2025-2026 Concert Reading Series

Katie McLean Hainsworth (SHERLOCK HOLMES)

Katie joined Lifeline’s ensemble in 2006. Her adaptation of The Mark of Zorro won the 2009 Non-Equity Jeff Award for New Adaptation, and she directed Watership Down and Johnny Tremain for the Mainstage and The Cricket in Times Square for Lifeline’s KidSeries. Favorite Lifeline credits include Miss Holmes Returns, Miss Holmes, Monstrous Regiment, A Tale of Two Cities, Hunger, Neverwhere, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!, Gaudy Night, and Cooking With Lard. A native of Central New York, Katie is currently focused on voice acting, and is featured in the Dark Nexus podcast and Fawx & Stallion, alongside a slew of other Lifeline alum, as well as Queen of Daggers, Heart of Fire.

Mandy Walsh (DOROTHY WATSON)

Mandy is over the moon returning to Lifeline after being seen in last season’s War of the Worlds and the previous season’s productions of Cat’s Cradle and Native Son. She has also previously appeared at Lifeline as Watson in both productions of Miss Holmes and Miss Holmes Returns, as well as Monstrous Regiment, Watership Down, and The Count of Monte Cristo (U/S). Other Chicago area credits include work with: Paramount Theatre, A Red Orchid Theatre, 16th Street Theatre, Windy City Playhouse, WildClaw Theatre, The Factory Theater, and more. Regionally she has performed at Dunes Summer Theatre in Michigan City, IN, and Lakeside Shakespeare in Frankfort, ML She has also appeared on NBC’s Chicago Fire. Mandy is represented by the lovely folks at Big Mouth Talent.

Kate Nawrocki (LIZZIE CHAPMAN/PEGGY)

Kate Nawrocki has performed with a number of companies including Black Button Eyes, Haven, Muse of Fire, Rogue Theatre, The Den, The Foundlings, Pegasus, The Plagiarists, Caffeine Theatre, The Strange Tree Group, The Griffin (Jeff Award for Angus Thongs and Full Frontal Snagging) and Lifeline (Snowflake Tim’s Big Holiday Adventure, Crossing California, Miss Holmes). As a director, she has worked with Transcendent Ensemble Theatre, Naked Angels, Chicago Dramatists, The Plagiarists, and The Strange Tree Group where she was an ensemble member, Associate Artistic Director, band member and scenic and lobby designer for a number of original and immersive productions.

Frances Limoncelli (EUDORA FEATHERSTONE/MRS. HUDSON/ELIZABETH GARRETT ANDERSON)

Frances has been a member of Lifeline’s artistic ensemble since 1995. As an adaptor she created Mrs. Caliban, as well as the popular Dorothy L. Sayers series: Whose Body?, Strong Poison, Gaudy Night, and Busman’s Honeymoon as well as multiple KidSeries shows including Arnie the Doughnut. She is a three-time winner of the Non-Equity Jeff Award for New Adaptation. Favorite Lifeline directing credits include Cooking with Lard and Queen Lucia and favorite Lifeline acting credits include Hetty in Pistols For Two, Jancis in Precious Bane, Chester the Cat in Bunnicula, the title role in Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and Jane in Lifeline’s production of Pride and Prejudice for Chicago Theatres on the Air. Frances teaches high school theatre at The Latin School of Chicago.

Christopher Hainsworth (MYCROFT HOLMES)

A Lifeline Theatre ensemble member, roles performed include TREASURE ISLAND, NEVERWHERE, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, THE THREE MUSKETEERS, THE KILLER ANGELS, A TALE OF TWO CITIES, MISS HOLMES, FRANKENSTEIN and MISS HOLMES RETURNS and penned the adaptations of HUNGER, MONSTROUS REGIMENT, MIDNIGHT COWBOY and FABLE-OUS! He has also worked for The Gift Theatre, Remmy Bumpo, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, The Factory, Strawdog Theatre Company, First Floor Theatre, Timeline Theatre and The House Theatre of Chicago, among others.

