The Chicago Theater-Makers Podcast

Today’s guests are the writer and one of the stars of Dead Girl’ s Quinceañera currently running at the Goodman Theater. The Goodman is the second stop of the play’s triple collective world premiere, where it began at Barrington Stage earlier this summer and from here will debut at Hartford Stage in Spring of 2027.

Writer Phanésia Pharel is a Haitian-American playwright and screenwriter from a dragon fruit farm in Miami and the daughter of an immigrant teacher and farmer.

Her plays have been developed at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference, New Harmony Project, Playwrights’ Center, New York Stage and Film, SolFest, Shattered Globe, and Echo Theater Company.

Phanésia is the Playwriting Fellow (2025–2027) at Emory University, where she serves as a visiting professor and will have a new play produced by the university’s repertory company. She is also member of the Obie Award-winning EST/Youngblood group and The Wish Collective. As a screenwriter, she is an alumna of Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Screenwriting Lab.

Most recently, she recently made her Off-Broadway debut at the WP Theater with her play The Waterfall, which was co-produced by Thrown Stone.

Actress Ariana Burks, is a born and bred Chicago Native whose credits span across the country.

Her very first theatrical credit was as Little Inez in Drury Lane Theatre’s production of Hairspray! Since then she has been seen on area stages including 8 years in the Goodman’s perennial favorite, A Christmas Carol, at Steppenwolf in both The Compass and Dance Nation, in Paramount’s Hairspray and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Gospel at Colonus and Antigone at Court Theatre, Porchlight’s Spring Awakening and Urinetown at BoHo Theatre. From there, she appeared in The Muny’s In The Heights, Broadway’s Real Women Have Curves and most recently the 1st National Tour of Suffs. Her Film and TV credits include Beats, South Side, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire and Neon Galaxy.

Dead Girl's Quinceanera is playing in the Goodman’s Owen Theatre now through November 1st. For tickets visit this link.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Ariana Burks and Phanesia Pharel. Now let’s go to the top of the show!

Today’s guest is a proud member of the Artistic Ensemble at A Red Orchid Theatre and has served as their Artistic Director since 2008. 

As an actor she has originated roles in the world premieres of The Cave, Grey House, Traitor, Pilgrim’s Progress and Weapon of Mass Impact (A Red Orchid); at the Goodman in Swing State and I hate It Here ; at Victory Gardens in Lettie and Appropriate; AND at Steppenwolf in Mary Page Marlow and The Qualms. Among some her additional acting favorites, she includes Clybourn Park at Steppenwolf), Sweat at Goodman, Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage at Defiant, and both The Sea Horse and Abigail’s Party at A Red Orchid.

On TV she has been seen in Dark Matter, Shining Girls, Somebody Somewhere, The Exorcist, Sirens, The Big Leap, Chicago Med/Fire/Justice, Underemployed, ER and in the films Rain Reign, Widows and Working Man. 

Recent directing credits include the world premiere of Gorgeous by Keiko Green for Raven & Rivendell Theatres, Dance Nation at Northwestern University’s Wirtz Center, as well as The Moors and Birds of North America at A Red Orchid. Birds of North America went on to win this year’s Equity Jeff Awards in 4 categories: Best Production of a Play, Best Director a Play, Best Sound Design (all in the Midsize category) and Best Original Music for a Play.

A Red Orchid’s production of ‘Birds of North America’ is back by popular demand and running now through October 4th. For tickets, you can visit this link.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Kirsten Fitzgerald. Now let’s go to the top of the show!

From its humble beginnings at the Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ where they remained until this year’s grand opening of their new home at 5035 N. Broadway, TimeLine Theatre’s focus has remained unchanged: To present stories inspired by history that connect with today’s social and political issues. Today's guest is one of the co-founders and current Artistic Director of TimeLine. 

Since becoming Artistic Director in 1999, he has overseen the production of more than 80 plays, including 12 world premieres and more than 38 Chicago premieres.
During his tenure, TimeLine has garnered 60 Jeff Awards, including 11 for Outstanding Production, as well as awards for excellence in arts management, including the 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.

He was instrumental in establishing TimeLine’s original home on Wellington Avenue; expanding the company’s programming to include productions in numerous other venues, including the Broadway Playhouse; creating the TimePieces play reading series and First Draft Festival of new work; launching the Living History Education Program in Chicago Public Schools under the direction of TimeLine co-founder Juliet Hart; and of course planning for TimeLine’s new home in Uptown.

