Raven Theatre Announces New Ensemble Members

Raven Theatre's Director of Education & Outreach and new ensemble member, Kelli Strickland, is one of ten arts professionals selected worldwide to receive the prestigious, nationally recognized DeVos Institute Fellowship at The DeVos Institute of Arts Management at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

In September, Strickland begins the nine-month long fellowship program that includes extensive coursework in contemporary business practices and practical management experience in planning, presenting, and producing performing arts programming. Fellows are assigned a Kennedy Center mentor and have departmental assignments in addition to their ongoing coursework.

About the DeVos Institute Fellowship
The Fellowship at the DeVos Institute of Arts Management is an immersive program in arts management strategy designed to prepare mid-career arts managers for executive positions in today’s complex arts environment. Hosted at the nation’s cultural center and one of the largest and most dynamic performing arts institutions, the Fellowship offers a structured blend of academic training, hands-on work experience, independent and collective learning opportunities, and personalized mentoring. The paid Fellowships are full-time and last nine-months September through May.

Kelli Strickland has acted or directed with Bareboned Theatre Co., Bailiwick Repertory, Mary Arrchie, Women's Theatre Alliance, 20% Theatre Co. and Avenue Theatre Co. She recently starred in the feature film Hannah Free appearing in over 50 film festivals internationally and winning multiple awards including ‘Best in Fest.’ Her one-woman show and break-out hit from Filet of Solo We've Got a Badge for That toured nationally and kicked-off Raven’s Evermore! Series. Kelli was on faculty in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Loyola University and is the Director of Education and Outreach of TAKE FLIGHT, Raven’s outstanding arts education program in the Chicago Public Schools and Chicago HOPES (CPS’s extension program in homeless shelters) along with select social service agencies. Now in its eleventh year, the TAKE FLIGHT provides students (2nd through 12th Grade) with an opportunity to learn the basic principles of theatre, and to use those tools as a means of improving self-esteem and collaboration.

In addition to Strickland, Raven Theatre will welcome ten new ensemble members: Michael Boone, Cathy Bowren, Cody Estle, Jason Huysman, Teri McCaskill, Sophia Menendian, Jen Short, John Weagly, Antione Pierre Whitfield and Kristen Williams.

Artistic Director Mike Menendian states, "From the beginning Raven Theatre has been an ensemble driven organization, committed to the collective efforts of artists with a broad range of skills including performance, writing, musical composition, design, and direction. I am excited to announce the addition of eleven new members to our Raven Core Ensemble. Each person brings a unique set of artistic skills and collectively the group adds a new level of vibrancy and artistic depth to our ever growing program."

Michael Boone most recently appeared in Raven Theatre's World Premiere of Dating Walter Dante. Other Raven credits include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Clean Well-Lighted Place, The Room, Talk to Me Like the Rain and You Can't Take it With You. Mike is a graduate of the Steven Ivcich Conservatory and has studied at the Royal National in London.

Cathy Bowren's previous Raven credits include stage managing The Cherry Orchard, The Odd Couple, and Death of a Salesman. Other Chicago-area credits include In Your Facebook (Stage Manager, Tellin’ Tales Theatre), Rough Crossing (Lighting Design, Piccolo Theatre), and Lust, Lies, & Marriage (Lighting Design, Piccolo Theatre). Cathy earned her BA in Theatre from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI.

Cody Estle's Cody's directing credits include Dating Walter Dante with Raven Theatre, The Tooth of Crime with City Wind Theatre Company and The Teacher with The Neapolitans Theatre Company. Cody has assisted directors like Gary Griffin, BJ Jones, Charles Newell, Joanie Schultz, Kimberly Senior and Gabriel Barre at Writers' Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Court Theatre, Next Theatre, Strawdog Theatre, and Goodspeed Musicals. He is a proud graduate of Columbia College Chicago.

Jason Huysman first began working with Raven Theatre in Death of a Salesman in 2009 and most recently appeared in The Cherry Orchard and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Chicago theatre credits include: BackStage, Greasy Joan and Trap Door.

Teri McCaskill has worked with Raven since 1995 when she appeared in Raven’s first production of Death of a Salesman. Other Raven performances include Glass Menagerie, You Can't Take it With You, Six Degrees of Separation, and Lord Byron's Love Letter. Also at Raven, McCaskill has directed A Pair of Pinters, A Clean, Well-Lighted Place, The Interview and Talk to Me Like the Rain. She currently serves as Raven’s Managing Director.

Sophia Menendian has been seen on the Raven stage in Bus Stop and The Cherry Orchard. Her voice-over work has been heard in The Long Goodbye, Here Comes the Sun, A Streetcar Named Desire, Death of a Salesman and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof all at Raven.

Jen Short's Raven credits include stage managing The Price, Radio Golf, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Twelve Angry Men. Short has also appeared on the Raven stage in Bus Stop and Bang the Drum Slowly. She had her Chicago debut with Janus Theatre’s all-female production of Romeo & Juliet as Romeo. Jen holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Catawba College.

John Weagly has toured the US as a writer/performer with “Authorized Personnel: A Comedy and Improv Team” and has had over 50 plays produced by theaters around the world. As a fiction writer, he’s been nominated for a Derringer Award four times, winning one in 2008, and been nominated for a Spinetingler Award. His latest short story collection, "A Bucket of Boobs", is available on Kindle. His website is www.johnweagly.com.

Antoine Pierre Whitfield appeared in Raven Theatre's Bang the Drum Slowly, Dating Walter Dante, Bus Stop and Radio Golf. Other roles include Lanre in Congo Square Theatre's World Premier of The House That Jack Built, Herbert II in ETA Performance Art Theatre's Herbert III as well Rufus in ETA's Why Black Men Play Basketball. Other performances include Strawdog Theater's Joe Jane's One Minute Play Festival, Victory Garden's Chicago One Minute Play Festival and Black Ensemble Theatre's Summer Series. Antoine has done off-Broadway New York tours with The Negro Ensemble Theater Company.

Kristen Williams is a graduate from the Chicago College of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University, with an MFA in Theatre and is currently a theatre professor at Kennedy King College. Since moving from Maine twelve years ago she has both directed and acted with several companies in and around the Chicagoland area, including; Lookingglass, Chicago Opera Theatre, Trap Door Theatre, and Appletree Theatre. Kristen has appeared in Raven’s productions of Bang the Drum Slowly, Bus Stop, Night of the Iguana, Death of a Salesman, Hedda Gabler, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.