Christopher Wayland (GEOFFREY LESTRADE)

Christopher Wayland is a seasoned Performance Artist and Teacher from Baltimore, MD, who has lived and worked in Chicago for the last 12 years. He is thrilled to reprise the role of Inspector Geoffrey Lestrade which he originated in the world premiere of Miss Holmes in 2016. He most recently directed the world premiere of Rabbits in their Pockets by Kimberly Dixon-Mays at Lifeline Theatre. He is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Theatre Acting & Theatre at the Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA) at Roosevelt University and received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University. Chris is also a proud member of the Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Follow at @heychriswayland and christopherwayland.com

John Henry Roberts (THOMAS CHAPMAN)

John Henry Roberts is glad to return to the Lifeline stage, where his previous credits aside from Miss Holmes include Neverwhere, Jane Eyre, Hunger, and A Tale of Two Cities. He’s an emeritus member of Strawdog Theatre Company, where his acting credits include Barbecue, The Night Season, Old Times, and Aristocrats, and writing credits include The Sweeter Option and Masque Macabre. Other acting credits: The Little Flower of East Orange (Eclipse Theatre), Twelfth Night (Writers Theatre), and The Hammer Trinity (The House Theatre of Chicago). Film and television: Widows, Chicago Med, and Chicago P.D. He’s represented by DDO Artists Agency.

Michael Reyes (MICHAEL STAMFORD/REGINALD)

Michael Reyes (he/him) is an actor and singer who for literally decades has been privileged to perform in dozens and dozens of shows, with about as many companies, and worked with more amazing talent on and off stage than anyone has a right to, all in Chicago’s awesome professional nonunion theatre community. And yet – and yet – Miss Holmes remains among his Top 5. “Michael is very happy to be working with Lifeline for the first time!” is what he wrote back in 2016, a milestone he’ll never forget. One doesn’t often get the gift of returning to a piece – many thanks to Lifeline for that opportunity. And double the gratitude that we get to share it with you.

Gerrit Wilford (EDWIN GREENER/SUPERINTENDENT)

Gerrit Wilford joined the artistic ensemble at Lifeline in 2025 and has been performing with them since 2021’s remount of Middle Passage, where he played McGaffin and Captain Quackenbush. He also understudied the role of Jonah in the Jeff Award winning production of Cat’s Cradle. Other notable Chicago Credits include: Orson Welles in the world premiere of Wells and Welles (Lucid Theatre) and Richard Greatham in Hay Fever (City Lit Theatre), among others. Regional credits include Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing (Montana Shakespeare on the Parks) as well as numerous productions with the Texas Shakespeare Festival. Gerrit received his BA in Theatre Arts from Northwestern College. He went on to receive his MFA in acting from the University of Idaho and also trained at the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT) in Moscow, Russia.

Katie McLean Hainsworth (SHERLOCK HOLMES)

Katie joined Lifeline’s ensemble in 2006. Her adaptation of The Mark of Zorro won the 2009 Non-Equity Jeff Award for New Adaptation, and she directed Watership Down and Johnny Tremain for the Mainstage and The Cricket in Times Square for Lifeline’s KidSeries. Favorite Lifeline credits include Miss Holmes Returns, Miss Holmes, Monstrous Regiment, A Tale of Two Cities, Hunger, Neverwhere, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!, Gaudy Night, and Cooking With Lard. A native of Central New York, Katie is currently focused on voice acting, and is featured in the Dark Nexus podcast and Fawx & Stallion, alongside a slew of other Lifeline alum, as well as Queen of Daggers, Heart of Fire.

Mandy Walsh (DOROTHY WATSON)

Mandy is over the moon returning to Lifeline after being seen in last season’s War of the Worlds and the previous season’s productions of Cat’s Cradle and Native Son. She has also previously appeared at Lifeline as Watson in both productions of Miss Holmes and Miss Holmes Returns, as well as Monstrous Regiment, Watership Down, and The Count of Monte Cristo (U/S). Other Chicago area credits include work with: Paramount Theatre, A Red Orchid Theatre, 16th Street Theatre, Windy City Playhouse, WildClaw Theatre, The Factory Theater, and more. Regionally she has performed at Dunes Summer Theatre in Michigan City, IN, and Lakeside Shakespeare in Frankfort, ML She has also appeared on NBC’s Chicago Fire. Mandy is represented by the lovely folks at Big Mouth Talent.

