Michael is thrilled to be making his Strawdog Theatre Co. debut. Recent credits include, ‘Southern Rapture’ Tin Drum Theatre Co., ‘Four Places’ 4 Chairs Theatre Co., “The Winter’s Tale’ Invictus Theatre Co., ‘Gods & Monsters’ Frame of Reference Productions. He is an artistic associate with Tin Drum Theatre Co. and represented by Gray Talent Group. Offstage he can be found cutting hair at his barbershop The Public Barber, or sitting on the sofa with his two pugs Josie and Humphrey.

Julie Partyka is thrilled to appear with Strawdog Theatre for the first time. She recently appeared in Shakespeare Project of Chicago’s staged readings of The Witch and Alls Well that Ends Well. Other favorite credits include Hazel (Rooted, Oil Lamp Theater); Agatha (The Moors, Riverfront Playhouse); Agnes (When We Were Young and Unafraid, Aston Rep); Josephine Butler (Sherlock Holmes Returns, Lifeline Theatre); Dotty Otley/Mrs. Clacket (Noises Off, Metropolis Performing Arts Center); Corryn in Gidion’s Knot; Kate in All My Sons & Ouisa in Six Degrees of Separation (all with Eclectic Theatre). Huge thanks to the cast and crew of Advance Man. Thanks to Michelle. And always, to Peter and their two boys – Eddie & Nicholas – who pick up the slack at home when Mom is in a show.

Emma Linderman (she/her) is from Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from the University of Chicago in 2024 with a degree in Theater and Performance Studies. Chicago credits include workshops of Out Here (University of Chicago/Gray Center); Twelfth Night (Oak Park Festival Theatre); Here, Somewhere (Fourth Culture Collective); and Big White Fog (Court). IG: @emtlinderman

Emerson Ross is excited and grateful to be making his Strawdog Theatre Company debut! Favorite previous credits include Kubrickian (The Factory Theatre), Dreamgirls (Crown Arts Collaborative), and Canaan (The Kansas African American Museum). He also currently serves as Production Director for Mosaic Theatre Company. He would like to thank his friends and family for their continuous support, and Strawdog for the opportunity. Emerson can be found on Instagram @emerson.ross. Enjoy the show!

Skyler Tipton is excited to be working with Strawdog! Previous credits include City Lit Theater: Changing Channels. Edge of the Wood Theatre: Bernhardt/Hamlet, It Is So, Light Up The Sky. Inkwell Arts & Learning: Farwell, Mr. Poe, The Grimmest of Tales, Anne of Green Gables. Theatre West Virginia: Hatfields & McCoys, Footloose. The Upstate Shakespeare Festival: Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar, Coriolanus. Skyler holds his MFA in Acting from Purdue University, and his B.A. in Performing Arts from Clemson University. Skyler would like to thank his friends and family for all their love and support. IG: @skylertipton

Jesi is delighted to make her Strawdog debut! Theatre: Racecar Racecar Racecar (Bramble Theatre Company), A Christmas Carol (Metropolis), Fairview (Definition Theatre), Marys Seacole (Griffin Theatre), The Secretaries (First Floor Theater), Bachelor - The Unauthorized Parody Musical, Love Actually? The Unauthorized Musical Parody (Apollo Theater), Macbeth (Spectrum Shakespeare), Exit the King, Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom (The Theatre School at DePaul). TV: Chicago Med (NBC). Film: Nothing’s Going on with Me and Sandra (Big C Creative), Return to Start (908 Media). Co-host of FYI: The Murphy Brown Podcast (featured on CNN’s “TV on the Edge”). MFA, The Theatre School at DePaul University. Jesi is a certified actor combatant and dialect coach. She is represented by Gray Talent Group. Love to Gabe, my family, and the Purrs.

Rio (he/him) is a Chicago based chicano actor and is thrilled to be making his Strawdog debut! He has worked all over Chicago with projects like Native Gardens (Theatre Evolve), Kubrickian (Factory Theater), The Pilon (Red Theater), Ironbound (Raven Theatre Company), The Writer, Mosquitoes (u/s Steep Theatre Company), Among the Dead, In the Canyon (Jackalope Theatre), Mary's Wedding, Almost, Maine (Oil Lamp Theater), Much Ado About Nothing, Taming of the Shrew (Oak Park Festival Theatre), as well as festivals and workshops with Bramble, Trap Door, Stage Left, and The Understudy’s Freshly Brewed Series. Rio holds his Bachelor's Degree in Theatre Arts from New Mexico State University. All his work is dedicated to his mother, Sarita Soliz Ragazzone. Abolish ICE.

