Anna Schutz (Playwright of Prodigy: A Modern Family Portrait, she/her) - holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has worked in Chicago as a performer, playwright, and producer for over a decade. She co-founded the storefront theatre Brown Paper Box Co. and served as Managing Director during its 11 year operation. Anna completed her Master of Nonprofit Management at DePaul University where her research was on Representation in Nonprofit Performing Arts Leadership. She has since founded and serves as Executive Director of Chicago Artist Guide, NFP (www.chicagoartistguide.org) whose mission is to diversify theatre. More info at www.annaschutz.com.

Lani T. Montreal (Playwright of Anak ni Tapia: Leaving Mother, she/her) writes to create her home in the diaspora. She is a queer feminist Filipina educator, writer, performer, and community activist based in Chicago, whose works have been published/produced in North America, Asia, and in cyberspace. Lani has worked as a playwright and resident artist with CIRCA-Pintig, Chicago Danztheatre, and Free Street Theatre. Her play Panther in the Sky, which premiered May 2024 at Chicago Danztheatre, was described by critic Wesley David as “a testament to the power of empathy, compassion, and solidarity in the face of unspeakable tragedy. It is a play that challenges us to confront the harsh realities of gun violence while inspiring us to act and make a difference in the world.” Montreal is a 2-time 3Arts Residency Awardee (2009 and 2016), 2017 alumna of the VONA Writers of Color Workshop, and 2024 Links Hall Co-MISSION Artist Fellow, where she developed her solo show Anak ni Tapia: Leaving Mother.

Adelina Marinello (Playwright of TThe Good Girls, she/her) is a New York-born, South Florida-raised, and Chicago-based performer/playwright/teaching artist. She just graduated from Northwestern University, where she studied Theatre, with concentrations in Musical Theatre and Playwriting, as well as a minor in Environmental Policy & Culture. Marinello is currently under commission for the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; she and composer/lyricist Matthew Millin are co-writing a TYA Musical for BCPA’s 2024-25 Season. Recent projects include MATERNAL (Vertigo Productions’ 2024 10-Minute Play Festival); HAPPY HOUR (staged reading with Malarkey Comedy at iO Theatre); Abiitan (staged reading with PlayGround-Chicago); SPILL YOUR GUTS! (Nothing Without a Company’s 2023 24-hour Play Festival); My Body Has a Mind of Its Own (Fletcher URG Prize 2023 Semi Finalist); and Pixie Pussy (staged reading at Williamstown Theatre Festival).

Melanie Coffey (Playwright of Deserted, she/her) is a Chicago-based playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker from Connecticut. She earned her MFA from Northwestern University’s Writing for the Screen + Stage program in 2020 and her work has been performed, read, and/or screened in cities across the country, the UK and Canada. In Chicago she has recently worked with Theatre L’Acadie, Avalanche Theater and Pocket Theatre VR. Her play, Deserted will be a part of Redtwist Theater’s Twisted Play Fest as well as her play Time is a Color and the Color is Blue will have its world premiere production in May 2025 with Avalanche Theatre.

Kimberly Dixon-Mays (Playwright of The Gizzard of Brownsville, she/her) Recognitions include: Congo Square Theatre Company’s 2019 August Wilson New Play Initiative; semi-finalist for the 2019 Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and 2020 National Black Theatre I Am Soul Playwright Residency; nominated for a 2021 3Arts Award; selected for Goodman Theatre's 2022 Future Lab series and a 2023 Illinois Arts Council fellowship; finalist for American Blues Theater’s 2023 Blue Ink Award and Definition Theatre’s Amplify Series in 2024. Play development has included Rivendell, Shattered Globe, Stage Left, and Lifeline. Kimberly has earned degrees from Yale, UCLA and Northwestern, and completed a 2018-20 Russ Tutterow Fellowship with Chicago Dramatists.

Leah Roth Barsanti (Playwright of Succulents: The Art of Adulting or..."Reasons I Am A Terrible Roommate, she/her) is a Chicago and San Francisco-based writer for the screen, stage, and radio waves who likes to write about strong girls and women trying to make space for themselves in a world that doesn’t make that easy. Specifically, she is interested in topics including mental health, sports, the natural world, forgotten moments from our collective past, and anything Halloween-adjacent (ghosts, zombies, etc.). Over the years, she has had the chance to work with some incredible theatres both nationally and internationally, including Cat’s Cradle (Chicago), Bramble Theatre (Chicago), The Plagiarists (Chicago), Broken Nose Theatre (Chicago), The Void Theatre (Charleston), Thinking Cap Theatre (Ft. Lauderdale), Kervigo Theatre (New York), and The House of International Theatre (Denmark). She is thrilled to be adding Artemisia to that list!

