BNT’s new ensemble member include Cat Davis, Catherine Dildillian, August Forman, Liz Gomez, Tony Ingram, Arielle Leverett, Ben F. Locke, Therese Ritchie, William Anthony Sebastian Rose II, Rachel M. Sypniewski, Seth Torres and Revon Yousif.
In a joint statement, BNT Artistic Director Elise Marie Davis and Managing Director Rose Hamill said, “We're so excited to finally share this news! Since taking the reins of Broken Nose Theatre two seasons ago, one of our top priorities following our reorganizing as an ensemble-based theatre company was to expand the artistic family. These twelve incredible artists have worked with us across the span of our entire production history. Each brings them an exciting new voice that we're thrilled to have in our internal conversations, as well as a dynamic skill set that we can't wait to share with all of you in the future, both virtually and (when it becomes safe to do so) in-person. Please join us in welcoming them to the Broken Nose family.”
The Paper Trail playwrights for 2020-21 include Rachel DuBose and Lane Anthony Lane Flores. Paper Trail is BNT's longstanding new-play development program, in which the company partners with outside artists to provide institutional support, dramaturgical sessions and private table readings to help them bring their newest idea from seed to finished script. Then, in the playwright's second season of involvement, BNT serves as their literary agency of sorts, sending the new plays to theaters across the country and providing a level of advocacy for the work in hopes of finding the pieces a theatrical home.
New Ensemble Member Biographies
Cat Davis (she/her/they/them) is a Chicago based lighting, sound and puppet designer whose previous experience with Broken Nose include Opportunities of Extinction and Girl in the Red Corner. She splits her time between Halcyon Theatre, Redtwist Theatre and Mudlark Theater. Her most notable credits include Halcyon Theatre's The River Bride (Equity Jeff Award recipient 2017) and Detroya (Equity Jeff Nomination 2018).
Catherine Dildillian (she/her) is pleased to be joining the ensemble of BNT, having been a friend and fan since the early days, when she was cast during their first season in the remount of My First Time. Since then, she has performed with several Chicago companies, notably in the solo piece Avenge Our Blood, originating the roles of a young woman and her family members escaping persecution during the Armenian Genocide. The play was written for her by David Finney and produced by Three Cat Productions. Catherine is also a regular on the stage at Silk Road Rising, most recently in their productions Through the Elevated Line and Twice Thrice Frice. Catherine holds a BA in Theatre Performance from Western Michigan University, is the proud mother of Bodhi and is a teacher and liver of yoga.
August Forman (they/them) is an actor, playwright, voiceover artist, educator and Trans advocate. Originally from the small town of Tiffin, Iowa, they received their BFA in Acting from Minnesota State University of Mankato in 2014. Since moving to Chicago in the summer of 2014, August has performed with several companies including: TimeLine Theatre; Victory Gardens Theater; Diversionary Theatre (CA); Oak Park Festival Theatre; American Blues Theater; Broken Nose Theatre; Babes With Blades; Metropolis Performing Arts Center; and Midsommer Flight. August received a Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Supporting Actor for their work as Gina in Broken Nose Theatre’s production of Girl in the Red Corner. They are a Core Ensemble Member and Facilitator with Imagination Theater, a touring company addressing social issues with young people. They are also an Artistic Associate with Oak Park Festival Theatre. As a playwright, their plays have premiered throughout the country.
Liz Gomez (she/her) is a freelance lighting designer and master electrician who has worked with several Chicago storefront theatres. She was the master electrician on Kingdom, Girl in the Red Corner and Labyrinth. She has also worked with The House Theatre of Chicago, Raven Theatre and Remy Bumppo. Liz spent two summers as the master electrician and as a lighting designer at Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She holds a BA in Theatre Design from Columbia College Chicago, where she also studied American Sign Language-English Interpretation.
Tony Ingram (he/him) has worked throughout the Chicagoland area as a sound designer, including at Signal Ensemble Theatre (his artistic home for over a decade), Lifeline Theatre, Factory Theatre, The Right Brain Project, Chicago Public Schools and Shattered Globe Theatre.
Arielle Leverett (she/her) is thrilled to join the Broken Nose family. She has appeared most recently as Montjoy/ Michael Williams in Henry V at First Folio. She has also recently acted with Court Theatre in their production of The Mousetrap (Miss Casewell u/s). Other Chicago credits include Southern Gothic (Windy City Playhouse), Ragtime (Griffin Theatre), Perecles and Richard III (Muse of Fire), and The Good Fight (Babes with Blades). She has also worked with Kentucky Shakespeare (Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Winter's Tale, Romeo and Juliet) and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre (Dreamgirls, A Christmas Carol). Arielle is also a company member of PlayMakers Laboratory Theatre. She has received an MFA in Acting from Western Illinois University, a BA in Theatre from Grand Valley State University, and is represented by Big Mouth Talent.
Ben F. Locke (he/him) is so proud to finally call Broken Nose Theatre his artistic home. He has worked with Broken Nose as an understudy, an actor, an assistant director, a director and now an Ensemble Member. Outside of Broken Nose, Ben has worked with companies throughout Chicago such as Steppenwolf, Court, Drury Lane, Random Acts Chicago, Ardent Dance Company, and more. Ben also works independently as a teacher, mentor and writer.
