Twelfth Night |
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| An Original Practices Production | ||
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Nonsense |
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Wesley Byers |
Cast
Creative Team
Jackie Schiro
Gabriella Ashlin
Jo Hoagland
Makenna Van Raalte
Paulette Maher
Wesley Byers
Theo Zucker
A Note from Our Actor-Manager
Hello one and all, and welcome to Illyria! We are thrilled to bring you into our wild oasis of love, longing, music, and foolery!
It has been a joy and an honor working with these artists to bring “Twelfth Night” to life in an Original Practices (OP) production. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this concept, an OP process considers rehearsal and performance elements from Shakespeare’s time and implements them into our modern production process. You will hear about and see several of these elements at work today, but I wanted to highlight a couple of them for you.
Perhaps most notably, an OP production operates on quite a bit shorter of a timeline than we are used to in contemporary theatre. Our full cast met for the first time this past Friday, March 13th- exactly seven days before opening night. In this past week, our team has put in an extraordinary amount of work to bring this story to life.
It is also worth noting that this show does not have a traditional director, as we have come to know and expect in a modern western theatre setting. Instead, I had the privilege of serving as the Actor-Manager for this production. This means that, from my position as an actor in the show, I was able to help establish our world and facilitate what was a very collaborative creative process.
The generation and execution of the storytelling- most notably the blocking (where/when/how actors move around on stage and fill the space)- was entirely in the hands of the cast. And let me tell you, I was floored by how brilliantly and efficiently this group was able to execute. Not only did everyone bring incredible ideas to the table, but they also prioritized listening to each other and honoring the story and the world as a whole.
This wild, beautiful process would not have been possible without the work and care of so many people. I want to personally thank the full creative team for their stunning artistry and endless contributions to this process. In particular, it must be said that our Production Manager extraordinaire, Gabriella Ashlin, has put a truly remarkable amount of time and passion into this project- she is one of the primary reasons this production ran so smoothly and looks as beautiful as it does.
As the show begins, I encourage you to allow yourself to be fully immersed into the world of Illyria- feel free to react, laugh, jeer, and feel engaged with the players on stage. The nature of this process means that we, on stage, are buzzing with a little extra energy and anticipation as we enter a world that is still nearly as fresh to us as it is to you. This is the magic of live theatre at work, folks, and we are delighted to welcome you into our story!
With gratitude,
Jo
Meet the Company
Wesley Byers
Wesley is thrilled to be performing with Nonsense Productions for the first time! He would like to thank his family and friends old and new who have helped make Chicago feel like home.
Riley Capp
Riley is very excited to be a part of this production of Twelfth Night! He is eternally grateful for the support of his family and friends. Recent credits: Justin in Mr. Parker (Open Space Arts), Gus in The Dumb Waiter (Bankside Repertory Theatre), and Edmund and Claudio in King Lear and Much Ado About Nothing (Illinois Shakespeare Festival)
Training: University of Houston, Professional Actor Training Program, MFA | Principia College, Theatre, BA
Will Colley
Will Colley is thrilled to be working with Nonsense Productions and to dive into this amazing original practices process. Originally from Colorado, Will has been a proud Chicago-based theatre artist since attending Loyola University Chicago to study theatre. Most recently he has worked with Fat Theatre Project in Destination: Wedding, with GreatWorks Theatre on multiple shows this season, and as a teaching artist with Raven Theatre and Creative Root at DePaul University.
Al Duffy
Al Duffy is a classic 99’ NB heart throb with a passion for theatre and performance of any kind. Al recently understudied for Bump In The Night’s production of “The Fourth Graders Present…”, but you may also recognize them from shows with Hell In A Handbag (Scary Town, Golden Girls) or from the improv world where they co-lead A Secret Third Thing: Chicago’s only all non-binary improv team! You can find Al on Instagram at @al_duffy_
Hannah Eisendrath
Hannah is grateful for the opportunity to play with these clowns. hannaheisendrath.com
More importantly:
F*ck ICE, f*ck facists.
If you are able, please consider donating to support the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights: www.icirr.com
Jo Hoagland
Jo Hoagland (they/them) is a Chicago-based actor, director, and applied theatre artist. They hold a BFA in theatre performance from the University of Colorado Boulder. Favorite credits include Alls Well That Ends Well and Coriolanus (actor, Colorado Shakespeare Festival), the titular roles in Macbeth and Gallathea (actor, CU Boulder), Sunny Afternoon (directing apprentice, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), and Julius Caesar (director, CU Boulder). Much love to their incredible community, and ABOLISH ICE!
