Nathan is a Chicago-based actor who is so excited to make his Kokandy Productions debut in Jekyll & Hyde. His Chicago credits include A Doll’s House (u/s, Raven Theatre), Mary Stuart (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), and Sita Ram (Lookingglass Theatre). Nathan began performing at age seven with the Chicago Children’s Choir, appearing with artists such as Chance the Rapper, Kurt Elling, and Yo-Yo Ma, as well as with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He is so grateful to the cast, crew, and Kokandy Productions for welcoming him and giving him this amazing opportunity! He also wants to thank his family and Bridget for supporting him all these years as he returns to the stage!

Ismael (They/He) is beyond thankful to be back and screaming at Kokandy! Company credits include: Into The Woods, Spongebob The Musical, Sweeney Todd. OTHER: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (“Yitzhak”, HAVEN), Sondheim Tribute Revue, Never Better, Threepenny, Diana (THEO). They are proud to be represented by Gray Talent Group. “Art is a luxury. Free those suffering at the hands of colonialism – tu lucha es la lucha de todos. Solidaridad para siempre.” Instagram: Operation.Isa

Jeff is a performer, singer and actor in Chicago. Jeff is super excited to step into his first show with Kokandy Productions. Jeff has recently worked with theatre companies such as Chicago Children’s Theatre, Pegasus Theater and City Lit Theatre. He has been a performer all his life; whether it was puppeteering for young audiences at the DuSable Museum, teaching and performing at the 99th Street Summer Theatre Festival or singing with the University of Illinois’s Black Chorus. Jeff has a passion and love for the arts especially music. While in grad school, he performed as a part of Durham University’s Northern Lights Acapella Group placing 3rd in the UK ICCA final and performing in a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Jeff is currently working on his first EP and is excited to explore more opportunities in musical theater.

Jon (He/They) is making his Kokandy debut. Recent credits include his Jeff award winning supporting performance as Sam Byck and Ensemble in Assassins, as well as roles in Diana: The Musical, Godspell and The Full Monty (Theo Unique). Other credits include Barney the Elf (The Other Theater Co.) and Bare: A Pop Opera (Refuge Theatre Co.) Represented by Shirley Hamilton Talent. @jonpjackson

Quinn (he/him) is excited to be back with Kokandy after appearing in the Jeff Award-winning American Psycho. Other credits include: Rock of Ages (MPAC); Dragons Love Tacos, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show (NTYA); Avenue Q (William Street Rep); The Steadfast Tin Soldier (Lookingglass Theatre Company); and Spring Awakening (Porchlight Music Theatre). Quinn is a dual-degree graduate of Northwestern University, an avid charcuterie enthusiast, and is represented by Big Mouth Talent.

EMILY (she/her) is excited to return to Kokandy with this amazing team! Past Kokandy credits: Alice By Heart (Young Alice). Recent credits: Rock of Ages (Constance Sack) at Metropolis Performing Arts Center, Next to Normal (Natalie US) at Paramount Theatre, Annie at Encore Musical Theatre Company, Anything Goes (Chastity) at Porchlight Music Theatre, and R+H’s Cinderella (Ella) at The Barn Theatre. BFA MTD at CCPA. Repped by Stewart Talent. Endless thanks to her family and friends! emilylingmei.com IG: @emily.lingmei

Emily (she/her) could not be more excited to be making her Kokandy debut with such an amazing team! Originally from Cookeville, TN, Emily is a graduate of the University of Memphis theatre program. Chicago credits: Rock of Ages, A Christmas Carol (Metropolis). Other credits: The Sound of Music (Studio Tenn), Romeo and Juliet, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Tennessee Shakespeare Company). So much love to her family and friends!

David is a carpenter and performer in the Chicagoland area. Recent onstage credits include: Waitress (Paramount Theatre), Rock of Ages (Mercury Theater Chicago), Legally Blonde (Music Theater Works), Sunday in the Park with George, Rent (Porchlight Music Theater), American Psycho, Cruel Intentions (Kokandy Productions), Dear Jack, Dear Louise, Mousetrap (Metropolis Performing Arts). Thank you all for coming to the show, and special thanks to friends and family for all their continued support. Represented by Stewart Talent. 

