Kokandy Productions is one of Chicago’s premier storefront theatre companies.

Created in 2011, they have been nominated for 101 Non-Equity Jeff Awards, with countless wins including 5 for last season’s "Into the Woods".

Under the leadership of Scot Kokandy and Derek Van Barham, they have built a reputation that in every way aligns with the company’s mission: To leverage the heightened reality of musical theater, to tell complex and challenging stories, with a focus on contributing to the development of Chicago-based musical theater artists and new musical theater works while raising the profile of Chicago’s storefront musical theater community.

Anyone who has seen a Kokandy production can attest that they are doing just that to great success

Their current production of "Amelie" has been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, and is currently running through September 28th. For tickets, visit https://www.kokandyproductions.com/

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Scot Kokandy and Derek Van Barham. Now let’s go to the top of the show!

Today’s guest is a founding Ensemble Member of The Regional Tony Award Winning Lookingglass Theatre Company, where he has worked as an actor, director, adapter, and  educator.

As an actor, he has appeared in nearly 30 productions for Lookingglass, including 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Cascabel (with Rick Bayless); Big Lake, Big City (directed by David Schwimmer); a he received a Joseph Jefferson Award Nomination for his Solo Performance in For Keeps and a Single Day. He also lays claim as being the only actor to perform 3 out of 4 roles in LookingGlass Alice, the company's iconic take on the classic Lewis Carroll tale.

He’s also been seen on the stages of the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Court, Drury Lane and Northlight Theatres. 

A a dedicated theatre educator for most of his adult life, he has worked with organizations such as Eileen Boevers Performing Arts Workshop, Piven Theatre Workshop, and as adjunct faculty member in the Departments of Theatre at Northwestern University and at the University of Illinois at Chicago and, as a teaching artist for Lookingglass, has worked in schools all over Chicago for more than 25 years.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with today's guest, Thom Cox!

The Marriott Theatre was founded in 1975 and today the acclaimed theatre sells more than 400,000 tickets annually. In all, It has presented more than 180 productions to an estimated 11 million people! Earning praise from critics and audiences alike, they have received a record 599 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations.

In addition to the presentation of classic American musical theatre, Marriott Theatre has become a driving force in the development of original and re-imagined musicals, including world premieres of Phantom of the Country Palace, Peggy Sue Got Married, Once Upon a Time in New Jersey, For the Boys, Hero and October Sky.

Their popular ‘Theatre for Young Audiences’ programming has presented more than 75 productions original works as well as classic fairy tales. Through these special one-hour productions, over 2 million children have experienced the joy and magic that is "live" theatre.

Along with their recently launched concert series, The Marriott is always reinventing itself to meet the ever changing landscape in live entertainment programming.
I hope you enjoy my conversation with Marriott Theatre’s Executive Director, Peter Blair and Artistic Director, Peter Marsden Sullivan. Let’s go to the top of the show!

Welcome to the Chicago Theater-Makers podcast!

Each episode we’ll chat with actors, directors, choreographers, designers and producers shaping Chicagoland’s one-of-a-kind-theater scene!

The aim of this podcast is to highlight theater-makers at every level: From high school drama clubs to community theater to storefront theaters to the big Union houses.

New episodes drop every Monday, and in our first season, our list of guests already includes:

- Executive and associate directors from the top regional houses in town,
- A playwright whose shows have been produced world-wide,
- A husband and wife, director/choreographer team,
- Jeff Award Nominees and winners, and much more. Whether you’re a theater-maker just starting out, a theater pro, a curious audience member, or just love a good backstage story…This is the podcast for you.

So now that you’ve found us, please like us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, share us with your friends or colleagues and subscribe to us on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.

And, if you or someone you know would like to be a guest on the podcast, drop us a note at our website: www.chitheatermakerspodcast.com

Thanks for listening and we’ll see you on the boards soon!

Today’s guest has been a theatre maker for over 40 years.

