Jeff Broitman (Verges), he/him, was previously seen in Edge’s Inherit the Wind; The Language Archive, for which he received a Jeff nomination; and The Book of Will. Jeff has written, directed, taught, and performed theater & improvisation for over 30 years in New York City; Minneapolis; and Chicago. Recent credits include Harvey (St. Sebastian Players); Deck the Stage (Yellow Rose Theater); and The Blood Countess (Idle Muse Theatre). Thanks to Herb & everyone at Edge for this opportunity!

Andrew Bosworth (Don John), he/him, is ecstatic to be doing Shakespeare again. He received his MFA from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory in Sarasota, FL.  He’s worked with many Chicago companies (Redtwist, Idle Muse, City Lit, Theatre Above the Law, the Conspirators, etc.) as well as The Lord of the Rings with Chicago Shakespeare (U/S Gollum/Saruman/Bilbo). He is a certified teacher of the Demidov School of Acting, one of only six people in the world. Visit www.demidovchicago.com.

Rowan Collins (Telegraph Messenger/Newsboy, Verges/Friar u/s), they/he, is very excited to be a part of Much Ado About Nothing. Recent shows include: Annie (Ensemble) at Big Noise Theatre; The Crucible (Susanna Walcott) at Playtime Theatre; Dancing at Lughnasa (Chris) at Devonshire Playhouse; The Aliens (Evan), The Kassandriad (Odysseus), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Voice #5) at Knox College. Their short play Minute Hand to God debuted at Knox College’s New Plays Festival IV.

Mitchell Connolly (Conrade, Don John u/s), he/him, is excited to make his debut at Edge of the Wood Theater! He is a Chicago-based actor/scientist. Previous acting credits include: Kent (Reasons to be Pretty; SIUC), Lennox (Macbeth; SIUC), Link (Hairspray; Corn Stock Theater), and Riff (West Side Story; Peoria Players). He has also performed at the Chicago Fringe Festival and The Second City. He trained at Southern Illinois University – Carbondale (SIUC). Outside of the theater, Mitchell is a bioinformatics scientist and enjoys playing ice hockey.

Olivia Finkelstein (Hero), she/her, is delighted to be making her Edge of the Wood debut! Recent credits include Georgiana in Georgiana & Kitty (Buffalo Theatre Ensemble), The Storm of the Century (Laughing Stock Theatre), and Reality Winner in Is This a Room (Harlequin Productions). Film credits: Stargazer and The Road to Plan C. Olivia received her BFA in Acting from Illinois Wesleyan University. Sending love to her people! oliviafinkelstein.com

Damondre Green (Borachio), he/him, is thrilled to stir the pot in Much Ado About Nothing! Previously based in Washington, DC, he received his B.F.A. in Musical Theatre cum laude from Howard University where he studied Shakespeare with dear professors Craig Wallace and Raymond O. Caldwell. Favorite credits include Sweet Charity (Daddy Brubeck), Day of Absence (Clem – Helen Hayes Award–nominated ensemble), Urinetown (Caldwell B. Cladwell), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theseus). Damondre gives much love and gratitude to his family and friends for their constant encouragement.

Adrienne Grove* (Canary/Ensemble), she/her, is a Resident Artist and a vocal instructor with more than 20 years of experience teaching voice and performing. She is thrilled to return to Edge, bringing her vocal stylings to Much Ado About Nothing, and gratefully thanks Matt and Maisie for their continued support.

Brock Hayden (Seecure/Ensemble, Claudio u/s), he/him, is a “giddy thing” over making his Edge of the Wood debut in this production. Brock has both performed in and served as Text Coach for several Chicagoland Shakespeare productions and always loves returning to heightened language. Favorite past credits (Shakespeare and otherwise) include Don John in Much Ado About Nothing and Stephano in The Tempest (Goodly Creatures), Lurch in The Addams Family (UMTHP), and Rev. Hale in The Crucible (Playtime Theatre Co). Enjoy the show!

