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"th[e] ambitious theater company in Rogers Park with the famously tiny space…"

Chicago Tribune

Adam Webster

Artistic Director

adam(at)thesideproject(dot)net

Adam founded the side project in 2000. Since then he has produced over 50 shows for the company, directing 20, including Smart, Slipping, Strangers Knocking, Innocent Thoughts, style of sympathy, and numerous one acts. Regional directing credits include stints in Los Angeles (The Belonging, Resurrection Theatre Company; Blue Window, Active Culture Theatre Company; and numerous one acts) and Portland, Oregon (True West, The Paranormal Review, Come Blow Your Horn - all for Rodney & Myrtle, which he co-founded in 1990). Other local directing projects include Glengarry Glen Ross with Redtwist Theatre, The Importance of Being Earnest for Rogue Theatre, The Master Builder for New Leaf Theatre, The Mousetrap and Frankenstein for North Lakeside Players, Frankenstein for Theatre-Hikes, and one acts for Fury Productions, Stage Left Theatre. This year, he will direct a few plays in the side project's Cut to the Quick Festival, including Little Green Men in the fall and the World Premiere of The Bird Sanctuary this spring. Also a playwright, produced plays include Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, Hippolytus and Lysistrata and a handful of one acts.

Jimmy McDermott

Ensemble Member

jimmy(at)thesideproject(dot)net

Jimmy has directed five productions at the side project, including The Fourth Graders Present an Unnamed Love-Suicide by Sean Graney, Elephant Man, Salome, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Artistic Director Adam Webster, and Sweet Pretty Love Jam by ensemble member Jesse Weaver. He has also been onstage with the side project in Lysistrata, The Paranormal Review and Fifedom: Pair O' Dese (and One o' Dose), for which he also directed. The Artistic Associate at Writer's Theatre, McDermott helmed their critically acclaimed production of The Puppetmaster of Lodz. Other area credits include directing for The Hypocrites and Collaboraction.

Elliott Fredland

Ensemble Member

ef60657(at)aol(dot)com

Elliott Fredland began his acquaintance with the side project in 2003, appearing in several one-acts and as Carr Gomm in The Elephant Man and in Galileo. He is an original member of the ensemble and currently fills the role of Box Office Manager. He has been acting in Chicago since 2002, performing with Theater Hikes, (Frankenstein and Treasure Island); Quest Theatre Ensemble (Ghost Pirates of the Lake); Beverly Arts Center (Amadeus); Bailiwick Repertory (Dangerous), the North Lakeside Cultural Center (The Mousetrap); and Rogue Theater (The Importance of Being Earnest). Most recently, he played Uncle Sam in the Jeff-recommended production of The History of the United States produced by Quest Theater ensemble. Elliott has also appeared in several independent films and television commercials. Prior to taking up acting full-time, Elliott enjoyed careers in education, law enforcement, and corporate sales and marketing. He lived in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, and Massachusetts before coming to Chicago.

Jesse Weaver

Ensemble Member

jesse(at)thesideproject(dot)net

Jesse recently moved to Ireland. Before then, he wrote and starred in Sweet Pretty Love Jam at the side project and he also directed their 2007 production of Katzelmacher. Other side project acting credits include the one act Futon Dialogues. His plays Bernie Ward and The Artist Needs a Wife have been produced in Ireland, and last season, the side project produced the world premiere of another one of his plays, On My Parents' One Hundredth Wedding Anniversary. They continue missing him. And the Fool.

Nick Keenan

Graphic Design

nick(at)nikku(dot)net

Nick Keenan is a graphic and sound designer, and has been designing graphics for the side project since 2004. He has also designed sound for the side project productions of Crave, Katzelmacher, and Thief River and assisted on the side project's expansion and renovation as a technical consultant. Nick has designed sound and composed for Raven (Book of Days, A Few Good Men, Dancing at Lughnasa), Metropolis (Streetcar, The Nerd, War of the Worlds, The Odd Couple), Dog & Pony (Mr. Marmalade, Dead City), and New Leaf (Vox Pandora, The Permanent Way, The Master Builder, Accelerando, Limbo Tales, As It Is in Heaven, Reckless). His original audio performance piece, Lexicon, was featured as part of New Leaf’s 2005 In the Spotlight series. Nick is the sound operator at the Goodman Theater's Owen stage, and recently served there as assistant sound designer for Frank Galati's Oedipus Complex and Mary Zimmerman's Mirror of the Invisible World.

Sadie Rogers

Ensemble Member

rogerssadie(at)yahoo(dot)com

Sadie is a native of East Tennessee and has been living and acting in Chicago for 6 years now. In past seasons with the side project, she has acted as C in Crave and Ingrid in Katzelmacher. She has worked with various other companies, including Light Opera Works, Collaboraction, Dog and Pony Theatre Company, The Mill and many others.

