Full Time Faculty and Staff

Joel G. Fink, Associate Dean, Director of The Theatre Conservatory
Professor of Theatre
Doctor of Arts, M.F.A., NYU; B.F.A., The Art Institute of Chicago. Dr. Fink came to Chicago College of Performing Arts after ten years at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he headed the Acting Program. In addition he served as the Artistic Associate and Casting Director for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival for 14 years. Before teaching in Colorado, he taught and directed at New York University’s Professional Theatre Training Program, Circle in the Square Theatre School, The New School for Social Research, Purdue University, California State University, and Hunter College. He has acted and directed at theatres across the country.


Christine Adaire, Associate Professor of Theatre
Christine Adaire is a Designated Master Linklater Voice teacher, trained by world renowned voice teacher Kristin Linklater. She has worked as an actor, voice coach and director in regional theatres including: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, Court Theatre, Theatre for a New Audience (NYC), American Shakespeare Theatre and Illinois Shakespeare Festival. She has been a core company member of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts since 1983. Ms. Adaire has taught at DePaul University, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, National Theatre School of Canada, University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the Shanghai Theatre Academy in China.


June Compton, Associate Professor of Theatre
June Compton comes to Roosevelt University after six years in Tokyo studying traditional Japanese theatre, with emphasis on the classical comedy form, Kyogen. After receiving her M.A. in Theatre Arts from UCLA, she began her professional career in New York, appearing in a variety of productions from musicals on and off-Broadway, to guest appearances at Joe Papp’s Public Theatre. June has also directed over 50 productions for theatres in New York City, at stock companies across the country, and on the university level. Ph.D., University of Colorado-Boulder; M.A. UCLA; B.S., Southwest Missouri State.


Ray Frewen, Assistant Professor of Theatre
is an award-winning director and accomplished actor. He appeared as Javert in the national tour of Les Miserables, and has performed at The Court Theatre, Asolo State Theatre (FL), Apple Tree Theatre, Marriott’s Lincolnshire, Illinois Shakespeare Festival and the Ravinia Festival. He was Artistic Director of Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace from 1998 to 2005, and presently serves as an associate producer for Apple Tree Theatre. M.F.A. Asolo Conservatory/Florida State University; B.A. Illinois State University.


Sean Ryan Kelley, Assistant Director of Production and Associate Professor of Theatre - CCPA Administration
Sean Ryan Kelley was a member of the faculty at the University of Colorado, Boulder for 16 years before joining the faculty at Chicago College of Performing Arts. In addition he has acted and directed in numerous productions with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, including having played Horatio to Val Kilmer’s Hamlet. Professor Kelly was also the artistic director and a founding member of the Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre in Fairbanks, Alaska and has done shows across the country from New York to California. M.F.A. Purdue University; B.S., University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.


Michael Lasswell, Instructor of Theatre
Michael Lasswell designs all of the O’Malley Theatre productions. His designs have won numerous regional awards, and his work has been seen at the Asolo Theatre (Sarasota), Florida Studio Theatre, Hippodrome Theater, Central City Opera, Light Opera Works, and for the Chicago Symphony. As a director and an actor he has worked with the Theatre for a New Audience, York Theatre Company, Ninetta Lane Theatre-NY, Equity Library Theater, Pioneer Memorial Theater, Syracuse Stage, and many others. Lasswell spent six years as the resident designer for New York’s American Academy of Dramatic Arts.


Kestutis Nakas, Associate Professor of Theatre
Kestutis Nakas is a writer, performer, director, and teacher whose work has been presented at the New York Shakespeare Festival, Yale Rep, La Mama, Dixon Place, P.S. 122, St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery, 8BC, The Kitchen, Highways, and numerous other national venues. He was active in New York’s East Village performance scene and was Artistic Director of Gates of Dawn, which showcased cutting edge performers such as Holly Hughes. He has taught at NYU, UCLA, CUNY, and Univ. of New Mexico. M.F.A., NYU; B.A., Michigan State Univ.


Luis Perez, Assistant Professor of Theatre
Luis Perez was a principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet from 1980-1986. As a performer he appeared in the original casts of Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, The Phantom of the Opera, Ain’t Broadway Grand, Chicago and both the 1992 and 2002 revivals of Man of La Mancha. He also appeared on Broadway in Passion, West Side Story and the 1985 City Opera production of Brigadoon. He was appointed by legendary choreographer Agnes DeMille to restage her original choreography for Brigadoon. He was assistant to Graciela Daniele for the productions of Marie Christine with Audra MacDonald and A New Brain, both at Lincoln Center.


Keland Scher, Assistant Professor of Theatre
Keland Scher received his M.F.A in acting, plus a movement teacher’s diploma from York University in Toronto, Canada and his B.F.A. in theater from Miami of Ohio University. He attended Clown College in Florida and rode the rails with Ringling Brothers . He has worked for the past nine years as a professional actor, director, movement coach and clown through out the United States and Canada. He’s working with the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit as a therapeutic entertainer for children and with Cirque Du Soleil as a clowning instructor for underprivileged youth. He co-founded Out of Hand Theater Company in Atlanta, Georgia and he holds a Teacher Certification in Embodied Developmental Hatha Yoga from The School for Body-Mind Centering®. Favorite stage roles include: Comedy of Errors (Dromio), Hamlet (Horatio) The Chosen (Danny), The Idiots Karamazov (Alyosha) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Puck) -- in which he utilized juggling, unicycling, stiltwalking and fire eating.