Dani is thrilled to be making her Kokandy debut with this incredibly talented group of folks. Favorite Chicago credits include “Emma” in Tell Me on a Sunday (Theo), “Sherrie” in Rock of Ages (Metropolis), “Fiona” in Shrek the Musical (MTW), “Casey” in First Date (Oil Lamp), and “Audrey” in Little Shop of Horrors (Citadel). A Houston native, Dani holds a BFA in acting with a directing minor from Oklahoma City University and is represented by Talent X Alexander. @DaniPike77 DaniPike.com

Caitlin is a Chicago based performer, director, & choreographer. She is thrilled to be making her Kokandy debut! Recent performance credits: A New Brain, [title of show] (PrideArts); Camp Rock (The Beautiful City Project); Who The #?!$ Are We, Opening Act (SmartAct); First Date (point2point). Founder: SmartAct Productions. Teaching artist: Studio 83 Dance Academy. Education: Carthage College MT & Directing. Thanks to my incredible friends and family for everything onstage and off! @caitlinpreuss_

Quinn is a Jeff-nominated actor, musician, playwright and graduate of Columbia College Chicago’s Musical Theatre BFA program. Fresh upstairs from Amélie, Quinn’s previous adventures with Kokandy include Alice by Heart, The Spongebob Musical, Sweeney Todd, and writing for the 2024 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival (Out of Focus, book/lyrics). Quinn is grateful to call this place and these people home. Additional credits include Marriott Theatre, Chicago Children’s Theatre, The Beautiful City Project, and Timber Lake Playhouse. When not performing, Quinn can be found collaborating with best friend and castmate Kelan M. Smith. @quinn._.stagram, qrigg.com

Gabby (She/her) is thrilled to be working with Kokandy again for Jekyll and Hyde! A recent CCPA graduate, majoring in musical theater, this is Gabby’s second prodution with Kokandy. Some of her credits include Mrs. Taylor/Rev. Hightower and many more in Bat Boy: The Musical (CCPA), Miss Gardner in Carrie the Musical (CCPA), and Little Red U/S at Kokandy last year. A big thanks to her family for always supporting her dream, and to the wonderful individuals in this production!

Anna (she/her) is excited and scared to work with Derek Van Barham again, after previously appearing in Kokandy’s INTO THE WOODS and AMERICAN PSYCHO (Jeff awards for Best Production of a Musical and Best Ensemble). Previous credits: the inaugural PrideArts pantos, JACK OFF THE BEANSTALK and SLEEPING WITH BEAUTY; THE RIP NELSON HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR (Hell in a Handbag); HAIRSPRAY (Bonstelle Theatre); and Caroline Kidwell’s PENELOPE. She earned a BFA and a Certificate Of advanced actor training from Wayne State University and Moscow Art Theatre School, respectively. In high school, a friend told Anna she needs to learn Lucy’s songs. She is grateful for the prescient advice and would welcome any other clairvoyant warnings.

Quinn (they/he/she) is a Chicago-based musical theatre performer and choreographer. They most recently worked on Amélie (Kokandy) as the Associate Director/Choreographer. Other recent credits include: 9 to 5 and Rock of Ages (Metropolis, Associate Choreographer). Performance: Spring Awakening (Flint Rep), The SpongeBob Musical and American Psycho The Musical (Kokandy), You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (Marriott), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Trans Voices Cabaret, and Godspell (Theo Ubique). Quinn is a proud Filipino-American, and a graduate of Chicago College of Performing Arts’ BFA Musical Theatre program. Huge thanks to my family, always. Mahal ko kayo! @quinnonstage

​​Jaxson Smith is a recent Chicago College of Performing Arts graduate with a BFA in Musical Theater (dance emphasis). He has been previously seen at Kokandy Productions in Cruel Intentions The ’90s Musical (Ensemble, Greg u/s). He is so grateful to be working with this dream team and the best actors in the city. It is a privilege to create art. Jaxson would like to give a shout-out to his family for always showing him love and support. Insta: @jaxsonwesleysmith

Kelan is thrilled to be back at Kokandy after enjoying his run in Amélie! Upcoming: Million Dollar Quartet Christmas (Marriott Theatre). Past credits include shows at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Drury Lane Theatre, Marriott Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, Apollo Theater Chicago, Chicago Children’s Theatre, The Beautiful City Project and many others. In addition, he is also the composer/co-lyricist for Out of Focus, a musical which was in Kokandy’s Chicago Musical Theatre Festival at the Steppenwolf in 2024. Smith is the Co-Artistic Director of Streamline Theatre. Sending love to his late brother Riley.

Ava is incredibly humbled and thrilled (see what she did there?) to be back home with Kokandy, where she made her Chicago debut last year in Alice by Heart. Other Chicago credits include New Faces Sing Broadway NOW!, ICONS Gala (’24 and ’25), Broadway in Your Backyard 2025 (Porchlight), Rock of Ages (Metropolis), and Legally Blonde (Music Theater Works). Select regional favorites: The Little Mermaid, Little Women, Mary Poppins, Much Ado About Nothing, and Jekyll & Hyde. She recently originated the role of Camilla Burlington in DKG’s murder mystery musical radio play The Murder at Monroe Manor. Offstage, Ava is a passionate voice teacher (with the world’s loveliest students), an aspiring writer for stage and screen, a multi-instrumentalist, and a devoted aficionado of cheese-and-crackers. Each performance is for the people who shaped her, with a special dedication to her mother— the heart and soul behind every dream come true. Mom, I love you! Represented by TalentXAlexander. Instagram: @avalanestovall — let’s be friends!

