Green Corridors, which opened January 15 at Trap Door Theatre in Chicago, is directed by Kay Martinovich who is an associate professor and head of BFA acting in the NIU School of Theatre and Dance. Her assistant director on the production is Sam Bliss, a BFA alum of the school.
“Directing Green Corridors has been an absolute joy, especially collaborating with such talented artists in all areas of design and performance,” Martinovich said. “Also learning so much about Ukrainian history during this process – both past and more recent – has only added to the richness of our collective experience.”
A Jeff Recommended show, Green Corridors is set in the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The play uses “elements of absurdity and dark humor” and “is a poetic, harrowing journey through a world fractured by war.” It is also one of TheatreInChicago.com’s highest rated shows currently running.
Another BFA graduate of the School of Theatre and Dance, Emma Mansfield plays Manicurist, one of the four main refugees. MFA alumnae Hannah Hammel and Gina Cioffi are understudies in the production.
Shakespeare’s classic Julius Caesar opens the 2025-2026 performance season in the NIU School of Theatre and Dance. Directed by Kay Martinovich, associate professor and head of BFA acting in the school, Julius Caesar begins its run Friday, October 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre in the Stevens Building on NIU’s main campus.
Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m., October 10 and 11, October 16 and 17, with 2 p.m. matinees October 12 and 18. Tickets are available online at go.niu.edu/arts-tickets and NIU Students are admitted free of charge simply by reserving a ticket through the ticketing site.
“In my work directing Shakespeare, I am interested in offering women the opportunity to play some of the Bard’s most iconic roles,” Martinovich said. “In this production, Brutus and Cassius are played by women, as are many of the conspirators. There is power in representation … and in reimagining who gets to wield “power” onstage.
“My adaptation derives from a version provided to me by my friend Matt O’Brien, who revised it from Orson Welles’ groundbreaking 1937 production. What I hope for in our production is an urgent Julius Caesar that not only bridges the past with the present but also resonates deeply in our current moment.”
Brutus is played by Kayla Crispino and Cassius by Sophia Dimond. Antonio Horn has the role of Caesar and Skylar Thompson plays Mark Anthony.
The production runs an estimated one hour and 45 minutes, with one intermission.
An audience talkback with the cast and crew will be conducted by Dr. Gibson Cima, associate professor and head of theatre studies after the performance, Saturday, October 11.
For a look at the full program including cast and production team bios, visit niuarts.com/caesar.
Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo
Directed by Alexander Gelman
Translated by Ed Emery
Black Box Theatre
Nov. 7-9, 13-15 Tickets
Talkback hosted by Dr. Gibson Cima following the 7:30 p.m. performance, Nov. 8.
Antigone Furiosa by Griselda Gambaro
Directed by Frankie DiCiaccio
Sally Stevens Players Theatre
Feb. 20-22, 26-28 Tickets
Talkback hosted by Dr. Gibson Cima following the Feb. 21 performance.
The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
Directed by Bethany Mangum
Black Box Theatre
March 27-29, April 1-3 Tickets
Talkback hosted by Dr. Kay Martinovich following the March 28 performance.
Spring Dance Concert O’Connell Theatre
April 23-26 Tickets
Talkback hosted by Professor Marc Macaranas following the April 25 performance.
The spring and summer were a busy time for the faculty of the NIU School of Theatre and Dance. Here’s a look at just some of the things members of our talented group were up to:
Gibson Cima, head of theatre studies received tenure and promotion to associate professor of theatre. He also conducted an interview with three international theater artists titled, “Indignant, Stubborn and Hopeful Truth and Reconciliation in a Post-Truth Era” which will be published in an upcoming issue of Yale University’s Theater magazine.
Michel Rodriguez-Cintra, instructor of dance, starred in Circus Quixote, the first production at Lookingglass Theatre since their closure for the Covid pandemic. The show ran from January 30-March 30, 2025.
God of Carnage, Kane Repertory Theatre
Kay Martinovich, head of BFA acting and associate professor of theatre directed God of Carnage, at Kane Repertory Theatre. Bethany Mangum-Oles, instructor of theatre serves as the artistic director there. Kane Repertory was founded in 2019 by a group of graduates from the School of Theatre and Dance’s 2019 MFA in Acting program.
