Red Theater Chicago Welcomes Five New Company Members

Red Theater Chicago has announced the addition of five company members:

* Victoria Alvarez-Chacon
* J.W. Basilo
* Erin Haddock
* Jeff Kurysz
* Sarah Liken

Jeff Kurysz

Jeff Kurysz previously appeared in RTC's Red Hamlet and played the role of Fortinbras. Jeff graduated with his BA from Illinois State University and is very active in the Chicago theater world.

Victoria Alvarez-Chacon hails from American River College in Sacramento CA. where she studied theatre both on and off stage. In Sacramento Victoria worked with City Theatre, B Street, Beyond the Proscenium and Capitol Stage. Victoria moved back east to do an Acting Apprenticeship at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she happened to visit Chicago and fell in love with the city.
Since moving to Chicago she has worked with The State, Halcyon, Womens Theatre Alliance, Chicago Danz and, of course, Red Theater. Her most recent role was Cookie in Red Theater's production of Three Soldiers (for Sisters). Victoria is very excited for the opportunity to work with this wonderful group of artists.

Erin Haddock

Erin Haddock is a native Chicagoan and received her B.A. in theatre and film and media studies from Northwestern University. She was last seen onstage with Red Theater as Elena (and others) in Dylan.

Past work in Chicago includes Hedda in Hedda Gabler, The Ocean in Spirits to Enforce and a number of other roles with Abraham Werewolf (Decadence, Art Heist, For Profit), where she is also a company member.

J.W. Basilo is a guy who never learned how to shut up - a trait that has earned him a reputation as one of the more sought-after and notable spoken word artists working today. He is a National and World Poetry Slam finalist, and recently was featured on CNN's Chicagoland. He has also appeared on NPR, CBS, WGN, in the Chicago Tribune, numerous literary journals, and in hundreds of theaters, dive bars, prisons, schools and comedy clubs across the world.
His first solo play, No One Can Fix You, debuted in 2009 to rave reviews in Chicago, Seattle, and New York City. In last few years, Basilo has worked to put his experience to use from backstage, becoming a promising producer and director. His directing credits include show such as Plane Crash: We Swear It's a Comedy! (Annoyance Theater), Two Sides (Chicago Slam Works), In Any Tongue (Chicago Slam Works), and Three Soldiers (For Sisters) (Asst. Director, Red Theater Chicago). All things considered, he's doing pretty well for a guy who failed Creative Writing in high school. Currently, you can catch him every Sunday in Chicago at the Green Mill, where he co-hosts The Uptown Poetry Slam and first Mondays at Haymarket Pub & Brewery where he serves as producer and host of The LitMash.

Sarah Liken is an original Red Theater Omaha member and was most recently seen in Red Theater Chicago's Three Soldiers (for Sisters). Since her move from the big O to Chicago, the Waltzing Mechanics let her perform in EL Stories: Holiday Train and prior to that spirited ride, she spent the summer touring the Pacific Northwest with the interactive children's theatre Let's Pretend Entertainment. Sarah holds a BFA in Theatre-Performance from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.