Matthew Reeder

Director

Matthew Reeder is the Artistic Director of BackStage Theatre Company.  He most recently directed Wallace Shawn's Aunt Dan & Lemon. Other Selected Directing Credits include:  On An Average Day, How I Learned to Drive, BackStage Theatre Company; A Streetcar named Desire, Metropolis Performing Arts Center; Accomplice, Noble Fool Theatricals; A Tempest, Playing French Festival at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; The Shakespeare Stealer, AdventureStage Chicago; A Midsummer Night's Dream, Metropolis Performing Arts Center; The Glass Menagerie, Illinois Repertory Theatre; Still Life With Iris, AdventureStage Chicago; To Kill a Mockingbird, Metropolis Performing Arts Center; The Woman in Black, Blue Ridge Theatre Festival; Sure Thing/English Made Simple, Sibiu International Theatre Festival. Matthew also makes occasional appearances onstage as an actor. Most recently: Don't Dress for Dinner, Metropolis Performing Arts Center; Roasting Chestnuts 03-04, Noble Fool Theatricals; Pacific Overtures, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; Early and Often, Famous Door Theatre Company.

Jen Poulin

Stage Manager

Jen Poulin is very excited to be stage managing Aunt Dan and Lemon, her first opportunity to join forces with the talented Backstage Theatre Company. In Chicago, Jen has had the pleasure of working with Mary Arrchie Theatre Company, Rasaka Theatre Company, WildClaw Theatre, Silk Road Theatre Project, Apple Tree Theatre, and Team Venture Productions. She holds a BFA in Theatre Studies from University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign and in her free time, enjoys seeing all the concerts and productions that she possibly can (and even some she can’t). Love and thanks to the cast, the production team, the family, and The Boy.

Brenda Barrie

Aunt Dan

Brenda Barrie gratefully accepted the invitation to be an Ensemble Member in 2008. Other credits with BSTC include Lauren Chickering in the Chicago premiere of Beauty on the Vine, originally produced in New York by the Epic Theatre Center with Olivia Wilde as Lauren, Li'l Bit in the acclaimed How I Learned to Drive which garnered the cast and crew Critic's Choice in the Reader, and Florrie in Waiting for Lefty, which received a Jeff Nomination for Ensemble. Credits around town include Lulu in the Ruby Sunrise at the Gift Theatre, the title role in Mariette in Ecstasy with Lifeline Theatre (which garnered Barrie a Jeff Nomination for Principal Actress), understudying Curly's Wife in Of Mice and Men at Steppenwolf Theatre (SYA), originating the role of Sara in the world premiere of the critically acclaimed Graceland at Profiles Theatre, Miss Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire with Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, understudying the female leads in St. Scarlet for American Theatre Company, Lena in Caravaggio with Silk Road Theatre Project, Ala in Tango at the Chopin Theatre, Ensemble in the 13th Annual Winter Pageant with Redmoon Theater, Soloist with Tantalus Theatre Group and Fannie in Thimbleberry Gallows with GreyZelda Theatre Group. She also enjoyed doing the motion capture for Wonder Woman & Cat Woman in the video game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, and is currently performing in Lifeline Theatre's Mrs. Caliban. When not on stage, Brenda is flying in scenery with Chicago's Blue Man Group or negotiating research contracts for the University of Illinois at Chicago, both since 2004.  Brenda earned her BFA in Acting from the University of Indianapolis and studied theatre at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. www.brendabarrie.net

Anita Deeley

Mother/Flora/June

Caitlin Emmons

Mindy

Caitlin is delighted to be working with Backstage Theatre Company for the very first time! Originally from Mishawaka Indiana, Caitlin moved to Chicago to complete her BA in Acting at Columbia College. Since then she has had the pleasure of working with The Suspicious Clowns, Polarity Theatre Ensemble, The Artistic Home and most recently performed in “The Ruby Sunrise” at the lovely Gift Theatre. She would like to thank her family and friends for their support, and Molly in particular, who listens to all of her silliness. Caitlin is currently enjoying the good times.

Ron Kuzava

Father/Jasper

A native of Detroit Michigan, Ron Kuzava has been acting in Chicago since 2001.  An Ensemble member since 2004, Ron has appeared in the following Backstage productions: Terra Nova (Birdy Bowers), Skin of Our Teeth (Announcer), The Ruling Class (Tucker), Bloody Bess (van Anders / Vicar) and The Memory of Water (Frank). Apart from acting, he also served as the Assistant Director for Backstage's production of Zombies from the Beyond.  Ron has performed with several other Chicago companies over the years including Signal Ensemble, Theo Ubique, Chopin Theater, WNEP, Wildclaw Theater and Defiant Theater.

Eric Paskey

Andy

Eric Paskey has been an ensemble member with BackStage since 2006. He is a graduate of Kent State University and the ImprovOlympic training center. Credits with BSTC include Denise Druczwski's Inferno (Phil Ligras), The Skin of Our Teeth (Telegraph Boy), Medea (Son), and The Ruling Class (Dinsdale). Eric has also had the pleasure of working with the National Theatre for Children, Collaboraction, Signal Ensemble Theatre, Dramatis Personae, Rubicon Theater Project, Halcyon Theatre Company, Arts/Lanes, and New Leaf Theatre. He is a devoted fan of Cleveland's professional sports teams and a pitcher for the Second City and iO softball teams. Little known fact: as a child, Eric had Who Framed Roger Rabbit completely memorized!

Michael Reyes

Raimondo

Rebekah Ward-Hays

Lemon

Rebekah is honored to be an ensemble member with BSTC. Her first production with the company was the title role in the world-premier production Denise Druczweski's Inferno–which garnered the cast and crew Critic's Choice in the Reader and Rebekah an invitation to join BackStage. After that she was delighted to be a part of the Jeff-Recommended adventure, Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth, where she received her first Jeff Citation for Principal Actress in a Leading Role as Sabina. Her next production with us was as Charlie in the summer hit Zombies from the Beyond. Rebekah played Edna in BSTC's Jeff-Recommended revival of Clifford Odet's Waiting for Lefty, and Catherine in Shelagh Stephenson's The Memory of Water. In addition to BackStage, she has worked with numerous Chicago theatres, some of which include Court Theatre, Northlight Theater, Remy Bumppo Theatre, Strawdog Theatre, the side project, Serendipity Theatre, and Collaboraction. She is an Oak Park resident and wife to BSTC ensemble member and designer, Heath Hays, and a mother to three lovely felines, which will suffice in terms of children (for now).

Geoff Coates

Violence Director

Megan Frei

Props Designer and Set Dresser

Tom Haigh

Sound Designer/Composer

Heath Hays

Scenic Designer

Heath is a BackStage Ensemble member, where he has designed set for On An Average Day, The Memory of Water, Beauty on the Vine, Bloody Bess and Zombies from the Beyond as well as the Jeff-recommended shows Waiting for Lefty and Medea.  He also designed sound for BackStage's The Ruling Class and Seanachi Theatre's drama Whistle in the Dark. He designed set for Infamous Conmmonwealth Theatre's Keely and Du, GreyZelda's Jeff-recommended production of A View From The Bridge as well as their Desire Under the Elms, and Hell in a Handbag's Caged Dames. Heath has also worked for Grounded Theatre, Arena Dinner Theatre, and Village Players.

Elise Kauzlaric

Dialect Coach

Joanna Melville

Costume Designer

Brandon Wardell

Lighting Designer