Maiko is thrilled to be back with Kokandy! Credits include: Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd (replacements, Kokandy) ; Baked! The Musical (Theo Ubique) ; Avenue Q (u/s, Music Theatre Works) ; Blithe Spirit (Eclectic Full Contact Theatre) ; Mary Rose, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog, Nightmares & Nightcaps, Nevermore (Black Button Eyes) ; Christmas Dearest, Poseidon! An Upside Down Musical (Hell in a Handbag) ; Cabaret (Cowardly Scarecrow) ; Ruddigore (The Savoyaires) ; Diamond Lil, The Holiday Radio Show 1944 (Three Cat Productions) ; Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Pride Films & Plays).

Kevin Webb (he/him) has previously been seen with Kokandy in his Jeff Award-winning performance as the title role in Sweeney Todd and as The Baker in the Jeff Award-winning ensemble of Into the Woods. Chicago credits: Titanic the Musical (Marriott); The Secret Garden (Court); Sweeney Todd (Porchlight); The Killer – Jeff nom, Mother Courage and Her Children, The Pragmatists, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Trap Door); A Little Night Music – Jeff nom, Sweeney Todd (Theo Ubique); Mary Rose – Jeff nom, Shockheaded Peter, Coraline (Black Button Eyes); Marie Christine, Myths & Hymns (BoHo); The View UpStairs (Circle); Songs from an Unmade Bed – Jeff nom, Design for Living, Angry F@gs (Pride Films & Plays); Assassins (The Viaduct); WOZ (Victory Gardens); The Pitchfork Disney (Interrobang); Stupid F*cking Bird (Sideshow). Kevin is also a proud ensemble member with Trap Door Theatre.

Yasmeen is a teaching artist and stage manager from New York City. She is a recent graduate from The Theatre School at DePaul University where she double majored in Theatre Arts and English. She is grateful to have been part of the production team for Jekyll and Hyde. Yasmeen’s past credits include Lonely Hearts (Birch House Immersive) and A Little Night Music (Theo).

Kirsten (they/them) is a Chicago-born intimacy professional, cultural/gender sensitivity specialist, and theatre educator. Chicago credits include In  His Hands (First Floor Theater) Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Haven Chicago) Last Night and the Night Before (Steppenwolf)  Tick, Tick…Boom (BoHo Theatre) The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas ( Theo Ubique Theatre); Rent (Porchlight Music Theatre); American Psycho: The Musical, Sweeney Todd, Cruel Intentions (Kokandy Productions); Mosque4Mosque and  The Magnolia Ballet (About Face Theatre) Regional credits: 9 to 5 (Metropolis Performing Arts Center) Sugar in Our Wounds, and Stonewallin’ (Richmond Triangle Players).

​​Charlie is grateful and beyond excited to work with Kokandy. Their work has previously been seen at Theo Ubique, Marriott, Court, Drury Lane, Northwestern, and many other local and regional theaters. Charlie would like to encourage community building and advocacy for immigrants and the LGBTQIA+ community in these trying times. Thank you for supporting the arts.

Derek (he/him) is the Producing Artistic Director of Kokandy Productions. Directing credits include Children of Eden in Concert (Broadway In Chicago), Into the Woods, Alice by Heart, Sweeney Todd, American Psycho, Head Over Heels (3 Jeff Awards and 2 Jeff nominations, Kokandy); Spring Awakening (Flint Rep); Rock of Ages (Metropolis); The View Upstairs (Circle Theatre); Miracle by Dan Savage, Poseidon (Hell in a Handbag) Carrie, Bat Boy, Merrily We Roll Along (CCPA/Roosevelt University). Choreography credits include Evil Dead (Jeff nomination), Coraline the Musical, Ghost Quartet, and Shockheaded Peter (Black Button Eyes). He was previously named one of Windy City Times’ 30 Under 30, and one of Newcity Magazine’s 50 Players 2024. MFA: CCPA/Roosevelt University. IG: @dvbarham

