Players 50 2025: Introduction
Players 50 2025: Comedy
Players 50 2025: Opera
Players 50 2025: Dance
Here are Chicago’s Theater Players.
Charin Alvarez/Photo: Joe Mazza | brave lux
Charin Alvarez
Don’t be surprised if you recognize Charin Alvarez, as her extensive career in Chicago theater and film continues to grow. Alvarez has been acting in Chicago since 1996, and it would be simpler to list the companies she hasn’t worked for. Recent credits include the plays “a home what howls (or the house that was ravine)” (2024) and “¡Bernarda!” (2023) with Teatro Vista at Steppenwolf Theatre, and major roles in films including “Saint Francis” (2019), playing “Maya” alongside writer and lead Kelly O’Sullivan; as Principal Santos in “Ghostlight” (2024); and Mrs. Johnson in “Single Car Crashes” (2024). (Tristan Bruns)
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Mikael Burke
Mikael Burke has become a superstar in the theater scene, directing some of the most gripping and poignant plays in Chicago, eliciting praise from fans and critics alike, not to mention numerous awards. Burke’s works bring the experiences of the marginalized to the foreground in ways that are surprisingly complex, as in “Tambo & Bones” (2023) at Refracted Theatre Company, a science-fiction minstrel show that conveys feelings of racial otherness to the audience; “Milo Imagines the World” (2024) at Chicago Children’s Theatre, about the effects of incarceration; and “Notes from the Field” (2024) at TimeLine Theatre, featuring narratives by real people “caught within the system.” (Tristan Bruns)
E. Faye Butler/Photo: Joe Mazza | brave lux
E. Faye Butler
“There’s no community like the Chicago theater community,” says veteran actor, singer and director E. Faye Butler, “and I’ve worked in all of them.” Over forty-five-plus years, Butler has worked at clubs, cabarets, concert halls and major theater houses both nationally and internationally. As a lifelong South Sider, one of Butler’s proudest moments was directing “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (2024), and bringing the history and aesthetic of 1930s Bronzeville to Drury Lane Theatre, recreating the atmosphere of the wealth of jazz and dance clubs that dotted the sidewalks along State between 31st and 39th Streets. (Tristan Bruns)
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Lillian Castillo
Lillian Castillo has worked in theaters across the breadth of Chicago and beyond. A mainstay of big musicals, Castillo was part of the original American cast of “Ride the Cyclone” (2015) at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and she appeared in “Young Frankenstein” (2023) at Mercury Theatre, and “In the Heights” (2024) at Marriott Theatre. “’In the Heights’ in particular encapsulates the goal of my career,” says Castillo, “to be a Latina body in rooms that didn’t used to have Latina bodies, and make sure to leave the door open behind me for the next generation of Latina storytellers.” (Tristan Bruns)
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Melissa DuPrey
For over a decade, Melissa DuPrey has been prolific in the Chicago theater and comedy scene, performing with established companies (Teatro Vista, Court Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre) and producing five solo works, including “Good Grief” (2019) focusing on mental wellness resources in communities of color, particularly for women, and “SEXomedy 2.0” (2018-2019) about queerness and bringing kink into the public sphere. A highlight for DuPrey is her recurring character on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” written specifically for a Black Latina actor. DuPrey strives to mentor up-and-coming local comedians—“My goal is to pipeline resources and plant seeds, and water the grass I’m on.” (Tristan Bruns)
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Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel
Originally from Argentina, Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel came to Chicago in 2010 and credits the city for shaping her as an artist, especially her time as managing director of Teatro Vista Productions—“I found my home in [Teatro Vista], a place where I could try things and fail and it’s okay.” In 2024, Gonzalez-Cadel performed in two musicals at Marriott Theatre—“In The Heights” and “Cinderella”—and appeared in “Single Car Crashes,” a new feature by director Brittani Ward [Newcity Film 50 2024]. Gonzalez-Cadel is both lead and producer of the upcoming short “The Birthday Gift,” based on the play “The Abuelas” by Stephanie Alison Walker. (Tristan Bruns)
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Lawrence Grimm