Whitney is thrilled to make her Strawdog debut! Recent Chicago credits include: Reba (Dry Land, Ego Death Theatre) Junie B. (Junie B. Jones the Musical, Young Peoples Theatre of Chicago), Judy Turner (A Chorus Line, MadKap Productions). Whitney would like to thank her wonderful Fiance for all the support and late night snacks and dedicates every performance to her cats, Parmigiano and Reggiano. @whitneymariewolf

Brett Garrett is a proud Strawdog company member and is thrilled to be working with them once again! He was last seen in their most recent production of Hamlet as Hamlet. Other Strawdog credits include: Ides of March: A Pocketknife Julius Caesar as Mark Antony, Much Ado About Nothing as Benedick, and Hit Factory 2025 & 2026. His regional credits include Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, Muse of Fire, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Parks, Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre, and Oklahoma City Children’s Theatre. His film credits include The Scottish Play, A Complicated Matter, Bricktown, and Dirty Stars. He received a BFA from Oklahoma City University. He would like to thank his beautiful wife Sam and fur baby River for all that they do and for whom he couldn’t do any of this without.

Jordan is thrilled to be making her Chicago theatre debut - and even more excited that she gets to be part of such a wonderful team of creatives! She hopes that this show generates conversations, sparks new questions, and ultimately pushes you towards action. All thanks to her family and friends for their constant love and support, from far away or just around the corner. Lead with love.

Irwin Daye is an American actor and director with credits across anime, film, and theater. His many acting credits include Advance Man (Strawdog Thea.), Measure of a Man* (Coalescence Thea.), the RedTwist PlayFest, and the world premier of Diosa (Cara Mia Thea.). Also, he's a slew of VO role credits on Crunchyroll!

Chelsea Bria (she/her) is a St. Louis native making her Strawdog Theatre debut. Recent Chicago credits include The Sugar Wife (The Artistic Home), Miss Spence’s Play (Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre), and Yes, Deep in My Blood (Oil Lamp Theater). Notable roles include Mallory in Lottery Day (Watts Theatre) and Calypso in The Trials of Odysseus (Hydrama Theatre & Arts Centre, Greece). She holds an MFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University and currently serves on staff at Black Ensemble Theater. Off stage, she is a 200-hour certified yoga instructor and a recipient of the Judith Leibowitz Award.

Mab De Guzman is honored to be a part of ADVANCE MAN: Part 1 of The Honeycomb Trilogy. As a graduate of Loyola University Chicago, previous credits include KASHA OF KAIMUKI (NWaC), Beyond The Garden Gate (The Impostors Theatre Co.) and Attempts on Her Life (TUTA Theatre). She is currently an ensemble member of Strawdog Theatre Company. Her free time consists of cooking pancakes, traveling, matcha, and naps.

Rich Adrian Lazatin (U/S Abbie/Raf) is thrilled to be making his Strawdog Theatre debut. Previous theatre credits include “Concentration” (Ruth Page Center), “The Art of Belonging” (CIRCA Pintig), and “Happy Days are Here (Again)” (Steep Theatre). Previous film credits include “Debaters” (dir. Alex Heller - 2025 Sundance Film Festival Selection), “Eat Cute” (dir. RJ Silva), and “Patient” (dir. Lori Felker). Rich would like to thank his family, his friends, and his partner for their endless support. Rich is represented by Gray Talent Group.

Emma L. Anderson is thrilled to be working with Strawdog! Recent credits include Safe Landing: Coyote Embrace with Authentic Chicago Ensemble, Microholds with Microdose Theatre Project and the Imposters, My Teacher is Marie Antionette? with the Conservatory and understudying the titular role of Pussy Sludge at Facility Theater. Emma is also the lead producer of the Bad Drafts Reading Series through New Wave Theatre Company, a staged reading series that spotlights imperfect and in progress plays by local Chicago playwrights to combat the rise of AI art.

Lynsy (she/her) is so pleased to be back with Strawdog in The Honeycomb Trilogy! A container of multitudes, you may find her working in the Chicagoland area as an actor, director, or sound artist. Most recently, you may have seen her onstage with Strawdog Theatre as Hero in Much Ado: The Ides Reunion Episode, The Raven Theatre as Samaritan in 13 Suits: A Mother’s Monologues, or at Theatre Momentum in The Photo Album. Lynsy would like to thank her loved ones, especially her family, for their constant support and faith in her!