Double Oscar and Grammy winner Leslie Bricusse was a writer-composer-lyricist who has contributed to many musical films and plays during his career. He was born in London, and educated at University College School and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. At Cambridge, he was President of the Footlights Revue Club and founded the Musical Comedy Club. There, he co-authored, directed and performed in his first two musical shows, OUT OF THE BLUE and LADY AT THE WHEEL, both of which made their way to London’s West End. He also found time in the gaps to acquire a Master of Arts Degree. The late, great Beatrice Lillie plucked him out of the Footlights Revue at the Phoenix Theatre, and made him her leading man in AN EVENING WITH BEATRICE LILLIE at the Globe Theatre, where he spent the first year of his professional life writing another musical, BOY ON THE CORNER, and the screenplay and score of his first motion picture, CHARLEY MOON, which won his first Ivor Novello Award. That year he decided to drop the possibilities of directing and performing, and concentrate his career on becoming a full-time writer-composer-lyricist. His subsequent stage musicals include STOP THE WORLD – I WANT TO GET OFF; THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT – THE SMELL OF THE CROWD; PICKWICK; HARVEY; THE GOOD OLD BAD OLD DAYS; GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS; HENRY’S WIVES; SCROOGE; ONE SHINING MOMENT; SHERLOCK HOLMES; JEKYLL AND HYDE and VICTOR/VICTORIA. He has written songs and/or screenplays for such films as DOCTOR DOLITTLE; SCROOGE; WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY; GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS; SUPERMAN; VICTOR/VICTORIA; SANTA CLAUS – THE MOVIE; HOME ALONE I & II; HOOK; TOM & JERRY – THE MOVIE and various PINK PANTHERS. Bricusse wrote more than forty musical shows and films, and over the years had the good fortune to enjoy fruitful collaborations with a wonderful array of musical talents, including Anthony Newley, Henry Mancini, John Williams, John Barry, Jerry Goldsmith, Jule Styne, Quincy Jones, Andre Previn, Frank Wildhorn and Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky (whose NUTCRACKER SUITE he adapted into a song score). His better-known songs include: What Kind Of A Fool Am I?; Once In A Lifetime; Gonna build A Mountain; Who Can I Turn To?; The Joker; If I Ruled The World; My Kind Of Girl; Talk To The Animals; You And I; Felling Good; When I Look In Your Eyes; Goldfinger; Can You Read My Mind? (The love theme from Superman); You Only Live Twice; Le Jazz Hot; On A Wonderful Day Like Today; Two For The Road; The Candy Man; This Is The Moment; Crazy World; Pure Imagination and Ompa-Loompa-Doompa-Dee-Doo. He was nominated for ten Academy Awards, nine Grammys and four Tonys, and won two Oscars, a Grammy and eight Ivor Novello Awards, the premiere British Music Award. Hundreds of Bricusse’s songs have been recorded by major artists, including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Sammy Davis, Jr. (who recorded 60 Bricusse songs), Tony Bennett, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Petula Clark, Julie Andrews, Liza Minnelli, Andy Williams, Rex Harrison, Kate Smith, Elaine Paige, Anthony Newley, Michael Feinstein, Bette Midler, The Moody Blues, Nancy Sinatra, Lena Horne, Sergio Mendes, Nina Simone, Dionne Warwick, Robert Goulet, Matt Monro, Ray Charles, Ethel Merman, Placido Domingo, Jennifer Holliday, Danny Kaye, Robbie Williams, Mariah Carey, Linda Eder, Maroon 5, Michael Bublé and The Black-Eyes Peas. In 1989 he received the Kennedy Award for consistent excellence in British songwriting, bestowed by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, and was inducted into the American Songwriters’ Hall of Fame – only the fourth Englishman to be so honoured – after Noel Coward, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Bricusse is currently represented internationally and across the United States by JEKYLL & HYDE, written with Frank Wildhorn, which ran for four years at the Plymouth Theatre in New York, with a dozen international productions around the world, and VICTOR/VICTORIA, written with Blake Edwards and Henry Mancini, which successively starred Julie Andrews, Liza Minnelli and Raquel Welch on Broadway, and is now to be seen across America and in other international productions. Bricusse’s children’s stage musical version of Raold Dahl’s WILLY WONKA opened at the Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts in Washington DC in November, 2004, before embarking on a three-year national tour. Another Bricusse perennial, his musical version of SCROOGE, in which Anthony Newley starred at the Dominion Theatre in London’s West End, is also seen annually in many productions in the U. K., Europe, the U. S. and Japan. For DOCTOR DOLITTLE, another current stage musical, which played four years in the U. K. starring Phillip Schofield and almost one hundred assorted animatronic animals created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, Bricusse served as librettist, composer, lyricist and co-producer. Further productions are planned in Europe, Australia, South Korea and Japan. A major U. S. production opened in the summer of 2005. Recent projects included a remarkable musical biography of the world’s greatest entertainer, the late Sammy Davis, Jr., entitled SAMMY, directed and choreographed by Debbie Allen. Bricusse also completed the book and lyrics of his musical adaptation of CYRANO DE BERGERAC, his new collaboration with Frank Wildhorn, and a compilation songbook show, BRICK BY BRICK BY BRICUSSE.

