The Chicago Theater-Makers Podcast

Today’s guest is a playwright, actor, and composer, who started his career acting in Off-Broadway and Regional Theaters including The Public Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, Playwright’s Realm, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Victory Gardens, and Actors Theatre of Louisville. He is also a member of Lucille Lortel winning group, The Pack.

As a playwright & composer, his plays and musicals have been developed at such distinguished organizations such as Pittsburgh CLO’s Spark Festival, Victory Garden’s Ignition Festival, Ars Nova’s Ant Fest, The O’Neill’s National Musical Theatre Conference and from there, have gone on to be produced all across the country.

His live-looped, hip hop solo show “Where Did We Sit on the Bus?” has been produced at Teatro Vista, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Geva Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville and many more garnering awards and nominations along the way. His play “Kid Prince and Pablo”, received its World Premiere at The Kennedy Center in the Fall of 2019. His Cumbia Hip Hop musical “Somewhere Over the Border” made its rolling World Premiere at Syracuse Stage, Geva Theatre, and Teatro Vista, garnering 6 Jeff Award nominations including Best New Work and Best Musical.

He is a four-time Jeff Award winner, two-time Drama Desk winner, a two-time Lucile Lortel winner, a Helen Hayes Award winner and a proud member of The Ensemble Studio Theatre.

Currently, his live-looped hip-hop musical “MEXODUS” is on tour, playing to sold-out crowds across the country and this week, arrives at Chicago’s Studebaker Theater from November 7th through 21st. For tickets you can visit this link.

To hear the single, "Two Bodies" on Spotify, use this link.

To listen to the entire "Mexodus" album on Audible, use this link.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Brian Quijada. Now let’s go to the top of the show!

Today’s guests are the Executive Director and Artistic Director, at Remy Bumppo Theatre.

Artistic Director Marti Lyons received her BFA in Performance from Illinois Wesleyan University, and an MFA in Theatre from University of Idaho. As an educator, she has taught at University of Chicago, Northwestern, and University of Illinois at Chicago.Marti is as at ease directing Shakespeare as she is with new works. She has directed throughout the Chicagoland area and the country, including several world premieres such as JOHN PROCTOR IS THE VILLAIN at Studio Theatre, HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF at Actors Theatre of Louisville and Victory Gardens Theatre, WIFE OF A SALESMAN at Milwaukee Rep; and GEORGIANA AND KITTY: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY at Northlight Theatre.

She was a 2015 Maggio Directing Fellow at The Goodman Theatre and in 2019, won the LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Direction and Production of Geffen Playhouse’s WITCH. She is also an ensemble member and is a proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

Margaret McCloskey has been with Remy Bumppo Theatre Company since 2014, serving as Director of Development and Managing Director before becoming Executive Director in 2020.Previously, Margaret was a fundraising consultant with Aaron Consulting in New York City, managing major fundraising campaigns for nonprofit organizations, and served in the Office of Communications at the Ford Foundation.

She began her career in Chicago, holding positions at Chicago Opera Theater​ and the League of Chicago Theatres.Margaret holds an MFA in Playwriting from The New School for Drama in New York City and a BFA in Theatre Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her work has been produced in New York at the Bank Street Theater and The Producers Club, in Pittsburgh at Open Stage Theatre’s New Works Festival, and in Chicago at Chicago Dramatists and Bailiwick Repertory Theatre. Her play OLD HEAD received the Arts & Letters Prize in Drama, and she was a finalist for the Montblanc Young Writers Project for The 24 Hour Plays.

Remy Bumppo's MUD ROW is running now through November 15th at TheaterWit. For special industry night performances, you can use the code INDUSTRY (all CAPS) for $20 tickets and visit this link. Non-industry tickets can be purchased here.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Marti Lyons and Margaret McCloskey. Now let’s go to the top of the show!