Ethan (he/him) is delighted to make his Strawdog Debut with a fascinating play and an excellent team. A Chicago-based actor since 2017, he is also a voice actor and stage combatant. Previous Chicago credits include "Sweeney Todd" (Ensemble and Judge Turpin U/S, Kokandy Productions), "Cassandra at the Top of the World" (Apollo, Fat Theatre Project), and “The White City: An Audible Exhibition of H.H.Holmes, Murderer” (H.H.Holmes, A Theatre in the Dark,). International credits include “Love’s Labour’s Lost” (King Ferdinand, Prague Shakespeare Company). Find performance clips and more at www.ethanacarlson.com

PLAYWRIGHT

Mac Rogers is a playwright and performer who lives in Brooklyn with his fiance Sandy. Playscripts, Inc. previously published his play The Second String. His play Universal Robots was anthologized in the New York Theatre Experience's 'Plays and Playwrights 2008' anthology, and Hail Satan won a FringeNYC 2007 Outstanding Playwriting Award. Along with Sean and Jordana Williams, Mac wrote Fleet Week: The Musical, winner of a FringeNYC 2005 Outstanding Musical Award. Mr. Rogers' other plays produced in New York include Dirty Juanita, The Sky Over Nineveh, and The Lucretia Jones Mysteries. As an actor, Mr. Rogers was nominated for a New York Innovative Theater Award for his performance in Nosedive Productions' The Adventures of Nervous Boy.

DIRECTOR

Noah Elman (he/him) is thrilled to be bringing this epic trilogy to life in Chicago. Noah is proud to serve as Co-Artistic Director of Strawdog Theatre Company. Strawdog Credits include Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, Much Ado: The Ides Reunion Episode, and The Ides of March. Other Credits include The Pillowman (PAC), Two Gentlemen of Verona (Shakespeare on the Lake), How to Cook Red Snapper at the End of the World (Moishe House), and This is Art (New Wave Theatre Company). Outside of directing, Noah is a freelance video designer and stage manager, primarily working at Second City including its sold out run of Dunkin’ Presents: Ringlights and Lattes. Thank you to his friends, family, and partner for their endless support @nelman_97

SCENIC DESIGNER

Brandii is a queer director, actor, designer, and all-around theatre-maker. Originally from the swamps of Louisiana, they are excited to share their Creole and Cajun culture with Chicago and beyond. Brandii is one of the co-Artistic Directors of Theatre L'Acadie, a proud Greatworks Theatre company member and a Pocket producing ensemble member. Some of their recent theatrical credits include Rising Water & The Swan (Scenic Designer - Theatre L’Acadie), The Totality of All Things & Chicago (Scenic Designer - Redtwist Theatre), Big Time Toppers (Director - Theatre L’Acadie), Polaroid Stories by Naomi lizuka (Guest Director - McNeese University). Keep up with them for what's next: @brandii.champagne | Check out their portfolio and more of their work at: brandiichampagne.com

LIGHTING DESIGNER

ELLIE HUMPHRYS she/they (Lighting Designer) graduated in 2012 with a BFA in Lighting Design from The Theatre School at DePaul University and has been working the Chicago theatre scene ever since. Ellie is delighted to be involved in their premier design with Strawdog Theatre Company. Other design credits include "Wise Guys", "Die Hard 4 Your Luv", and "Last Night in Karaoke Town" (The Factory Theatre), "Sweet Charity", "A Bright Room Called Day" and "On the Twentieth Century" (Blank Theater) "Think Fast, Jordan Chase!" and "Gather" (Filament Theatre), "Detour Guide" (Silk Road Rising/Stage Left Theatre), "Hellcab" (The Agency Theatre Collective), "Valhalla" and "When You Awake You Will Remember Everything" (The Plagiarists), "The Portrait of Madame X" and "RUR" (Lookingglass Theatre Youth Ensemble), and "Evolution of a Sonero" (Urban Theater Company/Latino Theater Company) in both Chicago and Los Angeles. Love and gratitude to her partner, Shelby, for her endless support.

SOUND DESIGNER

Heath was born and (mostly) raised in the verdant rolling hills of northeast Indiana. By middle school, he had burgeoning career portraying street urchins, in many permutations, at the local high school and community theatres. This all changed in college. Leaving behind the limelight, he took the mantle of designer, and has been such ever since. After moving to Chicago in 2003, he has worked for too many theatre companies, collectives, ensembles, co-ops, and loose knit groups to name. And he had a good time in every show except one. With Strawdog, Heath has designed sound for Improbable Frequency, Big Love, Conversations on a Homecoming. and many other works.

COSTUME DESIGNER

Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Kasey is a costume designer based in the Chicagoland Area. She holds an undergraduate degree in Costume Design from Western Michigan University and a Masters in Costume Design from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is an Artistic Associate with Tin Drum Theatre Company. Some Chicago designs include Southern Rapture (Tin Drum Theatre), The Unseen (Tin Drum Theatre), Company (Madkap Productions), The Mark (Babes with Blades) and The 8th Dwarf (Ghostlight Theater Ensemble). Before moving back to the Midwest, Kasey worked in DC assisting and designing shows, including The Snow Maiden (Synetic Theater), Senior Class (Olney Theater Company), Disney’s Frozen (Olney Theater Company), and the Helen Hayes award winning The Nance (1st Stage). When not designing, she works as the assistant costume shop director at  the Milwaukee Repertory Theater in Milwaukee.

