THE PROJECT STARTED AS A TERRIBLE BUT THRILLING IDEA BETWEEN KELLEY RISTOW AND SAMUEL TAYLOR IN 2011. TODAY IT IS RUN CHAOTICALLY BY A LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE: PARTNERS FOR THE BIG STUFF, STAKEHOLDERS FOR THE FUN STUFF.
PARTNERS
Kelley Ristow
Founder, partner
After a decade in Chicago, Kelley now lives in Washington DC. She's there to help The National Guard decide how to destroy contributors to power-based personal violence.
Translation: Kelley makes policy and stuff to stop all the shitty things people do and say to each other when they want to feel more powerful and they choose trash methods to get there.
She misses Chicago a lot. She does not miss winter at all. She misses playing in Back Room the most.
Samuel Taylor
Founder, partner, chicago stakeholder
Samuel is an artistic associate at Lookingglass Theatre Company, and is owner & operator of Long Table Pancakes, a small company that makes pancakes out of popcorn. That is not a joke; they will blow your fucking mind.
He’s been seen on stage at Lookingglass, The Actors Gymnasium, Chicago Shakespeare, Steppenwolf, Redmoon (RIP), American Players Theatre, the Guthrie, Actors’ Theatre of Louisville, Syracuse Stage, & Albuquerque Little Theatre (505 what).
He also wrote My Life With the Shakespeare Cult, a book about the Project.
Amanda Drinkall
Partner, Chicago Stakeholder
Amanda has been in one professional Shakespeare production in the state of Illinois, in which she said zero lines but was absolutely topless. She has played in more than 20 shows with BRSP, spanning Illinois, Wisconsin, and New York (where she played Prospero with 3 days notice, book-in-hand).
Chicago has seen her at the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Northlight, Victory Gardens, the one on the pier, Strawdog, Lifeline, and Red Tape (where she is an ensemble member). She once won a Jeff award for being in love and riding a train. The Project is staggering and sweat-inducing and satisfying beyond belief.
Nicholas Harazin
Partner, Chicago Stakeholder
Nicholas Harazin is a big walking heart. He acts for a living, hustles all the time, and makes good furniture out of wood that you would be so fortunate to have in your nice home. He is a hurricane of good ideas.
Katy Collins
Partner, Chicago Stakeholder
Katy Collins has been a stakeholder in the Project since the beginning and she loves it. She is also an ensemble member with Sideshow Theater Company and has preformed with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf, Second City, The Goodman and The Vintage Theater Collective.
She works her days as a doula and has a web series called: The Doula is IN. By nights she preforms with the band Mucca Pazza, started and runs Chicago Movieoke, and arm wrestles in the Chicago League of Lady Arm Wrestling (CLLAW).
Matthew Sherbach
Partner, Chicago Stakeholder
Matthew Sherbach is your gentlest, best uncle. He has been seen on stages all over Chicago, flashing his trademark wry conspiratorial headnods all over. He was extremely active in the Salonathon community, may it rest in glory forever. He is a real grownup in the best sense, and you can always count on him for sound advice.
CAITLIN COSTELLO
Partner, New York Stakeholder
Caitlin Costello (LAMDA and DePaul University) moved to NYC after 15 years in Chicago. She’s thrilled the Back Room Shakespeare Project has taken so well to the bars of Brooklyn. In less than two years BRSP NYC has done 8 jam packed shows!
She is a veteran of Second City Theatricals, a Moth Grand Slam winner, and emceed Chicago Youth Shakespeare (CYS) and Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s (CST) Battle of the Bard. Teaching credits include workshops at NYU Tisch, Hope College, and Northwestern University, Mosaic with American Theater Company, improv coaching, and facilitating theater classes on Norwegian Cruise Lines.
Emily Shain
Partner, New York Stakeholder
Emily has lived a lot of different places but now calls Brooklyn home. She is an actor and teacher near and far.
She’s done the trifecta: helped run the project in Chicago, LA, and now New York. Here’s hoping that this much sweating keeps you forever young.
