Emily Schrader has a full and humbled heart to be involved in this production at Weathervane—an ultimate dream show with ultimate collaborators, artists, and friends. Passionate about the arts and hopeful for a more just world, she is sincerely grateful that you have a seat in the audience tonight and hopes that this portrayal can inspire introspection, compassionate examination, hope, and maybe even a little dash of activism. Some recent and favorite roles outside of Parade include Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors (Ohio Premiere — Westfeldt/Renfield/Others) at con-con, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Phoebe D’Ysquith) at CCP, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Rona Lisa Peretti, twice) at ICT and Avenue Arts, Peter and the Starcatcher (Alf) at BCT, and the Grease benefit concert at BCT (Jan). By day, Emily is a pediatric speech-language pathologist at Akron Children’s and will talk your ear off about neurodiversity-affirming care and self-advocacy. “Endless pride and love to Michael. For my mom, who daily demonstrates to me the depth of a mother’s love.”