Jack Hradecky (Benedick), he/him, returns for his third production with the Resident Theatre–previously in Jeff Recommended Bernhardt/Hamlet and Jeff Award-winning The Minutes. Regionally, Jack has worked with Milwaukee Rep, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Red Theater, and Ego Death and Sub Rosa Theatre Collectives. Thank you to the wonderful family here at Edge of the Wood and to his wife Savannah, his mom and his siblings. He’d like to dedicate this performance to his late father.

Rory Jobst (Dogberry), he/him

Tis much ado for Rory’s Edge debut
Dogberry checks off a bucket list box
He dabbled with the Bard a lot last year
One might say he caught the Shakespeare’n pox
For Invictus, in WINTER’S TALE he ran
From a bear as Antigonus’s swing 
In fair Elgin, a TEMPEST he did blow 
As Stephano, a drunken man serving
Then came a swing gig for THE BOOK OF WILL
Shakespeare adjacent for Promethean
Where he played Richard Burbage for one scene 
In the swan song for his old friend Veatch, Ben 
He dedicates this role upon this set
To fairest Shana, his own Juliet

Katie Nowak (Beatrice), she/they, is a recent Loyola University Chicago graduate who hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is ecstatic to return to Edge of the Wood on the acting side for Much Ado About Nothing! Edge of the Wood Credits: Bernhardt/Hamlet (Stage Manager), Inherit the Wind (Stage Manager). Regional/Educational Credits: Sweet Charity (Fandango Girl), As You Like It (Audrey), Polaroid Stories (Persephone). She would like to thank her family, friends, and mentors for their love and support. Find her on Instagram: @katienowaktheatre

Stephen Oberhardt* (Musician/Ensemble, Borachio/Conrade u/s), he/him, is excited to be spending more time in his favorite basement. After years of attending the theater school here, he most recently performed in the ensemble of Inherit the Wind, directed Nice Fish by Mark Rylance and Louis Jenkins with a cast of some of our finest Resident Artists, and before that stage managed Edge’s Jeff Awarded production of The Minutes by Tracy Letts. In his time outside the walls of Edgebrook Community Church he rides his bike around the city of Chicago, plays DnD with his friends, and plays keys in local rock band Ivy Drip. 

R. Scott Purdy* (Leonato), he/him, is excited to return to the boards at Edge of the Wood, having appeared in Edge productions of: Our Town, The Fantasticks, Holiday, The Seagull, Arcadia, The Book of Will, The Crucible, The Language Archive, Inherit the Wind, and Nice Fish. Scott has been in hundreds of stage plays, dozens of films and many commercials. He is represented in Chicago by Shirley Hamilton Talent. More info on his website: www.rscottpurdy.com

Janet Rourke* (Antonia), she/her–Bio coming soon!

Karli Scott (Margaret), she/her, is excited to work with Edge of the Wood Theatre for the first time! Her previous theatre credits include: The House That Will Not Stand (u/s) (Invictus Theatre) and Beneath the Willow Tree (u/s) (Pulse Theatre). Karli is represented by The Rock Talent Agency.

Lisa Stran (Ursula/Stenographer), she/her, is thrilled to be joining her lucky seventh production with Edge of the Wood. Previously she has performed as Mayor/McLain in Inherit the Wind, Sarah Bernhardt (U/S) in Bernhardt/Hamlet, the Instructor in the Jeff-nominated The Language Archive, Ms. Matz (U/S) in the Jeff-nominated The Minutes, Signora Cini in It is So (If You Think So!) and one of her favorite roles to date, Frances Black in Light Up the Sky. Lisa graduated from Northwestern University in 1996 and has been performing in storefront theater in Chicago ever since. You may also catch her on the radio as Lisa, one of the voices of Lakeside Bank since 2018. Many thanks to Herb, Eve and the rest of the cast and crew for their hard work and dedication toward making this show a success. And most of all thank you for coming to support Edge of the Wood!