Lawrence Grimm is an actor and arts educator with a thirty-plus-year career that runs the gamut from Shakespeare to contemporary work, performing often at A Red Orchid Theatre. As a founding member, Grimm feels a strong connection to the company—”I thought that I was going to bigger, exotic places,” says Grimm. “I found out that place is A Red Orchid.” Grimm also works with The Orchid Studio, a tuition-free program that invites up-and-coming multidisciplinary artists to engage in a “theatrical artist workout. We’re going strong in our third year,” says Grimm, “and I’m really proud of it.” (Tristan Bruns)
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Terry Guest
The career of actor, director and playwright Terry Guest has had a meteoric rise since his first play—“At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen” (2019), about his uncle Anthony who died of complications of HIV at twenty-five—captured the hearts of audiences (and the eyes of critics). Since then, Guest has won three Jeff Awards, with recent credits that include “Milo Imagines the World” (2024) at Chicago Children’s Theatre, adapted to the stage by Guest from the book by Matt de la Peña, and “The Magnolia Ballet” (2022) at About Face Theatre, written by Guest and directed by Mikael Burke. (Tristan Bruns)
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Thee Ricky Harris
Black Ensemble Theater has garnered rave reviews for their series of musical montages by Producing Managing Director Daryl Brooks; at the heart of each one is Thee Ricky Harris. While the narrative and songs change, Harris has returned as the affable MC in “A Taste of Soul” (2023) and “The Time Machine: A Tribute to the Eighties” (2024), and their exuberant personality and supple singing voice keep audiences coming back for more. Harris’ other credits include “The Hot Wing King” (2024) at Writers Theatre and as The Wiz in “The Wiz” (2017) at Kokandy Productions (Black Theatre Alliance Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical). (Tristan Bruns)
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Erik Hellman
Chicago audiences will recognize actor Erik Hellman from his many roles across theater, film and television. 2024 was huge for Hellman, playing the role of Guildenstern in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” at Court Theatre, appearing in “Richard III” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and “1776” at Marriott Theatre. In 2025, you can catch Hellman playing the roles of John and Friedrich in “Little Women” at Northlight Theatre. “The core value I’ve held as an actor is ‘function’ as opposed to ‘opportunity,’” says Hellman. “Unless you’re the main character, it’s not about proving yourself but about being flexible, fulfilling the function of your role and disappearing into the characters.” (Tristan Bruns)
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Jon Michael Hill
It was in high school while attending the Cherubs theater program at Northwestern University that Jon Michael Hill knew that acting was his future; and he was right: he was soon cast in “The Unmentionables” (2006) at Steppenwolf Theatre. Since then, Hill’s career has moved at warp-speed, appearing alongside Michael McKean in “Superior Donuts” (2008) at Steppenwolf before taking the show to Broadway. Hill credits his Broadway debut with launching his television career, playing Detective Marcus Bell for seven seasons of CBS’ “Elementary.” Other credits include Steve McQueen’s Chicago-shot “Widows” (2018) and the Netflix limited series “A Man In Full” (2024). (Tristan Bruns)
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Willow James
Sound design wasn’t in Willow James’ future, until six years ago when an internship at Steppenwolf Theatre exposed him to “people living their dreams while sustaining their lives,” and James thought, “I can do that.” He is a go-to sound designer for prestigious Chicago theater companies, including Court Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Writers Theatre and Definition Theatre. Working with Definition led to James’ position as the company’s civic engagement director, where he is proud to be knocking on doors, going to community meetings and “figuring out what the people who live there actually want to see us do and checking those boxes.” (Tristan Bruns)
Rasean Davonté Johnson/Photo: Joe Mazza | brave lux
Rasean Davonté Johnson
Training in mixed martial arts led Rasean Davonté Johnson to acting, which then led him to forge a career in design for video projections and scenery, and sound for theater, film and installations. His awesome video design was the cherry on top of “Lucha Teotl” (2023) at Goodman Theatre, introducing Aztec gods who battle in a pro wrestling ring. Other collaborations include work with Steppenwolf Theatre, Manual Cinema, Chicago Opera Theatre, Broadway Playhouse and Lookingglass Theatre. Johnson returns to Goodman in 2025 with “Betrayal,” directed by Susan Booth and starring Helen Hunt. (Tristan Bruns)