STAKEHOLDERS
JASMINE BRACEY
Chicago Stakeholder
Jasmine Bracey does plays... in theatres... regionally. She is also teaches shakespeare and journals incessantly. She's a wanna be life coach. Degrees have been acquired from Florida State University and the University of Delaware.
Mary Williamson
CHICAGO STAKEHOLDER
Mary thinks that Sexiness should be one of the Project’s values. She does all sorts of weird shit on Chicago stages, and is basically a boss. Art is dead. Go bears.
MICHEAL angelo SMITH
CHICAGO STAKEHOLDER
Micheal (Mi-KY-el) is the sort of person you hope you’ll be one day, when you have figured out how to be kind and willing, and also good at everything you try. He is a blue man sometimes.
LEE STARK
CHICAGO STAKEHOLDER
Lee Stark was one of Chicago’s leading actors before saying wait a minute… this is a suckers game. Now she studies law at U Chicago, working in social justice.
VICTOR BAYONA
CHICAGO STAKEHOLDER
Victor does not want to hurt you. He does not want to use any of his highly specialized knowledge in modern or historical fighting to mangle your helpless flesh at lightning speed. He is a really nice guy. He is exactly the sort of person you want to not hurt you. Which is great, because he really does not want to hurt you. Can’t stress that enough.
Victor is the silent V in R&D Choreography, which is good because Rick is really good at doing all the talking. Together they are eager to support the project’s thirst for blood and grit.
RICK GILBERT
CHICAGO STAKEHOLDER
Rick came to Chicago in 1995 to "work for a couple years before heading back to the East Coast." He is still here. He isn't going anywhere. It took less than six months back then to realize that Chicago was where he wanted to make art, and he has never seriously considered moving anywhere since. (Though, someday, Tuscany does appeal...)
Rick was a co-founder of R&D Choreography, and has designed violence and/or intimacy for over 300 shows since then. He is a theater-dork, and is currently writing his doctoral dissertation on how representations of violence tell stories.
HANNAH TODD
CHICAGO STAKEHOLDER
Hannah eats bullies for breakfast, is friends with snakes, and will Shakespeare Nerd talk you under the table. She usually directs theatre, but for some reason has joined up with an outfit that has No Directors in its slogan. She is a company member with We Happy Few in DC.
courtney Abbott
CHICAGO STAKEHOLDER
Courtney is a tornado with a heart of gold, the kindest of badasses, the coolest of nerds. She/They light up the stage whenever they're on it, and when they're offstage, they're helping create the sexiest fights and the fiestiest intimacy onstage. She takes big bites out of Shakespeare and turns them into blood and gold.
Gage Wallace
CHICAGO STAKEHOLDER
Gage will try to jump through a brick wall if it might get a laugh. Once upon a time He was a Poet, a Stand-up Comedian, and an Executive Assistant (not at the same time). Gage likes martinis, chocolate chip cookies, To Do Lists, and Shakespeare in Bars.
Alex Weisman
Stakeholder at-large
Alex Weisman is a volcano that wears shoes. His love will burn your whole shit down. He is a tv paramedic and a broadway wizard. Elmo is his spirit animal.
Audrey Flegel
Stakeholder at large
Audrey is OG stakeholder from Chicago, and ran the joint for a few years in LA. She will organize the demons out of your life, and she creates lasting shockwaves of secret delight wherever she goes.
MICHAEL PEREZ
STAKEHOLDER AT LARGE
Michael is a tower of power. He is what you dream of when you dream of big, good men. Held it down in Chicago for a long time, then married a baller scientist and peaced to Cali.
KEVIN Barry CROWLEY
STAKEHOLDER AT LARGE
KEVIN BARRY CROWLEY would like to have all three of his names acknowledged whenever he is addressed. He did do Shakespeare with Back Room in Chicago and Los Angeles and will find his way back to the mayhem some way and somehow.
He was at the first ever Back Room, so in your face.
One day he will fly.