Citadel Theatre 2019-2020

13 As a teacher, in addition to hundreds of workshops and master classes around the country and internationally, He was on Faculty at The Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University for 7 years where he taught Movement, Acting, Comedy, Circus Arts, and directed devised works. He has been teaching for the last 8 years at University of Chicago and has created 500 Clown based workshops for Doctors, Business Schools, Hotel employees, Division 2 athletes, Incarcerated youth and regularly teaches 6 week classes in 500 Clown Technique to Chicago based performers, social workers and other interested types. Scott Ray Merchant (Smee) is a performance artist and theatre maker celebrating over a decade in the Chicago theatre community. A graduate of the Theatre Conservatory of Roosevelt University, Scott has had the privilege to perform at The Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, The Scooty & Jojo Show, Abraham Werewolf, New Leaf Theatre, Dog & Pony, Red Twist, Rough House Theatre and he is a proud company member of Collaboraction. Scott was Co-director of, “TOLLBOOTH: A Clown Show” for First Floor Theatre and a former member of the cult-hit Bouffon troupe Les Enfants Terribles. Scott is the co-host and co-creator of Hindrance and Hysteria, a clown and dance driven variety show at the Den Theatre and at the Newport Theatre Over the last several years, he has trained with Eric Davis in Bouffon, Sue Morrison in Pochinko clown in Toronto and with Steve Wasson and Corine Soum in Decroux mime. Val Gerard Garcia (Sánchez) is exuberant to be performing in Peter and the Starcatcher with Citadel Theatre. Favorite Credits include: Super Richard World III (Otherworld Theatre), Fuente Ovejuna (City Lit), and As You Like It (Eclectic). When not performing, Val watches professional wrestling, nail art tutorials, and takes Polaroids on his camera. An avid activist of Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) representation, Val hopes more theatre companies cast more AAPI people in shows because representation matters. Valgerard.weebly.com. Michael Morrow (Fighting Prawn) Michael Morrow hails from Chicago, Illinois. He was most recently feature in Michigan Shakespeare Festival’s repretory season. There he played in King Lear (Cornwall), Two Gentlemen of Vorona (Lucetta), and Cyrano De Bergerac (Christian). Other credits include: Romeo & Juliet(Mercutio, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company) and Loud & Fast & Big (Son, Arc Theatre New Play Festival). Gaby Labotka (Hawking Clam) is a multidisciplinary, Chicago-based theatre-artist specializing in performance, direction, and choreography. Most recent performance credits include Hero/Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing (Back Room Shakespeare Project); The Fly Honey Show Ensemble (The Inconvenience 2018,2019); U/s Ash in Wolf Play (The Gift); Peter Pan in Neverland (Prop Thtr); Herself/ Mina Loy in A Story Told in Seven Fights (The Neo- Futurists), Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet (Teatro Vista); and as Gloucester/Hartfleur/John Bates in Henry V (Babes with Blades). Gaby has performed with a diverse collection of Chicago storefront theatre companies including the aforementioned and American Theater Company,The House Theatre, Redmoon, Collaboraction,The Living Canvas, Unrehearsed Shakespeare Company, Wayward Productions, Right Brain Project, and Wildclaw. Gaby is a Certified Intimacy Director with Intimacy Directors International, an Advanced Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors, and a proud member of the Alliance of Latinx Theatre Artists (ALTA). Training: RADA, Pig Iron, Actors’ Gymnasium, and Illinois State University. Keep Smiling! For more please follow @theatre_warrior on Twitter and Instagram and check out www.gabylabotka.com Wanda Jin (Teacher) Wanda Jin graduated from Duke University with a degree in English Literature, Theater Studies, and Dance. After her debut performance in Manbites Dog Theater, she has been in several productions in Duke and Durham, NC. Now she has moved to Chicago to pursue a career in acting. She has been seen in productions with Nothing without a Company, Broken Nose Theatre, and Silent Theatre. Jeremy Aluma (Director) is an award-winning, Jewish-American theatre director of Iraqi descent. He founded the internationally touring clown troupe, Four Clowns and served as Artistic Director during their first seven years. Directing credits include: Abraham & Isaac (MuBe Cultural Theatre, São Paulo, Brazil); Pinocchio and Robin Hood (South Coast Repertory, CA); Sublimity (Theatre Row, NYC); The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Theater on the Lake, Chicago) An Oak Tree (Red Theater, Chicago); Crumble , Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake (Sacred Fools, LA); The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Urban Theatre Movement, LA); Henry’s Potato (REDCAT, LA); In Arabia We’d All Be Kings (Alive Theatre, Long Beach); Jonah (Annenberg, Santa Monica) and Hamlet (American Coast Theater, CA). His original show, Four Clowns toured nationally to La MaMa (NYC); Chopin Theatre (Chicago); Gremlin Theatre (St. Paul, MN); Exit Theatre (San Francisco); Space 55 (Phoenix, AZ); and Insurgo Theater Movement (Las Vegas). Aluma is a company member at Red Theater, a Board Member for the Alliance for Jewish Theatre, and a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Union (SDC). He teaches classes at The Clown School and graduated with Crew Biographies