Auditorium Theatre 2021-2022, Issue 2, Trinity

6 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE :: TIDC Profiles THE BAND Christopher Devlin (Guitar and vocals) is a Chicago-based musician who began playing guitar at 8 years old. He has since grown as a multi-instrumentalist trained in piano, drums, accordion, fiddle and more. Devlin has been a collaborator with varied musical acts across the country and is currently playing with Chicago band Rookie. Dedicated to community and culture, Devlin is a founding member of the Treehouse Collective, which owns one of the most prestigious recording studios in Chicago. Devlin is working on opening “The Workshop”: an accessible studio for Chicago artists in need of a space to create. Devlin took his first trip to Japan with the company in 2016, and is incredibly honored to share his talents with TIDC on international stages. Jake James (Fiddle and bódhran) is a two- time All-Ireland fiddle champion, bódhran player, and dancer from NYC. He won the Mid-Atlantic Fleadh Cheoil 7 years in a row on bodhrán and the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil twice on fiddle. Jake has performed and taught at various venues including the Irish Arts Center, BB King’s, Gracie Mansion, and Carnegie Hall. He has been on the cover of Irish Music Magazine as a band member of Runa. His debut album, Firewood, was released in 2018, and he has a Masters in Composition. Brendan O’Shea (Guitar, vocals and composer) is a singer-songwriter originally from Killarney, Ireland who moved to the United States in the late ’90s. Since then, he has become a veteran of New York City’s songwriter scene and has released two albums that have garnered praise from critics and press around the world. TIDC’s lead singer for over 20 years, with or without a guitar in hand, O’Shea excels at drawing people in. O’Shea’s latest album Midatlantic Ghost , a beautiful acoustic record with songs of leaving and of love, is available on iTunes. Visit brendanosheamusic.com for more info. Steven Rutledge (Percussionist) is a Chicago-based freelance musician and music instructor with a strong passion for playing and teaching music. A proficient drummer and percussionist, he is also well-versed in guitar, bass guitar, and keyboards. Growing up in Portland, OR, Steven studied at the University of Oregon and received a B.A. in Drums Set and Percussion performance from Columbia College Chicago. While there, he spent three years studying privately with Chicago-based musician Tom Hipskind, who is currently one of the most sought-after drummers in Chicago. Rutledge has worked with several premiere Chicago acts including Woo Park, Nasty Snacks, North By North, Hanna Ashbrook, and is currently the percussionist for Chicago acts such as STREGA, Uma Bloo, and Ari Lindo. He joined the TIDC band in 2018 for his first tour of Japan and is entering his fourth touring season. GUEST CHOREOGRAPHERS Michelle Dorrance (Choreographer) is a NYC-based performer and choreographer and the Artistic Director of Dorrance Dance. Mentored by Gene Medler (North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble), she was lucky to study under many of the last master hoofers. Career highlights include: STOMP, Imagine Tap, Charlie’s Angels/Chasing the Bird, Ti Dii, Mable Lee’s Dancing Ladies, and solo work ranging from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to collaborations with Damian Woetzel. A 2017 Ford Foundation Art of Change Fellow and 2015 MacArthur Fellow, Michelle holds a BA from New York University and is a Capezio Athlete. Melinda Sullivan (Choreographer) is a Los Angeles- based artist with a diverse career in dance, television, and theatre. A So You Think You Can Dance Top 10 Finalist and All-Star, Sullivan’s toured with Disney’s High School Musical and Cats. Film and television credits include La La Land , Crazy Ex-Girlfriend , The Academy Awards, The Late Late Show with James Corden , Glee , and A Legendary Christmas with John Legend. As a choreographer, Sullivan is a recipient of the Capezio A.C.E. Award and Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch.” She recently has been a guest artist with Dorrance Dance, premiering new work as a collaborator at Joyce in NYC and Jacob’s Pillow. Sullivan is on faculty at the Colburn School in Los Angeles and continues to teach, perform, and choreograph worldwide. melindasullivan.com | @realmelsully Sandy Silva (Co-choreographer) and her work stand at the vanguard of contemporary artistry in traditional music and dance. For the past thirty years, she has drawn from percussive dance practices from many regions, including Hungary, Appalachia, Cape Breton, and Andalusia, as well as the idioms of circus, contemporary dance, and theatre. Silva weaves a dialogue between these vocabularies,