Hi everyone! JMC here with the Chicago Theater-Makers Podcast with a quick message that we’re taking a short break this week to catch up with the content we already have in the can for Season 4!
This season we continue with an incredible variety of guests, starting on October 26th with the Artistic and Executive directors of Remy Bumppo Theater, Marti Lyons and Margaret McCloskey.

November is going to be an exciting month of incoming touring productions, starting on November 2nd when we chat with the writer and star of the smash hit “Mexodus”, Brian Quijada, as well as two of the stars of the 20th Anniversary tour of “Jersey Boys”, Peyton Schoenhofer and Coby Oram.

On November 8th we drop a two part episode where we interview director Elizabeth Margolius and set designer Nick Schons, as well as Anna Rigo and Rowan Sharma of Northwestern University’s upcoming of “She Loves Me” (the production for which I am also proudly serving as choreographer).

Later that month, we chat with good friends and recent Jeff Award winners from Drury Lane’s production of “On Your Feet,” winner for choreography, Luis Salgado and winner for supporting role in a musical Claudia Quesada.

Rounding out November and the beginning of December are the star of Theater Wit’s annual production of “Who’s Holiday”, Veronica Garza and owner of Wilmette’s Actor’s Training Center, Carole Dibo.

Later in December, we return with two episodes in our Our “Out Of The Loop” series; The first with Broadway veteran George Dvorsky and the second with Broadway and Hollywood director Kenny Leon , about his new book, Direction: Making the Most of the Performance of Your Life.

So, while we’re taking a break this week, we welcome you to catch up on any past episodes or revisit some of your old favorites!

Finally, we want to thank all of our fans and supporters for taking the time to like, subscribe to and share this podcast with your friends and colleagues who you think would enjoy the conversations we’re having. We greatly appreciate your support in this way so we can bring you many more episodes for years to come.

Thanks again for listening and remember to catch Season 4 starting on October 26th wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll see you on the boards soon!

Today’s guests are the director and one of the stars of Vape: The Grease Parody Musical now playing at Chicago’s Apollo theater.

Director Jack Plotnick has built a career as an award-winning, actor, director and performance coach. He has performed in countless TV shows, commercials and feature films. You most likely recognize Jack from the series regular and recurring roles on Grace and Frankie, Z Nation, The Mentalist, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Reno 911, Action and drawn together.

Jack wrote and directed the Sony pictures feature film Space Station 76 starring Patrick Wilson Lyv Tyler and Matt Bomer. He also wrote and directed the Broadway musical Disaster! which became a NY Times Critic’s Pick.

Suzanne Sole is an actor, comedian, writer and singer who recently relocated back to Chicago. Suzanne’s stage credits include Dolly Tait in Annie Get Your Gun at Ravinia, Muriel Eubanks in the National Tour of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, E. B. Janet on the North American tour of SPANK! The Fifty Shades Parody, and on screen she appeared in Chicago PD, Joey and The New Partridge Family.

Her original solo show, Nice to Meet Me - A Comedy Cabaret About Awakening to Yourself blends comedy, cabaret characters, and storytelling. Susanne is also the creator and host of The Spiritual Shit Show with Suzanne Sole; A podcast about navigating the messy, funny deeply human business of being a person.

Vape the Musical is playing now through January 3 at Chicago’s Apollo Theatre. For tickets, you can visit the link in our show notes.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Jack Plotnick and Susanne Sole. Now let’s go to the top of the show!

Today’s guests are the writer and one of the stars of Dead Girl’ s Quinceañera currently running at the Goodman Theater. The Goodman is the second stop of the play’s triple collective world premiere, where it began at Barrington Stage earlier this summer and from here will debut at Hartford Stage in Spring of 2027.

Writer Phanésia Pharel is a Haitian-American playwright and screenwriter from a dragon fruit farm in Miami and the daughter of an immigrant teacher and farmer.

Her plays have been developed at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference, New Harmony Project, Playwrights’ Center, New York Stage and Film, SolFest, Shattered Globe, and Echo Theater Company.

