Program Manager
Kathy Simon
Program Director
Bill McGlynn
Bill is a graduate of Boston University in Boston , Massachusetts with a degree in History, Middle School Education and Theatre Arts. His theatrical accomplishments include appearances at Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winner Derrick Walcott’s Playwright’s Theatre and the Boston University Dramatic Society of which he was co-founder. Bill is a proud alumni of both Oak Park and River Forest High School where he received the James Eitrheim award for excellence in the dramatic arts, and Julian Junior High School where he was a participant in the first year of the CAST program. He was a theatre cherub at Northwestern Univeristy and completed his masters with distinction at the prestigious joint program of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and Kings College in London, UK.
Kathy is the active parent of three children, including one CAST Alum and three graduates of Oak Park and River Forest High School. Kathy has been active with the Parent Teacher Organizations at Mann and Julian Schools in Oak Park. When not in the CAST Lab, she enjoys working in her garden and traveling.
Former Cast Alum and Julian Jr. High Student, moved on to OPRF High School and was a active member of the stage crew and shop foreman senior year. After graduating he wanted to pursue his passion of theater and film and landed his first gig as the sound engineer for a small film called “Love, Blood, Kryptonite” and recently was the light board technician for the ABC network series “Betrayal”. When not working in film you might catch him working with the Academy of Movement and Music as a stage manager/Lighting Designer, and freelancing as a sound engineer for several local professional bands in the Chicagoland area. When working in the professional theater life his designs have been seen with companies known as Chicago Folks Operetta credits include “Girl on the Train”, “Peter Paul and the Land of Nod”, “Pinocchio”, “Snow White”, and “Babes in Toyland”. Open Door Rep Company includes “Crowns”, “Trains”, “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks”, “Superior Donuts”, “Game of Love and Chance”, and “No Witness” to name a few. At the end of the day he always returns to what he calls home and that is the CAST program.
Bio coming soon!
Technical Director
Josh Prisching
Youth Camp Administrator
Susan Van Dusartz
Get to know the Staff!
Keith has been seen in theatres around Chicago including Drury Lane OakBrook/Water Tower, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Stage Left and Lifeline. Favorites: Earth and Sky at Circle Theatre, for which he received an After Dark Award for Outstanding Performance, Ecstasy of Dragonflies, Never the Sinner and The Shadowbox, Raised in Captivity, Alice and CAST’s Inspector Hound. Other Chicago credits inlcude: Reckless, Balm in Gilead and Three Way Split, MacBett at 13th Tribe/greasy joan and co., Inspecting Carol, As You Like It and Grand Hotel. A proud member of Actor’s Equity and the Screen Actor’s Guild, Keith has appeared on Early Edition and in several commercials.
Director
Keith Eric Davis
Ty is a graduate of OPRFHS and a professional actor/director/choreographer in the Chicago area. A former company member of Circle Theatre, Ty has also worked with The Goodman, The Illinois Theatre Center, Royal George, Bailiwick, and Pegasus Players and educational theatre companies Child’s Play, Healthworks and Imagination Theatre. Recent directing projects include musicals at Steel Beam Theatre of St. Charles and the North Shore Theatre of Wilmette. On stage, Ty was recently seen as Senetor Roland Burris in Second City’s Rod Blagojevich Superstar at Navy Pier.
Director/Choreographer
Ty Perry
Mac is a member of the Julian faculty who also attended Julian and the CAST program. Malachy went on to study drama at Oak Park and River Forest High School where he received the James Eitrheim award for excellence in the dramatic arts. At Lawrence University in Wisconsin Malachy was honored as the Best Director and Best Actor in three consecutive seasons. He studied at the London Centre in England before returning to teach in Baltimore, Maryland and then the Chicagoland area. Professionally Malachy has worked for the Organic, Touchstone and Court Theatres.
Staff Director
Malachy "Mac" Boyle
Sarah has been teaching and acting professionally in Chicago for over ten years. She has performed with theatres including American Theatre Company, Lifeline Theatre, Strawdog Theatre, The Hypocrites, Redmoon, Blair Thomas and Company, and The Neofuturists. She is the resident theatre artist at Telpochcalli School, a company member with Strawdog Theatre, and is a company member and teacher forBarrel of Monkeys.
Director
Sarah Goeden
Director
Keya Shearrill
Ms. Shearrill is a professional actress and a former 2nd grade teacher at Holmes Elementary School in Oak Park School District 97. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Acting from Illinois State University and a Master of Arts in Elementary Education from Roosevelt University. Prior to beginning her career as a teacher, she was a commercial, stage and educational theater actress. She has distinguished herself as a teacher who successfully fuses the arts and education by incorporating dramatic arts during classroom instruction and producing school assemblies. She also teaches performance art classes in PTO facilitated after-school programs, Julian Middle School’s CAST program, and Oak Park Education Foundation’s Base Camp.