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Zac Thriffiley

Zac Thriffiley

Zac Thriffiley is currently a Ph.D. candidate in English specializing in multi-ethnic American literature. Over the years, Zac has been heavily involved in arts communities wherever he has lived. He has performed in and directed theatrical productions throughout southeastern Louisiana, including in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. While working on his MA at DePaul University in Chicago, Zac covered the arts and culture scene for his university’s graduate student newspaper. He also served as a judge for Stage Left Theatre’s new playwright residency and dramaturg for Big Noise Theatre in Des Plaines. His personal essays have been published in The Windy City Times and The Coachella Review. Whenever he isn’t seeing a play or singing along to showtunes, Zac explores the city’s various bookstores and restaurants, usually with his two dogs close behind.




LEARN MORE ABOUT Zac Thriffiley

First Show:

Beauty and the Beast

Favorite Show:

The original cast of the Broadway production of Next to Normal

Favorite Stories:

  • Review: BERNADETTE PETERS IN CONCERT Brings Down the House at Dallas Symphony Orchestra - It's always an honor to witness a live performance of a star as charismatic and uniquely talented as Bernadette Peters, but getting to review her concert with one of the finest symphony orchestras in the country was a transcendent experience.
  • Interview: Mariah Lotz of ONCE at AT&T Performing Arts Center - The folk-inspired Tony Award-winner ONCE is always a virtuosic expression of emotion due to the demands placed on its musicians and actors. It is also a show worthy of Mariah Lotz's many talents. Interviewing her just as she began her first national tour gave me the sense that she is a force to be reckoned with. I hope to see her onstage again very soon.


MOST POPULAR ARTICLES


Review: THE OUTSIDERS at The Home Creative Co.
Review: THE OUTSIDERS at The Home Creative Co.
September 25, 2024

Despite some moving performances from the supporting cast, seasoned fans of and newcomers to THE OUTSIDERS may be underwhelmed by a production whose various elements leave it struggling to “stay golden.”

Review: LIGHT SWITCH at Open Space Arts
Review: LIGHT SWITCH at Open Space Arts
September 18, 2024

Open Space Arts's production of LIGHT SWITCH shines a much-needed spotlight (no pun intended) on the struggles of neurodiverse members of queer communities, thanks in large part to its captivating leading man.

Review: HENRY V at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Review: HENRY V at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
September 17, 2024

Featuring a strikingly charismatic yet grounded performance from its leading actor, HENRY V presents a compelling study of the excitement and danger inherent in even the best-intended feelings of nationalism.

Review: THE FLYING LOVERS OF VITEBSK at Northlight Theatre
Review: THE FLYING LOVERS OF VITEBSK at Northlight Theatre
September 15, 2024

Now receiving its Chicagoland premiere, Northlight Theatre’s THE FLYING LOVERS OF VITEBSK features brilliant performances and moments of exquisite stagecraft, though the play’s lean script occasionally saps the production of necessary tension and greater thematic depth.

Review: THE HOUSE OF IDEAS at City Lit Theater
Review: THE HOUSE OF IDEAS at City Lit Theater
September 4, 2024

THE HOUSE OF IDEAS provides an entertaining history of Marvel’s precipitous rise to pop cultural supremacy that nicely captures the collaborative spirit of Kirby and Lee’s frequently tumultuous partnership. But more casual fans of the brand may find themselves lost in the play’s more intricate plot points and initially dizzying pace.

Review: THE NORMAL HEART at Redtwist Theatre
Review: THE NORMAL HEART at Redtwist Theatre
August 29, 2024

Redtwist’s THE NORMAL HEART is frequently an emotionally affecting piece, thanks to the powerfully palpable talents of its principal cast. However, some uneven performances and an occasionally murky directorial vision prevent the production’s themes and message from beating forth as forcefully as one might hope.

Review: THE HOT WING KING at Writers Theatre
Review: THE HOT WING KING at Writers Theatre
July 2, 2024

Writers Theatre’s latest production is an impressive commitment to craft and community that invites audiences to reflect on questions of masculinity, race, and responsibility that stimulate the brain while tickling the funny bone.

Review: THE KITE RUNNER Presented By Broadway In Chicago
Review: THE KITE RUNNER Presented By Broadway In Chicago
June 14, 2024

Fans of the novel may be enthralled at seeing the characters and events of THE KITE RUNNER brought to life before their eyes, largely through moving performances and clever stagecraft. But this dramatization feels unsatisfying, an adaptation that ultimately fails to convince audiences that it is necessary much less an improvement on the original.