Brandon Wardell, associate professor, was the lighting designer for Invictus Theatre’s production of Angels in America.
Jeremy W. Floyd, associate professor, was the costume designer for Henry V at Montana Shakespeare in the Parks.
Richard Grund, assistant director of the School of Theatre and Dance coached the Joffrey Ballet Studio Company in their performances of Raymonda and Paquita during his sabbatical in spring semester 2025.
Marc Macaranas, head of dance and assistant professor completed a residency with Lucky Plush to create a devised dance theatre work titled Facing, based on Eugene O’Neill’s play The Great God Brown.
NIU’s School of Theatre and Dance will present “in a word” by Lauren Yee, directed by Kay Martinovich and Emily Vitrano in the NIU Stevens Building’s Sally Stevens Players Theatre, February 24-26 and March 2-4. With evening performances beginning at 7:30 p.m. February 24 and 25, and March 2 and 3, with 2 p.m. matinees Sunday, February 26 and Saturday, March 4. It is a unique and heart-wrenching production that juggles the theme of how losing a child can affect the psyche of a grieving parent.
Tickets for “in a word” are available at niu.edu/theatre and are $7 for adults and seniors, NIU students are admitted free of charge.
Audiences can expect to be immediately drawn into the intimacy of the Sally Stevens Players Theatre. The cast of “in a word” features just three actors. First year Master of Fine Arts in acting candidates Cornelia Hayes, Hardy Louihis, and J. Cody Hunt.
With only three people on stage at once, audiences will be captivated as they share the grief and emotional hits present throughout the show. They might also find the irony and humor in it, as theatre like this show truly represents the levels of humanity. One can hope that this will assist people in not only loving those close to them, but also having a newfound perspective on what others may be going through behind the scenes.
The synopsis of “in a word” as described by co-directors Kay Martinovich and Emily Vitrano: “Today is the two-year anniversary of the disappearance of Tristan, the seven-year-old adopted son of Fiona Hamlin and Guy. Today also happens to be Fiona’s birthday. Through the course of one evening, Fiona and Guy wrestle with the aftermath of Tristan’s disappearance and the circumstances surrounding what really happened that fateful day when “Picture Day” went tragically awry. In this tragi-comedy, Playwright Lauren Yee weaves the intricacies of language, grief, humor, and “truth” in her absorbing examination of what it means to lose a relationship and what it takes to re-connect.”
The Stevens Building is located next to the NIU visitor lot and behind McDonalds on Lincoln Highway. Directions and maps can be found at niu.edu/maps for help with parking and finding the space.
Visit niu.edu/theatre for tickets and for information on NIU’s School of Theatre and Dance 2023 production season.
in a word
Writtten by: Lauren Yee
Co-Directors: Kay Martinovich and Emily Vitrano
Assistant Directors: Ryan Sarau-Young, Derrick Longstreet Scenic Associate: Sahin Sahinoglu
Costume Associate: Jeremy W. Floyd
Lighting Designer: Timothy Peters
Properties Designer: Dave Doherty
Stage Manager: Megan Thompson
This show runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
Cast
Fiona – Cornelia Hayes Guy – Hardy Louihis Man – J. Cody Hunt
Directors’ Notes
Welcome to “in a word” by Lauren Yee, a play that defies category – is it a comic-tragedy, or a tragic-comedy, or a play that hovers in that liminal space between?
Writers who can blend humor with pathos always make me prick up my ears as evidenced by my research in, and fascination with, Irish drama for the past 20+ years. Yee’s play is not as obvious: It all seems so tragic, yet with each subsequent read-through Yee’s wordplay worked on me – repetition, absurdity and an “is this real?” quality – such that I soon felt I was in familiar territory. What it means to lose someone and what
it means to remember merge with an easy fluidity between time and space as we encounter one woman’s attempt to finally give voice to what really happened one fateful day, in what I like to describe as a sneakily perceptive view of what it means to grieve.