Phanésia is the Playwriting Fellow (2025–2027) at Emory University, where she serves as a visiting professor and will have a new play produced by the university’s repertory company. She is also member of the Obie Award-winning EST/Youngblood group and The Wish Collective. As a screenwriter, she is an alumna of Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Screenwriting Lab.

Most recently, she recently made her Off-Broadway debut at the WP Theater with her play The Waterfall, which was co-produced by Thrown Stone.

Actress Ariana Burks, is a born and bred Chicago Native whose credits span across the country.

Her very first theatrical credit was as Little Inez in Drury Lane Theatre’s production of Hairspray! Since then she has been seen on area stages including 8 years in the Goodman’s perennial favorite, A Christmas Carol, at Steppenwolf in both The Compass and Dance Nation, in Paramount’s Hairspray and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Gospel at Colonus and Antigone at Court Theatre, Porchlight’s Spring Awakening and Urinetown at BoHo Theatre. From there, she appeared in The Muny’s In The Heights, Broadway’s Real Women Have Curves and most recently the 1st National Tour of Suffs. Her Film and TV credits include Beats, South Side, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Neon Galaxy.

Dead Girl's Quinceanera is playing in the Goodman’s Owen Theatre now through November 1st. For tickets visit this link.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Ariana Burks and Phanesia Pharel. Now let’s go to the top of the show!

Today’s guest is a proud member of the Artistic Ensemble at A Red Orchid Theatre and has served as their Artistic Director since 2008.

As an actor she has originated roles in the world premieres of The Cave, Grey House, Traitor, Pilgrim’s Progress and Weapon of Mass Impact (A Red Orchid); at the Goodman in Swing State and I hate It Here ; at Victory Gardens in Lettie and Appropriate; AND at Steppenwolf in Mary Page Marlow and The Qualms. Among some her additional acting favorites, she includes Clybourn Park at Steppenwolf), Sweat at Goodman, Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage at Defiant, and both The Sea Horse and Abigail’s Party at A Red Orchid.

On TV she has been seen in Dark Matter, Shining Girls, Somebody Somewhere, The Exorcist, Sirens, The Big Leap, Chicago Med/Fire/Justice, Underemployed, ER and in the films Rain Reign, Widows and Working Man.

Recent directing credits include the world premiere of Gorgeous by Keiko Green for Raven & Rivendell Theatres, Dance Nation at Northwestern University’s Wirtz Center, as well as The Moors and Birds of North America at A Red Orchid. Birds of North America went on to win this year’s Equity Jeff Awards in 4 categories: Best Production of a Play, Best Director a Play, Best Sound Design (all in the Midsize category) and Best Original Music for a Play.

A Red Orchid’s production of ‘Birds of North America’ is back by popular demand and running now through October 4th. For tickets, you can visit this link.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Kirsten Fitzgerald. Now let’s go to the top of the show!

From its humble beginnings at the Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ where they remained until this year’s grand opening of their new home at 5035 N. Broadway, TimeLine Theatre’s focus has remained unchanged: To present stories inspired by history that connect with today’s social and political issues. Today's guest is one of the co-founders and current Artistic Director of TimeLine.

Since becoming Artistic Director in 1999, he has overseen the production of more than 80 plays, including 12 world premieres and more than 38 Chicago premieres.
During his tenure, TimeLine has garnered 60 Jeff Awards, including 11 for Outstanding Production, as well as awards for excellence in arts management, including the 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.

He was instrumental in establishing TimeLine’s original home on Wellington Avenue; expanding the company’s programming to include productions in numerous other venues, including the Broadway Playhouse; creating the TimePieces play reading series and First Draft Festival of new work; launching the Living History Education Program in Chicago Public Schools under the direction of TimeLine co-founder Juliet Hart; and of course planning for TimeLine’s new home in Uptown.

