Jenniffer Thusing (Stage Manager) happily returns to Rivendell. She previously stage managed Cal in Camo, Alias Grace, Grizzly Mama, and Winter. Jenniffer has stage managed for SoloChicago, Chicago Dramatists, Chicago Commercial Collective, Noble Fool, Nuns for Fun, Emerald City, and Light Opera Works. Her work as a set designer with her partner Robert Groth has been seen at Irish Theatre of Chicago, Mary Arrchie, The Royal George, Metropolis Performing Arts, The Broadway Playhouse, The Apollo Theater, and Emerald City’s Little Theater. Jenniffer is a proud member of Actors Equity Association.

Arnel Sancianco (Scenic Design) studied drama with honors in design at UC Irvine and received his MFA in Scenic Design from Northwestern University. He has designed shows in Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Milwaukee, and Chicago. He’s designed the sets for Boy (Timeline Theatre); The Belle of Amherst (Court Theatre); The Crucible (Steppenwolf); The Wiz, Little Fish, (Kokandy Productions); Hang Man, Pilgrims (The Gift Theatre); Hookman, Earthquakes in London (Steep Theatre); Peerless (First Floor Theatre); How We Got On (Haven Theatre); You on The Moors Now (The Hypocrites); Carousel, Titanic, Rock of Ages (Timberlake Playhouse); and Xanadu (American Theatre Co.) For more information visit www.ArnelDesigns.com

Janice Pytel (Costume Design) has been a Rivendell ensemble member since 2010 and also serves on Rivendell’s literary committee. Throughout her 20-year career as a costume designer, she has had a special interest in new play development and has designed costumes for numerous world premiers by noted playwrights such as Bruce Norris, Moises Kauffman, as well as the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright. With Rivendell, she has designed costumes for the world premiers of Psalms of a Questionable Nature, WOMEN AT WAR (core artist), Look, we are breathing, Body/Courage, and Alias Grace. Additional Rivendell credits include Mary’s Wedding; Precious Little; Falling: A Wake; Crooked; The Electric Baby; How the World Began, Dry Land, Grizzly Mama, and Cal in Camo. Recent costume design credits include The Book of Will (Northlight Theatre); Booty Candy (Windy City Playhouse); Queen, Hand to God, Hillary and Clinton, Cocked and Never the Sinner (Victory Gardens) and Song from the Uproar (Chicago Fringe Opera). In Chicago, Janice has worked with Steppenwolf, Court Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Chicago Opera Theater, Writers’ Theatre, TimeLine Theatre, Next Theater, About Face Theater, Lookingglass, Chicago Shakespeare, Silk Road Rising, Piven, and others. Her Broadway credits are 33 Variations and I Am My Own Wife. Regionally she has worked with The Alley Theatre, Kansas City Rep, Geffen Playhouse, Milwaukee Rep, Madison Rep, Alliance Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Centerstage, Arena Stage, Center Theatre Group, La Jolla Playhouse, and others. She has designed costumes for opera, dance, film, and performance art, and her work has been seen in numerous cities across five continents. Janice also works as a personal wardrobe consultant with her company Wardrobe Solutions, Inc.

Cat Wilson (Lighting Design) is a Chicago-based lighting and projection designer. She recently worked with companies such as Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, TimeLine Theatre, Joffrey Ballet Academy, Chicago Children’s Theatre, Kokandy Productions, Irish Theatre of Chicago, Jackalope Theatre, Hell in a Handbag Productions, and many others around the country. She received her MFA in Lighting Design from Carnegie Mellon University. www.catwilsondesigns.com

Shannon Marie O’Neill (Original Music and Sound Designer) is a sound designer, composer, and teacher based in Baton Rouge Louisiana. She teaches sound design at Louisiana State University. Shannon has worked as a designer/composer across the country and her compositions have been heard internationally. Prior to her position at LSU, Shannon taught sound design at Illinois State University. She holds an MA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she sounds designed and wrote original music for The Time Traveler’s Wife, and an MFA from the University of Georgia. Shannon currently serves as a Central Region Representative for the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA). www.shannonmarieoneill.com.

Danielle Myerscough (Properties Design) is excited to be working on her first show with Rivendell! A freelance props designer and electrician from Dearborn, Michigan, her work has been seen with 20% Theatre Company (SPARK), Emerald City Theatre (Magic Tree House: Showtime with Shakespeare), Chicago Opera Theatre (The Consul), and City Lit Theatre (The Picture of Dorian Gray). 

