Manali Sunkara (MEG)
This is Manali’s first production with Lifeline! Chicago credits include: The Importance Of Being Eearnest (Modern Archaic Theatre Co.). Other credits include: A Muslim In The Midst (EnActe Arts), Bollywood Twelfth Night (Austin Shakespeare). She’s an alumnus of Texas State University’s Acting program. @manalisunkara
Rohan Link Francisco (CHARLES WALLACE)
Rohan is thrilled to be onstage at Lifeline for the first time. At school Rohan has performed in Finding Nemo Jr. and The Wizard of Oz Jr.
Sam Hook (CALVIN)
Sam is excited to return to Lifeline, where he previously was the Assistant Director for Loki – The End Of The World Tour. Select recent credits include A Year With Frog and Toad (Young People’s Theatre), Amélie (Kokandy Productions), and Rock of Ages (Metropolis). Sam is represented by Gray Talent Group. @samhook20
Amanda Link (WHATSIT)
Amanda joined Lifeline’s artistic ensemble in 2013. At Lifeline, she adapted Leaf and directed Anna Karenina, Click, Clack, Boo! A Tricky Treat (2025), Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2019), Sparky!, The Velveteen Rabbit (2014), and The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! (2014). She appeared in War of the Worlds, Click, Clack, Boo! A Tricky Treat, Duck For President, How To Survive A Fairy Tale, Dooby Dooby Moo, and Half Magic. She has also worked as a choreographer and movement designer. Other Chicago credits include work with Griffin Theatre, Sandbox Theatre Project, Factory Theater, Kasey Foster’s Dance Tribute Series, the side project, and the podcast Remote. Amanda holds a BFA from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University and is also a graduate of the Conservatory Program at the Second City training center.
Cami Stuckert (WHO)
This is Cami’s first show at Lifeline! Her recent Chicago credits include Peter and Lady Montague in Romeo + Juliet (Sandbox Theatre Collective), Mom in Cowboy Joe (iO Theater), and Walter in The Bog Witch Variety Hour (The Cornservatory). She is also a Meisner instructor at Green Shirt Studio and a playwright published in Qu Literary Magazine and featured in 321 Plays for Trans Futures. Her new full-length play Tenuous Fibers had its first staged reading at Green Shirt Studio this past summer. @camistuckert
Jordan Gleaves (WHICH)
This is Jordan’s mainstage production debut with Lifeline Theatre. In July of this year, he was part of the company’s ‘Adaptation Showcase’ in Black Cyrus’ Secrets of Liberation, Legerdemain, and Eternal Life. Other Chicago credits include Seven Guitars (City Lit); Blues For An Alabama Sky (Remy Bumppo); Southern Rapture and The Unseen (Tin Drum); A Raisin in the Sun (Court), Ride Or Die (MPAACT), Relentless (TimeLine & Goodman); The Swan (Theatre L’Acadie), and Sunset Baby (Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre). Regional credits: Othello and Loves, Labours, Lost (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks), Macbeth and Julius Caesar (The Nashville Shakespeare Festival). Jordan is a company member with Theatre L’Acadie and represented by Stewart Talent.
Victoria Cruz (MOTHER)
Victoria’s credits include Goodman Theatre: Primary Trust (u/s Corinna, performed) and Circuit Theatre’s King John. Regional Theater: Two Kids in the Universe (Teatro Dallas); He’s Born, He’s Borne (Undermain Theatre); A Christmas Carol (Dallas Theater Center); Rage (The Elevator Project); Hamlet, The Tempest (Shakespeare Dallas). Film/TV: Chicago Med (NBC); Lawmen: Bass Reeves (Paramount+); Twisters (Universal Pictures); Jammingers: An Overture of Gold and Silver (YouTube); The Short Game. She is also featured at Meow Wolf – Grapevine, an immersive art exhibit. Follow her journey on Instagram: @vcruzact.
Brian Tochterman (FATHER)
Brian is a member of Lifeline’s artistic ensemble and is thrilled to be performing in this adaptation of one of his favorite childhood books. Recent Lifeline credits include Dooby Dooby Moo, The Time Warp Trio, and You Think It’s Easy Being the Tooth Fairy? Brian is a drama teacher at New Sullivan Elementary and a resident teaching artist at Mudlark Theater. He wants to thank Megan and their too many cats for all their love and support.
