Amanda Dehnert (Director) returns to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where she most recently directed Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet. She is a resident director with the Trinity Repertory Company, and an Assistant Professor at Northwestern University. Recent projects include: Cabaret (The Stratford Shakespeare Festival); Man of La Mancha (Cleveland Playhouse and Virginia Stage Co.); The Fantasticks (Trinity Repertory); and Asphalt Beach (American Musical Theatre Project at Northwestern University). Ms. Dehnert held various positions with Trinity Repertory since 1996, culminating in her serving as the Acting Artistic Director for the 2005-2006 season. Past productions for Trinity include: Cyrano de Bergerac; Henry IV, Parts I and II; West Side Story; A Moon for the Misbegotten; Annie; The Skin of Our Teeth; Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Would Not Grow Up; Noises Off; Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; My Fair Lady; Othello; Saint Joan; We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay!; and A Christmas Carol. She also directed Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Richard III for the Trinity Summer Shakespeare Project. Ms. Dehnert is a composer and musical director and has written original scores and songs for many of her productions.

Tom Burch (Scenic Designer) returns to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where his credits include Three Musketeers, and the Short Shakespeare! productions of The Comedy of Errors, Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew and last year’s Romeo and Juliet. Other Chicago credits include: The Lady With All the Answers, Bad Dates, Studs Terkel’s The Good War and Red Herring (Northlight Theatre); Hatfield and McCoy and Ellen Under Glass (The House Theatre of Chicago); and productions with Apple Tree Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, American Theater Company, TimeLine Theatre Company, Strawdog Theatre Company, and Piven Theatre Workshop among others. Regional credits include designs for Arizona Theatre Company, Cleveland Playhouse, Peninsula Players, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Williamstown Theatre Festival among others. He has received a Jeff Citation, two After Dark Awards and the 2005 Michael Maggio Emerging Designer Award. Upcoming projects include: The Hairy Ape (Goodman Theatre/Hypocrites), Mauritius (Northlight Theatre), and The Overwhelming (Next Theatre Company). His work can been online at www.tomburch.com.

Debbie Baer (Costume Designer) returns to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where she previously designed costumes for Funk it Up About Nothin’. Other Chicago design credits include: First Look Repertory of New Work (2007 & 2008), and Huck Finn (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Rose and the Rime, The Attempters, The Nutcracker and Dave DaVinci Saves the Universe (The House Theatre of Chicago); Cadillac (Chicago Dramatists); Remember Me Like This, Aqui Estoy, God's Work, Number 9 and Leaves Growing Trees (Albany Park Theater Project); Well, and The Busy World is Hushed (Next Theatre Company); The Puppetmaster of Lodz (Writers' Theatre); and Young Lady from Rwanda (Victory Gardens). Regional and Off-Broadway credits include When the Messenger is Hot (59E59 Theaters); and The Neverending Story (First Stage Children's Theatre). She was an invited designer at the Lincoln Center Directors Lab and is a company member of The House Theatre of Chicago.

Jesse Klug (Lighting Designer) returns to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where his design credits include CPS Shakespeare! Macbeth, How Can You Run with a Shell on Your Back?, The Three Musketeers and Seussical the Musical. Other Chicago credits include work at: The Marriott Theatre, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Noble Fool Theatricals, Teatro Vista at Steppenwolf, American Theatre Company, Porchlight Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Uma Productions, Chicago Dramatists and Timeline Theatre Company. Mr. Klug received an After Dark Award for Three Sisters with Strawdog Theatre. He is the resident lighting designer for Chicago Tap Theatre.

James Savage (Sound Designer) is head of the sound department at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where his sound design credits include: CPS Shakespeare! Macbeth, Funk it Up About Nothin’, Willy Wonka, Othello, CPS Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet, Passion, How Can You Run with a Shell on Your Back?, CPS Shakespeare! Hamlet, Hamlet, A Flea in Her Ear, The Princess and the Pea, Seussical the Musical, Peter Pan, Much Ado About Nothing, A Little Night Music, and work on other CST productions since November 2002. His special effects design credits include: Macbeth and Cymbeline. He has served as the lead mix engineer with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the Utah Shakespearean Festival. Regional design credits include sound design for Sondheim’s Saturday Night and assistant sound design for Hot Mikado (University of Cincinnati—College Conservatory of Music).