PROPS DESIGNER

Leo Bassow is a Chicago based props designer, and designer ensemble member of Redtwist Theater. Theater credits include James and the Giant Peach, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, The Magic School Bus, Arthur & Friends Make a Musical (Marriott), The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk (Northlight Theater), Side by Side (Oil Lamp), Akira Kurosawa Explain His Films…(Woolly Mammoth), Bottlefly, Titus Andronicus, Chicago, Night Mother (Redtwist) and scenic carpentry across the city. In addition to theater Leo is an avid ttrpg player, printmaker, and cat dad to two orange gremlins.

COMPOSER

Ian C. Weber is a tap dancer, actor, sound designer, and composer of music both theatrical and standalone. Original musicals: *DREAMSTERS*, *ROBOT NATURE*. Design: *THE BEYOND* (Northwestern), *OLD WICKED SONGS* (Milwaukee Chamber Theatre), *HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS* (Lookingglass Theatre). Performance: *HMS PINAFORE* (Chicago GSOC), *WHITE CHRISTMAS* (Marriott Theatre). Adjunct faculty at Roosevelt University. Coffee snob. Endless love to Marissa, who makes the world go round. www.iancweber.com

FIGHT DIRECTOR

Jillian Leff (she/her) is a Chicago based fight director, actor, and playwright. She is excited to be fight directing for Strawdog after appearing in Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (2025) and 12 Ophelias. As a fight choreographer, she has worked with The Factory Theater (Die Hard 4 Your Luv - Jeff Award Nomination for Artistic Specialization, Fight Choreography), Oil Lamp Theater (Poor Behavior), Abyssal Zone Collective (Holy, Holy, Holy) Babes With Blades Theatre Company (A Midsummer Night's Dream) - where she is also a Company Member and Literary Manager - Filament Theatre (Think Fast, Jordan Chase!), as well as a number of independent films, web-series, and educational theatre shows. She is an Advanced Actor Combatant with The Society of American Fight Directors, and you can find her on the internet @jilleleff.

INTIMACY DIRECTOR

Kayla is a multidisciplinary theatre artist who primarily focuses in directing and intimacy directing these days. She has worked all over Chicago, but recent Intimacy Director credits include Bernhardt/Hamlet (Edge of the Wood) and La Ronde (Meat Machine). Kayla is pending certification as an Intimacy Director with Intimacy Directors and Coordinators and has additional intimacy training from Theatrical Intimacy Education. As the COO of The Factory Theater, they spend a lot of time up here on Howard Street. Outside of theatre, Kayla plays D&D, spends time outside, and travels as much as possible. Connect with Kayla at www.kaylamenz.com or on Instagram @kaylabanana797

STAGE MANAGER

CHICAGO: The Drowsy Chaperone (SM, THEO), Urinetown, Diana the Musical, & Damn Yankees (ASM, THEO), Tuck Everlasting & Rock of Ages (SM, Actors Training Center), Lobster & A Tale of Peter Rabbit (SM, Northwestern University), Blood at the Root (ASM, ETA Creative Arts), HAIR! & Feathers & Teeth (PSM, Columbia College Chicago) REGIONAL: Footloose the Musical (PSM, Robertson Country Players). Mags is a Chicago-based Stage Manager, with her degree in the same field from Columbia College Chicago. When not stage managing, you can find her around the city stitching/sewing, singing, writing, or [often] at home with her cats: Wallace, Melvin, & Root-Beer! She couldn't do this without the love and support of her friends, so sends her love and support back out to them! IG: @melodious.mags

PRODUCTION MANAGER

This is Andrew's first show to open in Chicago, although he is not unfamiliar with the stage, having produced shows in theaters in New York, Boston, and North Carolina. Since 2023, he has mostly focused on producing and staging original works, collaborating with local playwrights and non-profits. Other credits include The Good Fight, Search Party, and The Greatest Beer Run Ever

Technical Director

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PRODUCER

Shay (they/them) is a proud ensemble member of Strawdog Theatre Company and is proud to be the Producer of Advance Man! Past credits include, 12 Ophelias: A Play with Broken Songs (Understudy R), Hit Factory (2025 and 2026 - Actor and Director), Much Ado: The Ides Reunion Episode (Marketing). Other credits include,  Theo Ubique (Assassins, A Little Night Music) Greenhouse Theatre (Sex Tips For Straight Women From A Gay Man), Raven Theatre (Right To Be Forgotten, A Lie of The Mind). They also work full time on the Development Team at Writers Theatre, raising funds for their fiscal year and writing grants. Many congratulations to this incredible cast, crew and their best friend Noah who is constantly pushing the envelope. Big love to Cam, dear friends and family who lift Shay up every day.