Working with Emily Vitrano as co-director on this piece has been incredibly creative and so much fun, and the collaborative spirit and ever-present dialogue between us has been the order of the day since the beginning. This is the first time for me to work as a co-director while working in separate rooms. And at this point, we’re still not completely sure how it will turn out – it is an experiment after all. Yet the journey and the process of working with Emily to simply “find out” has been inspiring and artistically fulfilling. Along with our wonderful team of actors and assistant directors who have been “all in” from our first read-through, we are so excited to share this performance with you.
Hope you enjoy.
–Kay
At first, Yee’s play might appear opaque, but to me, her throughline is clear: There is never just one; one thing, one moment, one relationship, one story. And no matter how many stories there are, the most important are often those we have the fewest words to describe.
Even at our best, we are living a multitude of stories, but whether they are “red and white with stripes all over” or “brown and sticky,” they are ours. Perhaps at the crux of all of this is not necessarily the story itself but the words we choose to tell it and the people we choose to tell it to.
Our work on this poignant, devastating and ultimately hopeful play has forced me to examine my own stories as a mother and a partner. Through it I have come to own more of the “brown and sticky” and to celebrate all the “red and white with stripes all over.” I hope it makes room for you to do the same.
— Emily
Special Thanks: Dave Doherty, Bethany Mangum-Oles, Maggie Scanlan, Gina Cioffi, and Rich Grund
Cast Bios
Cornelia Hayes (Fiona) is a first-year M.F.A. acting candidate. She graduated with a B.A. in theatre and a B.A. in marketing from Northwestern College. She also holds a diploma in classic acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Hayes has worked professionally across the Midwest, Pacific Northwest and London. Stage credits include: “The Last Five Years” (Cathy), “Next to Normal” (Diana), “Love’s Labour’s Lost” (Rosaline), “The Changeling” (Beatrice), “Shrek: The Musical” (Fiona), “Noises Off” (Belinda), “Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” (Siobhan). Film/commercial credits include: “The Alternative,” Washington State Department of Health commercial, “Real Northwestern.” Thanks to my family and Harry for the continual love and support. Instagram: @iamunicornelia.
Hardy Louihis (Guy) is a year-one M.F.A. in acting candidate at Northern Illinois University (NIU). Louihis received his Bachelor of Arts in theatre from the Metropolitan State University of Denver. He is so happy and grateful to make his NIU acting debut and to work with this talented ensemble and crew for “in a word” by Lauren Yee.
J. Cody Hunt (Man) is proud to be pursuing his M.F.A. in acting at NIU and thrilled to be making his SoTD stage debut with Lauren Yee’s “in a word.” His regional credits include “Unto These Hills” at The Mountainside Theatre, North Carolina; “Sleeping Beauty” at Birmingham Children’s Theatre, Alabama; Blue Gate Musicals, Indiana. Hunt was a fight choreographer, stunt performer and fight captain for shows like “Samson” at Sight and Sound Theatres, and played the role of Jesus in “Jesus,” Pennsylvania and Missouri. His Chicago credits include Chicago Kids Company; “Lost In Time,” Magnified Gift Theatre; “Low Hanging Fruit,” Fearless Fiction Productions. Film/TV: “Union”, 2012; “Romans XIII,” 2014; “Jesus Live” televised broadcasts, 2018 and 2021. In 2021, J. Cody Hunt’s short film, “The Moment,” received the Phenomenal Achievement Award at the Dreamz Catcher International Film Festival where it was also nominated for Best Mobile Film. He received his B.A. in drama with a concentration in performance at Jacksonville State University in Alabama. Hunt would like to thank his wife and family for their endless support.
Production Team Bios
Kay Martinovich (Co-Director) is associate professor of acting and a professional theater director based in Chicago where she has directed productions at Remy Bumppo, Irish Repertory of Chicago, Trap Door, HerStory Theatre, City Lit, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble and Lifeline among others. NIU credits include: “Much Ado About Nothing” by Shakespeare, “A Bright New Boise” by Samuel D. Hunter, “A Skull in Connemara” by Martin McDonagh, “The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek” by Naomi Wallace, “The Real Thing” by Tom Stoppard and “Intimate Apparel” by Lynn Nottage. Big thanks to our amazing actors and assistant directors – it’s been a very special journey. Martinovich is a proud member of SDC, the professional stage directors’ union.
