MADHURI SHEKAR (Writer) Her plays have been produced across the United States and internationally. They include House of Joy, Queen, In Love and Warcraft, A Nice Indian Boy, and many other works specifically for young audiences. In TV and film, her projects include the movies Evil Eye and A Nice Indian Boy, and the TV shows The Nevers and 3 Body Problem. She is an alumnus of USC and Juilliard. She is thrilled that Dhaba on Devon Avenue, a play commissioned with love for the city of Chicago, is getting its world premiere now with Writers Theatre and Timeline Theatre Company. madhurishekar.com

CHAY YEW (Director) His New York credits include the Public, Playwrights Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop, Signature, New York City Center Encores!, Flea, Playwrights Realm, Audible, Rattlestick, and Ensemble Studio Theatre. His regional credits include the Goodman, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Rep, Arena, American Conservatory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Alley Theatre, Goodspeed, South Coast Rep, Old Globe, Center Theatre Group, Denver Center Theater, Huntington, Seattle Rep, Writers Theatre, Victory Gardens, amongst others. His opera credits include Perelman Performing Arts Center, Tanglewood, and LA Philharmonic. He is a recipient of the 2024 Doris Duke Artist Award, and the OBIE for direction.

LAUREN M. NICHOLS (Scenic Designer) is a Jeff-nominated freelance designer and model-maker native to Chicago. Writers credits include: The Hot Wing King and Tiger Style. Other credits include designs for Paramount Aurora, Steppenwolf for Young Adults, Marriott, Remy Bumppo, UIC, U Chicago, Rivendell, Lifeline, Steep, Jackalope, Harper College, Shattered Globe, Renaissance Theatreworks, Village Theatre in Seattle, Metropolis, The Gift Theatre, Firebrand, Teatro Vista, Raven, and BoHo. As an associate, she has worked on dozens of productions all over the country. She is currently finishing her 4th year as an adjunct professor at The Theatre School-DePaul University. MFA Northwestern. Member USA829. laurenangeldesigns.com

CHRISTINE PASCUAL (Costume Designer) is delighted to be back at Writers Theatre. Previously at Writers she designed East Texas Hot Links and Tiger Style! Recently credits include East Texas Hot Links, Lion In Winter at Court Theatre, Twelfth Night at Chicago Shakespeare, Black Sunday, Notes From The Field, Trouble in Mind, Relentless, Boulevard of Bold Dreams, Oslo at Timeline Theatre. Other theaters she has designed at include Goodman, Steppenwolf, A Red Orchid, Teatro Vista, Congo Square,Victory Gardens, Remy Bumpo, Raven, American Players, Centerstage, Geva and McCarter. In 2018 she became a 3Arts Awardee. In 2022 she was nominated for a Jeff Award for Relentless. In 2025 she received the Michael Merritt Award in Costume Design for Excellence in Design and Collaboration. Her website is ChristinePascual.carbonmade.com

CHRISTINE A. BINDER (Lighting Designer) is a Chicago based lighting designer who has been working in theatre, opera, and dance for over 30 years. Her opera designs include work with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Opera Theatre, San Francisco Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Sieji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival in Japan, and Teatro dell'Opera di Roma among others. In theatre, she has designed lighting for Lookingglass Theatre Company, Writer’s Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, The Court Theatre, Northlight Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and Geva Theatre Company among others.  She is an Artistic Associate with the Lookingglass Theatre Company. She has been nominated for the Joseph Jefferson Award several times and is the recipient of the Dora Award for Best Lighting Design for this production of Eugene Onegin. She is the Head of Lighting Design for The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.

ERIC BACKUS (Sound Designer)  is a Jeff-Award winning composer and sound designer, returning to Writers after previously designing Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, and Pearl’s Rollin’ with the Blues. Off-Broadway: Hollow/Wave (United Solo Festival), Churchill (New World Stages); Regional credits include productions at Milwaukee Rep, South Coast Rep, Northern Stage, TheatreSquared, and The Rev. Chicago credits include productions at Goodman, Chicago Shakes, Steppenwolf, Paramount, Northlight, and many others. In addition to theatre, Eric composes and sound designs for film, video, and podcasts. He is a proud member of USA829. www.ericbackus.com.

KRISTINA FLUTY (Intimacy Director) Writers: The Last Match. Lie of the Mind (Raven); Noises Off, Another Marriage, Describe the Night, The Children (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Black Sunday, Cardboard Piano (TimeLine); Spring Awakening (Porchlight); The Sound of Music (Marriott); Frankenstein, Top Girls (Remy Bumppo); Mies Julie, Indecent (Victory Gardens). Regional: Linda Vista (Center Theatre Group – Los Angeles). Kristina’s main creative home since 2003 is Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak, a modern dance company based in Chicago. MA in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling, Laban Movement Analyst, Movement Pattern Analyst, Spiral Body Techniques® instructor. Associate Professor of Movement - The Theatre School at DePaul University.