As an actor, he has appeared in 18 productions at TimeLine, including THE APPLE FAMILY PLAYS: THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING, THE FRONT PAGE, THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION, FIORELLO!, HAUPTMANN and EUREKA DAY. He also has appeared at Writers, Northlight, and Shattered Globe, among others.

A graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University, he has served on the Board of Directors for the League of Chicago Theatres, was awarded the Meier Achievement Award for mid-career artists, and received a Goldman Sachs Senior Fellowship at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

https://timelinetheatre.com/calendar/

I hope you enjoy my conversation with PJ Powers. Now let’s go to the top of the show!

Today's guests are the dynamic duo leadership team at Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights.

Artistic Director, Johanna McKenzie Miller joined metropolis in 2025 to lead the artistic programming, as well as to define and propel the Metropolis School of the Performing Arts. She stepped into this role with a clear, artistic mission, focusing on expanding storytelling, championing new voices and reimagining classics through a fresh lens.

She brings years of experience as a well-known Chicago director, actress and singer appearing on the Stages of such theaters as the Marriott Theater, Drury Theater, Court Theatre, The Goodman, and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and with directing credits including Cinderella at Metropolis, Kiss Me, Kate at Marriott, Shrek at Music Theater Works and co-directing Beautiful alongside Jim Corti at Paramount theater.

Executive Director, Tiffany Gates, has had a 20 year history at Metropolis in several leadership positions, include being head of the voice department, the music theater faculty, and education director for the school of performing arts and served as interim ED prior to her full-time appointment in the role.

She is a seasoned performer, director, choreographer, producer, entrepreneur and voice instructor with decades of experience in both performance and education.

Her performance highlights include appearances at Lincoln Center, the Triad, Great Lakes Theatre, Carousel Dinner Theater, Music Theater Works and Folks Operetta among others. She holds a bachelor of music and vocal performance from Ohio Northern University, and studied at Circle in the Square Theater School in New York City.

Metropolis PAC's production of Ride the Cyclone opens September 16th and runs through October 25th. For tickets, visit https://www.metropolisarts.com.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Tiffany Gates and Johanna McKenzie Miller.

Now let’s go to top of the show!

Today’s guest is a writer and performer known for his intelligent, darkly funny style.

His diverse career includes over a decade of national stand-up touring and writing for A-list talent such as Jason Sudeikus, Mindy Kaling, and Ellen Degeneres. He has also written for BBC Radio’s The Treatment, and worked as a story consultant for Pixar Animation.

His one man show Therapist Zero chronicles his journey as a parent navigating the challenges of advocating for his daughter within the mental health care system.

He most recently performed the piece as part of the San Francisco Fringe, Indy Fringe, Minnesota Fringe, Brighton Fringe and Hollywood Fringe.

His next stop is Chicago’s Athenaum Theater, where Therapist Zero runs this September 11th through September 13th. For tickets, you can visit this link.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Brian Leonard.

Now let’s go to the top of the show.

Thanks for tuning in to part 2 of our National Wellness Month finale as we continue our conversation on mental wellness.

Our guest in part 2 is former musical theater performer and director in New York City, who is now a Licensed Professional Counselor based in Kansas City, KS.

She utilizes her past skills of exploring emotions, making creative connections and listening with openness and curiosity to help people get out of their heads and tap into their emotions, encouraging them to examine their own life stories to make meaningful, lasting change.

She offers counseling for adults 18 and over on such issues as anxiety, depression, trauma, disordered eating and grief using such approaches as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (aka as ACT), Eye Movement, Desensitization and Reprocessing (aka EMDR), Internal Family Systems (aka IFS) and Intuitive Eating Interventions.

Just like our guest from part one, she also offers a free 15 minute intro call to see if she would be a good fit for you. Although do keep in mind that her practice is limited to this Kansas City area.

If you would like to reach out to her you can find her at her website.

