NIU alumni can have dinner and a show at NIU, Oct. 4
NIU alumni, whether you come by yourself or bring a date, a friend, or a group of friends, you’ll enjoy mingling and meeting others at Huskies Night Out!
Join us at Ellington’s Restaurant in the Holmes Student Center on Friday, Oct. 4, from 5:30-6:40 p.m. for dinner before attending the 7:30 p.m. opening night performance of the NIU School of Theatre and Dance’s production of Mary Stuart by Friedrich Schiller at the Black Box Theatre in the Stevens Building.
Attendees will enjoy a plated dinner, including a complimentary glass of wine or beer, and a ticket to Mary Stuart with each registration. Individual tickets are $30 per person, but a special rate of $55 is set for Double Huskies (alumni couples), so make your plans today!
NIU Assistant Professor Gibson Cima, will speak about the historical context behind the play followed by the appearance of Bethany Mangum-Oles, the director of this production, who will give her insights into the play.
Questions? Contact the alumni events team at alumnievents@niu.edu or 815-753-3528. All sales are final. There are no refunds.
Brennan James (George) – is a second year BFA candidate. This is Brennan’s first show here at NIU and he is beyond grateful for this opportunity. This past summer he was involved in Studio Vibe’s “Shrek the Musical” as Donkey and is currently cast in “Matilda the Musical” as Mr. Wurmwood. Brennan would like to thank his parents for their continuous support through and through. He is ecstatic to share this experience with you in hopes that the story opens the outlook on your own personal language!
Isabelle Ajemian (Emma) – is a third year BFA Acting candidate. She has appeared in a couple of previous productions here at NIU, which include “A Bird in the Hand” directed by Bethany Mangum-Oles and “Everybody” directed by Edwin Lee Gibson. This will be her first in-person performance since 2019 and is so excited to share this piece of work that is so close to her heart.
Emma Mansfield (Mary) – is a second year BFA acting candidate and is excited to make her acting debut here at NIU. Hailing from Sault Ste Marie, Michigan; Emma has had years of experience studying throughout the mitten state. Some of her previous credits include #13 in “The Wolves,” Rizzo in “Grease,” and Miranda in “The Tempest.” She is thankful to, once again, perform with a live audience and is thrilled to share this story with you.
Zachary Harness (Resten) – is a third year BFA Acting candidate. Previous NIU credits include Fedotik in Anton Chekov’s “Three Sisters” B in “Town Hall,” Fish and Gaffles in “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.” You can see him this summer at Notre-Dame Shakespeare Festival in South Bend, Ind., as Bertram in “All’s Well That Ends Well,” and Tybalt in “Romeo and Juliet.” He hopes that you enjoy the show.
Naava Ofri-Akman (Alta) – is a third year BFA Acting student. Previous credits include “A Bird in the Hand” and “Everybody.”
Jasmyn Richardson (Instructor/Old Man/Passerby/Conductor/Zamenhof) – Jasmyn Richardson is a second year BFA Acting student from Chicago. This is her debut performance on the NIU stage. She is so excited to share this lovely performance with you and hope you all enjoy the show!
Julia Cho (Playwright) – Julia Cho “Labels are the way we make the world convenient” says playwright Julia Cho. Somewhat inconveniently, she rejects “Korean American” and identifies herself as simply as “American.” Born in 1975 to Korean immigrant parents on the West Coast, Cho explains “It was a very porous household. For me to say that being of Korean origin influences my work is the same as saying being a woman or being American influences my writing.” She cites Caryl Churchill, Chekhov, Chay Yew, and Sarah Ruhl as her “playwriting heroes.” Charles Isherwood, in his review of her 2016 play “Aubergine,” praises her
Bethany Mangum-Oles (Director) – Bethany is an actor, director, educator, and mama of two born and raised in southern California. Marking her ninth directed production with NIU, she is thrilled to be returning to the studio this season with her co-direction of “The Language Archive.” Bethany holds a BFA in acting from California State University, Fullerton, and an MFA in acting from NIU where her studies have taken her abroad to the Moscow Art Theater School in Moscow, Russia and the Adana International Theatre Festival in Adana, Turkey. Since gaining her MFA, she has found her artistic home here at NIU as full-time Performance Area Faculty. Bethany also serves as Rotating Voice and Movement Faculty at the Gately-Poole Studio, is a Certified Intimacy Captain, and currently in training for her Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Certification. Next semester at NIU, you can catch her direction of Sarah Ruhl’s “Melancholy Play.”
Emily Vitrano (Director) – Emily Vitrano is very excited to share “The Language Archive “with the NIU community. Emily is an Instructor of acting, voice, and movement at NIU, and an actor, director, and writer making her creative home in Chicago. She holds a BFA in Acting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an MFA in Acting from Northern Illinois University. She is a certified yoga instructor at the 200-hour level, and recently became certified in Mental Health First Aid. Working as a director and intimacy coordinator, Emily utilizes foundational principles created by theatrical intimacy education. These consent-based practices rely on the foundational understanding that consent is contextual, conditional, and revocable and include establishing and respecting boundaries, a de-loaded process, choreography, and documentation. As an actor, Emily has worked regionally on many stages, including: Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Next Act Theatre, Renaissance Theaterworks, and Allentown Shakespeare in the Park. Emily has also appeared on television in a national commercial for Batteries/Bulbs Plus, and regional commercials for Mills Fleet Farm, Sanford Brown University, and Walgreens. Emily is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and is represented by Talent X in Chicago. For Miles, Henry, and Ani: Mir Ne Glessalla, I never want you not with me.
