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Staff
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Co-Founder and Artistic Director Richard Engling is an actor, director, playwright, novelist and musician. His books have been published by Penguin/Putnam and Polarity Ensemble Theatre Press. He played drums with a jazz quartet for ten years. With Polarity, he directed Absolute Macbeth and The Good Harvest and adapted and appeared in Antigone. He wrote and directed Ghost Watch and appeared in Hamlet and The Rivals. This November he will play Old Peer in Peer Gynt. He has degrees in Theatre and Creative Writing, works as a freelance writer, and has performed with Keyhole Theatre, ShakespeareInc, Chicago Actors Ensemble, the IO and others. |
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Chairman of the Board Mark Mathyer is the Development and Membership Services Manager at the Museum of Science and Industry. His job involves Database Management, Software Support, Training, and Project Management. Mark has a B.A. in English from Texas Lutheran University, and an M.S. in Communication Systems from Northwestern University. Involvement in community theater during high school and college led Mark to understand that his theatrical contributions should be made in supporting roles, and not on stage. |
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Managing Director Maggie Speer is a seasoned, battle-scarred, bloodied, but never daunted veteran of Chicagoland's theatre scene. She recently directed Absolution in the Dionysos Cup Festival. This season she will appear in Polarity's Peer Gynt and direct Tom Jones. Maggie continues as Artistic Director of Azusa Productions, where her directing credits include Michael Alessandro's adaptation of Pulp Fiction, Sam Shepard's Chicago and Icarus's Mother (co-director); Fool For Love; Killer's Head; La Turista; The Unseen Hand (co-director); A Lie Of The Mind and Reservoir Dogs (co-director); and Jesse & The Bandit Queen, (co-director). She was also Artistic Director of Waukegan's Bowen Park Theatre Company from 2000 to 2005. |
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Co-Founder and board member Ann Keen received her B.A. from Saint Mary's University and her M.F.A. in acting from Arizona State University. Her favorite roles include Clytemnestra in The Oresteia, Emilia in Othello, Lucetta in Two Gentleman of Verona and Lady Macbeth. She has directed Polarity's productions of Antigone, Hamlet and A Streetcar Named Desire. She is especially brilliant at working with playwrights on developing new scripts. She has also directed and acted in short films. She assists Polarity in administration and fundraising. She makes her living in the banking industry. |
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Co-Founder and Publisher Irv Gorman brought Polarity's first book into print. Irv is a published author and holds degrees in American Literature and Film from the University of Texas. He has acted on stage and in television and film and is a former artistic director of the inner city Los Angeles H.O.L.A. Youth Theatre Company. He was awarded a Mayor's Certificate of Commendation for his work with H.O.L.A. |
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Board Member and Resident Technical Director Charles C. Palia brings a host of technical theatre and educational expertise to Polarity. He is a retired high school teacher who has designed and built dozens of shows. In retirement, he is designing professionally around town, as well as writing plays, and now serving on the board of Polarity. He also sings and plays guitar in the classic rock bank, Union Jack. |
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Marketing Manager John Olson is an ad agency veteran, freelance arts writer and theater marketer who joined the Polarity Ensemble Theatre staff in July 2011. He's written for the quarterly magazine The Sondheim Review and TalkinBroadway.com, and has developed marketing programs for Bailiwick Chicago's productions of Joe DiPietro's F**king Men and the US premiere of the British musical, Departure Lounge. |
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Kim Boler joined Polarity after debuting with the company in its production of A Streetcar Named Desire as the Nurse. Chicago credits include Decadence with Abraham Werewolf and Messiah on the Frigidaire with Hubris Productions. Some of her favorite roles include Rosalind in As You Like It, Julia in A Delicate Balance, and the Duck in Peter and the Wolf. She holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi, loves to read, save kites with bullwhips, and still found time to find her soul mate Kevin. |
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David Chrzanowski (ensemble member on leave) played Captain Jack Absolute in The Rivals. He has worked with Chicago Shakespeare (Macbeth - Short Shakespeare), Victory Gardens (The Wrong War), The Court Theatre (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), The Goodman, Chicago Children's Theatre, Lifeline, Silk Road Theatre Project, and First Folio Shakespeare. Regional work includes stops at Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, Kentucky Shakespeare, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and the Performance Network in his home town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. David is the Lead Teaching Artist for Silk Road Theatre Project and is represented by Shirley Hamilton. |