For the 12 Stages of Burnout reference mentioned in this episode, please go here:

Finally, we want to thank for tuning into our entire wellness series and especially both parts of our important conversations about mental wellness. If you or someone you know is struggling with any of the issues discussed in this week’s episode, we hope that you’ll seek the necessary help and wish you continued success on your wellness journey.

I hope you enjoy part 2 of our wellness month finale and my conversation with Lili Torre.

Now let’s go to the top of the show!

Today’s episode is the finale of our series on National Wellness Month. And for that we are releasing a two part episode discussing mental health.

Our guest in part 1 is a Chicago born actor, singer dancer, director and choreographer who is also a licensed social worker.

Shortly after graduating from Illinois Wesleyan University, he was cast in the Chicago company of Hal Prince’s Showboat. Upon that show’s closing, he piggy backed on that success, and moved to NY when soon thereafter, he made his Broadway debut in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Eventually making his way back here to Chicago, he spent many years on stages here including in such shows as White Christmas, My One and Only, Swing and A Chorus Line. In 2011 he made his directing and choreography debut helming Guys and Dolls at the Marriott, with additional credits following at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Rocky Mountain Rep and the Old Globe in San Diego.

After losing his partner, Bernie Yvon in 2014, he used the experience of his grief to embark on a new career as a licensed social worker; His knowledge for which is the main focus of our topic today.

For more information on today’s guest, you can go to his website. He offers a free 15 minute consultation to see if he would be a good fit for you.

And after listening to part 1 of today’s special episode, don’t forget to follow it up by listening to part 2 (which we also dropped today) where we have another amazing guest and discuss a completely different set of topics around mental wellness!

For now, I hope you enjoy part 1 and my conversation with Matt Raftery.

Now let’s go to top of the show!

Today’s episode continues our series on National Wellness Month where each week we’re interviewing a wellness practitioner aligned with the theater-making community.

And with that, today’s guest came to the performing arts early and never really left. She toured nationally and internationally as a musical theatre performer in such shows as 42nd Street, The Wizard of Oz, Sweeney Todd, Evita, and A Chorus Line.

After years of performing, she transitioned into teaching and choreography, spending six years at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City developing curriculum that wove together acting, movement, voice, and dance. She also taught at The Ailey School, the 92nd Street Y, and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy

Adding to her successful theatrical and teaching pursuits:

• She co-founded TWP/Skydancer Productions in New York City, producing three seasons of original works by, for, and about women,

• Served as Staff Choreographer at Capital Playhouse in Olympia, WA, where she choreographed, taught dance classes, and sold advertisements for the program, and finally,

• Worked as a House Manager at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fisher Hall giving her a deep understanding of how theatre organizations work from the inside out.

What changed everything for her was finding the Alexander Technique. AT taught her to do less, work with how she is designed, and free her movement, her breath, her voice, and her joy in the work. She completed her 1600-hour teacher training in 2006 and has been teaching ever since.

And like other private practitioners in this month’s series, she is offering a discount on her services. Just for listening to today’s episode, you will receive a 10% discount off of a 5 pack of private Alexander Technique sessions!

For more information, you can visit her website.

I hope you enjoy today’s conversation with Amanda Blair MacDonald.

Now let’s go, to the top of the show!

As we continue our series on National Wellness Month, this week’s episode focuses on financial wellness. And with that, today’s guest is one of Chicago’s top certified financial planners.

He began his early career path as a professional poker player. You could say it was there where he learned patience, steady handedness, and when to make the right moves.

Leveraging his success, and earnings, he launched Zen Wealth Management in 2009 with that unique perspective on risk, strategy, and decision-making under pressure.

Today, following the acquisition of 8 accounting firms, his team oversees nearly $250 million dollars in client wealth and delivers tailored financial strategies to more than 1,400 clients of all income levels.

And as a thank you for listening to today’s episode, he is offering a free entity consultation. Should it be determined that it would benefit you to form an entity (such as an LLC) he is offering a 25% discount on his services to help you form that new entity.