As an actor, he has appeared in 18 productions at TimeLine, including THE APPLE FAMILY PLAYS: THAT HOPEY CHANGEY THING, THE FRONT PAGE, THE FARNSWORTH INVENTION, FIORELLO!, HAUPTMANN and EUREKA DAY. He also has appeared at Writers, Northlight, and Shattered Globe, among others.

A graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University, he has served on the Board of Directors for the League of Chicago Theatres, was awarded the Meier Achievement Award for mid-career artists, and received a Goldman Sachs Senior Fellowship at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. 

I hope you enjoy my conversation with PJ Powers. Now let’s go to the top of the show!

Today's guests are the dynamic duo leadership team at Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights.

Artistic Director, Johanna McKenzie Miller joined metropolis in 2025 to lead the artistic programming, as well as to define and propel the Metropolis School of the Performing Arts. She stepped into this role with a clear, artistic mission, focusing on expanding storytelling, championing new voices and reimagining classics through a fresh lens.

She brings years of experience as a well-known Chicago director, actress and singer appearing on the Stages of such theaters as the Marriott Theater, Drury Theater, Court Theatre, The Goodman, and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and with directing credits including Cinderella at Metropolis, Kiss Me, Kate at Marriott, Shrek at Music Theater Works and co-directing Beautiful alongside Jim Corti at Paramount theater.

Executive Director, Tiffany Gates, has had a 20 year history at Metropolis in several leadership positions, include being head of the voice department, the music theater faculty, and education director for the school of performing arts and served as interim ED prior to her full-time appointment in the role.

She is a seasoned performer, director, choreographer, producer, entrepreneur and voice instructor with decades of experience in both performance and education.

Her performance highlights include appearances at Lincoln Center, the Triad, Great Lakes Theatre, Carousel Dinner Theater, Music Theater Works and Folks Operetta among others. She holds a bachelor of music and vocal performance from Ohio Northern University, and studied at Circle in the Square Theater School in New York City.

Metropolis PAC's production of Ride the Cyclone opens September 16th and runs through October 25th. For tickets, visit https://www.metropolisarts.com.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Tiffany Gates and Johanna McKenzie Miller.

Now let’s go to top of the show!

Today’s guest is a writer and performer known for his intelligent, darkly funny style.

His diverse career includes over a decade of national stand-up touring and writing for A-list talent such as Jason Sudeikus, Mindy Kaling, and Ellen Degeneres. He has also written for BBC Radio’s The Treatment, and worked as a story consultant for Pixar Animation.

His one man show Therapist Zero chronicles his journey as a parent navigating the challenges of advocating for his daughter within the mental health care system.

He most recently performed the piece as part of the San Francisco Fringe, Indy Fringe, Minnesota Fringe, Brighton Fringe and Hollywood Fringe.

His next stop is Chicago’s Athenaum Theater, where Therapist Zero runs this September 11th through September 13th. For tickets, you can visit this link.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Brian Leonard.

Now let’s go to the top of the show.

Thanks for tuning in to part 2 of our National Wellness Month finale as we continue our conversation on mental wellness.

Our guest in part 2 is former musical theater performer and director in New York City, who is now a Licensed Professional Counselor based in Kansas City, KS.

She utilizes her past skills of exploring emotions, making creative connections and listening with openness and curiosity to help people get out of their heads and tap into their emotions, encouraging them to examine their own life stories to make meaningful, lasting change.

She offers counseling for adults 18 and over on such issues as anxiety, depression, trauma, disordered eating and grief using such approaches as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (aka as ACT), Eye Movement, Desensitization and Reprocessing (aka EMDR), Internal Family Systems (aka IFS) and Intuitive Eating Interventions.

Just like our guest from part one, she also offers a free 15 minute intro call to see if she would be a good fit for you. Although do keep in mind that her practice is limited to this Kansas City area.

If you would like to reach out to her you can find her at her website.

For the 12 Stages of Burnout reference mentioned in this episode, please go here:

Finally, we want to thank for tuning into our entire wellness series and especially both parts of our important conversations about mental wellness. If you or someone you know is struggling with any of the issues discussed in this week’s episode, we hope that you’ll seek the necessary help and wish you continued success on your wellness journey.