Leslie Huang (US MEG)
This is Leslie’s first production at Lifeline and she couldn’t be more excited. Other credits include Time is a Color (Avalanche Theatre), One Party Consent (First Floor Theater), The Crucible (Playtime Theatre), The Cherry Orchard (Foaming at the Mouth Festival), Nora: A Doll’s House, Everybody, and Medea (Purdue Theatre). You can find other work at lesliehuang.com
Havalah Grace (US WHATSIT)
This is Havalah’s debut production with Lifeline! Select Chicago credits include We’re Gonna Be Okay (American Theater Company); Ten (The Gift Theatre); Balm in Gilead (Griffin Theatre); The Jungle, The Mother (Oracle Productions); Life and Death of Madame Barker, The Skriker (Red Tape Theatre); Jack’s Precious Moment (Will Act for Food); Regional credits include Dracula, The End,The Tens (Actors Theatre of Louisville). Havalah holds a BFA in Acting from Emerson, a 2nd BA in English-ASL Interpretation from Columbia College Chicago and is a conservatory student at Second City. www.havalahgrace.com
Hilary P. Barry (US MOTHER/WHO)
This is Hilary’s first production at Lifeline. Other Chicago credits include The Road Less Traveled (Theatre Momentum), a dramatic improv play. Recent credits also include, Prospera in The Tempest (CHW Productions LA), Lady Montague in Romeo & Juliet (LA Fringe Festival), and As You Like It (LA Fringe Festival). Film credits include Eleanor in The Room (Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival 2025), Forever After in Love (LA Shorts International Film Festival 2025), Cover Girls! (Romford London Film Festival 2026), and upcoming feature Cult Classic! premiering this fall at Atlanta’s Fiction Fest film festival. She is a voice over artist who has voiced hundreds of projects from commercials, narration, animation, and video games. A Chicago native new to the Chicago theatre scene, Hilary returned to the city this Spring after over a decade away. hilarypbarry.com
Justin P. Banks (US FATHER/WHICH)
Justin Banks is excited to join the Lifeline Theatre community! He is an actor, writer, and comedian. Recent credits include Chuck Smith’s Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues, (American Blues Theater) It’s A Wonderful Life (ABT), and Come Back Little Sheba (ABT). Other credits include Black Card (The Edge Theater), Black By Popular Demand U/S (The Second City Chicago), and The Minority Report: What Had Happened Was… (The Second City Chicago). Training includes The Bob Curry Fellowship at Second City. Justin is represented by Gray Talent Group. He is a serial hobbyist and an all around silly person. Great dude!
Jaden Tatge (US Calvin)
Jaden is stoked to be making his Lifeline Theatre debut in such a fun show! He was last seen in various Chicago Parks over the Summer swinging a sword with Shakespeare’s Motley Crew. Prior to that, he was performing in Shakespeare’s As You Like It in Kansas City where he is an ensemble member of Courtyard Shakespeare. Jaden holds a BFA from the University of Minnesota Guthrie Actor Training Program and is represented by Gray Talent Group. Enjoy the show!