Annie Slivinski (MRS. HUDSON / MRS. WIGGINS)

Annie is excited to return the Lifeline stage! A veteran Chicago-area actor and director, Annie has worked with many esteemed theatres including Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Collaboraction, Steel Beam, Remy Bumppo, and others. She has directed at Open Door Repertory and Steel Beam Theatre and numerous productions at Oak Park and River Forest High School. She currently teaches an Improv class for neurodivergent teens and young adults at The Actors Garden in Oak Park.

Christopher Wayland (GEOFFREY LESTRADE)

Christopher Wayland is a seasoned Performance Artist and Teacher from Baltimore, MD, who has lived and worked in Chicago for the last 12 years. He is thrilled to reprise the role of Inspector Geoffrey Lestrade which he originated in the world premiere of Miss Holmes in 2016. He most recently directed the world premiere of Rabbits in their Pockets by Kimberly Dixon-Mays at Lifeline Theatre. He is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Theatre Acting & Theatre at the Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA) at Roosevelt University and received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University. Chris is also a proud member of the Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Follow at @heychriswayland and christopherwayland.com

Christopher Hainsworth (MYCROFT HOLMES / DOCK WORKER)

A Lifeline Theatre ensemble member, roles performed include TREASURE ISLAND, NEVERWHERE, THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, THE THREE MUSKETEERS, THE KILLER ANGELS, A TALE OF TWO CITIES, MISS HOLMES, FRANKENSTEIN and MISS HOLMES RETURNS and penned the adaptations of HUNGER, MONSTROUS REGIMENT, MIDNIGHT COWBOY and FABLE-OUS! He has also worked for The Gift Theatre, Remmy Bumpo, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, The Factory, Strawdog Theatre Company, First Floor Theatre, Timeline Theatre and The House Theatre of Chicago, among others.

Hilary Williams (OLIVE MCGANN)

Hilary (she/her) returns to Lifeline where she has been seen in A Room with A View and City in the City (u/s). Other Chicago credits include work with Rivendell Theatre, The Hypocrites, Promethean Ensemble, Northlight, and more. She is a proud member of Bramble Theatre. Look out for her short film, Luteal, on the festival circuit! She is represented by the fine folks at Shirley Hamilton Talent and is a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf. Love to the blueberry and the rabbit.

Maya Kumar (PRIYA SINGH)

Julie Partyka (JOSEPHINE BUTLER) 

Julie Partyka is delighted to join many of her former castmates and meet some new ones for Miss Holmes Returns. Since the original production, she was seen in Oil Lamp’s production of Rooted and Riverfront Playhouse’s production of The Moors as Agatha. Other credits include Agnes (When We Were Young and Unafraid, Aston Rep); Dotty Otley/Mrs. Clacket in Noises Off (Metropolis Performing Arts Center); Corryn in Gidion’s Knot; Kate in All My Sons and Ouisa in Six Degrees of Separation (all with Eclectic Theatre). Julie begins her 5thseason in Clu Crew voicing several characters. As always, she is grateful to her family.

Tommy Malouf (ADAM WORTHINGTON / DANIEL BURKE)

Tommy is thrilled to return to the Lifeline stage for Miss Holmes Returns. In the “Before Times”, he last worked here on Soon I Will Be Invincible. Other familiar haunts include Remy Bumppo Theatre Co. (Howard’s End, Great Expectations); The House Theatre of Chicago (United Flight 232, Hatfield & McCoy, Kitty Hawk); and Theatre at the Center (Million Dollar Quartet, Almost Heaven). He is a teaching artist represented by Stewart Talent.

Phil Timberlake (BUNTER)

Phil most recently appeared at Lifeline in the solo show Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol (Non-Equity Jeff Nomination, Best Performer – Short Run). His adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma received Non-Equity Jeff nominations for Best Ensemble and Best Performer in a Supporting Role. Previous Lifeline acting roles include Soon I Will Be Invincible, Pride & Prejudice (Non-Equity Jeff Nomination, Best Supporting Actor), Neverwhere, Busman’s Honeymoon (Non-Equity Jeff Nomination, Best Supporting Actor), The Island of Dr. Moreau (Non-Equity Jeff Award, Best Production), Queen Lucia (Non-Equity Jeff Nomination, Best Supporting Actor – Musical) and The Two Towers. He also coached dialects for Treasure Island, Strong Poison, Gaudy Night, Talking It Over, and A Room With a View.  Other Chicago acting credits include First Folio Theatre (Romeo & Juliet, The Tempest), Apple Tree (Violet), Powertap (The Beaux’ Stratagem), and Shakespeare’s Motley Crew (Twelfth Night, Midsummer Night’s Dream, King Lear).  Phil has also coached dialects at The Goodman (Gas For Less), American Players Theatre (The Doctor’s Dilemma), Victory Gardens (Mies Julie, Sucker Punch), and numerous productions at First Folio Theatre where he was the resident voice and dialect coach.  Phil has taught actors for over 20 years, most recently as the Head of Voice and Speech at the Theatre School, DePaul University. Phil joined the ensemble in 2006.

