Clara Zucker (Director, Co-Artistic Director of The Village Theatre) is a Chicago-based director, playwright, and dramaturg. She is passionate about utilizing theater as a tool for social change and firmly believes in theater’s ability to uplift and unify diverse voices. Directing credits include the Midwest premiere of The Lacy Project (The Understudy), Sophie Sucks Face (Edinburgh Fringe Festival, shortlisted for best show for Edinburgh Comedian's Choice Awards), Doom Tank (Under St. Mark’s Theatre), Shayna Punim, The Aliens, Athena, Mr. Marmalade (Oberlin College). Past playwriting credits include Fishing for Whales (2024 Cherry Picking, New York, NY), and Shayna Punim (Oberlin College, Oberlin Ohio). Clara currently serves as the literary and dramaturgy apprentice at Goodman Theatre and is the dramaturg for the upcoming world premiere of Ashland Avenue (Dir. Susan Booth, Goodman Theatre). Clara holds a B.A. in Theater and American Studies from Oberlin College and is the recipient of the Nash Drama Award for exceptional achievement in Oberlin Theater. She would like to thank her family for making the trek from NYC and her community here in Chicago. It takes a village!
Team
Carmia Imani (Assistant Director) is a Chicago-based theatre artist. Selected acting credits include: Clearing (A Short Leap Theatre Co.), Field of Flesh (Leisure), and Skeleton Crew (The Black Rep). She wrote, directed, and produced the poetry film AmeriKKKa, about police brutality and racism, which won Best Film at the Hoosier Films Annual Festival in 2021. Carmia is an ensemble member of A Short Leap Theatre Company and a company member of PlayGround-Chicago. She holds a BFA in Acting from Ball State University. She’s grateful to the folks at The Village Theater for the opportunity to step into directing! @carmiaimani
Amanda Tancioco Rokosz (Stage Manager) is thankful and excited to be the Stage Manager for The Village Theater’s production of Artemis Books and The Well-Meaning Man. Previous Chicago credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch (ASM) with Haven Chicago. She recently graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign this spring with her BFA in Stage Management. Past UIUC credits include The Winter’s Tale (SM) and The Secretaries (SM). As always, Amanda is so grateful to her family and friends for their love and support throughout her stage management journey. Maramang salamat at mahal kita!
Naomi Zhanel Kalter (Dramaturg, Artistic Associate of The Village Theater) is a Chicago-based actress who is thrilled to be part of The Village Theater’s artistic team. Having just finished playing Juliet in Romeo and Juliet with GreatWorks Theatre Company and with new projects in the works, she’s especially proud to make her debut as a dramaturg with this production. Creating the dramaturgical packet for Artemis Books & The Well-Meaning Man has been a rewarding new challenge, and she’s loved collaborating with such a passionate team! She is so thankful to her fellow Village Theater members for their hard work and dedication in helping build this company into something truly special. Naomi also deeply appreciates the Chicago theatre community for welcoming The Village Theater with such positivity! She’s proud to be part of this vibrant new company and hopes the show resonates with everyone who experiences it. Enjoy the show!
Bailey McWilliams-Woods (Intimacy Director, Executive Director of The Village Theater) is thrilled to welcome our first-ever audiences to The Village! Bailey is a Chicago-based theater artist and intimacy coordinator. She holds degrees in Theater and Gender Studies from Oberlin College and an MA in Nonprofit Management from the University of Chicago. Acting credits include Cabaret (Texas) and Twilight Bowl (Brielle). She is passionate about theater as a transformative space for identity exploration through performance and dialogue.
Emily Newmark (Producer, Co-Artistic Director of The Village Theater) is proud to make her theatrical producing debut with Artemis Books & the Well-Meaning Man. A director, choreographer, and filmmaker, Emily is passionate about bold new work and reimagined classics. Since moving to Chicago, she has directed The Shrew Strikes Back and Loyalty with Playground-Chi and assistant directed The Totality of All Things at Redtwist Theatre. She previously served as an Emerging Directing Resident at Milwaukee Repertory Theater and holds a B.A. in Theater and Psychology from Oberlin College, as well as a certificate in film directing from Prague Film School. Other select directing credits include: Kintsugi (Independent Short Film), Next to Normal, The Tempest, and Triplets (Oberlin College). Emily is thrilled to bring The Village Theater to Chicago—and grateful to have you as part of our village!