Review: ON THE 20TH CENTURY at Blank Theatre
Review: ON THE 20TH CENTURY at Blank Theatre
May 16, 2024

Blank Theatre’s ON THE 20TH CENTURY makes for a delightful ride through a farcical facsimile of Broadway’s Silver Age, if one can accommodate a few bumps along the way.

Review: JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE at Goodman Theatre
Review: JOE TURNER'S COME AND GONE at Goodman Theatre
April 25, 2024

Under the meticulous direction of Chuck Smith, the Goodman’s newest revival of JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE emphasizes the play’s continued relevance through masterful performances that find cause for celebration and laughter even in the face of oppression. The production has already been extended through May 19 due to popular demand.

Review: BROOKLYN LAUNDRY at Northlight Theatre
Review: BROOKLYN LAUNDRY at Northlight Theatre
April 22, 2024

Under the direction of BJ Jones, John Patrick Shanley's newest play boasts a talented cast gifted with good humor and heartfelt emotion, but the uneven script feels as though it shrank in a dryer fed by clichés rather than coins.

Review: ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD at Court Theatre
Review: ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD at Court Theatre
April 9, 2024

Charles Newell's final project as Court Theatre's artistic director offers audiences a hilarious exploration of what makes us human as well as a stunning reminder of his keen dramaturgical instincts. The production has already been extended through April 28 due to critical acclaim and popular demand.

Review: PETER PAN National Tour Presented by Broadway In Chicago
Review: PETER PAN National Tour Presented by Broadway In Chicago
March 29, 2024

This newest adaptation of PETER PAN unquestionably corrects injustices that never should have been committed in the first place. But by flying Peter so enthusiastically into 2024, the creative team has stripped him and his story of some of their magic, making the boy who wouldn't grow up more out of touch than out of time.

Review: SONDHEIM TRIBUTE REVUE at Theo Ubique
Review: SONDHEIM TRIBUTE REVUE at Theo Ubique
March 21, 2024

No matter your preference, your favorite Sondheim shows will be represented in Theo Ubique's latest cabaret revue, which is as much an informative crash course in the composer's oeuvre as it is a heartfelt memorial to his rich life and lasting legacy. The production runs through April 28 at Theo's performance space in Evanston.

Review: WIPEOUT at Rivendell Theatre
Review: WIPEOUT at Rivendell Theatre
March 12, 2024

Premiering at Rivendell Theatre under the inventive direction of Tara Mallen, WIPEOUT gifts audiences a hilarious exploration of aging, friendship, and womanhood that's as fun as a day at the beach and as bittersweet as a setting sun.

Review: THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE at Music Theater Works
Review: THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE at Music Theater Works
March 10, 2024

The semi-improvised, fourth-wall-breaking musical now receives a delightful production at Music Theater Works that's heavy on humor if occasionally light on heart. It runs through March 31 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.

Review: TOPDOG/UNDERDOG at Invictus Theatre Company
Review: TOPDOG/UNDERDOG at Invictus Theatre Company
February 20, 2024

Invictus Theatre Company's production of the Pulitzer Prize-winner TOPDOG/UNDERDOG has moments of comedic entertainment and dramatic import, but it struggles to live up to the play's substantial reputation. It runs through March 31.

Review: THE BAND'S VISIT at Writers Theatre
Review: THE BAND'S VISIT at Writers Theatre
February 18, 2024

Director Zi Alikhan has gifted Chicago audiences with a production of THE BAND'S VISIT whose talent and creative execution equal---and may even exceed---those of the Broadway and touring productions. It runs through March 17 at Writers Theatre in Glencoe.

Review: ALEX EDELMAN'S JUST FOR US at Steppenwolf Theatre
Review: ALEX EDELMAN'S JUST FOR US at Steppenwolf Theatre
February 17, 2024

Alex Edelman's newest solo show JUST FOR US is a riotously hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt meditation on internet culture, Jewish identity, and the limits of radical empathy. It runs through February 25 at Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater. Critic's recommendation: get your tickets immediately.

Review: BROTHER SISTER CYBORG SPACE at Raven Theatre
Review: BROTHER SISTER CYBORG SPACE at Raven Theatre
February 13, 2024

Paul Michael Thomson's newest dramedy BROTHER SISTER CYBORG SPACE, now receiving its world premiere at Raven Theatre, occasionally loses itself in a flood of introspection. But it's buoyed along by a cast of thoughtful and charismatic performers.






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