Meredith Miller (Puppet Designer) returns to Chicago Shakespeare Theater where, she previously designed puppets for Willy Wonka. Chicago credits include design and fabrication for: The Snow Queen (Victory Gardens Theater); The Selfish Giant (Chicago Children's Theater with Blair Thomas and Company); Hunchback, Galway's Shadow and Unbinding Isaac (Redmoon Theater); The Ox-Herder’s Tale, The Cabaret of Desire, A Rabbit's Tale and Pierrot Lunaire (Blair Thomas and Company); A Christmas Carol (Trinity Repertory Theater with Blair Thomas and Company); The Nutcracker (Incurable Theater); The Sandman (The Incurable Theater); and Salome (The Side Project).

Melissa Veal (Wig and Makeup Design) has designed wigs and makeup at Chicago Shakespeare for over 30 productions, including: Macbeth, Edward II, Amadeus, The Comedy of Errors, Othello, Passion, Troilus and Cressida, The Three Musketeers, Hamlet, Hecuba, A Flea in Her Ear, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 (at CST and on tour to Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon), Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure, The Merry Wives of Windsor, King John, The Molière Comedies, A Little Night Music, Rose Rage: Henry VI Parts 1, 2 and 3 (at CST and The Duke on 42nd Street), The Taming of the Shrew, and as wig supervisor for The School for Scandal. She worked with the Stratford Festival for 10 seasons, where she received four Tyrone Guthrie Awards, including the Jack Hutt Humanitarian Award. Other Canadian credits include work with Canadian Stage Company, Tarragon Theatre, Mirvish Productions and a longtime association with The Grand Theatre in London, Ontario.

Matt Hawkins (Fight Choreographer/Assistant Director) returns to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where he previously served as fight choreographer/assistant director in Edward II and Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet, and performed in: The Merchant of Venice, Romeo and Juliet and Henry IV Parts I and II (at CST and on tour to Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon). Chicago fight choreography credits include: Black Diamond (Lookingglass Theatre Company); and Peter Pan, Cave With Man, Curse of the Crying Heart (Non-Equity Jeff Award), Valentine Victorious (The House Theatre). Chicago directing credits include: Hatfield & McCoy (Non-Equity Jeff Award, The House Theatre); On My Parents’ 100th Wedding Anniversary (The Side Project Theatre Company); Alice (The Neo-Futurists); and Red Noses (Strawdog Theatre Company, April 2009). He has also worked with The Kennedy Center, The Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Redmoon Theater and Chicago Children’s Theatre. He is currently creating 500 Clown and The Elephant Deal, which opens at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in June 2009.

Christine Adaire (Vocal Coach) returns to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where she has coached eighteen productions over the past fifteen years. Other Chicago credits include: Court Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Mariott Theatre, Lookingglass, American Theatre Company and Next Theatre. Regional credits include: Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Santa Cruz and Theatre for a New Audience (New York) and Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, MA). She has taught in academic institutions around the world including The Shanghai Theatre Academy and the Institut del Teatre (Barcelona.) Currently, she is on the faculty of Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

Larry Yando (Text Coach) returns to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where he has served as text coach for Edward II, Romeo y Julieta, Othello and Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet, and where his acting credits include: the title role in Cymbeline, Romeo y Julieta, The Tempest, Timon of Athens, All’s Well That Ends Well, Antony and Cleopatra, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, The Taming of the Shrew, King Lear and The Two Noble Kinsmen. Regional credits include: Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre); Travesties, Measure for Measure, The Importance of Being Earnest, An Ideal Husband (Court Theatre); As You Like It, Nixon’s Nixon, Bach at Leipzig, Rocket to the Moon (Writers’ Theatre); Mother Courage and Her Children (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Titus Andronicus (Defiant Theatre); Angels in America, Amadeus, Arcadia (Milwaukee Repertory); I Hate Hamlet (Royal George Theatre); and Scar in The Lion King. Mr. Yando will be appearing as Malvolio CST’s upcoming production of Twelfth Night.