Will Schutz

Ensemble Member

willschutz(at)sbcglobal(dot)net

In Memoriam: the side project extends its sympaties to friends, family and fellow artists of company member and Chicago actor Will Schutz, who passed away May 25, 2009 after an extended bout with pancreatic cancer.

Will, who graced our stage in Crave, Henry Hettinger and Perfect, and numerous other stages in Chicago over the past 20 years, will be sorely missed.

Will received his MFA from the Professional Actor Training Program at Ohio University. He was a member of Defiant Theatre (R.I.P), and served on their administrative staff for 4 years. Will appeared in over half of Defiant's productions, including Action Movie: The Play, Godbaby, Caligula, The Pyrates, Dracula, MacBeth, The Striker, A Clockwork Orange, and Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage. Will joined the side project ensemble in 2006, after having appeard as "A" in Sarah Kane's Crave, and then was seen as Jeremy in Stephen Cone's Henry Hettinger, and was last seen as the autistic character Robbie in Perfect. His other Chicago credits include roles in End Game, Marat/Sade, Arcadia, Happy Days, and Camille/La Traviata (The Hypocrites Theatre), Waiting for Godot and The Fair Maid of the West (CT20 Ensemble), Uncle Fred in the Springtime, Holmes & Watson, Tartuffe and Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (City Lit Theatre), Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Next Theatre), The Night Heron (Steep Theatre), The Birthday Party (Signal Ensemble Theatre), The Ruling Class (Backstage Theatre), and Detective Story (Strawdog Theatre), among many others.

A memorial service is being planned for early June; details will be posted here (and elsewhere) as they become available.

Anna Bahow

Artistic Associate

Anna(dot)bahow(at)gmail(dot)com

Anna C. Bahow is an Associate Artist at Chicago Dramatists, Premiere Theatre & Performance and the side project. Directing work includes the critically acclaimed world premieres of: New Orleans by Mark Young at the side project, Sweet Confinement by Anna Carini for SiNNERMAN, Gray City by Keith Huff for Premiere Theatre and Performance, the Jeff Recommended Martin Furey's Shot by Maureen Gallagher at TimeLine Theatre, the Robert Koon world premieres of Odin's Horse for Infamous Commonwealth, Vintage Red and the Dust of the Road for Visions and Voices (American Theatre Critics Steinberg Nominee for Best New Play produced outside of New York and Jeff Citation for New play) and St. Colm's Inch for Chicago Dramatists. Committed to new plays, Ms. Bahow has directed new work in development with: Victory Gardens, Silk Road, Stage Left and ATC (Affiliated Artist). Additional directing credits include pieces with: Estrogenfest, Mary Archie Curious Rhino Fest, Stockyards and the Cultural Center. In addition to directing, Ms. Bahow has worked as a producer, curator and teacher and has conducted workshops at Lake Forest College with Victory Gardens, been a guest artist at SIU, an Adjudicator for Dayton Playhouse's national new play festival and is a past Literary Manager/Curator for the Women's Theatre Alliance's New Play Development Workshop.

Sean Bolger

Artistic Associate

s_bolg(at)hotmail(dot)com

Sean joined the side project after finishing up his third side project production in as many years. He first appeared in Adam Webster's Maggie: A Girl of the Streets followed up by Jesse Weaver's Sweet Pretty Love Jam, both world premieres and both directed by Jimmy McDermott. He then appeared at the side project in Katzelmacher directed by Jesse Weaver. Sean has also worked with numerous other Chicago theatres including: Seanachai Theatre, Griffin Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Azusa Productions, Steep Theatre, Thunder & Lightning Ensemble, Uma Productions, and Redmoon Theatre. Sean is a recent graduate of the School at Steppenwolf.

Marsha Villanueva

Artistic Associate

marshavillanueva(at)hotmail(dot)com

Marsha has designed costumes for the side project's productions of Butt Nekkid, Sweet Pretty Love Jam, Katzelmacher and Raised, as well as their Rhino Fest entry, Drive. Local acting credits include The Actor's Voice at The Side Studio and References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot (Bailiwick).

Jeremy T. Wilson

Production Coordinator

jeremytwilson(at)gmail(dot)com

Jeremy is joining the side project this season as Production Coordinator. He has previously worked at the side project as stage manager and assistant director for the Midwest premier of Faster by Adam Rapp and as assistant director for Thief River by Lee Blessing. Elsewhere, Jeremy serves as the Production Management Apprentice at Steppenwolf Theatre, and has stage managed with Dog & Pony Theatre and Raven Theatre.

Elyse Smith

Intern

intern(at)thesideproject(dot)net

Elyse Smith is happy to be the side project's newest intern. She is currently working towards a BA in musical theatre at Columbia College where she performed in the musical Quilters and recently assistant directed Landscape of the Body.