Therese Ritchie (she/her) is a freelance scenic designer and theatre artist based in the Chicagoland area. She had received the 2019 Ed Burbridge Award for her Scenic Design of No Child by Nilaja Sun. Therese also received the 2018 John Murbach Prize for Collaboration in Design after completing her undergraduate degree in Technical Theatre and Design at Columbia College Chicago. Previous credits include: scenic design for As You Like It (Elgin Community College), Girls and Dolls (Northern Illinois University), Neither (Lifeline Theatre), Labyrinth (Broken Nose Theatre), A Bright New Boise (Northern Illinois University), Blue Stockings (Promethean Theatre), Now or Later (Intrinsic Theatre), Annie KIDS (Wilmette Children’s Theatre), Girl in the Red Corner (Broken Nose Theatre), The Truth About Santa (Intrinsic Theatre), No Child (Definition Theatre), Wild Party (Columbia College Chicago) and Caroline or, Change (Columbia College Chicago).
William Anthony Sebastian Rose II (he/him) is as Chicago based actor whose recent credits include The True Tale of Princess Kaguya with Kunoichi Productions, Labyrinth with Broken Nose Theatre (Black Theater Alliance Award nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Play), Whose Body and The Man Who Was Thursday with Lifeline Theatre, We Are Pussy Riot with Red Tape Theater and The Little Foxes with Citadel Theatre.
Rachel M. Sypniewski (she/her) is a costume designer who has worked with Goodman, Trap Door, Broken Nose, Black Button Eyes, Jackalope, The New Colony, Emerald City, Lifeline, Haven, Griffin, CityLit, Oak Park Festival Theatre, Chopin, Promethean, Strawdog, Vitalist, Rasaka, the Factory, Red Tape and Redtwist. She also has designed at Wheaton College, North Central College, St. Patrick's High School, Indiana University Northwest, Governor's State University and the Chicago Academy for the Arts. She is a seven-time Non-Equity Jeff nominee, having been awarded one for La Bete at Trap Door. More info at rachelsyp.com.
Seth Torres (he/him or they/them) is a Chicago based lighting designer with a passion for theatre for social change and working with youth. Previously, Seth was the lighting apprentice at Actors Theatre and an Assistant Lighting Designer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Since COVID, Seth is volunteering with End Northside Racism working to Defund the Chicago Police Department by 75% and other BIPOC led initiatives to improve the City of Chicago for everyone, but especially for Black, Brown, Queer and Indigenous people. He is a graduate of Northwestern University.
Revon Yousif (he/him) moved to Chicago in March 2017 and trained at Black Box Acting, helping him get the opportunity to work on Broken Nose Theatre’s production of Language Rooms and Promethean Theatre Ensemble’s production of Blue Stockings, where he and the cast were nominated for a Jeff Award for Best Ensemble. Prior to working on Language Rooms, Revon’s work was solely on-camera making Language Rooms his first fully staged production and now, Broken Nose Theatre the first ensemble he’s been a part of. Before moving to Chicago Revon started his training at Michigan Actor’s Studio in Detroit and shortly after landed a role on FOX’s Empire. Revon is currently represented by Kalena Schubert of BMG Talent.
The Paper Trail Playwright Biographies
Rachel DuBose [she/her] is a Chicago-based playwright. She holds an MFA from Northwestern University Writing for the Screen + Stage and her B.A. from Spelman College. Her plays have been staged at Unbound, Spelman Salon at the Alliance Theatre, Fade to Black Festival, Pegasus Theatre Chicago, Living Room Playmakers, Mercy Street Theatre Company, Black Lives Black Words, The Future is Female, Jadesmash, Jackalope’s Living Newspaper Festival, Directors Haven, Beacon Academy, and Emory University. Rachel is an associate artist at Pegasus Theatre Chicago, Black Lives Black Words, and a resident playwright at Mercy Street Theatre, a guest contributor at Black Girl Fly Magazine, and was one of the inaugural graduates of the Russ Tutterow Fellows at Chicago Dramatists.
Lane Anthony Flores [he/him/they/them] is a Queer actor, writer, poet and classicist based out of Chicago. In 2011, he helped found and manage Adapt Theatre Productions, which produced his original works Below, a verse adaptation of The Little Mermaid, and Pride and Prejudice, an adaptation set to the music of Taylor Swift. As an actor, he is represented by DDO Chicago and has appeared onstage at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Steppenwolf, About Face Theatre, Raven Theatre, The Gift Theatre, and others. Currently, Lane is pursuing study in classics (Greek and Latin language and culture) with a focus in Greek tragedy. Lane is so excited about this piece, and beyond thankful for the folx at Broken Nose Theatre! He is also so thankful for you, the person reading this. Thank you, so much, for supporting live theatre and the arts!
About Broken Nose Theatre:
Broken Nose Theatre is a Pay-What-You-Can theatre company. Founded in 2012, BNT was the 2018 recipient of the Emerging Theater Award, presented by the League of Chicago Theatres and Broadway in Chicago. The company has produced and developed 22 full-length plays (including 13 Chicago, U.S. or world premieres) and over 50 new short plays through our annual Bechdel Fest. We strive to spark conversation, cultivate empathy, and amplify underrepresented voices, and are committed to making new, exciting and relevant theatre that is economically accessible to all audiences. For more information, please visit www.brokennosetheatre.com.