Shelby (she/her) is thrilled to be back! Recent credits include: PASSION (Blank Theatre Company), Alice By Heart (Kokandy Productions), Sondheim Tribute Revue (Theo Ubique), The Kelly Girls (Factory Theater), Last Night in Karaoke Town (Factory Theater), Happy Birthday Mars Rover (Passage Theatre), Human Resource(s) (Theatre Evolve), Southern Comfort (Pride Arts), Scraps (NAFT) and The Spitfire Grill (Refuge Theatre Project). Shelby would like to thank her chosen family (near and far) and her girlfriend, Ellie, for their endless love and support.

Bio coming soon!

Steve Cuden – writer, director and producer.

Steve co-created the hit Broadway and international musical, Jekyll & Hyde, writing the show’s original Book and Lyrics with noted composer, Frank Wildhorn.  For Jekyll & Hyde, Steve co-wrote lyrics for such songs as “Once Upon a Dream,” “Murder, Murder,” “His Work and Nothing More,” and “Alive.”  Jekyll & Hyde played for four years on Broadway, and has enjoyed three U.S. national tours.  The show has been performed throughout the U.S. by hundreds of theater companies, large and small, and having been translated into more than twenty languages, has been produced in numerous venues the world over.  
 
Steve and Frank also co-conceived the international hit musical, “Rudolf, The Mayerling Affair,” which has been produced on stages in Hungary, Vienna, and Japan.
 
Steve Directed and co-Produced the cult-favorite horror-comedy movie, Lucky, for which he won the award for Best Director at the Nodance Film Festival.  Luckyalso won the awards for Best Feature at The New York City Horror Film Festival, Shriekfest in L.A., and MicroCineFest in Baltimore.  
 
Steve has written nearly ninety produced teleplays for familiar TV shows such as: X-Men, The Batman, Iron Man, Xiaolin Showdown, Loonatics Unleashed, World of Quest, The Mask, Goof Troop, Bonkers, Quack Pack, Gargoyles, Beetlejuice, Savage Dragon, Pink Panther, RoboCop, Extreme Ghostbusters, Stargate Infinity, ExoSquad, Mummies Alive, and numerous others.

www.stevecuden.com

Brenda Didier (Choreographer) is thrilled to return to Kokandy after choreographing their 2018 production of Grand Hotel. (Jeff Nomination). Ms. Didier is a freelance director and choreographer based in Chicago. CHICAGO: Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, The Goodman, Marriott, Paramount, Royal George Theatre, Theatre at the Center, Chicago Theatre, Theatre Wit, Porchlight Music Theatre, Mercury Theater, Second City, Theo Ubique, Victory Gardens and many others. Tour: The Kenny Rogers Christmas Tour and Cirque Shanghai-Navy Pier’s Skyline Stage, with engagements at the Tropicana Resort in Atlantic City, Harrah’s in Las Vegas and The New Victory Theatre in New York’s Broadway District. Ms. Didier made her TV choreography debut with T-Mobile’s national commercial “Home for the Holidays”. She is a multiple Jeff Award recipient in both Direction and Choreography (Equity and Non-Equity wing) and Artistic Director/Founder of the Lincolnshire Academy of Dance, now in its 28th Season. “Thank you to Derek, Nick, Scot, Cam and Quinn S., Shane and our incredible cast, design team, band and crew!”

Syd is thrilled to be back designing for Kokandy after designing the past 3 seasons of shows, including SWEENEY TODD, ALICE BY HEART, INTO THE WOODS, and SPONGEBOB THE MUSICAL (where she not only designed, but also performed in the role of Perch Perkins!) Syd is an ensemble member, Company Manager, and Company Makeup Designer for Hell in a Handbag Productions, where she has performed and designed for the past 13 years. Past favorites with HIAH include SNOWGIRLS (Ice Crystal), THE ARTIFICIAL JUNGLE (Roxanne), RUDOLPH THE RED HOSED REINDEER (Elfina). She designed for many other companies, including Trap Door, Haven Chicago, Highland Park Players, Glass Apple Theatre, and more! She’s a graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts with a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance. She is a freelance makeup designer and artist, certified at Make Up First School Chicago. www.madcbs.com

Forrest’s work has been heard on the stages of many theatres around the Chicago area including Paramount Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, TimeLine Theatre Co., Writers Theatre, Northlight, Studebaker Theatre, Apollo Theatre, Music Theatre Works, The Gift, and Metropolis. Regionally his work has been heard at Theatre Aspen, Papermill Playhouse, Riverside Theatre, and The Rep Theatre of St. Louis. Forrest received his BFA from DePaul University and is the current sound supervisor at Music Theatre Works. Visit forrestgregor.com.

