ARTISTIC ASSOCIATES

Anna C. Bahow  

Committed to the development of new work, international voices and diversity. Anna is is an Associate Artist at Premiere Theatre and Performance, The Side Project and Chicago Dramatists. She served as the 2011-2012 Michael Maggio Directing Fellow at Goodman Theatre, has received an After Dark Award for direction and her productions have received JEFF Awards for New Work and Use of Multi-Media. Upcoming Brewed with Ruckus and Tympanic Theatres in March, Comrades Mine at City Lit in April and Invasion! with Silk Road Rising this summer.

Carol J. Blanchard

Carol J. Blanchard has designed for companies such as Cleveland Symphony’s Blossom Opera, Skylight Music Theatre, Shakespeare in the Park, Chautauqua Institution, First Stage Childrens’ Theatre, Karamu Theatre, and the Champlain Shakespeare Festival.  Her Chicago credits include Victory Gardens, Drury Lane, The Mercury Theater – Chicago, Silk Road Theatre Project, Porchlight Music Theatre, The Artistic Home, Appletree Theatre, and PTAP.  She has been honored with a Joseph Jefferson Award and, for her collaboration in the Silk Road Theatre’s Golden Child, an After Dark Award.  She is a Professor Emeritus of Design at The State University of New York. You can see more of her work at cjbdesigns.org

Hank Hilbert 

Hank Hilbert received his MFA in Acting form Northern Illinois University, and hs B.A. in Dramatic Arts from UW-Parkside. He has been acting since 1996 and residing in Chicago since 2004. Hank is an Artistic Associate with Premiere Theatre & Performance and a Company Member with Urban Theatre Company.

Iris Manca 

Iris Manca, was born and raised in Italy, and moved on to Beijing, China, in 1991. She returned to Europe 10 years later as a specialist in Chinese contemporary theatre.  She began her directing career China, where she co-founded the international theatre group “Testimony”. She currently resides in Cremona, Italy.She first met Patrizia Acerra while working in Rome on the Italian adaptation of “Picture This”, in 2001. At ease in between different cultures, she easily embraced the philosophy of IVP and is now writing a play on immigration.

Ronnie Malley

Ronnie Malley is a multi-instrumentalist musician, theatrical performer, producer, and educator with a background in Global Music and Performance Studies. His recent credits include author and composer of the original play Ziryab, The Songbird of Andalusia, musician in The Secret Garden, musician and consultant on Disney’s theatrical production of The Jungle Book, associate producer, composer, and actor in The Sultan's Dilemma, co-composer on Mary Zimmerman’s The White Snake, and film composition for At the Gate, Modou: The Hang Player, and Jon and Davy. Ronnie has also produced the albums Auraad Fathiya, Saazuk Safar, Tsikago, Gypsy Surf, and East Meets Middle East through his company, Intercultural Music Production, and has appeared as a guest artist on several musical works. He conducts Arabic language artist residencies for Chicago Public Schools and is a teaching artist of music and theater with Global Voices Initiative. Ronnie is also a faculty member at the Old Town School of Folk Music, as well as an artist researcher with Chicago Arts Partnership in Education. He performs with the music groups Allos Musica, Baeoa, EMME, Lamajamal, Surabhi, Turath Ensemble, and the University of Chicago Middle East Music Ensemble.

Elizabeth Carlin Metz

 Elizabeth Carlin Metz the founding Artistic Director of Chicago’s acclaimed VITALIST THEATRE, where she received After Dark Awards for her direction of MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN and for technical achievement for A PASSAGE TO INDIA. Other productions for Vitalist include the Jeff nominated Chicago premiere of THE NIGHT SEASON (Jeff Award for best Supporting Actress), ANNA KARENINA, KING LEAR, THE THREE LIVES OF LUCIE CABROL, the world premiere of ANUNG’S FIRST AMERICAN CHRISTMAS, THE MILL ON THE FLOSS and FLOATING RHODA AND THE GLUE MAN. She was a Directing Associate with California Shakespeare Festival where she directed AS YOU LIKE IT with the interns and also served as voice and text coach for the company. Other directing credits include HAMLET, MACBETH, PERESTROIKA, THE LOVE OF THE NIGHTINGALE, PYGMALION, THE GRAPES OF WRATH, WOMAN IN MIND, and her own original adaptation of HENRY IV PTS 1 & 2 in Manchester, UK. As a voice director Liz has worked for Seattle Repertory Theatre, Tacoma Actor’s Guild, and Steppenwolf (Chicago and Off-Broadway) and four years as a Resident Voice Director at Williamstown Theatre Festival. She has served on the Illinois Arts Council, presented on acting and directing at the Association for Theatre in Higher education, and served on the faculties of the Professional Actor Training Programs at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, the University of Washington, and the University of California at Davis where she also taught in and administered the graduate directing program. She is Professor of Theatre at Knox College and holds an MFA from Temple University.

Sarah Stec 

Sarah Stec As a grad of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a degree in visual communications, Sarah has created design for such clients as Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Kraft and Absolut Vodka, when she worked onsite with some of Chicago’s finest agencies. Deciding to venture out on her own in 1998, she has built a network of clients ranging from local theatre groups to schools to restaurants under the name of Archetype. Visit www.archetypegd.com to view her portfolio.  

Mac Vaughey

Mac Vaughey is a Chicago-based lighting designer whose recent credits include work with Open Eye Productions,Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Infamous Commonwealth Theatre, Teatro Luna, 16th Street Theatre, and the Oracle Theatre. Mac is also theMaster Electrician for Pegasus Players, the Next Theatre, Timeline Theatre Company, American Theatre Company and the House Theatre of Chicago.