Erin Shea Brady (Director of Prodigy: A Modern Family Portrait, they/them) is a writer and director based in Chicago, IL. Directorial credits include: GRACE, OR THE ART OF CLIMBING and EVERYBODY (BPBCo.); CABARET and THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE (No Stakes Theater Project). Playwriting credits include: YOU'RE A WEIRDO, ANNIE BEST (developed at SheATL and Fresh Fruit Festival, NY.) Erin has assistant directed and dramaturged productions at Writer's Theatre, the Goodman, Jackalope, TimeLine, Remy Bumppo and A Red Orchid Theatre, as well as interning in the casting department at Steppenwolf. They are currently pursuing a Masters in Extension Studies (Creative Writing & Literature) at Harvard University. In addition to their work in theater, Erin is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker focusing on trauma recovery work with LGBTQ+ folks.

Daisy Castro (Director of Anak ni Tapia: Leaving Mother, she/her) Has been involved in Chicago theatre for 25+ years both on and off stage as a dancer, performer, tech hand, administrator, producer and director. She was part of the inaugural generation of, Stir-Friday Night! as writer, actor and development coordinator. Unbeknownst to her, when she was cast as the love interest of Carlos Bulosan in the Pintig Cultural Theatre group’s maiden production, America’s in the Heart, it would be the start of her long, complicated and fulfilling relationship with the organization. This group introduced her to the talented, Lani T. Montreal. Daisy has been her number three fan ever since! In her current role as the non-director Director in the co-directors’ chair, she finds herself in full plume as co-Cool-laborator. She is honored!

Daira Rodriguez (Director of The Good Girls, she/her) is a director and teaching artist from Waukegan, IL with a passion for new works, devising, and working with young minds. Daira recently completed the Directing/Artistic Apprenticeship at Seattle Repertory Theater after graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in Theatre and Gender Studies. Recent projects include Child of the Wild (The Breathe Project), A Home What Howls (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Little Women (Seattle Rep), and Elyse and Mae Play the Most Epic Game of Life Ever (Strawberry Theatre Workshop). When they’re not directing, Daira teaches at Chicago Children’s Theater for their Red Kite Program. Daira is inspired most by the works of Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Erin Sheets (Director of Deserted, she/her) is a Director, Intimacy Director, and an all-thing-theatre fangirl from New Orleans. Here in Chicago, Erin has worked with Trap Door Theatre, Redtwist Theatre, Big Noise Theatre, Facility Theatre, Imposters Theatre, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Possibilities Theatre, and Theatre L'Acadie (where she is also co-Artistic Director), among others. Notable projects include Right Now (Intimacy Director, Facility, 2023 Non-Equity Jeff Award - Best Ensemble), Motherhouse (Assistant Director, Rivendell, 2022 Equity Jeff Award - Best New Work), and the upcoming World Premiere of Bottle Fly (Intimacy Director, Redtwist, coming October 2024). As a Director, Erin has been honored to lead recent productions such as Grey Gardens The Musical (Big Noise, 2023 Lou Award Nomination - Best Production) and the World Premiere of Today Tonight Soon by Melanie Coffey (Theatre L'Acadie). When not making theatre, Erin likes to complain about not making enough theatre. Learn more about her work at erinesheets.com!

Sydney Charles (Director of The Gizzard of Brownsville, she/her) Sydney Charles is a multifaceted Chicago artist with a rich background in theatre arts, voiceover work, and music. She has graced the stages of the Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, and Court Theatre, bringing her dynamic talent to each performance. Beyond acting, Sydney is a director, writer, vocalist, and educator. Her creativity also extends to the cannabis world through “Kaya Chronicles,” where she merges education and visual storytelling to explore the artistic side of cannabis culture. Sydney’s diverse talents make her a key figure in both the arts and cannabis advocacy. For more, visit www.sydneycharlesexp.com.

Lynsy Folckomer (Director of Succulents: The Art of Adulting or..."Reasons I Am A Terrible Roommate, she/her) is so excited to join Artemisia’s #WeWomenFestival as the director of Succulents. You may find her working in the Chicagoland area as a director, actor, sound artist, or whatever trade she decides to pick up next. Lynsy would like to thank her loved ones, especially her family, for their constant support and faith in her!