Heather Currie (Director)
Heather Currie is the Managing Producer at Lifeline Theatre and a proud member of the artistic ensemble since 2013. Most recently directed Loki – The End of the World Tour, War of the Worlds, by John Hildreth as well as John Hildreth’s Jeff Award winning adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle (Jeff nomination for direction.) Other Lifeline directing credits include: Sense and Sensibility: Audio Drama, The Time Warp Trio, Fableous, Lester’s Dreadful Sweaters. Heather co-adapted and directed You Think It’s Easy Being the Tooth Fairy? for Lifeline’s KidSeries. Heather has appeared in many Lifeline productions including: Jane Eyre(2014), One Came Home, Duck For President (2008 and 2012); Click, Clack, Moo; Cows That Type; Dooby, Dooby Moo; How To Survive a Fairy Tale; and Click, Clack, Boo! A Tricky Treat and Lyle, Lyle Crocodile. Outside of Lifeline, favorite directing credits include: Into the Woods, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Always Plenty of Light at the All Night Starlight Diner, Spring Awakening, South Pacific, Schoolhouse Rock Live!, Spamalot, Steel Magnolias. Ms. Currie has worked as an actor for 45 years, most notably playing Sarah Jane Moore in Assassins at The Studio Theatre at Tierra Del Sol, the Wicked Witch in WOZ: A Wizard of Oz Rock Cabaret in Chicago featuring Andre De Shields, and Robin Black in the long running Sexy Baby with Hell in a Handbag Productions. Ms. Currie holds an M.F.A. in Acting from the Johnny Carson School of Theater and Film at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has been teaching theatre and film in higher education for 30 years and teaches in the department of Cinema and Television Arts at Columbia College Chicago.
James Sie (Adaptor)
James has written many adaptations at lifeline Theatre, including: Island of the Blue Dolphins (Jeff Citation); Dracula (Jeff Citation nomination); A Wrinkle in Time (Jeff Citation nomination); The Snark-Out Boys and the Avocado of Death; and the original work, The Road to Graceland (After Dark Award). His solo show Talking With My Hands was produced in Los Angeles with The Mark Taper Forum and East West Players. James has also written a novel, Still Life Las Vegas, which was published by St. Martin’s Press in 2015.
Lindsay Mummert (Scenic Designer)
Regional Theatre: Sherwood: The Adventures of Robinhood (St. Louis Repertory), Barefoot in the Park (Peninsula Players). Chicago Credits: Spay (Jeff Award Nominee), A Mile in the Dark (Rivendell Theatre), Ironbound (Raven Theatre), Cat’s Cradle and War of the Worlds (Lifeline Theatre), JUMP and Ugly Lies the Bone (Shattered Globe). Associate Design: Don Quixote (McCarter), Short Shakes: Hamlet (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre). Off Broadway/Tour credits: Between Two Knees (Associate Scenic Designer, PACNYC, Seattle Rep, Yale Rep, McCarter Center). Assistant design credits include: Peter and the Starcatcher (OSF), Relentless (Timeline Theatre+The Goodman), The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Goodman), A Raisin in the Sun andSkeleton Crew (Guthrie Theatre), Two Trains Running, Arsenic and Old Lace, East Texas Hot Links (Court Theatre). Education: B.F.A. in Scenic Design from The Theatre School at DePaul University. Lindsay is thrilled to be back at Lifeline. More at lindsaymummert.com.
Sam Lancaster (Props Designer)
This is Sam’s first design at Lifeline. Previous professional credits include Props Designer for Do Something Pretty with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Props Designer for The Hobbit with Young People’s Theatre, and Assistant Props Designer for Blues for an Alabama Sky with Remy Bumppo. Samuel is an alumni of DePaul University, where he graduated with a degree in Theatre Technology.
Sarah Riffle (Lighting Designer)
Some of her most recent shows include Hello Dolly (Music Theater Wichita) The Wedding Singer (Metropolis), Safronia (co-design at Lyric Opera Chicago,) and has upcoming engagements to design for Grand Rapids Ballet and Lyric Opera Chicago. Sarah has worked with such companies as Tribeca Performing Arts Center, New York City Opera, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Chatauqua Opera, Joffrey Ballet, Urban Arias in DC, BalletMet Columbus and Opera Orlando. All of Sarah’s designs can be seen at slriffledesign.com.
Jazmin Aurora Medina (Costume Designer)
Jazmin Aurora Medina is a Xicana interdisciplinary artist based in the midwest, but is a frequent adventurer with her design work! With a focus in costume design, Jazmin believes in the magical power of empathetic, transformative storytelling through her practice. This will be her second show with Lifeline Theatre, after Kid Prince & Pablo in 2025. Other Chicago credits include Goodman Theatre, Chicago Children’s Theatre, Kerfuffle Theatre, Filament Theatre, About Face Theatre, and many more. Other recent design credits include Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, Breckenridge Backstage Theatre and First Stage Children’s Theater. Jazmin also has received the honor of being selected as one of thirty-four US ‘young emerging costume designers’ for the 2019 Prague Quadrennial for EURYDICE (UW-Waukesha). She wouldn’t be here without the constant support of her family, friends and community, and would like to continually honor them through her work. For current and upcoming work check out @jazminnauroraa on IG or jazminaurora.com for more! Bendiciones!