KARINA PATEL (Dramaturg) is a director and dramaturg originally from London, UK. She is the Literary Associate at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and New Works Manager at Jackalope Theatre Company. She is thrilled to be working on this incredible play! Karina has developed new and devised work with The Story Theatre, The Understudy Chicago, APIDA Arts, Actor’s Gymnasium, Token Theatre, 24 Hour Plays, and more. Most recently, she directed Hannah and Halmoni Save The World at Filament Theatre. She has also served as an assistant director at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Court Theatre, and the Repertory Theatre of St Louis.

MANTRA RADHARKRISHNAN (Assistant Director) is a Chicago-based playwright, comedian, and director from Bangalore, India. A recent graduate from Northwestern University's Theatre/Playwriting program, her plays were recently seen Off-Broadway as a part of 24HourPlays, at the Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, and in the Agnes Nixon Playwriting Festival. As an actor and director, she has recently worked with Avalanche Theatre, Shattered Globe, Writers Theatre, Otherworld Theatre, and Token Theatre. She is currently a Victor Wong fellow at The Second City. She’s so excited to be working on this beautiful play!

KATIE GALETTI, CSA (Casting Director) is the Artistic Producer and Casting Director at Writers Theatre in Glencoe and a member of CSA. She also serves as the Casting Consultant at Remy Bumppo Theatre in Chicago, and is a freelance casting director regionally. In addition to her casting work, Katie produces and directs events of multiple genres, including opera, digital, experiential, and film. She's worked with Little Cinema Digital, 13Exp, and HERE Arts & Culture Consulting as a producer, is the founder and Artistic Director of Janus Concert Series, and is a founding member of the Chicago Opera Collective. Outside of theater, Katie is a volunteer with Resilience Chicago as a Sexual Assault Crisis Advocate and a classically trained vocalist. More information can be found at www.katiegaletti.com.

KATIE KLEMME (Stage Manager) WT: The Hot Wing King, Eurydice, A Distinct Society, Tiger Style!, Wife of a Salesman, and Into the Woods. National Tours: Hamilton, Sorin: A Notre Dame Story; Regional: Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Geva Theater Center, ArtsEmerson. Select Chicago credits: Prayer for the French Republic, The Heart Sellers, Little Women, The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Brooklyn Laundry, Dial M for Murder, The Porch on Windy Hill, Georgiana & Kitty, Intimate Apparel, Mr. Dickens' Hat, The Wickhams, Landladies, and You Can’t Take It With You; Notes from the Field (TimeLine); Villette (Lookingglass); and productions with Theater Wit, About Face Theatre, Victory Gardens, and 10 seasons at American Theater Company.

LEXIE WILEY (Assistant Stage Manager) is ecstatic to be returning to Writers Theatre for a fourth time since her debut (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812). She is a Chicago-based stage manager who also regularly returns to Lookingglass Theatre (Lucy & Charlie's Honeymoon). She was on staff at Roosevelt University as their PSM and Props Designer. Other SM credits include her work at Token Theatre (Zac Efron), Theo Ubique (Baked! the Musical), Capital City Theatre (Shining in Misery), Bristol Riverside Theatre, Pioneer Playhouse, and McLeod Summer Playhouse. All her love to her mom, dad, partner, family, and friends seeing this heartfelt play!

BRADEN ABRAHAM (The Alexandra C. & John D. Nichols Artistic Director, Writers Theatre)
Joining Writers Theatre as The Alexandra C. & John D. Nichols Artistic Director in 2023, Braden Abraham directed Eurydice in his first season. Previously, he served as Artistic Director of Seattle Rep where he directed six world premieres and over 20 productions including: True West, Clybourne Park, Photograph 51, Ibsen in Chicago, Mr. Dickens and His Carol, Betrayal, Luna Gale, A View from the Bridge, A Great Wilderness, Breakin' Hearts and Takin' Names, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. While at Seattle Rep, Braden commissioned and premiered works by Anna Zeigler, Samuel D. Hunter, and Cheryl L. West. Many projects developed under his leadership gained acclaim nationwide, including Irene Sankoff and David Hein's Come From Away and the exclusive presentation of David Byrne's Here Lies Love outside New York and London. His final initiatives at Seattle Rep included 20x30: Reimagine the Anthropocene, commissioning twenty new plays by 2030, and New Directions, a program supporting generative work from directors. Around the country, Braden has developed new work at Ojai, O'Neill, Denver Center, and Perseverance Theatre. He has been a guest artist at Stanford, Gonzaga, and Seattle University. Braden is the co-creator of Sound Place Love, an audio installation about the life and work of Emmy-Award winning sound ecologist Gordon Hempton.