Carrie is pleased to be back with Kokandy after last working on Sweeney Todd.  You may have heard her previous voice coaching efforts around town with: First Folio, Lifeline Theatre, Babes with Blades, Black Button Eyes, Pegasus, Promethean Theatre Ensemble, Prologue Theatre Co, Aston Rep, First Floor Theatre, Idle Muse, and Loyola University Chicago, where she also teaches. Many thanks to Derek and all involved, and to her family for putting up with her near-constant quiet mumbling in different voices.

Jason, an honors graduate of Williams College (1993), is a Grammy Award winning producer, Emmy Award winning arranger, and Tony nominated producer. He is the composer of Broadway’s 2005 TONY nominated Little Women – The Musical. Howland was nominated for a Tony Award in 1999 for co- producing the The Lonesome West by Martin McDonagh, and won an Emmy Award in 2007 for creating and composing the Christmas special Handel’s Messiah Rocks for the Boston Pops. He is the Arranger and Music Supervisor for the smash hit Beautiful – The Carole King Musical (Broadway, West End, US National Tour, Tokyo, Australian National Tour, UK National Tour) for which he won a Grammy Award; Bonnie and Clyde, Wonderland, Jekyll & Hyde,The Civil War, The Scarlet Pimpernel, in addition to music directing the mega-hit Les Miserables, and Boy George’s Taboo. International projects as an arranger and orchestrator include Frank Wildhorn’s stage adaptation of the Japanese Anime sensation Death Notefor HoriPro, and two new shows Mata Hari and The Man Who Laughs. Recent theater projects include composing and orchestrating the original score for Ikiru, a new musical based on the Kurosawa film, that premiered in Tokyo, Oct 2018, Last Days of Summer (Kansas City rep), and Paradise Square at Berkeley Repertory Theater.

Sotirios is excited to be making his debut with Kokandy Productions.  Recent projects include Twisted Melodies, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Birthday Candles (Northlight Theatre), Girls & Boys (Griffin Theatre) The Cave (A Red Orchid Theatre), A Slow Air, A Case for the Existence of God (Steep Theatre), The Lehman Trilogy (ZACH Theatre), The Brightest Thing in the World (About Face Theatre) and It’s a Wonderful Life (Captial City). He has worked with Goodman, Steppenwolf, The Old Globe, Manhattan Theatre Club, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Berkeley Rep, The Alliance and Cincinnati Playhouse among others.  He made his Broadway debut last season as the associate set designer on Purpose and Eureka Day – both of which won the Tony Award for Best Play and Best Revival of a Play. Upcoming projects include Primary Trust at the Repertory Theatre of St Louis and the world premiere of BOTH with Teatro Vista. MFA: Northwestern.  Please experience more of his work at www.sotiriosdesigns.com and on Instagram at @sotirios.livaditis.

Hannah (she/her) is a Chicago based Sound Engineer and Electrician. She works seasonally as the Lighting and Sound Supervisor at Peninsula Players Theatre and the Assistant Sound Supervisor at Chicago Children’s Theatre. She is also the Production Assistant for Joe Mazza at brave lux inc. As an assistant and technician, Hannah has recently worked on productions at Shattered Globe Theatre, Steep Theatre, Writers Theatre, About Face Theatre, and Citadel Theatre. Hannah is an alum of Loyola University Chicago and is thrilled to be working on her first show with Kokandy Productions!

After over a decade in Chicago, Max (he/him) has created over 300 designs on over 190 professional & educational productions. He is a Teaching Artist/Resident Lighting Designer for the Theatre Conservatory at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, and was an instructor at Northeastern Illinois University for 7 years (Instructor Excellence Award, 2019). Max won a Lou Award for Lighting on Into the Woods (Big Noise), has 2 Equity & 8 Non-Equity Jeff nominations, and designed on 1 Equity & 4 Non-Equity Jeff Award-Winning Best Musicals. A founding member of Another Door Theatre Project, he worked for 3 years as Head of Production/Resident Scenographer. Max spent 2 summers designing lighting for the touring opera company La Musica Lirica (Novafeltria, Italy). Favorite projects at Kokandy, Invictus, Paramount, Porchlight, Black Ensemble, American Blues, Handbag, Cincinnati Shakespeare, Mercury, TATC, Black Button Eyes, BoHo, Steppenwolf Garage, City Lit, ADTP, CCPA, NEIU, Northwestern, & DePaul. www.ivMaxin.com & phobiachicago.com – PHOBIA 2025 – this October!