Timothy Merkle
Timothy is a Chicago based actor and improvisor. He is originally from Colorado, in his opinion, the best state, and is a graduate from the University of Notre Dame, majoring in theatre and applied math. Although he rocks them well, his curls sadly aren't real and he apologizes for breaking your trust. Follow him on instagram @tmerks23. He sends his love and eternal thanks to family and friends for their everlasting support. Te Amo Siempre!
Alexis Primus
Alexis Primus (she/they) is a DC born, east coast bred, and Chicago, IL based actor. She is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University and is currently crying/raging over the fact that Ferrari's F1 team can't get their act together. Next year will be our year. Anyway, Alexis is a singer and strong mover who needs more on-camera classes and is grateful to Nonsense Theatre for this new experience.
Elonie Quick
Elonie Quick is thrilled to be making her debut with Nonsense Productions as Viola in this production of Twelfth Night! This will be her second Shakespeare role, the first being Rosalind in As You Like It. Most recently she was seen in Porchlight Music Theatres concert series, New Faces Sing Broadway 1960. Much love to her fantastic friends and supporting family.
Carolyn Waldee
Carolyn Waldee (she/they) is thrilled to be strange, stout, in yellow stockings and cross-gartered here at Nonsense after text coaching Doctor Faustus and playing Orlando in As You Like It. Other Chicago credits include: TL;DR: Thelma Louise; Dyke Remix (Theo Ubique -- Midwest Premiere), Macbeth (Stone Soup Shakespeare), and Dying For It (The Artistic Home). Carolyn is also a cellist, a professional cheesemonger, and a longtime TYA performer with Greatworks Theatre. Love to TZ. www.carolynwaldee.com
Theo Zucker
Theo Zucker (they/he/she) is an actor, writer, and all-around artist. They previously appeared with Nonsense as an understudy in Doctor Faustus. A company member with Stone Soup Shakespeare, they usually spend summers performing Shakespeare in parks around the Midwest. Theo is also a cast member in the ongoing audio drama Psychopompos: A New Mythology, as well as a published writer. Their short story "Henry” was nominated for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize. Love to CW.
Jackie Schiro
Jackie Schiro (Stage Manger) is thrilled to be working on her first Nonsense Productions show for Twelfth Night! Jackie studied theatre at the College Of DuPage in Glen Ellyn after receiving their John Belushi Stage Management Scholarship. Her favorite stage management credits include, The Uninvited (2023 College Of Dupage), Laugh! (2025 Playhouse 38), and A Christmas Carol Radio Play (2024 Playhouse 38). She’d like to thank Amelia Barrett and Daniel Millhouse for all they’ve taught her, and her friends and family for all the love and support they’ve given her.
Gabriella Ashlin
Gabriella Ashlin (She/her) is a theatre artist in the Chicago area. She is the artistic director of Nonsense Productions and directed the inaugural production of Reasons to Be Pretty in Milwaukee, and its second production, As You Like It, in Chicago. She has performed as an actor with Kohl's Wild Theater, Greatworks Theatre Company, Renaissance Theatreworks, Skylight Music Theatre, and Outskirts Theatre Company. She is an independent scenic artist, producer, designer, and director.
Jo Hoagland
See Cast Bio
Makenna Van Raalte
Mak is so excited to be making their debut as a text coach and scribnerprompter on this production of Twelfth Night! They are a proud Nonsemble member as well as the founder and Artistic Director of Essential Invisible Theatre Co. Recent credits include The Blood Countess (Idle Muse) and Life Is A Queer Cabaret (Essential Invisible). Thanks to Jo for the invitation and to their friends and family for their support.
Paulette Maher
Paulette is an arts administrator and intimacy coordinator in Chicago. They are thrilled to be supporting Nonsense's work.
Wesley Byers
See Cast Bio
Theo Zucker
See Cast Bio
Special Thanks
Greatworks Theatre Company
The Cornservatory
Mike and Betty Ashlin
Michael Fleischman
Leah Huskey
Kal Kalinski
Kyle David Perry
George Petermeier
Elliott Puckette
Elonie Quick
Shane Richlen
Eileen Tull
An Exclusive Offer for Our Patrons
Get 20% Tickets for HEAVY here using code ARTSNIGHT:
https://events.ticketleap.com/
A Statement from the Nonsense Staff
We, the staff and ensemble of Nonsense Productions, strive to operate with integrity and professionalism in our leadership at every level of the process. Our theatre was created for artists to find agency and safety within the artistic process. We do not accept abuse or harassment in our workspace at any time. We hold ourselves and others accountable for behaviors in our space, and continue using practices such as Chicago Theatre Standards to ensure our company remains a safe and reliable atmosphere to work creatively.