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Hilary Holbrook joined Polarity after contributing her talents as a musician and actress in A Streetcar Named Desire. Previous credits include The Robber Bridegroom (Griffin Theatre). Hilary has had the pleasure of playing her violin for such events as Second Story (Serendipity Theatre), Old Town (Strawdog Theatre), as well as collaborating with several wonderful Chicagoland musicians on a wide variety of projects (The Denizens, The Bandwagon, and The Eli Story, to name a few). She holds a BA in theatre from Loyola University Chicago. |
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Charley Jordan received his degree in theatre from St. Mary's University. He has played Oliver in As You Like It, Brick in Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, and Mark in The Benchmark. For Polarity he has played Ross in Absolute Macbeth and Lord Polonius in Hamlet. Charley has been a member of Polarity since 2004. He has organized educational theatre for the St. Ignatius Higher Achievement Program and for the Marketing Research Association Chicago Chapter. |
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Devorah Eizikovic Richards joined Polarity as an Artistic Associate after playing Mrs. Malaprop in The Rivals. She is currently developing an original work with American Blues Theater. Her recent appearances include: staged readings with Silk Road Theatre Company and Theatre Or's Israeli Play Festival at Victory Gardens, The Glass Menagerie (Oakton Community College), Yerma (Halcyon Theatre), Orpheus Descending (American Theatre Company), Tom Stoppard one-act plays (Piccolo Theatre), The Dresser, (understudy, Steppenwolf). Devorah has also appeared in independent films, commercials, industrials and television. |
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Eric Damon Smith joined Polarity after playing Jamie in Long Day's Journey into Night. Recent acting credits include Mosca in Volpone (City Lit), directed by Sheldon Patinkin; Flaminio Scala (non-Equity Jeff nomination, Actor in a Principal Role—Musical) in the regional premiere of The Glorious Ones (Boho); and other work with the likes of Remy Bumppo, Signal Ensemble, Boho, Piccolo Theatre, Muse of Fire, and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. As a director his work has been scene at the American College Theatre Festival, in San Francisco, at Hofstra University, and soon Chicago. He is currently working with his creative partner Denise Dickens to produce works in Chicago and NYC. |
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Bryan Breau joined Polarity Ensemble Theatre after performing as Jonathan in the premiere of Lisa Rosenthal's The Good Harvest. He will also be appearing as Edmund in Polarity's upcoming production of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night. Chicago credits include: Decadence with Abraham Werewolf, All My Love with Diamante Productions, Lewis and Clark Reach the Euphrates with Infamous Commonwealth Theatre, and the Disturbed series with Oracle Theatre. Bryan graduated with a double major in Theatre Arts and English from Virginia Tech University in 2006. |
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Darren Callahan has written drama for the BBC, The Sci Fi Channel, National Public Radio, and Radio Pacifica New York. He is winner of NPR's Nation Radio Drama award. His play Horror Academy debuted in Chicago in 2007. Polarity produced his surrealist mystery, The White Airplane, in 2009 and published both plays the same year. Other works for stage include Water Pressure (published by Smith & Kraus), The Double Negative, Sources, Mass Grave, and Sub-Genre. He has released over fifty CDs of original music and several novels, available at darrencallahan.com. |
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David Fehr joined Polarity after appearing as Faulkland in The Rivals. For more information, visit www.davidfehr.net. |
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A transplant actor hailing from Utah, Travis Gauchay* has been with Polarity Ensemble Theater since May 2006. He appeared in Polarity productions of Antigone, OTHELLO in mask and Hamlet. He does sketch comedy with the group, 4 Days Late, which performed at SketchFest in January 2008. Travis has been a sportswriter, a mascot for two professional baseball teams and an all-around nerd full of pop-culture minutiae. He enjoys listening to music of all kinds, reading the daily papers and dissecting his next way to crack up the world. |
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Laura Sturm teaches at Act One Studios and has acted in Chicago since 1994 with theatres such as Bailiwick Repertory, Provision Theater, Signal Ensemble Theatre, Remy Bumppo, Raven Theatre, Illinois Theatre Center, Apple Tree TYA, Breadline Theatre and Mary Arrchie, as well as with the Texas Shakespeare Festival. She appeared in Polarity's Hamlet as Gertrude. Other favorite roles include Imogen in Cymbeline, the title role in Evita, and Mrs. Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer. Laura also directs in Chicago, including the world premiere of the musical Tuxedo Love for Theatre 5.2.1 where she is an Artistic Associate. Laura received her M.F.A. from Northern Illinois University. She also serves as an acting and movement coach. |
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Michael Welles is pleased to join the ultra-talented crew at Polarity. Some of Michael's favorite roles have been Exeter in Henry V, Annie (Daddy Warbucks), Oliver (Fagin), West Side Story, Romeo & Juliet (Tybalt), As You Like It (Orlando) Peter Pan (Captain Hook), Robin Hood, and pulling double duty as the Doctor and Steve in A Streetcar Named Desire in his first show with Polarity. |
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Polarity Ensemble Theatre
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