You can contact him at egp@eddiepatel.com.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Eddie Patel.

Now let’s go to the top of the show!

As we continue our National Wellness Month series, today's episode we're talking all about vocal health with someone you might call "ENT to the stars of Chicago (and those performers passing through)”. He is the division head for laryngology at Rush University, Medical Center.

Singing since a very young age, his fascination with the power of the human voice peaked his interest early on and he considers his passion for helping people use their voice in various ways as forever rewarding.

He has been my and my family’s ENT for most of my time here in Chicago and I’m honored that he took the time from his busy schedule to join us.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dr. H. Steven Sims.

Now let’s go to the top of the show!

August is National Wellness Month and today’s episode kicks off our month long series, where each week we will interview a wellness practitioner aligned with the theater-making community.

And with that, today’s guest is a former Broadway dancer turned yoga, instructor, who has become one of the most well respected teachers in the North Shore of Chicago.

Originally from Maplewood, New Jersey, she received her BFA from University of the Arts in Philadelphia and had set her sights on modern dance before the opportunity to audition for summer stock presented itself. It was booking that job where she decided to change course and set her sights on Broadway, touring internationally with such shows as West Side story, Carousel, and the show on which we met, the European tour of 42nd Street before making her Broadway debut in Swing!

From there, she followed up this success with the 1st National Tours of Kiss Me, Kate and Thoroughly Modern Millie.

She obtained her yoga teacher certificate in 2009 and has trained students both in the studio setting and privately ever since.

Her website, rachelcoppolayoga.com offers a few free meditation and short yoga practices along with a video subscription channel.

And as a thank you for listening to today’s episode, you’re invited to visit her websiteto get one month of free, unlimited yoga videos.

Simply click the link in our show notes to hop over there and use the code “podcast” in order to redeem this special offer exclusively for listeners of our podcast!

I’m delighted to bring you today’s conversation with my wife Rachel Coppola.

Now let’s go, to the top of the show!

Today’s guest is the founder of Rose Theatrics, a theatre company dedicated to creating meaningful and diverse opportunities for performers across the Chicagoland area while providing high-caliber and accessible theatre to the surrounding communities.

She is a theatre educator, director, producer, and speech coach based in the south suburbs of Chicago and serves as the Director of Speech & Theatre at Marian Catholic High School, where she has spent the past decade helping students discover their voices through performance, storytelling, and public speaking.

As a director, her work extends beyond traditional theatre into competitive performance, where her students have earned multiple top finishes at the Illinois High School Association State Finals, including state championships in Performance in the Round and Group Interpretation.

Particularly drawn to theatre that explores human connection, resilience, and personal transformation, through Rose Theatrics, she continues to build spaces where artists can grow, connect, and tell stories that matter.

Whether directing a musical, coaching students for competition, or developing new work, she believes the arts have the power to help people better understand themselves and one another.

Rose Theatrics' production of “Jagged Little Pill” runs July 31st through August 9th.

For more information and tickets, please visit this link!

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Laura Rose Hilger.

Now let’s go, to the top of the show!

Today’s guests is are part of Highland Park Players’ current production of Beautiful running through July 26th at the McGrath Performing Arts Center in Wilmette.

Anna Marie Abbate plays Carole King in the production.

An actress and teacher who grew up in Park Ridge, IL she received her Bachelors in theater and dance from Milliken University. Like many other artists, during the downturn of the Covid 19 pandemic she returned to school to receive a Masters Degree in Special Education and second Bachelors in physical education. This fall she will begin new role as Director of the Theater and Dance Programs at Resurrection High School.

On Chicagoland stages, she has been seen in such shows as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, White Christmas, Peter Pan, Brigadoon, Anything Goes and many more shows with Musical Theatre Works. Other companies at which she’s been seen include Porchlight Music Theater, Big Noise Theatre, Arizona Broadway Theater and Theo Cabaret Theater.