Erin Martin  (Cake Choreographer) is the owner of ECBG Cake Studio. ECBG is a specialty bakery on the north side of Chicago that uses only high-quality and organic ingredients to create custom-designed cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and sweets tables that are worthy of your celebration. Martin works with you to create a delicious and beautiful piece that captures the vision and style of your event. From wedding cakes to smash cakes, you won't believe how sweet it is. Celebrate love, celebrate friendship, and celebrate life. Celebrate the moments that matter with ECBG Cake Studio.

Catherine Allen (Production Manager) is thrilled to be back at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble where she last production managed Cal in Camo. Recent production management credits include Time Is On Our Side and Significant Other (About Face Theatre), Violet and Ragtime (Griffin Theatre), Hinter and Invisible Hand (Steep Theatre), A Funny Thing Happened… (Route 66 Theatre Company), and many circuses with Actors Gymnasium where she is the staff Production Manager. She has also worked with Congo Square Theatre, Pegasus Theatre Chicago, Haven Theatre, Chimera Ensemble, and Step Up Productions where she was an Artistic Associate. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where she received a BFA in Acting.

Robert Groth (Technical Director) is excited to return to RTE where he recently worked on Cal In Camo and Alias Grace. He has been a freelance technical director, scenic carpenter, and designer for over 15 years. Robert has also worked as a scenic designer for several theater companies with his partner Jenniffer Thusing including Mary Arrchie, Pinebox, Emerald City and most recently Chicago Theatre Workshop’s production of Little Miss Sunshine. Their design work was recognized in 2011 with a nomination for an Equity Wing Jeff for Best Scenic Design—Midsized Theater.

Jess Minogue (Assistant Stage Manager) is thrilled to be working at Rivendell for the first time. She is receiving her second BA in Theater from Columbia College – she received her first BA from DePaul University. Her most recent Assistant Stage Manager credits include Dog Act, I’ll Call That Living, and Elephant Man from Columbia College. She was also the Assistant Stage Manager for Saint Sebastian Players' production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

Skyler Gray (Dramaturg) is the Director of New Play Development at Victory Gardens Theater. Before joining Victory Gardens, he was the Literary Manager at the Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre in Houston, TX. He was the dramaturg on the world premiere of The Cake with the Echo Theater Company and has developed new work with the Williamstown Theatre Festival, South Coast Repertory, Alley Theatre, Chance Theater, Rogue Artists Ensemble, UC Irvine, Columbia University, Children’s Musical Theaterworks and Artists at Play. Gray served as the Artistic Director of Children’s Musical Theaterworks and The Underground @ CMT in Fresno, CA from 2010-2012. He has worked in the literary departments at the Alley Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and William Morris Endeavor in New York City. Gray holds a BA in Theater from the University of California, Irvine with Honors in Directing and Stage Management.

Kristen Osborn (Assistant Director) is a Chicago-based director who is passionate about sparking compassion through storytelling. Directing credits include Eugene O’Neill’s Fog, JoyistLA’s First Embrace, and an original adaptation of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, Lift. Assistant Director credits include The Scene (Kimberly Senior, Writers Theatre) Sex With Strangers (Kimberly Senior, Geffen Playhouse) Relativity (BJ Jones, Northlight Theatre,) Threesome (Jason Gerace, Other Theatre Company,) Choir Boy (Trip Cullman, Geffen Playhouse) Fighting Shadows (Robert Egan, Inner-City Arts.) Kristen was the Associate Director of Intersection: Across the Divide at the 2016 Ojai Playwrights Conference and Artistic Associate at the 2017 Ojai Playwrights Conference where she co-directed Intersection: Truth Will Out. Kristen is the Artistic Assistant at Northlight Theatre and is a graduate of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television.

Lucinda Allen (Assistant Director) is thrilled to be working with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble for the first time. She previously assistant-directed One Endless Night Night (Mari DeOleo, Mudlark Theater). Lucinda is a graduate of Northwestern University pursuing directing and producing. She works at Mudlark Theater as the Administrative Coordinator and Box Office Manager.

Jackie Banks-Mahlum (Rivendell Managing Director / Producer) is an arts manager, producer, and educator based in Chicago. She was thrilled to join the Rivendell Theatre Ensemble as the Managing Director in March 2014. Jackie is also the Membership and Development Associate at Arts Alliance Illinois, and the Co-Producer for Theatricum Botanicum. Previously Jackie was in the Los Angeles area where she worked with Center Theatre Group’s P.L.A.Y., the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Theatricum Botanicum. She has also freelanced regionally where she has had the opportunity to work in a variety of performing arts including opera, ballet, modern dance, improv, and theatre. She is a member of Actors’ Equity Association, has a Bachelor of Science in Theatre Production and Business Management from Bradley University, and a Masters of Fine Arts in Producing from the California Institute of the Arts.