Emily Vitrano (Co-Director) is very excited to share “in a word” with the NIU community. Vitrano is head of B.F.A. acting and an instructor of acting, voice and movement at NIU. She is also an actor, director and writer making her creative home in the Chicagoland area. She holds a B.F.A. in acting from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an M.F.A. 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, Vitrano 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, Vitrano has worked regionally on many stages, including Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Next Act Theatre, Renaissance Theaterworks and Allentown Shakespeare in the
Park. Vitrano 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. Vitrano is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and is represented by Talent X in Chicago. You can learn more about Vitrano’s career at www.emilyvitrano.com.
She would like to thank and acknowledge her co-director Kay Martinovich for taking her under her wing and helping her realize what a process can be; her partner, Miles, for his support and love; and Addison Martin, for taking care of and loving Henry as if he was her own. Vitrano’s work on this production would not be possible without the support of caretakers like Addison. Last, she would like to thank her son, Henry; finally, it all makes sense. For Ella, always. And now also for Henry.
Derrick Longstreet (Assistant Director) is from the south side of Chicago. Sophomore B.A. student at Northern Illinois University. Thrilled to be part of the project as a first-time assistant director. Seen in previous projects: “Unfaded Wonder Commercial” (Teenage alcohol – Orange frame prod); “A Silent Cry” (Teatro Americano – Chicago)
Timothy Peters (Lighting Designer) is a third-year B.F.A. design and tech major with a lighting focus. He recently designed/worked on the productions of “Almost Maine” at Indian Trail High School Academy, “Much Ado About Nothing” and “Mamma Mia!” during the 2022 Season of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. He wants to thank his parents for their indestructible faith in him as well as his high school theatre director Bob Allen for teaching him his love of theater.
Ryan Sarau-Young (Assistant Director) is happy to be showcasing NIU’s production of “in a word” as an assistant director. Sarau-Young previously wrote and directed his own plays back at Holy Trinity High School. He is happy to be back in the director’s chair. He was most recently in a community production of “Rent.” Sarau-Young is currently studying for his bachelor’s degree in economics with minors in theater studies and sports analytics. He would like to thank his mom and dad, his younger brother Joey, his friends, and his partner Fitz. Enjoy the show.
Megan Thompson (Stage Manager) is a senior B.F.A. in acting candidate from Louisville, Kentucky. Some past credits from NIU include stage manager for “Life is a Dream,” and performer in “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Hit The Wall,” “Bike America,” and “Bird In The Hand.” Some past credits from Commonwealth Theatre Center include “The Trojan Women” and “Macbeth.” Cheers to live performance.
Scenery
Technical Direction Advisor – Tracy Nunnally Scenic Coordinator – Sahin Sahinoglu Scene Shop Supervisor – Adam Rager Scene Shop Employees – Elizabeth Ahles, Eric Brockmeier, Alicia Margerum, Jordyn Crooks, Sunshine Despeines, Mike Kozel, Kairin Rozenfeld-Mayberg ,Tyler Sikorski Run Crew – Kemarion Bryant, Danisha Gilmore, Toby Thomas
Costumes
Costume Design Advisor – Jeremy W. Floyd Costume Director – Lori Hartenhoff Costume Shop Supervisor – Clare Richey-Kaplan
A brand new play that brings together a pair of twentieth century labor icons, also brought together a pair of NIU professors.
Associate Professor Kay Martinovich
“A Table For Two At The Dill Pickle,” written by Irish writer and musician Larry Kirwan will have its world premiere, Sunday, November 13, at 3 p.m. at Chicago’s Irish American Heritage Center. The play is directed by Kay Martinovich, head of performance, head of BFA acting and associate professor in the School of Theatre and Dance. Rosemary Feurer, associate professor in the Department of History, serves as a historian on the project and helped provide context and insights as Kirwan was writing this play that imagines “a powerful conversation” between Mary Harris “Mother” Jones and Big Jim Larkin.