Joe Griffin (Sound Designer)
Joe Griffin is happy to be back at Lifeline, where he previously designed The War of the Worlds (Jeff nominated), So You Think It’s Easy Being The Tooth Fairy?, and The Time Warp Trio. His other recent work includes City Lit Theatre’s Strange Cargo: The Doom of the Demeter (Jeff winner), Black Button Eyes Productions’ St. Nicholas, and Richard III at Moraine Valley Community College, where he’s designed most of the last 19 seasons of summer Shakespeare. Other credits include shows with Steep Theatre, Wildclaw, House Theatre, Saint Sebastian Players, Mercury Theatre, Bohemian, and Commedia Beauregard. griffinsounddesign.wordpress.com
Saskia Bakker (Puppet Designer)
Saskia Bakker is a Chicago-based prop and puppet designer who is thrilled to work at Lifeline Theatre again. Previous Lifeline credits include prop design for Cat’s Cradle, and prop/puppet design for Skunk and Badger. Select other prop design credits include Ugly Lies the Bone (Shattered Globe Theatre), Wish You Were Here (Remy Bumppo Theatre), Cygnus (Gift Theatre), and Black Sunday (Timeline Theatre). They’ve created puppets for A Devil Comes to Town (Trap Door Theatre), House of the Exquisite Corpse: Blood and Puppets (Rough House Puppet Arts), and numerous puppet slams, commissions, and personal projects. You can see more of her work on Instagram @okpuppeteer.
Felicia Niebel (Choreographer)
Felicia Niebel (she/her) is so excited to be working with Lifeline again! Most recently at Lifeline, you may have seen her in Loki (u/s Freya/Middy) and Click Clack Boo! (Pig). Her past choreography credits include Into the Woods, Spring Awakening (CCPA), and select performances during Survivor (Fantasy). Other credits include The Beautiful City Project (Ensemble) and Wonderful Town (Ruth). Felicia would like to thank her family, friends and Ibrahim for their love and support!
Devin Meseke (Production Manager)
This is Devin’s second production as production manager at Lifeline where he previously production managed Loki: The End of the World Tour and painted War of the Worlds. Previous credits include painting for Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Rivendell Theatre, Shattered Globe Theatre, Peninsula Players Theatre, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, and Albany Park Theatre Project; he has also recently scenic design assisting for Goodman Theatre and Timeline Theatre. Devin is a graduate of DePaul University with a BFA in Scenic Design.
Rebecca Dose (Stage Manager)
Rebecca is thrilled to be back at Lifeline Theatre working on a story that she’s loved since she was young. Her past work with Lifeline has included the BIPOC Adaptation Showcase, Kitty and the Beanstalk, and War of the Worlds. Rebecca received her BA in Theatre Technology from Columbia College Chicago and is now a Chicago-based arts management professional, serving in several capacities in the theatric, experiential, and live event fields. Her most recent roles include work with companies such as Blue Man Group Chicago, the Chicago Humanities organization, the Theatre Conservatory at Roosevelt University, Fever Events, and the Chicago Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. You can learn more about her work at rebeccalynndose.com.
Harrison Ornelas (Technical Director)
Harrison was born and raised on the north side of Chicago. After graduating from Columbia College in 2015 Harrison has been Technical Directing for theater all over the city including Akvavit, Redtwist Theatre, Strawdog Theatre Co., Silkroad Rising, A Red Orchid, UrbanTheater, Red Tape Theater, Theater Wit, and Shattered Globe, just to name a few. He has also been the on staff TD for the past three seasons at Theater on the Lake. Harrison is thrilled to now be working with Lifeline. Harrison is always looking for his next collaboration and creative challenge wherever his skills are needed.
Avery Spellmeyer (Lighting Supervisor)