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Eleanor Kahn
After discovering scenic design while studying architecture in college, Eleanor Kahn made a name for herself as one of Chicago’s leading set designers and artists for theater, music and dance. Kahn’s depiction of an underground subway station blew audiences away in “Milo Imagines the World” (2024) at Chicago Children’s Theatre, and her innovative set and prop design has been called “astoundingly flexible and evocative” (Chicago Reader). Kahn has been commissioned to create provocative public art, including an immersive lobby exhibit at Harris Theater for Akram Khan’s new ballet, “Creature,” and designs the sultry atmosphere for the wildly popular “Fly Honey Show.” (Tristan Bruns)
Travis A. Knight/Photo: Joe Mazza | brave lux
Travis A. Knight
“It was a big one,” says Travis A. Knight about acting in Levi Halloway’s “Turret” (2024) at A Red Orchid Theatre. Knight calls the play, which was nominated for nine Jeff Awards, “one of the most challenging theatrical and artistic experiences in my life, but also one of the most rewarding.” At A Red Orchid, Knight serves as associate artistic director, made his directorial debut with “Revolution” (2023) and has appeared in multiple productions. When not immersed in the theater, Knight works as a motion capture artist at NetherRealm Studios on the Mortal Kombat video game franchise.(Tristan Bruns)
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Christopher Kriz
If you’re not familiar with the name of composer and sound designer Christopher Kriz, there’s a chance you’ve heard his music. For thirty years, Kriz has amassed an expansive repertoire in theaters across the Chicago area; in 2024, Kriz designed sound for “Little Women” at Northlight Theatre; “An Act of God” at Paramount Theatre; “Ironbound” at Raven Theatre and “The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley” at Buffalo Theatre Ensemble. Kriz is working with innovative and visionary composer Amy Beth Kirsten for the culmination of a multiyear work, “Infernal Angel,” premiering at Philadelphia’s The Curtis Institute of Music in May, 2025. (Tristan Bruns)
Harry Lennix
Harry Lennix is a familiar face, recognizable from popular films, such as “The Matrix: Reloaded” (2003) and “Ray” (2004), as well as on television (NBC’s “The Blacklist,” Fox’s “Dollhouse”). After two decades absent from Chicago stages, Lennix had a big year in 2024, starring in “Inherit the Wind” at Goodman Theatre, August Wilson’s one-man show “How I Learned What I Learned” at Congo Square, “Purpose” at Steppenwolf Theatre (and joining the Broadway transfer this year), and supplied his voice to the Audible podcast, “The Last Days of Cabrini-Green,” about the demolition of the troubled public housing project. (Tristan Bruns)
Caroline Neff
Caroline Neff got her start in touring plays in high school before studying under the late Sheldon Patinkin at Columbia College Chicago. Neff’s breakout role was the lead in “A Brief History of Helen of Troy” (2010) at Steep Theater, earning her a Non-Equity Jeff Award. Neff became a mainstay at Steppenwolf Theatre, where she is an ensemble member, performing in “Describe the Night,” “Another Marriage” and “POTUS.” Neff is now part of “Three Women” on STARZ, working with showrunner and former artistic director of Lookingglass Theatre Laura Eason—”Working on such beautiful material with someone who has the heart and soul of a Chicago theater artist is really incredible,” Neff says. (Tristan Bruns)
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Linda Reiter
As a founding ensemble member of Shattered Globe Theatre, Linda Reiter has earned widespread acclaim and nominations and awards, beginning with her lead role in “The Manchurian Candidate,” which earned her Best Actress in a Principal Role at the 1995 Jeff Awards. Reiter has performed two one-woman plays, “The Testament of Mary” (2014) and “Rose” (2016), winning another Jeff Award (Best Solo Performance) for her portrayal of Rose Kennedy. Recently, Reiter appeared in two Shattered Globe productions, the musical “London Road” (2023), and starring as a salt-of-the-Earth New Englander in “Becky Nurse of Salem” (2024). (Tristan Bruns)
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Tommy Rivera-Vega