Jonathan Samuel Allsop (Sir Toby) is a third year MFA Acting candidate at Northern Illinois University. Jonathan received his BA in Music from the University of Pennsylvania before moving to Chicago. Some of his credits include: Peter Quince in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival), Desmond in Concrete Jungle (Goodly Frame Theatre), and Leroy in A Bright New Boise (Northern Illinois University). Jonathan has also released his debut album, Lavender Therapy, which is available on all streaming platforms. To learn more about Jonathan and his work visit 
Sophia Arnold (Orsino) is a fourth-year BFA Acting student at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill. She has worked with Kane Repertory Theatre (Romeo and Juliet), understudied with Indianapolis Shakespeare Company (Hamlet), and interned with Oak Park Festival Theatre. Favorite roles at NIU include Beauty (Everybody), O’Casey (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui), Kitty (The Time of Your Life), and Helen (Troilus and Cressida).
Sylvie Mae Baldwin (Feste) is an actress, musician, and third year MFA acting candidate. Sylvie has worked regionally at South Coast Rep, Antaeus Theatre Company, Seattle Public Theater, Book It Rep, Lexington Children’s Theatre, and many others. On screen, Sylvie has had the pleasure of working with Adam Arkin, James Choi, and Mikhail Saburov. From 2014-2016 Sylvie toured skinny crazy small – an autobiographical play about her recovery from anorexia nervosa. Sylvie is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and represented by 10 Talent Agency in Chicago. This one’s for dad!
Alfonso Tucker Jr. (Fabian) is a fourth year BFA actor, and he is very proud to be back on stage, playing the role of Fabian. Alfonso has learned so much in the past three years, doing theatre during a pandemic has made him a stronger actor. He is and always will be pushing to be the best actor he can be.
Ashley-Marie Chávez (Maria) is a fourth year BFA Acting candidate, this is her final show at NIU. It has been such a beautiful and thrilling time growing as an artist with this production. Some of her credits include, Frieda in The Castle, DockDaisy in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, and A in Town Hall. As always para Maria y Walter gracias por todo.
Clark Cheatham (Malvolio) is a senior BFA Acting Candidate from St. Charles, Ill. His credits at NIU include, Nick in The Walk Across America for Mother Earth directed by Frankie DiCiaccio, Dudley R. Bostwick in The Time of Your Life directed by Matt O’Brien, Jim Crocket in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui directed by Alex Gelman, and Cousin in Everybody directed by Edwin Lee Gibson. Other favorite credits include Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, Marius in Les Miserables, and Adam Beltran in a Chicago based web series The Eventide Effect. Clark is appreciative of the hard work the cast/crew has done and is looking forward to sharing his first Shakespeare show with everyone.
Jack Goings (Sebastian) is a senior BFA acting candidate and this is his fifth and final show at NIU. He has appeared in previous productions such as Martin in Angels in America, Rainbow Carl in Walk Across America for Mother Earth, and Alex in A Bright New Boise. He has also appeared in shows at the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild in Wisconsin as Macbeth in Macbeth, Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Richard III in Richard III. He is excited to be back in person for this performance to share the hard work of everyone involved with an in-person audience again.
Lulu Grey (Valentine/Servant/Officer 2/Priest) is a senior Theatre Studies major. This is her fifth show at NIU. Previous credits include Bakkhai in Bakkhai, Jenny/Violet/March Hare in Wonderfully Alice, Nick’s Mom/Daisy in The Time of Your Life, and Mona (Then) in Stage Coach Players’ production of Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. She is thrilled to be participating in this production, and welcomes you to Illyria!
Wesley Hutchinson (Curio/Officer 1/Feste Understudy) is a third year BFA in acting candidate from Michigan and a student at NIU. This is his third role at NIU, he has been in Love and Information and Everybody.
Matthew Judd (Antonio / Sea Captain) is a junior BFA Acting candidate in his second show at Northern Illinois University. He has acted at Moraine Valley Community College, Oak Lawn Park District, Alsip Park District and Alan B. Shepard High School. Judd was seen in NIU’s production of Love and Information directed by Frankie DiCiaccio. He is super excited to be part of this amazing show and excited to say he has been in a show by Shakespeare. Judd is really thankful for the experience and is happy to be part of this process of art with everyone to create such a fun and crazy world together.
Logan Rasmussen (Olivia) is a fourth year BFA candidate, and this will be her final show at NIU. Some of her previous credits include Mariain Twelfth Night (Hawai’i Shakespeare Festival), Annabel in (NIU) Bike America, and Cast in Love and Information (NIU). Logan is grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait to share Illyria with you!
Ua Smith (Sir Andrew) is a senior BFA Acting Candidate in their fourth show at Northern Illinois University. You may have seen Ua in NIU’s production of The Walk Across America for Mother Earth as King Arthur, as Gunter in NIU’s production of Summertime, as Sheet/Ensemble in NIU’s production of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, or as Belize in NIU’s production of Angels in America. They are thrilled to share this piece of fun, live theatre specifically in these times. Enjoy.
Makenzie Weatherford (Viola) is a third-year MFA acting candidate. At NIU, she recently performed as Love in Everybody, Susan in A Bird in the Hand, and Maria in a reading of Summertime. With two B.A.’s in English and theatre, her favorite performances include Antigone as Antigone, Beatrice in The Servant of Two Masters, Mrs. Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer, and–her favorite–Ten Days in a Madhouse as Nellie Bly.