Candace Taylor, Assistant Professor of Theatre
Candace Taylor has performed with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival in Macbeth, Richard III, The Importance of Being Ernest and Comedy of Errors. Other credits include Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra , Dallas Shakespeare Festival; Narrator/Mrs. Crachit in A Christmas Carol, Dallas Theatre Center; The Most Massive Woman Wins and The Love of Bullets, Public Theatre in New York City; and Much Ado About Nothing and Henry V, John Houseman’s Acting Company (New York). She has taught at Southern Methodist University, University of Delaware, SUNY/Albany and University of Colorado. M.F.A., Professional Theatre Training Program at the University of Delaware; B.S., Northwestern University.


Bonnie Shadrake, Musical Director
Bonnie Shadrake helped create Flanagan’s Wake in 1994, composing the score and acting as the musical director in Chicago and other cities nationwide. She was a founding member and Music/Cabaret Director of the Noble Fool Theater Company, now housed at the Pheasant Run Resort. Recent credits there include Ruthless (music director, conductor, pianist), The Mikado 2.005 (music director, new arrangements, conductor, pianist), and Vikings! A Musical in Two Axe (composer, co-lyricist, music director). She is also co-author of the the popular holiday show Roasting Chestnuts, now in its 8th year. Bonnie is also the musical director, composer, arranger, and pianist for the popular cabaret act The Weird Sisters, and co-founder (with Naomi Ashley and Cayne Collier} of Cabarah - an Alternative Cabaret, which was recently featured in the Sondheim Festival at Chicago's Millennium Park.


Emily Humphreys, Production Manager
Emily Humphreys received her training at Truman State University in Missouri and Thames Valley University in the UK. Her interest in the arts and social justice has taken her to many diverse places: teaching theater for the Park District, directing group homes for adults with developmental disabilities, organizing labor unions and working as a performer, artist and production manager for many companies, including Chicago's Redmoon Theater.


Kendall Kelley, Assistant to the Director of The Theatre Conservatory
Kendall Kelley earned his M.F.A. at Florida State University and a B.F.A. from Wayne State University. Kendall teaches Theatre Administration at Chicago College of Performing Arts.

Stephen Kruse, Technical Director
Stephen Kruse has been a free-lancing in the Chicago area for ten years. He has worked at the Northlight Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, Mt. Hollyoak College Summer Theatre in Massachusetts and the Northern Stage Theatre in Vermont.



Adjunct Faculty
Jane Alderman, Audition and Theatre Business
Award-winning Casting Director and Actress; B.A., Adelphi University

Belinda Bremner, Dialects, Theatre Business
M.F.A. Roosevelt University; B.A. cumlaude Kenyon College. Founding member, Body Politic Ensemble and ShawChicago

Philip Caldwell, Musical Theatre Piano
Chicago-area Musician/Music Director; M.A. Columbia College; B.M. Sherwood Conservatory

Lou Conte Dance Studio Staff
The studio is the teaching wing of the Hubbard Street Dance Company. Click here to visit their website.

Chuck Coyl, Stage Combat and Fight Choreography
Certified Teacher, Fight Director and Fight Master; B.F.A. Southern Methodist University

Joseph Drummond, Stage Management
Stage Manager, The Goodman Theatre

Luis Galvez, Musical Theatre Voice
M.A. and D.M.A. Rochville University; B.M. Roosevelt University

Nadine Gomes, Musical Theatre Voice
M.M. Roosevelt University; B.S. Northwestern University

Catherine Head, Acting on Camera
M.F.A. Ohio University

Ted Hoerl, Acting
B.A. Beloit College

Patrick Holland, Musical Theatre Piano

Jemma Alix Levy, Theatre History
Amherst College, The Juilliard School and the University of Chicago

Neil Massey, Fight Choreography

Molly McGrath, Make-up
B.F.A. DePaul University. Currently working with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and CBS 2, Chicago

James Morehead, Musical Theatre Piano
B.M. Duquesne University, M.M. Roosevelt University

Tina Paul, Musical Theatre
Performer, Choreographer; Nominated for a Tony Award for her choreography in Dangerous Games.

Jerry Proffit, Fast-Track Program
M.A. Northwestern University

Meera Sanghani, Yoga
B.A. Loyola University

Steve Scott, Shakespeare in Performance
Associate Producer, The Goodman Theatre

Craig Springer, Musical Theatre Voice
Company member with Lyric Opera of Chicago, M.M. Northwestern University

Rebecca Schorsch, Music Theatre Voice
B.M. CCPA/Roosevelt University

Dan Stetzel, Musical Theatre/Cabaret
M.A. Yale University; B.A. U. of Chicago

David Zak
Artistic Director, Bailiwick Repertory Theatre