Bethany Thomas is beyond thrilled to make her Northlight debut and to finally share space with you all again. Credits include Into the Woods, A Moon for the Misbegotten (Writers Theater); Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Songs For Nobodies, The Color Purple (Milwaukee Rep); The Tempest (Chicago Shakespeare); Marry Me a Little (Porchlight Music Theater); and Porgy and Bess (Court Theater). She’s also frequently entangled with The Neo Futurists, Steppenwolf, Second City, The Fly Honeys, The Paper Machete, and The Hideout. As a singer/songwriter, BT tours and records with Jon Langford, and recently released an album with Tawny Newsome entitled Material Flats, and a solo album entitled BT/She/Her. Find Bethany’s music on iTunes, Bandcamp, Spotify, and everywhere else. Love to Rob. @bethanyt80

Time Out Chicago calls her “phenomenal,” and Showbiz Chicago raves “Roston holds the audience in the palm of her hand.” Actress, director and playwright Alexis J. Roston earned acclaim for her mesmerizing portrayal of Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, including Chicago’s Jeff Award, a Black Theater Alliance Award and the Black Excellence Award. Other credits nationwide include starring in Don’t Make Me Over— A Tribute to Dionne Warwick (Jeff Award Nomination, Black Theater Alliance Award Nomination), Mary Poppins (Mrs. Banks), Porgy and Bess (Bess), Ragtime (Sarah), Sister Act (Delores), For Colored Girls… (Lady in Orange), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Charlaine), Shrek: The Musical (Dragon), The Wiz (Addaperle), The Piano Lesson (Grace), Crowns (Jeanette), Company (Sarah), Godspell (Joanne), Smokey Joe’s Café (Brenda), Jesus Christ Superstar, The Color Purple, Hair, Hairspray, She the People with Second City Chicago and the world premiere of The Secret of My Success. Concerts include First Lady of Song: Alexis J Roston Sings Ella Fitzgerald. An ensemble member of Congo Square Theatre, Roston served as director and playwright of A Nativity Story: More Than A Miracle. Television: Chicago PD, Chicago Code, and The Chi. She holds a BFA in musical theatre from Howard University. She is a proud member of AEA and Congo Square Theatre Company and represented by Paonessa Talent Agency.

George Brant (Playwright) plays include Grounded, Marie and Rosetta, Into the Breeches!, Elephant’s Graveyard, The Prince of Providence, Tender Age, The Land of Oz, Dark Room, Grizzly Mama, Good on Paper, The Mourners’ Bench, Salvage, Three Voyages of the Lobotomobile, Any Other Name, Defiant, Miracle: A Tragedy, Ashes, NOK, The Lonesome Hoboes, All Talk, One Hand Clapping, The Royal Historian of Oz, Lovely Letters, Three Men in a Boat, Borglum! The Mount Rushmore Musical, Tights on a Wire and Night of the Mime. Brant’s work has been produced internationally by such companies as the Public Theater, The Atlantic Theater Company, Trinity Repertory Company, Cleveland Play House, The Alley Theatre, Studio Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory, City Theatre, Gate Theatre of London, Page 73, Traverse Theatre, Dobama Theatre, and the Disney Channel, among others. George received his MFA in Writing from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin and is a member of the Dramatists Guild. He is published by Samuel French, Oberon Books, Fisher Verlage and Smith & Kraus.

E. Faye Butler (Director) E. Faye Burtler’s career spans over 40 years. Performing and directing both musicals and plays nationally and internationally. After years of standing in front of the footlights, she now enjoys passing forward all the pearls of wisdom given to her during her fruitful acting career. Northlight credits: Ella (Jeff Award), Dinah Was (Jeff Award), Black Pearl Sings, and several summer and New Year’s Eve concerts. In addition, E. Faye is a board trustee at Northlight. Directing credits include: The Wiz (Fulton Theatre), The Color Purple (Maine State Music Theatre – Best Direction, Broadway World and Vickie Award), Goods (Artemisia Theatre – Nomination for Stream Award for Best Direction), Ain’t Misbehavin (Portland Stage), Beyond the Door (Tender Touch Productions), Ain’t Misbehavin (Michigan Ensemble Theatre), Five Guys Named Moe (Beverly Arts Center). E. Faye also directs solo performances, cabarets, and staged readings. She is a recipient of several awards and acknowledgments including being a Lunt-Fontanne Fellow. E. Faye was inducted into Women in the Arts Museum in Washington D.C. Ms. Butler is honored to be named Chicagoan of the Year and New City Stage Player for 2023. Upcoming projects can be found at e-fayebutler.com. Many thanks to BJ Jones and staff for the opportunity to make my Northlight debut as Director E. Faye Butler. Proud SDC member. Love ya, BJ!