Jackson (he/him) is delighted to be back at Kokandy after swinging Jack in Into The Woods and hanging lights for many others! Jackson is the Resident Lighting Assistant for Roosevelt University’s CCPA Theatre Conservatory, and a freelance Lighting Tech around town. He’s also a freelance performer with recent Chicago credits like Diana (Theo), The Snow Queen (Marriott), Ragtime (Metropolis), and The Wild Party (Blank Theatre Company). Catch him hanging lights, singing lil diddies, and queening out in a storefront near you. Love to Brian 🙂 www.jacksonmikkelsen.com 

Kendyl is thrilled to be magic in the basement again on their fifth Kokandy Prods show. Kokandy credits include: INTO THE WOODS (PSM), AMERICAN PSYCHO (PSM), SWEENEY TODD (ASM), CRUEL INTENTIONS (ASM). Other Stage Management credits include: ONE PARTY CONSENT, PRO-AM (First Floor Theatre), A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD (Chicago Children’s Theatre), TWO GENTLEWOMEN OF VERONA, THE ROVER (Lakeside Shakespeare). With a BFA in Acting from the Chicago College of Performing Arts, they are a Chicago based actor and stage manager. So much love to this cast, production team and all their support system in and out of the theatre.

Matt is thrilled to be joining Kokandy Productions for his fourth production, having previously designed Amelie, Into The Woods and Alice By Heart. He has sound-designed over sixty theatrical productions and received two Joseph Jefferson Award nominations for his work. He is an A1 for musical theatre and his mixed shows with Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Manual Cinema and many other productions. He is currently the Sound Supervisor for Chicago Children’s Theatre and he has a degree in Sound Design for Theatre from The Theatre School at DePaul University. 

Nicholas (he/him) NYC: Sentinels: A New Play with Music (A.R.T./New York Theatres), Jungle Jim: A Musical Wildlife Adventure (Theatre Row). Kokandy: Into the Woods (2025 Jeff Award for Best Production of a Musical), Alice By Heart, American Psycho (2024 Jeff Award for Best Production of a Musical), The SpongeBob Musical, Hundred Days, Head Over Heels, and two seasons as Festival Producer of the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival. Other Chicago credits include work with Theo Ubique, CPA Theatricals, Haven Chicago, Underscore Theatre Company, and Circle Theatre. Upcoming: Sentinels: A New Play with Music (CPA Theatricals/Theo). Nicholas was previously named as one of Windy City Times’ 30 Under 30, honoring the best and brightest individuals in Chicago’s LGBTQIA+ youth community, and currently serves as the Productions Manager at The Den Theatre in Wicker Park.

Bio coming soon!

Evelyn is psyched to return to Kokandy after appearing as “Flyswatter Menace” in last year’s Into the Woods. You may have heard her playing piano for Passion (Blank), Tell Me On a Sunday (Theo, as Music Director), Into the Woods (Kokandy), The Mad Ones (Blank), Sondheim Tribute Revue (Theo), or Assassins (Theo). She’s also performed at events by Gender Fucked Productions and Lakeside Pride. As an orchestrator, Evelyn supplied original orchestrations for Preston Max Allen’s musical Never Better (Theo), as well as new reductions for Passion and Into the Woods (the latter alongside Ariana Miles and Nick Sula, earning the three of them a Jeff award). She also wrote music for the video game Avitium. Resist ICE and stand up for the trans people in your life. “This is the moment.” -David Hasselhoff.

Keith is the Wig Designer for the Fabulous, and is so happy to be designing American Psycho! Keith is a 2020 Jeff Award winner for Artistic Specialization,Wig Deseign, for Hedwig and The Angry Inch. With over 140 shows to his credit, he created magic last season with Jeff Award winner Sweeney Todd;  Black Ensemble Theater: The Real Housewives of Motown,  Reasons, A Tribute to Earth Wind and Fire,  Blue Heaven; Hell In A Handbag Productions, I Promised Myself to Live Faster, Frankenstriesand, The Golden Girls Christmas, The Drag Seed, (the Chicago run and the New York City run); Mercury Theater Chicago, Big River, Lady Day, Clue, Priscilla Queen of the Desert; Oak Lawn Park District Theater, You Can’t Take it Witk You, Spongebob The Musical and Cinderella; Alex Grelle Productions, StepMom, Floor Show; Sweetback Productions, Tooth of Crime; Marian Catholic High School, Chicago;Theo Ubique Theatre; Firebrand Theatre; New American Folk Theater; Big Noise Theater.

Connecticut-based Scharnberg has evolved from a young music student growing up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to an acclaimed arranger, composer, producer and conductor who has worked with such luminaries of the stage as Josh Groban, Bernadette Peters, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Audra McDonald, Julie Andrews and many more. His experience ranges from conducting major symphonies to producing highly-commercial recording artists. He is an Associate Artist with the Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. where he arranges and music directs their annual Presidential Gala. Kim is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and his arrangements have been performed by the Boston Pops and major orchestras in the U.S. He has orchestrated several Broadway musicals including The Great Gatsby, Jekyll and Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Civil War, Wonderland, and Little Women for which he received a 2005 Drama Desk nomination. Kim has orchestrated feature films (A River Runs Through It, Quiz Show, Fly Away Home) and television.