Growing up in Puerto Rico gave Tommy Rivera-Vega a love of storytelling in all its forms—acting, singing, dance, choreography and directing. Rivera-Vega played Lucian in the locally produced film “Ghostlight” (2024), which had its premiere at Sundance before its well-reviewed summer release. At Marriott Theatre, he performed in “Music Man,” “In the Heights” and “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” in 2024 and will direct and choreograph “Arthur and Friends Make a Musical” in 2025. As part of the artistic collective at Teatro Vista, Rivera-Vega reprised his role in Sandra Delgado’s “La Havana Madrid” (2024) at Millennium Park. (Tristan Bruns)
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Shariba Rivers
Shariba Rivers calls acting her “do-over career” after leaving a job in education to pursue a life as an artist. Rivers received a 2024 3Arts Award for outstanding body of work and Jeff Award nominations for performances in “Notes from the Field” (2024) at TimeLine Theatre (playing the likeness of Congressman John Lewis), “The Nacirema Society” (2024) at Goodman Theatre and “The October Storm” (2023) at Raven Theatre. “I do work that has a message to grapple with,” says Rivers. “As artists, we should ignite conversation in society, start with our audiences and trust them to take it from there.” (Tristan Bruns)
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Todd Rosenthal
For set designer Todd Rosenthal, moving to Chicago was the defining moment of his career. “I just wanted to work at Steppenwolf,” Rosenthal says, laughing, remembering aspirations he held as an undergraduate at drama school at Yale. “After college, I came here for six months then never left.” Establishing himself in Chicago, Milwaukee and Minneapolis, Rosenthal continues to be in high demand; in Chicago last year, Rosenthal designed sets for “The Matchbox Magic Flute” and “A Christmas Carol” at Goodman Theatre, and “Purpose” and “Noises Off” at Steppenwolf Theatre; and he teases a yet-to-be-announced big Broadway show in 2025.(Tristan Bruns)
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Omer Abbas Salem
As a child, Omer Abbas Salem imagined themselves as the characters from their storybooks; decades later, Salem is the one writing the stories. Salem’s first play, “Mosque4Mosque” (2022), starring Salem as a thirty-something queer Arab American Muslim, became a hit at About Face Theatre. In 2025, Salem is in high demand, writing three commissions for work at Steppenwolf Theatre and Goodman Theatre and a radio play for Audible. “I would like to continue writing plays for people like me who don’t normally get places in theater,” says Salem. “As long as I can continue doing that, I think I’m doing my job.” (Tristan Bruns)
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Nate Santana
You know actor Nate Santana by his piercing stare, which has served him well across television appearances, including “Chicago P.D.,” “Suits” and “The Exorcist.” Santana performed as “Maks” in “Ironbound” (2024) at Raven Theatre, fulfilling a ten-year dream of returning to the play after workshopping it at Steppenwolf Theatre’s First Look festival in 2014. An ensemble member of Shattered Globe Theatre, Santana directs “Lobby Hero” as part of their 2025-2026 season. “My bias [as a director] is to let the actors play. I like to see what they bring instead of putting anything on them from my point of view.” (Tristan Bruns)
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Denise Yvette Serna
When Denise Yvette Serna moved to Chicago, she co-produced a work of “participatory art,” like a choose-your-own-adventure, that took over an entire floor of a building; the experience showed her that anything is possible. Serna experimented in “Medusa” (2019), a performance-workshop series conducted in four international cities, allowing each creative team to explore the work from different perspectives. Her first musical, “Somewhere Over the Border” (2022) at Teatro Vista, won three Jeff Awards, including Best Director. In 2025, Serna directs “Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World” at Lyric Opera, collaborating with Opera in the Neighborhood to present free performances at local schools. (Tristan Bruns)
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Namir Smallwood
“When I was fourteen… I devised a skit that made my parents cry. That’s when I knew that this is what I was supposed to do.” Thus began the career of actor Namir Smallwood, who has appeared at Steppenwolf Theatre, where he is an ensemble member, in “Bug,” and “Pass Over,” which moved to Broadway after the end of pandemic lockdown. Recent highlights include “Primary Trust” (2024) at Goodman Theatre, and the upcoming “The Book of Grace” (2025) at Steppenwolf. “For me, acting is like jazz,” says Smallwood. “We’re in an ensemble, have our instruments, have our notes. It comes out how it comes out, but we have fun doing it.” (Tristan Bruns)
