Matthew Reeder

Director

Matthew is the Artistic Director of BackStage Theatre Company. Directing credits include last season’s acclaimed Three Days of Rain, the Jeff Recommended productions Memory, Aunt Dan and Lemon, The Play About The Baby and Jeff Nominated On An Average Day. Matthew’s credits also include the critically acclaimed production of Paula Vogel’s How I Learned To Drive. Matthew has directed Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Metropolis Performing Arts Center. Matthew is also a regular at Adventure Stage Chicago, where he recently directed the wildly popular theatrical adaptation of Sharon Creech’s Walk Two Moons, Louis Sachar’s Holes, as well as The Shakespeare Stealer, and Still Life with Iris. Other selected directing credits include Accomplice for Noble Fool Theatricals, The Glass Menagerie for Illinois Repertory Theatre, A Tempest by Aime Cesar for the Playing French Festival at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, The Woman in Black for Blue Ridge Theatre Festival. Matthew’s production of David Ives All in the Timing and English Made Simple was featured at the 1999 Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Sibiu, Romania. Matthew holds an M.F.A in Directing from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a B.S. in Musical Theater from Ball State University.

Jen Poulin

Assistant Director

Jen Poulin is thrilled to serve BackStage Theatre Company as Associate Artistic Director. Her journey began with a magical experience stage managing Aunt Dan and Lemon in 2009. She has also stage managed A Number, Three Days of Rain, and Memory. This season, Jen directed the first two installments of The Listening Series, BackStage's new off-night adventure. Other projects for 2012 include stage managing The Cripple of Inishmaan at Redtwist Theatre, and directing Savage Land for the 2012 Dionysis Cup Festival of New Plays, hosted by Polarity Ensemble Theatre. She has had the pleasure of working with many fine Chicago companies, including Strawdog Theatre Company, WildClaw Theatre, Serendipity Theatre Collective, Steep Theatre Company, Mary Arrchie Theatre Company, and Silk Road Theatre Project. Jen holds a BFA in Theatre Studies from University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign. Love and thanks to our excellent production team and cast, family and friends, and The Boy.

Lindsey Miller

Stage Manager/Production Manager

Lindsey Miller became BackStage's newest Ensemble member in May 2009. She has stage managed BackStage's On An Average Day, The Memory of Water, Waiting for Lefty, and Bloody Bess: A Tale of Piracy and Revenge. Other Chicago credits include The Bay at Nice (Vitalist Theatre), Stone Cold Dead Serious (Circle Theater; Jeff Nominated). Lindsey has also worked with Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, The Road Company, and CLIMB Theatre.

Jess Berry

Zoe

Jess is thrilled to be working with BackStage Theatre for the first time. Most recently, she was seen in Griffin Theatre’s PUNK ROCK directed by Jonathan Berry. Other Chicago credits include Cut to the Chase (The Artistic Home) and performed understudy role for Jeff-Nominated Sweet Bird of Youth (The Artistic Home). Jess is also a graduate of the Artistic Home Training Studio.

Mary Anne Bowman

Agnes

Mary Anne was most recently seen in the title role of Project 891 Theatre Company’s production of Our Leading Lady. She has also worked with a number of other Chicago area theaters, including Griffin Theatre, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Prop Thtr, Circle Theater, Trap Door Theatre and Bailiwick Repertory (1.0). She is a member Emeritus of Babes With Blades, a company specializing in plays featuring stage combat roles for women. She is thrilled to have the opportunity of collaborating with Backstage Theatre on Mr. Saunders’ marvelously evocative and elegiac play. To the pole star and heart of all things, Michael John, profoundest love and humble gratitude.

Ron Butts

David

Ron is happy to be working with BackStage for the third time. Chicago credits include: Lighthousekeeping (New Leaf Theatre); Of Mice and Men (both at Steppenwolf for Young Audiences and Oak Park Festival Theatre); Resurrection Blues and Democracy (Eclipse Theatre); How I Learned to Drive and Beauty on the Vine (BackStage Theatre); Half of Plenty (American Theatre Company); The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow (Collaboraction); Philadelphia Story (Remy Bumppo); Sailing to Byzantium (Caffeine Theatre); The Invention of Love (Court); and understudying on Love Song (Steppenwolf). Ron received his MFA from the University of California, San Diego.