Bio coming soon!

Nick is an award-winning pianist and music director, proud to return to Kokandy Productions and the Chopin Theatre where he served as music director for the Jeff Award-winning productions of Sweeney Todd (Jeff Award for Outstanding Music Direction), Into the Woods (Jeff Awards for Outstanding Music Direction and Orchestrations), as well as the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival. Other Chicago theatre music direction credits include: Anything Goes (Jeff nomination) with Porchlight Music Theatre; Ghost Quartet (Jeff nomination), Mary Rose, Nevermore, Amour and Coraline with Black Button Eyes Productions; Myths & Hymns, The Glorious Ones (Jeff nomination), Hello Again, La Cage aux Folles and Pippin with BoHo Theatre. As a professor of musical theatre he serves as a music director, instructor and vocal coach at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

Rachel is thrilled to be back with Kokandy! Other companies she has worked with include Goodman, Midsummer Flight, Music Theater Works, Theater Wit, Backstage Breckenridge Theater,  Babes with Blades, Trap Door, Oak Park Festival Theater, Citadel, Black Button Eyes, Hell in a Handbag, Lifeline, Porchlight, Griffin, Strawdog, the Factory and Redtwist. She also has designed at Wheaton College, Governor’s State University, North Central College, St. Patrick’s High School, Indiana University Northwest, Loyola Academy, and the Chicago Academy for the Arts. She is a ten-time Non-equity Jeff nominee, having been awarded two. More info at www.rachelsyp.com

Bio coming soon!

Multi-Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Award nominated composer/producer Frank Wildhorn’s works span the worlds of popular, theatrical, and classical music. In 1999, Frank became the first American composer in 22 years to have three shows running simultaneously on Broadway with Jekyll & Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Civil War. Also for Broadway: Bonnie & Clyde, Dracula, Victor/Victoria, Wonderland, and the revival of Jekyll & Hyde. West End: Bonnie & Clyde, Your Lie In April, Death Note the Musical in Concert, and Your Lie In April the Musical in Concert. International: Carmen, Camille Claudel, Casanova, Cyrano, Death Note, Fist of the North Star, Kane and Abel, Mata Hari, Mitsuko, Never Say Goodbye, No Longer Human, Rudolf, Tears of Heaven, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Man Who Laughs, Your Lie in April and Xcalibur. Upcoming: Einstein: A Matter of Time, Mac & Beth, Reunion, Song of Bernadette, Mac & Beth and Van Gogh In Love. He Produced Harlem Song at the famed Apollo Theatre. The Korea Times recently proclaimed Wildhorn as “Korea’s most popular musical composer”. In November 2022, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra World Premiered Wildhorn’s full length “Donau Symphonie” at the famed Musikverein. Europe’s MusicalZentrale noted, “With his “Donau Symphonie,” he (Wildhorn) manages to completely reinvent himself and to overcome the separation between light and serious music.” Conducted by Koen Schoots, the performance also featured suites from the Wildhorn musicals Jekyll & Hyde and Dracula. The “Donau Symphonie” was released on CD and streaming services in December 2021. His second symphony, titled “Odessa” after the Ukrainian city where his mother was born, is scheduled to be recorded by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in January of 2025 and will be premiered live later in the year. Frank wrote the Cartier Symphonic Suite for the famed Jewelers’ 2024 gala celebration in Seoul to which the Korea Dance Company performed. Also: Bonnie & Clyde Live – a live streamed version of the West End concert featuring Jeremy Jordan and Frances Mayli McCann and announcements of additional original works to be world premiered. Frank served as music director for the Goodwill Games in New York City (1998). He wrote the song “Gold”, the opening number for the 2002 Winter Olympics. Among the artists who have recorded and performed Frank’s works: Whitney Houston (#1 international hit “Where Do Broken Hearts Go?”), Natalie Cole, Kenny Rogers, Sammy Davis, Jr., Liza Minnelli, Julie Andrews, Hootie & the Blowfish, The Moody Blues, Johnny Mathis, Linda Eder, Freddie Jackson, Trisha Yearwood, Stacy Lattisaw, Molly Hatchet, Blues Traveler, Trace Adkins, Patti LaBelle, Jeffrey Osborne, BeBe Winans, Amy Grant, Anthony Warlow, to name a few. He received the prestigious Charles Dickens Award from USC, where there is a scholarship under his name. Frank is the proud father of Justin and Jake. For more information on Frank Wildhorn, please visit FrankWildhorn.com @Frank.Wildhorn on Instagram @FrankWildhorn on Facebook and X