Jenifer Tyler (HARRIET (LADY PETER WIMSEY))

Jenifer has been a Lifeline ensemble member since 2001. She has been delighted to appear as Harriet Vane in the Dorothy Sayers’ mysteries Strong Poison (2004), Gaudy Night (2006), and Busman’s Honeymoon (2009). Other Lifeline credits include: Mina in Dracula; Lydia in Pride and Prejudice; Kitty in Cotillion; Jane in Jane Eyre (Non-Equity Joseph Jefferson Award: Outstanding Actress in a Principal Role); Ida/Phyllis in Trust me on This; Bathsheba in Far From the Madding Crowd, and Estelle in Mrs. Caliban. For Lifeline, she also directed the KidSeries production of The Velveteen Rabbit. Jenifer has been seen around Chicago with greasy joan & co., and in many Touchstone/Organic productions including Into the Woods, The Seagull, and Hedda Gabler. Jenifer is also a “Sweat Girl;” her credits as writer and performer include I’m Sweating Under My Breasts, Sweat Dreams, I Just Oops Until I Wow, (The Sweat Girls are) Pigs at the Trough of Attention, and The Motherlode .

Peter Greenberg (LORD PETER WIMSEY)

Peter has appeared on the Lifeline stage in Jane Eyre (2001), Around the World in 80 Days, The Talisman Ring (1996 and 2005), The Moonstone, Mrs. Caliban, Busman’s Honeymoon, Gaudy Night, Strong Poison, Hunger, Trust Me On This, Far From the Madding Crowd, Whose Body?, Pistols for Two, Cotillion, Miss Buncle’s Book, and Northanger Abbey. Also at Lifeline he adapted the play Talking It Overfrom the novel and directed the 2004 production of Bunnicula. Other Chicago acting credits include The Beaux’ Stratagem with Powertap; The Heidi Chronicles at New American Theater in Rockford; Thank You, Jeeves with City Lit; and The Sweat Offensive with the Sweat Girls. Regionally, Peter has performed the works of Shakespeare, Moliere, Middleton, Chekhov, Dickens, Sam Shepard and Neil Simon in Boise, St Petersberg, Sacramento, Boston, Atlanta, and New York City. In 1988 Peter helped to found the Actors Shakespeare Company in Albany, New York. For seven years he acted in or directed every one of its 23 productions and served as Co-Artistic Director.

Elise Kauzlaric (MRS. RUDDLE.)

Elise has worked with Lifeline for many years and has been a member of the ensemble since 2005. She directed Lifeline’s MainStage productions of Miss Holmes Returns, Emma, Northanger Abbey (Non-Equity Jeff Nomination: Director-Musical), One Came Home, A Tale of Two Cities, The Woman in White, Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, and Mariette in Ecstasy (Non-Equity Jeff Nomination: Director-Play), and KidSeries productions of Arnie the Doughnut and The Emperor’s Groovy New Clothes. She has appeared in the Lifeline MainStage productions of Miss Buncle’s Book, Neverwhere, Talking It Over, Queen Lucia, The Sirens of Titan, Strong Poison, and The Silver Chair, as well as the KidSeries productions of Hen Lake, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, and My Father’s Dragon. Other Lifeline credits include her adaptations of Half Magic and The Velveteen Rabbit, and dialect coaching for numerous productions, including Middle Passage, The Mark of Zorro, The Piano Tuner, The Killer Angels, and Busman’s Honeymoon (Non-Equity Jeff Nomination: Artistic Specialization). Other area acting credits include King Lear (Goodman Theatre, directed by Robert Falls), Tartuffe (City Lit), The Importance of Being Ernest (Oak Park Festival and City Lit), Nine (Circle Theatre), Cabaret and A Christmas Carol (Metropolis), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (First Folio Shakespeare), and On the Shore of the Wide World (Griffin Theatre, Non-Equity Jeff Nomination: Supporting Actress). Elise is a graduate of The Webster Conservatory of Theatre Arts with a BFA in Musical Theatre and received her MA with Distinction in Actor Training at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London. She teaches in the theatre programs at The Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and The Theatre School at DePaul University.