Patrick DeNicola

Godfrey

Patrick De Nicola is working with Backstage Theatre Co. for the third glorious time in his Chicago career. Previous Backstage credits include: Felix in Memory, and Boy in Edward Albee’s The Play About the Baby. Other Chicago credits: The Gift Theatre Co. as Butch in Absolute Hell, Henry/Paul in The Ruby Sunrise, and Pete in Almost Maine, American Theatre Co. as Sonny in The Original Grease (Winner: Jeff Award for Best Musical), Chicago Children’s Theatre as Anthony in the World Premiere of Jackie and Me, and Collaboraction’s Sketchbook 9. Patrick is a graduate of Second City and is currently writing/acting in a comedic web series based on his Italian family called Tony and Miranda (On YouTube). Love and thanks to his famiglia, Annie, The DiMarias, his supportive and loving friends (but not the unsupportive or unloving ones), Backstage, and the wonderful Mr. Reeder. Patrick is a graduate of Emerson College (Boston, MA) with a BFA in Acting and a BA in Film.

Josh Hambrock

Scrivens

Michael Pacas

Edgar

Michael Pacas is currently performing in BackStage Theatre's production of Edward Albee's, THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY. He recently appeared in City Lit’s MACBETH, directed by Susan Hart. Last season, performed the roles of Musgove in Griffin Theatre’s THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM; Mr. Peachum in The Hypocrites’ THE THREEPENNY OPERA and John Barrymore in William Luce’s tour-de-force, BARRYMORE (which he also directed and produced). A BackStage Theatre ensemble member, Michael played leading roles in their productions of THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH and TERRA NOVA. He also directed their production of MEDEA, in which he incorporated American Sign Language. He appeared in CORPUS CHRISTI (Ulysses/Bailiwick), which received a Joseph Jefferson Citation and an After Dark Award for Ensemble. Other acting credits include productions with Lifeline; Irish Repertory; Circle and Signal. Michael gives special thanks to Tim and his extended family including the Cult of Susan and Jeffrey. Visit http://pacas.ws for additional information on his theatrical activities. Later this summer, Michael will be attending the Eight Annual International Cabaret Conference at Yale University: an invitation only intensive nine-day teaching program in the art of cabaret performance and trains professionals for the live entertainment industry.

Eric Paskey

Sid

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), The Ruling Class (Dinsdale), and Aunt Dan and Lemon (Andy). 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!

Jon Stutzman

Fred

Jon is excited to be working with Backstage Theatre Company for the first time. Recent credits include Moby Dick and the Franklin Expedition here at the Buiding Stage, and the Copperhead at City Lit. Jon has worked at Lifeline, the Artistic Home, Steep, Griffin, New Beast Theatre, Adventure Stage, Pegasus Theatre, and the Side Project. Thanks to Megan for all of her support.

Tony Bozzuto

Fight Director

He was last seen in the Jeff Recommended Memory and Orange Flower Water, and in On An Average Day. For about seven years, Tony has been honored to work his way around the Chicago theatre scene with such talented companies as Lifeline Theatre, Next Theatre, Metropolis PAC, and, of course, BackStage Theatre Co.  Whether on stage, television or film, Tony credits much of his skills and successes to his studies at the incomparable Hilberry Theatre in Detroit, MI, where he received his MFA.

Angela M. Campos

Props Designer

Rachel Haile

Dialect Coach

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.

Stephen Ptacek

Sound Designer

Megan Sullivan

Costume Designer

Megan has worked with BackStage Theatre Company since 2004, serving as a Designer (Costumes, Properties, Sound), Manager (Production, Stage), Performer, Director, Ensemble member, and Associate Artistic Director (2005-2007). Costume Design credits for BSTC include A Number, The Play About The Baby, and the Jeff-recommended production of Anton in Show Business. Hailing from the ‘burbs of Detroit, Megan is a director, designer, performer, and instructor in theatre, dance, and music with various genres and groups in Chicago and proudly married to Sean Sullivan (Technical Supervisor), whom she met while working with BSTC.