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Tyler Anthony Smith
As an ensemble member of Hell in a Handbag Productions, Tyler Anthony Smith puts their sardonic, sharp and devilish wit to good use, writing and starring in the Shakespearean dark comedy film, “Out, Darn Spot!” (2021); “Poor People! The Parody Musical” (2024), and the upcoming “Annie Cokeley” (2025), a spoof on Annie Oakley if she was framed as a drug addict by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. What’s Smith’s secret? “It depends on the wig. The script can be shit. The cast, dysfunctional. The set is falling apart, and I could be on unpainted plywood. So long as I have a good-ass wig.” (Tristan Bruns)
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Katie Spelman
Chicago native Katie Spelman started her career as a dancer at theaters around town. As a director and choreographer, Spelman made waves in Chicago with her first musical, “Cabaret” (2018), and more recently for her productions of “The Music Man” (2024) at Marriott Theatre, and both the smash hit “Once” (2023) and Tolstoy-inspired “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812” (2024) at Writers Theatre; she is working on the upcoming production of “Waitress” (2025) at Paramount Theatre. Spelman made her Broadway debut as choreographer for “The Notebook” (2024), which prepares for a national tour in spring 2025. (Tristan Bruns)
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Malkia Stampley
Like a stone across the water, Malkia Stampley leaps across Chicago’s theater landscape, creating ripples everywhere. Stampley is co-founder of the Bronzeville Arts Ensemble, founding artistic producer for Milwaukee Black Theater Festival, the BOLD artistic producer at Goodman Theatre and has an acting career that spans stage, television and film. As a director, Stampley has left her artistic footprint with such work as “The October Storm” (2023) at Raven Theatre, “Boulevard of Bold Dreams” (2023) at TimeLine Theatre, “Black Nativity” (2016) at Black Arts MKE, and the upcoming premiere of “No Such Thing” at Rivendell Theatre in 2025. Her Goodman directing debut last fall was the critically acclaimed “Primary Trust.” (Tristan Bruns)
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Dennis Watkins
Descended from a lineage of magicians, Dennis Watkins has been called “Chicago’s premier resident magician” (Chicago Tribune), and he has the chops to prove it. For fifteen years and over 2,100 performances, Watkins’ “The Magic Parlor” has astonished audiences with up-close sleight-of-hand tricks and an intimate atmosphere so popular that the show relocated in 2023 to its own space at 50 West Randolph next to the Goodman Theatre. As a founding member of The House Theatre (2001-2022), Watkins’ history of enchanting audiences is extensive, but he’s always innovating, teasing new magic and experiments at “The Magic Parlor” in 2025. (Tristan Bruns)
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Kevin Webb
“So much Sondheim!” laughs actor Kevin Webb recalling his history of work, like his Jeff Award-winning portrayal of the demon-barber in “Sweeney Todd” (2023), and his role as “The Baker” in Kokandy Productions’ 2024 revival of “Into the Woods” (a role Webb played eighteen years ago in community college). “It’s surreal how life is circular,” says Webb. Speaking of surreal, Webb found a home with avant-garde company Trap Door Theatre—beginning with “The Duchess of Malfi” (2016)—that continues through this day, with Webb and company scheduled to tour Poland performing playwright Stanislaw I. Witkiewicz’s “The Pragmatists” in February. (Tristan Bruns)
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Larry Yando
“I came to Chicago to get my MFA at DePaul Theater School and planned to go back to New York,” says actor Larry Yando. “Thirty-something years later, I’m still here.” Yando has done it all, including a regal streak as the title characters in “King Lear” (2014) and “Cymbeline” (2007) as well as wizard Prospero in “The Tempest” (2015), at Chicago Shakes. Yando also performed as Scar in the national tour of “The Lion King,” as Ebenezer Scrooge for fourteen productions of “A Christmas Carol” at Goodman Theatre and as Professor Snape and Dumbledore in the first national tour of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” (Tristan Bruns)
Theater
Hall of Fame
Greg Allen
Breon Arzell
Nick Bowling
Lili-Anne Brown
Sydney Charles
Sandra Delgado
Rebecca Gilman
Henry Godinez
Isaac Gomez
Gary Griffin
Francis Guinan
Ike Holter
Tracy Letts
Marti Lyons
Tarell Alvin McCraney
Amy Morton
Brett Neveu
Beau O’Reilly and Jenny Magnus
Ron O.J. Parson
Nick Sandys
Kimberly Senior
Michael Shannon
Anna D. Shapiro
Chuck Smith
Mary Zimmerman