John Culbert (Set Design) previously designed Northlight productions of White Guy on the Bus, Faceless, and Grey Gardens. Other recent Chicago scenic and lighting design credits include: Gospel at Colonus, Arsenic and Old Lace, Oedipus Rex, The Adventures of Augie March (Court); The Chinese Lady, Chimerica and Juno (TimeLine); Villette (Lookingglass); Objects in the Mirror and Having Our Say (Goodman) and Twelfth Night and Arcadia (Writers Theatre).  Regional credits include productions with Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Long Wharf, Berkeley Repertory, McCarter and Shakespeare Theatre Company. Other projects include the lighting design for the Chicago Park District’s Buckingham Fountain. Mr. Culbert served as Dean of The Theatre School at DePaul University for over 20 years.

Rachel returns to Northlight with Birthday Candles.  Previous Northlight credits include: The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Lady Windermere’s Fan, She Stoops to Conquer, The Chalk Garden, The Miser, Rounding Third, Tuesdays with Morrie, A Skull in Conemarra, and The Gamester.   Additional Chicago credits include: Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare, Writers, Chicago Children’s Theatre, Court, Drury Lane, TimeLine, Next, and Remy Bumppo. Regionally, she has designed with Alliance, Milwaukee Rep, First Stage Childrens’ Theatre of Milwaukee, Indiana Repertory, Arizona Theatre Co., American Players, and Long Wharf. Recent productions including Ms. Healy’s designs are Steppenwolf’s Tribes and Indiana Repertory’s Who Am I This Time? Ms. Healy is a Professor of Design at Loyola University.

Jared Gooding (Lighting Design) Jared is excited to make his Northlight design debut! His design credits include show for Writers Theater, Court Theater, Syracuse Stage, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Indiana Repertory Theater, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Florentine Opera Company, Bristol Riverside Theater, STAGES Theater, Florentine Opera Company, American Blues Theater, First Stage Theater, DePaul University, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Victory Gardens, Timeline Theater, Madison Children’s Theater, University of Illinois Chicago Theatre, University of Indiana Northwest, Remy Bumpo Theater, Strawdog Theater, the Hypocrites, Definition Theater, Windy City Playhouse, Sideshow Theatre, Jackalope Theatre, First Floor Theater, About Face Theatre, MPAACT, and Pegasus Theatre. He was the lighting assistant for The Wiz Live on NBC, and has associate designed at the Kennedy Center in DC. And he was recently awarded the Emerging Designer award at the Michael Merritt awards. He spends weekends as a professional DJ. His work is featured at goodingdesigns.com

Rick has composed and designed sound for numerous Chicago-area theaters, including Steppenwolf, Lookingglass, Northlight, Congo Square, Writers, Chicago Children’s Theatre, Court, and American Blues. Regional credits include Arena Stage and Roundhouse Theatre in Washington D.C., Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, South Coast Rep in Southern California, The Getty, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia, 2nd Stage and Playwrights Horizons in New York City, Actors Theatre of Louisville and Portland Playhouse. He is an artistic associate of Lookingglass, an artistic affiliate with American Blues. He composed the music for The Thanksgiving Play at 2nd Stage Theatre on Broadway. Sims won a Jeff Award for sound design for Lookingglass’ Moby Dick, Frankenstein, and Hephaestus, and a BTA award for Congo Squares Brothers In the Dust. Sims also wrote the book, music, and lyrics for Lookingglass Hillbilly Antigone. 

Rita Vreeland has been a frequent stage manager at Northlight since 2007, with Birthday Candles marking her 42nd production here. Other favorite recent projects include Ernest Shackleton Loves Me at Porchlight Music Theatre, A Christmas Carol at Drury Lane, The Luckiest at Raven Theatre, three years of The Polar Express Train Ride, and productions at Mercury Theatre, Victory Gardens, Route 66 Theatre Company, Theatre at the Center, and The Galway International Arts Festival in Galway, Ireland. She is the proud wife of actor Tom Hickey and mom to ten-year-old Charlie, and this year she celebrated her 22nd anniversary as a member of Actors’ Equity Association. Thank you for supporting live theatre!