James E. Grote (PUFFETT, REPORTER 2)

Jim has been a member of the artistic ensemble since 1999. He began performing with Lifeline in 1992, playing Tucker Mouse in the world premiere of The Cricket in Times Square (and reprising that role in 1996). Some of his other favorite roles at Lifeline include Mr. Hatch in Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch; various captains, sailors, and Englishmen in Around the World in 80 Days (Jeff Award: Outstanding Ensemble); John Hancock and Merchant Lyte in Johnny Tremain; Mr. Primm and Mr. Grumps in Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile; and Lt. Col. Fremantle in The Killer Angels. Jim became a playwright for Lifeline in 2000 with his adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ The Silver Chair, which was named the best family show of that year by the Chicago Tribune. Jim’s other adaptations for the MainStage include The Piano Tuner(After Dark Award: Outstanding Production) and A Long Way from Chicago. For the KidSeries, Jim adapted Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type; Giggle, Giggle, Quack; Duck for President; Dooby Dooby Moo; and Click, Clack, BOO! A Tricky Treat (featuring music by George Howe), all based on the book series by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin. He has also adapted The Dirty Cowboy and Deep in the Jungle for Lifeline’s KidSeries. Outside of Lifeline, Jim has appeared in Everyman at Steppenwolf Theatre, The Secret of the Old Queen at Stage Left Theatre, and has toured with the National Theatre for Children, HealthWorks Theatre, and Windy City Gay Chorus. Jim has also served as one of Lifeline’s artists-in-residence at Kilmer Elementary School. Jim is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Sandy Snyder (MISS TWITTERTON, GOSSIP COLUMNIST)

Sandy, a graduate of Northwestern University, is a founding member of Lifeline. She performed in Lifeline’s very first production of Split. Over the past thirty years, some of her favorite roles have been in Strong Poison(Non-Equity Jeff Nomination: Best Supporting Actress – Play), A Room with a View, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Lizard Music and A Wrinkle in Time. KidSeries roles include Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch and Giggle Giggle Quack. Sandy has also directed My Father’s Dragon, Bunnicula, and Stuart Little. As a co-founder of Lifeline’s educational outreach program, she served as program coordinator and teaching artist for many years. Sandy is now a drama specialist in Evanston/Skokie School District 65.

Robert Kauzlaric (FRANK CRUTCHLEY, REPORTER 3)

Robert started working with Lifeline in 2000 and joined the artistic ensemble in 2005. He has appeared onstage in 16 Lifeline productions, including The Return of the King, Around the World in 80 Days (Non-Equity Jeff Awards: Supporting Actor-Play and Ensemble), The Killer Angels (2004), Strong Poison, and Monstrous Regiment. At Lifeline, Robert also directed Treasure Island and Hunger and served as adaptor for 17 productions, including The Island of Dr. Moreau (Non-Equity Jeff Awards: Production-Play and New Adaptation), The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! (with Paul Gilvary & William Rush), Neverwhere (Non-Equity Jeff Award: New Adaptation), Lions in Illyria, Mr. Popper’s Penguins (with George Howe), and Northanger Abbey (with George Howe; Non-Equity Jeff Award: New Musical). Other area acting credits include playing King Richard in Richard II (Wilde Award nomination: Best Performance-The Bard), Brutus in Julius Caesar, and the Fool in King Lear (Wilde Award: Best Performance-The Bard) at the Michigan Shakespeare Festival (where he is an artistic associate); Father Flynn in Doubt and Mr. Rice in Molly Sweeney with Irish Theatre of Chicago; and productions with Strawdog Theatre Co., the Hypocrites, Goodman Theatre, City Lit, Circle Theatre, New American Theater, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, and Lakeside Shakespeare. Regional directing credits include The Dance of Death and the world premiere of The White Road (Jeff nomination: Production-Play, Midsize) for Irish Theatre of Chicago; Cymbeline for Strawdog Theatre (Non-Equity Jeff nomination: Director-Play); and many productions for the Michigan Shakespeare Festival, including Tartuffe (Wilde Award: Best Comedy), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Wilde Award: Best of the Bard), As You Like It (Wilde Award: Best of the Bard), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Wilde Awards: Best of the Bard and Best Director-Play), and Pericles (Wilde Awards: Best of the Bard and Best Director-Play).

