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Job Titles:
- Animator
- Projection Design 3
Hillary Leben is an animator and projection designer specializing in video creation for classical music, opera and ballet. A graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she has designed projections for The London Philharmonia, The San Francisco Symphony, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Opera Theater, Milwaukee Rep, Silk Road Ensemble, the Handel and Hadyn Society and others. In addition to projection design, she also works throughout Chicago as a motion graphics designer and video editor.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sustaining Board
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Admissions
Job Titles:
- Commercial Theatre Management, Arts Leadership II
Job Titles:
- Artist
- Executive Assistant to the Dean
Janie is a folk artist focused on the creation of immersive theatre. When not at The Theatre School, Janie creates new immersive work alongside fellow alums Lauren Fields, Sarah McElroy, and Associate Dean, Dean Corrin. Birch House Immersive, founded in 2017, seeks to accomplish one thing: remove the barriers that typically exist between performers and audience; to extend a hand across the proscenium, inviting you, the audience, to join on equal footing in exploring (and sometimes creating) the story. Janie graduated from The Theatre School in 2015 with a BFA in Playwriting.
Jason is a freelance director, producer, and actor. He was a founding member of Caffeine Theatre in Chicago where he served as the Managing Director for seven years and the Producing Artistic Director for two years. For Caffeine he produced 21 shows over eight years, including seven Joseph Jefferson Award-nominated productions.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sustaining Board
- Strategy
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Academic Services
Jeanne M. Williams began her studies at The Theatre School at DePaul University when it was still known as The Goodman School of Drama. She received her bachelor's degree from Columbia College in 1986 and joined AEA in 1991, while performing in Lend Me A Tenor at The Royal George. It was also in this same year that she married alum David Williams. In 1995 Jeanne and David decided to start a family and now have three boys - Taylor, Logan and Cody.
During her down time as mother and Coordinator of Academic Services Jeanne works as a volunteer at her children's school mounting a yearly Variety Show, in addition to chaperoning field trips and other Burley School events.
Job Titles:
- Theatre Technical Director
Job Titles:
- Wig and Makeup Shop Supervisor
Job Titles:
- Performance for Non - Majors Politics, Pop Culture, and the Stage
Job Titles:
- Freelance Scenic and Costume Designer
- Technical
Job Titles:
- Theatre Assistant Technical Director
Job Titles:
- Professional Associate
- Actor
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sustaining Board
- President / Antunovich & Associates
Job Titles:
- Manager of Information Technology and Operations
Job Titles:
- Making Plays: Theatre and the Art of Production, Discover Chicago
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- Director of Development for the Arts
Kemper Florin (she/her/they/them) brings with her over a decade's worth of experience in non-profit arts management. A classically trained opera singer, Ms. Florin is passionate about building authentic connections through a mutual love of the arts. Before joining DePaul, Ms. Florin served as the Director of Development at The People's Music School where she worked to ensure hundreds of students throughout Chicago had access to a high quality tuition-free arts education. Kemper holds degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Eastman School of Music, and maintains an active performing career singing in ensembles including the Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago's Music of the Baroque, Austin-based Conspirare and Cincinnati-based Vocal Arts Ensemble.