Bradley Rose has been part of the Highland Park Players family 30 years, and Beautiful marks the 32nd production he’s produced for the company.

His HPP story started back in 1996 when he was cast as a pirate in Peter Pan and he’s been hooked on theater ever since.

By day, Bradley serves as Senior Vice President of Game Development at IGT, where he leads talented teams across Chicago, Reno, Las Vegas, Austin, and Sydney in creating award-winning casino games enjoyed around the world

He has been board president of Highland Park Players since 2000, during which time, he has produced such shows as Gypsy, The Full Monty, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Prom and Rent.

For more information and tickets to Beautiful please visit the link in our show notes.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Anna Marie Abbate and Bradley Rose.

Now let’s go, to the top of the show!

Today’s guest is a Chicago-based cellist and theatre artist, who graduated with Honors from Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts with a Bachelor of Musical Arts Degree in Cello Performance and Arts & Public Policy.

As an actor, he has appeared in such varied shows as High Fidelity, bare: a pop opera, Fun Home, Triassic Parq, Godspell, The Addams Family, Les Misérables, and Urinetown.

As a cellist, he has played with orchestral ensembles and indie/folk artists world-wide, and here in Chicago, has played cello for many productions with companies such as Music Theatre Works, Porchlight Music Theatre, Marriott Theatre and The Goodman Theatre.

His solo show, Nervous Breakdown in G Minor, has been seen at The Den Theatre, Theo Cabaret Theatre, and the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. But, this weekend July 17th - 19th, you can catch it as part of at Steppenwolf's LookOut Series.

For more information and tickets to Nervous Breakdown in G Minor, please visit the link in our show notes.

I hope you enjoy today’s conversation with Lewis Rawlinson.

Now let’s go, to the top of the show!

I am so excited to bring you this episode with today’s guest, who is currently the Co-Artistic director for Chicago’s famed Steppenwolf Theatre.

Part of the company’s ensemble since 2017, she has directed their productions of You Will Get Sick during the 2024/25 season and POTUS in their 2023/24 season.

On stage there she has been seen in Noises Off, The Thanksgiving Play, The Herd, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Fundamentals, The Doppelgänger, and Dance Nation. TV and film credits include Justified: City Primeval, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Empire, Perpetrator, Knives and Skin and Later Days. She is an acting coach for NBC, Fox, Showtime and Amazon and finally, she is also the co-founder of Black Box Acting and the co-creator of Steppenwolf's corporate training program, Steppenwolf IMPACT.

She currently plays the dual roles of Lon & Daniela Lavecchia in Steppenwolf’s current run of Catch As Catch Can, also starring fellow ensemble members Gary Cole and Tim Hopper and directed by ensemble member, Amy Morton.

Catch As Catch Can Runs through July 12th at Steppenwolf’s downstairs theatre. For more info and tickets for the show, you can visit http://Steppenwolf.org or simply click the link in our show notes.

I’m so honored to chat with none other than Audrey Francis. Now let’s go, to the top of the show!

Our pride month concludes with clips of guests within the LGBTQ community, whom we were honored to have on the podcast during our first season.

We’re including these clips of previous guests because when we launched the podcast last July, we had just missed Pride Month and therefore they weren’t included in such an acknowledgement.

And with that, let’s go, to the top of the show and our first look back to our conversation with fellow podcaster Broadway Bob Bullen!

In this next clip with Paramount Artistic Director, Jim Corti, we get a glimpse into his training and his time with A Chorus Line, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ and Ragtime.

Next up, we chat with scenic designer, Spencer Donovan on his process when starting a new project.

Before our final clip, we want to thank you for your support of our Pride Month series. As always, it was an extreme honor to amplify these voices and that they chose to share their stories with us here on the Chicago Theater-Makers podcast. And now, here’s our final conversation with Femme Trans Artist, Sawyer Smith!