Lena Romano (Producer) is a Chicago-based producer, dramaturg, director, and arts programmer. She currently serves as the BOLD Producing Associate at Goodman Theatre, where her producing credits include Betrayal, The Antiquities, The Penelopiad, The Sweetest Season: A Gathering of Indigenous Creativity (2022–2025), New Stages Festival (2022–2024), Fannie Lou Hamer: Speak On It!, Zulema and In My Granny’s Garden (Night Out in the Parks, 2021–2023). She also served as Dramaturg on Goodman’s production of Primary Trust. Other directing and dramaturgy credits include Cambodian Rock Band, Curve of Departure, Little Black Shadows and The Sisters Rosensweig (South Coast Repertory); Good People (Chance Theater); Jane: Abortion and the Underground and Mourning in America (Connective Theatre Company). Lena also serves on the Board of Directors at Chicago Dramatists, helping drive funding and engagement for the organization. Her work is grounded in community-building and driven by a commitment to sparking dialogue, activating change, and uplifting both audiences and artists.
Jane Hobson (Director of Marketing at The Village Theater) is originally from Madison, WI, and graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in English in 2022. She's thrilled to put her marketing, social media, and web design skills to the test with this production—and apologizes in advance for any overly enthusiastic Instagram or TikTok content you may have seen. Jane has collaborated with director Clara Zucker on five productions, most recently acting in The Lacy Project (spring 2024). Outside the theater, she leads a self-titled music project and works by day as an Assistant Director of Admissions at the University of Chicago.
Emily Waskowitz (Marketing Associate of The Village Theater) is a Chicago-based artist and public health worker who primarily works with fiber, illustration, and printmaking. A graduate of Loyola University Chicago with a degree in Public Health, Emily’s work aims to strengthen and empower disenfranchised communities throughout Chicago. Emily champions creativity and expressive design throughout their work and is so excited to be joining The Village Theater!
Kat Monty (Set Designer and Props Assistant) is beyond thrilled to be joining The Village Theater for their first production. Having a long history in theater, she is so very excited to have gotten the opportunity to do set design for the first time! She would like to give a special thank you to everyone who helped her make her vision come to life.
Satya Chávez (Sound Designer) is a Chicago-based, queer, Latiné, multidisciplinary artist whose work as a composer, actor, director, musician, and looper has been developed and produced across the country. Known for their innovative approach to storytelling through live-looping, Chávez’s work often reflects themes of social justice and collective liberation. They are a Jeff Impact Fellow and artist in residence with The Goodman Theatre and Seattle Children’s Theater. As a composer, their work has been developed and produced by The Goodman Theatre, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Paramount Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Curious Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Teatro Vista, and more. Their most notable works are border play, Refuge, which received multiple awards, including Jeff Awards, the Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, and a Venturous Theater Fund Grant, and drama league nominated Where Did We Sit On the Bus?. Chávez’s other notable compositions and sound designs include Memorabilia and ¡Bernarda! (Teatro Vista), Black Bone (Definition Theatre), Corduroy (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), One Party Consent (First Floor Theatre), and Where Did We Sit on the Bus? (Denver Center for Performing Arts) and TYA musicals, including Brighter Futures (Paramount Theatre) and Seattle History Remix (Seattle Children’s Theater). Follow @officialmrchavez or visit satyachavez.org.
Averly Sheltraw (Props Master) is a visual artist who has worked at the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival Studio since 2022. Past projects include Mirrored Pool (The Athenaeum Center), The Little Mermaid (Drury Lane), See What I Wanna See (Out of the Box Theatrics), Midsummer Night’s Dream (Joffrey Ballet), The Matchbox Magic Flute (Goodman Theater), and Florencia en el Amazonas (The Metropolitan Opera). Currently, she is making her favorite type of puppets (bugs!) with Tom Lee for La Mama’s Creatures.
Maggie McGlenn (Costume Designer) is thrilled to be the first costume designer for The Village Theater! Maggie graduated from Lawrence University in 2022, where she worked as costume shop manager under the mentorship of designer Karin Kopischke. As a 2022 Watson Fellow, Maggie spent a year studying how the creation of clothing can sustain all the different aspects of our lives. Maggie made her Chicago costuming debut last year, costuming the Midwest premiere of The Lacy Project (The Understudy).
Joseph Nelson (Lighting Designer) is overjoyed to be working with The Village Theater on their debut show. He is a student at The Theatre School at DePaul University. A recent favorite credit would be Ride the Cyclone at DePaul University.
Andi Muriel (Poster Designer, contributed paintings on set) is a Chicago-based actress, artist, and arts educator. They are a graduate from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s School of Theatre and Music, where they received their BFA in acting. Some recent Chicago credits include: Irina Prozorov in Sandbox Collective’s immersive production of Three Sisters, Cecily Cardew in Strawdog’s queer retelling of The Importance of Being Earnest, and Annie in Jeff Award-winning Motherhouse at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, where she is a proud ensemble member.