Paul S. Holmquist (REV. SIMON GOODACRE)

Paul served on the Lifeline Ensemble 2006-2024. He has directed the KidSeries shows Rikki Tikki Tavi, Flight of the Dodo, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, The Mystery of the Pirate Ghost, and Mr. Popper’s Penguins; and the MainStage productions of Miss Holmes, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Busman’s Honeymoon, Neverwhere, The Moonstone, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Soon I Will Be Invincible. Paul holds a BFA in Acting from the Theatre School at DePaul University.

Christopher M. Walsh (MR. MACBRIDE, REPORTER 1)

Christopher has been a member of the Lifeline artistic ensemble since 2010. He has appeared on stage in Monstrous Regiment, The Three Musketeers, The Woman In White, Hunger, Watership Down, Neverwhere, Treasure Island, Busman’s Honeymoon, and The Mark of Zorro. He wrote the adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo, The City & The City, A Tale of Two Cities (Non-Equity Jeff nomination: New Adaptation), and Soon I Will Be Invincible, as well as the original Sherlock Holmes pastiche Miss Holmes. He directed the mainstage production of Midnight Cowboy. Other area acting credits include work with the House Theatre of Chicago, A Crew of Patches, Factory Theater, Strawdog Theatre, A Red Orchid Theatre, Griffin Theatre, and Right Brain Project. He is also the Literary Manager of WildClaw Theatre, Chicago’s premiere horror theatre company. Originally from Michigan, Christopher studied acting at Columbia College in Chicago. Keep up with his thrilling adventures at christophermwalsh.com.

Anthony Kayer (CONSTABLE JOE SELLON)

Anthony (he/they) joined the artistic ensemble in 2017. He first worked with Lifeline in 2011 starring as Mr. Bing in the world premiere of Arnie the Doughnut while pursuing his B.F.A. in Acting from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Since then, he has been seen on stage at Lifeline in War of the Worlds, Cat’s Cradle (2023),The Emperor’s New Threads, Lyle Finds His Mother, an Jane Eyre (2014); he was also on the teams for Monstrous Regiment, Soon I Will Be Invincible, and served as Assistant Director for Northanger Abbey (Non-Equity Jeff Award: New Work-Musical). He has also been fortunate to direct for Lifeline’s KidSeries: Bunnicula (2018), and the world premieres of Bunny’s Book Club and Extra Yarn. Other Chicago credits include work with: Next Theatre, Griffin Theatre, Uniting Voices Chicago (formerly The Chicago Children’s Choir,) inappropriate theatre company, The House Theatre of Chicago, Lookingglass, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lookingglass, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and Steppenwolf Theatre.

Bilal Dardai (SUPERINTENDENT KIRK)

Bilal is a writer and performer who has worked for nearly two decades in Chicago’s vibrant live theatre scene. He spent 12 years as an ensemble member with the acclaimed artistic collective The Neo-Futurists, three of those years as the company’s Artistic Director. Bilal is a regular at Chicago’s many live-literature events, providing essays and social commentary for Write Club and The Paper Machete. He is also member of the writing staff for award-winning audio drama Pleasure Town and has recently embarked on a new audio project with HartLife, creators of Our Fair City. His plays include: Contraption, Vox Pandora, Redeemers, The Sovereign Statement(Non-Equity Jeff nomination: New Work), and The Man Who Was Thursday(Non-Equity Jeff nomination: New Adaptation). In addition to Chicago, Bilal’s work has appeared on stages in New York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Washington DC, Nottingham (UK), and Helsinki (Finland). Bilal has also appeared in the independent films Unexpected (dir. Kris Swanberg) and Operator (dir. Logan Kibens).