Associate Professor Rosemary Feurer
The production is a perfect fit for the expertise of these two professors. Martinovich earned her Master of Philosophy in Irish Theatre and Film Studies from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Feurer specializes in understanding the political economy of social conflicts and labor movements and is one of the world’s foremost experts on Mother Jones. Over the past 15 years, Feurer has launched a virtual museum on Mother Jones, worked with NIU communications professor Laura Vazquez to produce the film “Mother Jones: The World’s Most Dangerous Woman”; opened a small bricks and mortar museum in Mount Olive; and is researching and writing a biography of Jones.
Kirwan was born in Wexford, Ireland and lives in New York City. He is the co-author of “Paradise Square” a musical that was nominated for 10 2022 Tony Awards including one for Kirwan for Best Book of a Musical. He is the president of Irish American Writers and earned their 2022 Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mary Harris “Mother” Jones
“A Table For Two At The Dill Pickle” is a one-act play set in November 1919 at Chicago’s Dill Pickle Club, which was a Bohemian club on North State Street that operated from 1917 to 1935, and was a popular hangout and forum for free thinkers of the time. Its nearly hidden entrance was marked with a “DANGER” sign and a post on the door read, “Step High, Stoop Low and Leave Your Dignity Outside.”
Kirwan imagines a meeting between Jones, an Irish-American labor activist who co-founded the Industrial Workers of the World, and Irish Labor Party co-founder Larkin. The play touches on many things, including Jones and Larkin’s battles to end child labor and to win rights and fair wages for workers, as well as the sadness felt by both over the absence of their families.
At the time of the play, Larkin’s family is still in Ireland, and the British refuse to allow his return. Mother Jones’ husband and four children died in a yellow fever outbreak in Memphis, Tennessee in 1867. After their deaths, Jones returned to Chicago, where she had worked as a seamstress. She lost everything she owned in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and took up the cause of working people as industrialization led to lower wages, longer hours and increasingly unsafe labor conditions.
The play offers a glimpse of two giants of labor activism, whose devotion to social justice continues to inspire today’s American labor movement.
Proceeds from the performance will be contributed to a fund that continues to raise money for a Chicago statue of Mother Jones. Enough has already been raised that an announcement is expected soon on where in the city it will be located. The statue will stand as a reminder that Chicago is a city built by workers, and a city of immigrants.
The United States premiere of Green Corridors, a work from Ukrainian playwright Natalka Vorozhbyt features a number of connections to the NIU School of Theatre and Dance.
Cornelia Hayes (Fiona) is a first-year M.F.A. acting candidate. She graduated with a B.A. in theatre and a B.A. in marketing from Northwestern College. She also holds a diploma in classic acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Hayes has worked professionally across the Midwest, Pacific Northwest and London. Stage credits include: “The Last Five Years” (Cathy), “Next to Normal” (Diana), “Love’s Labour’s Lost” (Rosaline), “The Changeling” (Beatrice), “Shrek: The Musical” (Fiona), “Noises Off” (Belinda), “Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” (Siobhan). Film/commercial credits include: “The Alternative,” Washington State Department of Health commercial, “Real Northwestern.” Thanks to my family and Harry for the continual love and support. Instagram: @iamunicornelia.
J. Cody Hunt (Man) is proud to be pursuing his M.F.A. in acting at NIU and thrilled to be making his SoTD stage debut with Lauren Yee’s “in a word.” His regional credits include “Unto These Hills” at The Mountainside Theatre, North Carolina; “Sleeping Beauty” at Birmingham Children’s Theatre, Alabama; Blue Gate Musicals, Indiana. Hunt was a fight choreographer, stunt performer and fight captain for shows like “Samson” at Sight and Sound Theatres, and played the role of Jesus in “Jesus,” Pennsylvania and Missouri. His Chicago credits include Chicago Kids Company; “Lost In Time,” Magnified Gift Theatre; “Low Hanging Fruit,” Fearless Fiction Productions. Film/TV: “Union”, 2012; “Romans XIII,” 2014; “Jesus Live” televised broadcasts, 2018 and 2021. In 2021, J. Cody Hunt’s short film, “The Moment,” received the Phenomenal Achievement Award at the Dreamz Catcher International Film Festival where it was also nominated for Best Mobile Film. He received his B.A. in drama with a concentration in performance at Jacksonville State University in Alabama. Hunt would like to thank his wife and family for their endless support.