Chris Toft* (Friar Francis, Don Pedro u/s), he/him, is a Resident Artist, where he has directed Inherit the Wind, The Crucible, and the Studio Series’ Betrayal. He recently appeared in Fiddler on the Roof with Music Theatre Works. Favorite Edge roles include The Chairman in Drood, Editor Webb in Our Town, and Mr. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. He played philanthropist Joy Morton for the Morton Arboretum’s centennial. He is the Executive Producer of Baseball Furies, a documentary about the collision of music and America’s pastime.

Sam Waddell (Don Pedro), he/him, is thrilled to be back on stage at Edge of the Wood for the third time! Previous credits include It Is So (If You Think So!) and Bernhardt/Hamlet. Around Chicago Sam has worked with The Beverly Arts Center, The Theatre Lab, and Cornservatory Theatre. He would like to thank his friends and family for all their love and support

James Wheeler (Claudio), he/him, is incredibly excited to be back at Edge of the Wood Theatre! James’s most recent production credits include The Mannequin’s Ball (Human Leader) at the Trap Door Theatre and The Lifespan of a Fact (Jim Fingal) at the Oil Lamp Theater. Other recent work includes returning to his alma mater, Augustana College, as a dialect coach and performing a staged reading with the Trap Door Theatre for the 2025 International Voices Project.

Emma Blonda (Beatrice u/s), she/her, is thrilled to be working on one of her favorite shows of all time with such a wonderful crew.  She recently graduated from the University of Idaho and moved to Chicago late 2024.  Most recently, she was in MadKap’s production of Company by Stephen Sondheim, where she covered all eight female tracks as the female understudy.  Other credits include Measure for Measure (Isabel), Cabaret (Fraulein Kost), and Into the Woods (Rapunzel).  She wants to thank her father, Simon, for his everlasting support of her as she continues to chase her dreams.  Instagram: @brunetta406

Stephen Loch* (Dogberry u/s), he/him, is an actor and graduate of the Theatre School at DePaul University. He has appeared in many Edge of the Wood Theater productions, including Light up the Sky, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Our Town, The Fantasticks, Bernhardt/Hamlet, Arcadia, The Minutes, and The Book of Will.

Larissa Strong (Antonia/Ursula u/s), she/her, grew up just a bike ride away from the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, and is living proof that easy and early access to the fine arts changes lives for the better. Her first time seeing Much Ado was at six years old, and marked the occasion by yelling her favorite line “You are an ass!” as she crossed the parking lot with her parents, who amazingly entirely supported her acting endeavors after such an auspicious start. Since COVID, Larissa has spent most of her time behind a mic- you may have heard her voice in an ad for Pentair, or on podcasts like Radio Grimm and Heartland Theatre Company’s It Happened One Night. Larissa spends most of free her time with her wonderful husband, as they try everything and anything to pacify their two opinionated dogs.  

Leela Watts (Hero/Margaret u/s), she/her, is delighted to be making her Edge of the Wood Theatre debut! Recent credits include Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley (Buffalo Theatre Ensemble), Factory Roulette: Double or Nothing (Factory Roulette), and Kitty James and Destiny’s Trail to Oregon (The Factory Theater), and Much Ado About Nothing (Goodly Creatures Theatre).

JEFF AWARDS

Recognized for excellence

The Resident Theatre at Edge of the Wood produces family-friendly, professional-caliber shows in our community, engaging and inspiring young people as performers and theatre-goers. 

Four Jeff nominations for The Language Archive

• Production (Short Run)
• Director (Short Run) – Stacey Lind
• Performer in a Supporting Role (Short Run) – Jeff Broitman
• Performer in a Supporting Role (Short Run) – Ellen Shaw

Four Jeff nominations for The Minutes

• Production (Short Run)
• Director (Short Run) – Janet Rourke
• Performer (Short Run) – Jack Hradecky WINNER
• Ensemble (Short Run)

The Jeff Awards honor excellence in Chicago theatre. Congratulations to all the nominees!