Job Titles:
- Director of Marketing and Public Relations
- Media & Marketing Inquiries
Job Titles:
- Head of Movement Studio Artistic Director
Job Titles:
- Business Operations Manager
- Business Operations Manager for the Theatre School at DePaul University
Kumari currently serves as the Business Operations Manager for The Theatre School at DePaul University. Prior to working at The Theatre School, Kumari served as the Senior Administrative Assistant and Budget & Operations Manager for DePaul University's Undergraduate Admissions office. Prior to Undergraduate Admissions, Kumari served as Administrative Assistant/CAEA Coordinator in DePaul's School for New Learning (now the School for Continuing and Professional Studies). She also currently serves on Staff Council and is part of the DePaul Women's Network.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sustaining Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sustaining Board
- Director of Finance / CineSky Pictures, LLC
Job Titles:
- Interim Head of Costume Technology
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sustaining Board
- Director of Business Development / Elite General Contractors
Job Titles:
- the Entrepreneurial Actor
Job Titles:
- Musical Theatre Workshop, Voice & Speech IV
Job Titles:
- Director, Actor
- Director, Creative Root
Mechelle Moe is a director, actor and arts educator. She is a company member of TimeLine Theatre, associate artist at Griffin Theater Company, founding member of The Hypocrites and the Artistic Director of The Yard. Mechelle works as a teaching artist for Lookingglass, Lifeline and also serves as the Director of Education at Raven Theatre. Recent directing credits include: Rutherford and Son, Cardboard Piano and In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play with TimeLine Theatre and Columbinus with The Yard. She received a Jeff citation for actress in principal role for her performance in Sophie Treadwell's Machinal with The Hypocrites and a nomination for actress in principal role for Ferber & Kaufman's Stage Door with Griffin Theatre. In her acting career, Mechelle has appeared in over 40 productions locally with companies such as TimeLine, Court, Griffin, etc. Mechelle graduated with honors from the University of Illinois Chicago with both a bachelors in Theater as well as Anthropology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sustaining Board
- Chairman / W.E. O'Neil Construction Company
Job Titles:
- Lighting Technology, Design Workshop
Job Titles:
- Artistic Director of Playworks
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sustaining Board
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Performance Movement
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sustaining Board
- President / CEO / Chiaravalle & Associates
Job Titles:
- Professional Associate
- Weather / Reporter
Job Titles:
- Professional Associate
- Actor
Job Titles:
- Performance for Non - Majors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sustaining Board
- CEO / the Kenneth Group, LLC
Job Titles:
- Performance for Non - Majors
Job Titles:
- Acting & Performance, Performance Workshop
Job Titles:
- Professional Associate
- ADAMS Associate Artistic Director / the Roundabout Theatre / Scott and Samantha
Job Titles:
- Head of Theatre Technology, Head of Projection Design
Shane Kelly is the co-author , with Jay O. Glerum, of the upcoming 4th edition of Stage Rigging Handbook. He is co-founder and Executive Director of Chicago's Cloudgate Theatre. Recent Chicago credits include production management for Welcome Yule! at Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Society, DePaul's School of Music Opera, and Taizé Pilgrimage of Trust. Nationally he has worked as the Opera Technical Director and Sound Design Instructor at University of Northern Colorado, Assistant Technical Director at American Repertory Theatre (A.R.T.) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Carpenter and Rigger at Guthrie Theatre and a freelance scenic, sound, and lighting designer. Internationally he was the Associate Director of Education for SpaceLab at the 2015 Prague Quadrennial and Technical Director for Six Acts at the 2011 Prague Quadrennial Scenofest. He has an MFA in Technical Production from the Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) at the University of Delaware.
Job Titles:
- Chairman Emeritus
- Chairman of the Board
- Member of the Sustaining Board
Sully Ratke is a Chicago-based theatre maker, and an artistic associate at Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago and The Actors Gymnasium in Evanston. She has worked with various Chicago theatres including Steppenwolf Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, The Marriott Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, The Irish Theatre of Chicago, The Gift Theatre and others. Her work has traveled to The Municipal Theatre of Saint Louis, The Arena Stage in Washington D.C., The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, The McCarter Theatre in Princeton, and South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa. Her work has been nominated for awards in Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. She continues to write, create and design in Chicago while teaching design at various institutions in and around the city, including The University of Chicago, Northwestern University, DePaul University, Columbia College, and North Central College.
Job Titles:
- History of Dramatic Literature
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sustaining Board
- CEO & Founder / Lakewood Strategy & Consulting LLC
Todd Hensley is a lighting designer and theatre consultant. He began his career in Chicago on the lighting staff at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, working with such designers as Duane Schuler, Jennifer Tipton, and Ken Billington. After the Lyric, he continued to design stage lighting for opera and theatre nationwide. He joined the staff of Schuler Shook Theatre Planners / Lighting Designers and is now a partner in the firm.
Todd's lighting design for opera includes productions for Florida Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera, Washington National Opera, the Skylight, Lyric Opera of Chicago's Opera Center, Chicago Opera Theatre, San Diego Opera, and the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. Notable productions include Six Characters in Search of an Author for the Lyric Opera Center; Carouse l and the premiere of From the Towers of the Moon for Minnesota Opera; Florencia en al Amazonas and the premiere of The Tale of Lady Thi Kinh for the Jacobs School. Theatre work includes designs for Geva Theatre, Kansas City Rep, Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis, and Laguna Playhouse. His work in Chicago theatre includes productions fo r Northlight, Court, Chicago Children's, and Victory Gardens Theater, including nine years as its Resident Lighting Designer.
Tomer Yogev - Founder, Managing Director
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Managing Director
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sustaining Board
Job Titles:
- Member of the Sustaining Board
Job Titles:
- History of Dramatic Literature
Job Titles:
- Professional Associate
- Screenwriter & Director