He’s an actor, singer and playwright whose first area bow was in Marriott Theatre’s production of "1776" nearly 30 years ago. Since then, he has been seen on many Chicago-area stages including the Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, First Folio Theatre, Oak Park Festival Theatre, and Porchlight Music Theatre (just to name a few!)

He has also added the moniker of ‘producer’ to his ever growing list of hyphens, with the creation of SoloChicago Theatre, and his Jeff Award winning production of “Churchill” ran in off-Broadway for 6 months, earning audience and critical acclaim.

Those of you in the Chicago-land area familiar with his work have probably already guessed that today my guest is none other than Chicago's original "journey-man", Ronald Keaton.

I hope you enjoy our conversation. Let’s go to the top of the show!

Today’s guest has been seen on stages all over the Chicagoland as well as Broadway and National Tours for the last 40 years. He was most recently seen in "Translations" at Writers Theatre in Glencoe, and "Uncle Vanya" for the New Theatre Project.

Past credits include Scrooge in Goodman Theatre’s perennial staging of "A Christmas Carol", the National Tour of "Aladdin" on which he originated the role of Jafar, and played mobster Gyp DeCarlo in the show on which we met, Broadway In Chicago’s long running production of "JERSEY BOYS".

I hope you enjoy my conversation with my good friend Jonathan Weir.

In today’s 2 Act Episode, we’re going to chat with two community theaters in the Western suburbs both opening shows this coming weekend:

City of Lights Cabaret and Theatre in Aurora, IL, producing "Pippin" from July 24th through July 27th, and

Summer Place Theatre in Naperville, IL, producing "Legally Blonde" from July 25th through August 3rd.

Tickets can be purchased at:

https://www.cityoflightstheatre.org and https://summerplacetheatre.org, respectively.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with these wonderful organizations and that you're able to catch their shows!

This episode we chat with Artistic Director of the Oak Park Festival Theatre, Peter G. Andersen.

Mr. Andersen is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s MFA directing program and a graduate of Emerson College where he obtained his BFA in Acting. Formerly, he was the education manager at Writers Theatre in Glencoe. He has also worked at Steppenwolf Theatre Company as an Education Apprentice and Multicultural Fellow.

Select directing projects throughout Chicago include Romeo & Juliet (OPFT); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (OPFT); The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (The Gift Theatre); At Your Own Risk (University of Chicago) and Our Town (Roosevelt University).

Projects throughout the US include Pericles (Catskill Mountain Shakespeare); Macbeth (NIU); Measure for Measure (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Catskill Mountain Shakespeare); The Kennedy Plays (CMU); 21 (CMU); As You Like It (CMU) and The American Myth (Shakespeare and Company).

He has also worked for Chicago Shakespeare, TimeLine Theatre, Writers Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Huntington Theatre Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Yale Repertory Theatre, and American Players Theatre as an assistant and associate director.

The Oak Park Festival Theatre celebrates its 50th season this year as the Midwest’s oldest, professional, outdoor classical theatre. Known for producing classic works, many are created as multi-generational experiences. Not only do they produce high quality theater, they are also stewards in the Oak Park community.

In addition to an attendance of 7,000 patrons annually, their ‘Community Appreciation Night’ program offers free tickets to EVERYONE for the first preview performance every season, removing financial barriers to those who might not otherwise have the means to attend.

Because of their strong partnership with the Village of Oak Park, they have endured recessions, climate calamities and a pandemic and their commitment to community, high quality art and the wellbeing of their artists, has them well on their way to celebrating another 50 years.

Our very first episode features a husband and wife director/ choreographer team who have been seen on Broadway and National tours, but since 2013 have made Chicago their hometown and their creative home base.

Justin Brill is an actor, singer, dancer and educator currently assistant professor of Theater arts at Illinois Wesleyan University.

Shanna VanDerwerker is an actress, singer, dancer and choreographer and one of Chicago’s most well loved and well respected dance teachers.

They both offer group workshops and private coaching and, while they do occasionally work on separate project, here in Chicago they are lovingly referred to as “Team VanDerBrill”.

I hope you’ll enjoy my conversation with my good friends, Justin Brill, and Shanna VanDerwerker.