I hope you enjoy part 2 of our wellness month finale and my conversation with Lili Torre.

Now let’s go to the top of the show!

Today’s episode is the finale of our series on National Wellness Month. And for that we are releasing a two part episode discussing mental health.  

Our guest in part 1 is a Chicago born actor, singer dancer, director and choreographer who is also a licensed social worker.

Shortly after graduating from Illinois Wesleyan University, he was cast in the Chicago company of Hal Prince’s Showboat. Upon that show’s closing, he piggy backed on that success, and moved to NY when soon thereafter, he made his Broadway debut in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Eventually making his way back here to Chicago, he spent many years on stages here including in such shows as White Christmas, My One and Only, Swing and A Chorus Line. In 2011 he made his directing and choreography debut helming Guys and Dolls at the Marriott, with additional credits following at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Rocky Mountain Rep and the Old Globe in San Diego.  

After losing his partner, Bernie Yvon in 2014, he used the experience of his grief to embark on a new career as a licensed social worker; His knowledge for which is the main focus of our topic today. 

For more information on today’s guest, you can go to his website. He offers a free 15 minute consultation to see if he would be a good fit for you.

And after listening to part 1 of today’s special episode, don’t forget to follow it up by listening to part 2 (which we also dropped today) where we have another amazing guest and discuss a completely different set of topics around mental wellness!

For now, I hope you enjoy part 1 and my conversation with Matt Raftery. 

Now let’s go to top of the show!

Today’s episode continues our series on National Wellness Month where each week we’re interviewing a wellness practitioner aligned with the theater-making community. 

And with that, today’s guest came to the performing arts early and never really left. She toured nationally and internationally as a musical theatre performer in such shows as 42nd Street, The Wizard of Oz, Sweeney Todd, Evita, and A Chorus Line.

After years of performing, she transitioned into teaching and choreography, spending six years at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City developing curriculum that wove together acting, movement, voice, and dance. She also taught at The Ailey School, the 92nd Street Y, and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy

Adding to her successful theatrical and teaching pursuits:

• She co-founded TWP/Skydancer Productions in New York City, producing three seasons of original works by, for, and about women,

• Served as Staff Choreographer at Capital Playhouse in Olympia, WA, where she choreographed, taught dance classes, and sold advertisements for the program, and finally,

• Worked as a House Manager at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fisher Hall giving her a deep understanding of how theatre organizations work from the inside out.

What changed everything for her was finding the Alexander Technique. AT taught her to do less, work with how she is designed, and free her movement, her breath, her voice, and her joy in the work. She completed her 1600-hour teacher training in 2006 and has been teaching ever since.

And like other private practitioners in this month’s series, she is offering a discount on her services. Just for listening to today’s episode, you will receive a 10% discount off of a 5 pack of private Alexander Technique sessions!

For more information, you can visit her website.

I hope you enjoy today’s conversation with Amanda Blair MacDonald. 

Now let’s go, to the top of the show!

As we continue our series on National Wellness Month, this week’s episode focuses on financial wellness. And with that, today’s guest is one of Chicago’s top certified financial planners. 

He began his early career path as a professional poker player. You could say it was there where he learned patience, steady handedness, and when to make the right moves.

Leveraging his success, and earnings, he launched Zen Wealth Management in 2009 with that unique perspective on risk, strategy, and decision-making under pressure.

Today, following the acquisition of 8 accounting firms, his team oversees nearly $250 million dollars in client wealth and delivers tailored financial strategies to more than 1,400 clients of all income levels. 

And as a thank you for listening to today’s episode, he is offering a free entity consultation. Should it be determined that it would benefit you to form an entity (such as an LLC) he is offering a 25% discount on his services to help you form that new entity. 

You can contact him at [email protected].

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Eddie Patel. 

Now let’s go to the top of the show!

As we continue our National Wellness Month series, today's episode we're talking all about vocal health with someone you might call "ENT to the stars of Chicago (and those performers passing through)”. He is the division head for laryngology at Rush University, Medical Center.

Singing since a very young age, his fascination with the power of the human voice peaked his interest early on and he considers his passion for helping people use their voice in various ways as forever rewarding.

He has been my and my family’s ENT for most of my time here in Chicago and I’m honored that he took the time from his busy schedule to join us.

I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dr. H. Steven Sims.

Now let’s go to the top of the show!