KATHRYN M. LIPUMA (Executive Director, Writers Theatre) joined Writers Theatre as Executive Director in 2007, where she serves as lead producer, overseeing all management, administration, and operations for the company. She led the fundraising, planning and construction of Writers Theatre's new $34 million performing arts center, designed by internationally renowned architect Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects.  Prior to Writers, Kate spent nine seasons as Executive Director at the Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre Company in New York. At Signature, she worked with and produced plays and programs from such acclaimed writers as Edward Albee, Lee Blessing, Horton Foote, Maria Irene Fornés, John Guare, Bill Irwin, Romulus Linney, Arthur Miller, Paula Vogel, August Wilson and Lanford Wilson. During her tenure, she helped create and launch Signature’s groundbreaking $15 Ticket Program. Prior to her time at Signature, she spent six years with Chicago’s Goodman Theatre. Kate currently is the President of the Producers’ Association of Chicago Area Theatres (PACT), an association of Chicago area theatres operating under the Chicago Area Theatre contract; is on the Board of Directors for Arts Alliance Illinois, the statewide advocacy coalition; and the Board of Directors and Past Chair of the League of Chicago Theatres, an alliance representing more than 200 Chicago-area theater companies and producers. She is also the Past Chair of the Board of Directors of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre.  She is also the co-creator of DoNorth, an umbrella organization joining four cultural neighbors—Chicago Botanic Garden, Kohl Children’s Museum, Ravinia Festival and Writers Theatre—to attract new audiences to the cultural, environmental and community activities of Chicago’s North Shore. She was born and raised in the West Suburbs of Chicago and is a graduate of The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

PJ POWERS (Artistic Director, TimeLine Theatre) was a co-founder of TimeLine in 1997 and became Artistic Director in 1999. Since then, he has overseen the production of more than 80 plays, including 13 world premieres and more than 40 Chicago premieres. During his tenure, TimeLine has garnered 62 Jeff Awards, including 11 for Outstanding Production, as well as awards for excellence in arts management, including the 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. PJ was instrumental in establishing TimeLine’s home on Wellington Avenue in 1999; expanding the company’s programming to include productions in numerous other venues, including the Broadway Playhouse; creating the TimePieces play reading series and First Draft Festival of new work; launching the Living History Education Program in Chicago Public Schools under the direction of TimeLine co-founder Juliet Hart; and planning for TimeLine’s new home in Uptown. As an actor, he has appeared in 19 productions at TimeLine, including The Lifespan of a Fact, The Apple Family Plays: That Hopey Changey Thing, The Front Page, The Farnsworth Invention, Fiorello!, and Hauptmann. He also has appeared at Writers Theatre, Northlight, and Shattered Globe, among others. PJ has served on the Board of Directors for the League of Chicago Theatres, was awarded the Meier Achievement Award for mid-career artists, and received a Goldman Sachs Senior Fellowship at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. He directed the one-night-only Chicago premiere of J.T. Rogers’ One Giant Leap: The Apollo 11 Moon Landing at the Broadway Playhouse. He is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University.

MICA COLE (Executive Director, TimeLine Theatre) was named TimeLine’s Executive Director in April 2022. A Chicago native raised on the South Side, she has worked as an arts administrator and changemaker for nearly two decades. Most recently, she has been a national consultant providing executive coaching and strategic planning for cultural institutions working to embrace an antiracist leadership paradigm. Mica is a consultant with artEquity, a nonprofit organization that provides tools, training, and resources for individuals and organizations working at the intersection of art and activism. She co-led its BIPOC Surviving Predominantly White Institutions Series and the BIPOC Leadership Circle—both aimed at providing resources and mentorship to leaders of color. Prior to her work as an organizational consultant, Mica served eight seasons as the Repertory Producer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. As a senior leader at OSF, she played a key role in guiding the company’s equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives, many of which now serve as foundational organizational models for institutions around the world. Mica has produced more than 80 shows, including a dozen transfers and national co-productions of new plays with theatres such as American Repertory, Seattle Repertory, South Coast Rep, Arena Stage, Portland Center Stage, and Berkeley Repertory. She worked in Chicago as the Executive Director of Free Street Theater and as the Director of Education and Engagement at Writers Theatre. Mica served on the advisory committee for the Latinx Theatre Commons and is a founding member of the Black Theatre Commons. She is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University.