Red Tape Names New Staff and Company Members

Red Tape Theatre announces the newest members to the growing company! Red Tape Theatre, located in the heart of Lincoln Square at 4546 N. Western Avenue, operates under the FREE THEATRE MOVEMENT, which began in January of 2018 along with partner theatre, Theatre Y. It is the company's belief that access to the arts is essential for our community's ability to engage in a free exchange of ideas. Red Tape strives to remove the barriers that exist between our community and an increasingly commodified culture. Red Tape is proud to offer all productions free of charge to the public. As they continue to grow our audiences, they are thrilled to announce the talented artists who are joining the company!

Deirdre Connelly - Managing Director
Ambrose Cappuccio, Jenn Thompson, Aaron Arbiter - Line Producers
Maryam Abdi, Nora King, Peter Laughlin, Eddie Lynch, Moriah Martel, Felix Mayes,
Caleb Roitz, Ann Sonneville - Company Members

Deirdre Connelly, Managing Director. Connelly is a Chicago native and has been a stage manager since 2009 for theatre companies in Chicago and Boston, and she currently works for Hubbard Street Dance as the Facilities and Operations Coordinator. Dierdre is a graduate of Brandeis University, where she studied Technical Theatre. Connelly is a longtime collaborator with Red Tape's artistic director Max Truax, serving as Stage Manager for his productions of The President(Oracle Theatre), No Beast So Fierce (Oracle Theatre), No Matter How Hard We Try(Trap Door Theatre), as well as serving as Production Manager for Red Tape's collaboration with Walkabout Theatre in 2017, Mother Of Smoke. Previous Managing Director, Anthony Guerrero, will stay on as a company member with Red Tape Theatre.

Ambrose Cappuccio, Line Producer. Cappuccio is a recent Chicago based playwright and performer. He was most recently seen in Round Heads and Pointed Heads at Red Tape Theatre. One of his original scripts, Cigarettes, will be produced as a part of Red Tape's (Working Title) workshop series on July 19th. He is also a company member with Trap Door Theatre.

Aaron Arbiter, Line Producer. Arbiter is a Chicago-based artist and educator. He has directed and assistant directed work for companies from Boston to Chicago including the 16th Street Theatre, 906 Theatre Company, The Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, among many others. Arbiter served as Assistant Director for Red Tape's production of Round Heads and Pointed Heads. He has trained internationally with Complicité and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Jenn Thompson, Line Producer. Thompson has been working as a freelance stage manager, designer, and writer throughout the Chicagoland area. Some previous credits include work with Pride Films and Plays, The Gift, The Court, Redtwist, and others. She was the Stage Manager of Red Tape's I Saw Myself, and is the Resident Stage Manager at Redtwist theatre as well as a company member with Bower Theatre Ensemble.

Maryam Abdi, Company Member. Ms. Abdi hails from Seattle but has toured around the globe as a theatre artist, most recently abroad in Cameroon, Africa with the solar energy conservation NGO, ANSOLE, where she acted as a Theatre for Development Facilitator. She has spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar in Cameroon. She has worked with theatre in Paris, Avignon, and Theran, Iran. She was seen most recently in Red Tape's production of Round Heads and Pointed Heads. She has also worked extensively with Trap Door Theatre where she has starred in Monsieur D'eon is a Woman as well as her Jeff Nominated Performance in Into the Empty Sky.

Nora King, Company Member. Ms. King is an actor/improviser living in Chicago. Her recent credits include House Show: Double Feature with Book Club, The Kansas Collection with Speakeasy Society, as well as starring in Red Tape's Round Heads and Pointed Heads. Nora is currently studying with the Second City Conservatory as well as iO Chicago. She received her BFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts, and will be featured in Red Tape's next (Working Title) new works production.

Peter Laughlin, Company Member. Mr. Laughlin received his BFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts and was most recently seen in Red Tape's production of Round Heads and Pointed Heads. He was also featured in House Show: Double Feature with Book Club here in Chicago.

Eddie Lynch, Company Member. Mr. Lynch was born and raised in Massachusetts and graduated from California Institue of the Arts with his BFA in Acting. Eddie spent a year teaching English in Thailand and is an Associate Company Member at Trap Door Theatre. He was also featured in House Show: Double Feature with Book Club here in Chicago.

Moriah Martel, Company Member. Ms. Martel hails from New England by way of New York and Los Angeles where she was trained. She has performed and studied with Classic Stage Company, Shakespeare and Company, Second City Chicago, CalArts Center for New Performance, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival and more. She was most recently seen in Bittersweet Arts Company's performance of Stranger on the River at the Den theatre as well as the independent film The Seed of Doubt.

Felix Mayes, Company Member. Mr. Mayes is an East Coast transplant. He was most recently seen in Red Tape's production of Round Heads and Pointed Heads. He has had the opportunity to perform on stages from NJPAC to the Lincoln Center to the Rudolfinum in Prague as a singer, actor, and dancer. He has participated in the Philly Fringe Festival and Irene Ryan Acting Festival as well as the American College Dance Festival.

Caleb Roitz, Company Member. Mr. Roitz is an actor, writer, and director originally from San Diego, CA. He was most recently seen in Red Tape's production of Round Heads and Pointed Heads as well as House Show: Double Feature with Book Club. Caleb has received his BFA in Acting from the California Institute of the Arts.

Ann Sonneville, Company Member. Ms. Sonneville most recently appeared in Round Heads and Pointed Heads at Red Tape. She is also a member of Trap Door Theatre where she has appeared in Monsier D'eon Is A Woman, Phèdre, How To Explain The History of Communism to Mental Patients, The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls, La Bête, Vatzlav and The Balcony. Other credits include Dracula (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Venus (Steppenwolf Garage), Thaddeus and Slocum (understudy - Lookingglass Theatre), Kin (Griffin Theatre, Jeff nomination - Supporting Actress), The Moonstone (Lifeline), The Dead Prince (Strange Tree), The Ghost Sonata (Oracle), WeatherVane (Collaboraction/Sketchbook XIII), The Artist Needs A Wife (side project) Put My __ In Your __ (Chicago Mammals) and numerous original productions with Bruised Orange Theatre Company. Ann is a co-creator and ensemble member of BOTC's hit comedy show I Saw You. Film credits include Miriam Is Going To Mars (BMA Award - Best Actress), Dig Two Graves, We Grew Up Here, AB-, Low Tide, Flat Chested, Refuge, Carpet Kingdom, the web series Funemployed and the upcoming Hunting God. Ann is a graduate of Northern Illinois University (BFA) and the summer intensive training program at The Moscow Art Theatre School. She is a professional voice-over artist and instructor at Vagabond School of the Arts.

The first production in Red Tape's 15th Season is forthcoming. For more information about the FREE THEATRE MOVEMENT and the company, please visit www.redtapetheatre.org.

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