crew

GRANT SABIN (scenic design)  A native of rural Illinois, Grant blends his rural roots with urban art. He’s a recipient of the 2015 Michael Maggio Emerging Designer Award. He’s a graduate of Columbia College with a BFA in theatre design where he was awarded the 2005 Michael Merritt student scholarship for collaboration in theatre design. He is known throughout Chicago for his keen eye in capturing atmospheric detail and his ability to design “impressively executed sets” on a storefront-theater budget. His designs have been seen at Northlight, Victory Garden, Steppenwolf, Next, The Royal George, Overture Center WI., Theatre Witt, Gallagher Bluedorn IA., American Blues, ATC, Christina Isabelle Dance, The Seldoms Dance and A Red Orchid. He was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson award for his design of A Red Orchid’s production of The Sea Horse and Dog & Pony’s production of Mr. Marmalade. He was recently named one of the Top 50 Players in Chicago Theatre by New City Magazine. Grant is currently a part-time faculty member at Columbia College.

ROBERT KUHN (costumes)  is pleased to be returning to The Mercury Theater where he previously designed The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes. Recent design credits include: Mame (Light Opera Works), Tomorrow Morning and Heathers (Kokandy Productions), After all the Terrible Things I Do and Abraham Lincoln was a F*gg*t (About Face Theater), and White Christmas (Drury Lane – Oakbrook). Other Chicago Credits include works with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Lookingglass Theater Company, Emerald City Theater, Northwestern University, Concordia University-Chicago, Mortar Theater Company, and Theatre-Hikes. Regional design credits include: Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Pennsylvania Centre Stage) and Dracula and Othello (The Arkansas Shakespeare Theater). Upcoming shows include Lecherous Honey (Cock and Bull Theater) and I Am My Own Wife (About Face Theater). Robert is an artistic associate with About Face Theater.  www.robertskuhn.com

CLAIRE CHRZAN (lighting design) is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago. Recent design credits include: The Mutilated and The Room (A Red Orchid Theatre) Love and Human Remains and Good Person of Szechwan (Cor Theatre) The Distance (Haven Theatre) Caught (Sideshow) After Miss Julie (Strawdog) The Terrible (New Colony) The Guardians and Uncle Bob (Mary-Arrchie) A Number, Scenes from an Execution, and Sweet Phoebe (Runcible) The Hero's Journey, Best Beloved: The Just So Stories and The Pied Piper (Forks and Hope), A Doll's House (Definition Theatre) Recent Tragic Events, The Pitchfork Disney, Owners, Really Really, Terminus, Hot 'N Throbbing (Interrobang Theatre Project) Claire also serves as production stage manager for Hubbard Street's HS2. clairechrzandesigns.com

ZACH ABRAMSON (track orchestrations) is a New York City-based composer, arranger and producer specializing in collaborative multimedia works. His music has been heard globally in AAA video games, independent films and web series, his original songs and arrangements for theatre have been heard on stages throughout New York, and his art songs and concert music have been performed across the U.S. and Europe. Zach is a partner at Brooklyn-based audio production studio YouTooCanWoo where he has contributed music and sound for a number of documentaries, including the Cinema Eye Honors-nominated score for Mateo, Plamen, and Emory Douglas: Art of the Black Panthers. The studio has also produced MGMT’s Time to Pretend EP as well as sonic rebrands for MTV, IBM’s Smarter Planet campaign, the new Pepsi Challenge, and more. In addition, Zach maintains an active performing schedule as a bass and keyboard player with French Horn Rebellion and Deidre & the Dark, as well as DJing as half of the producer-duo Mighty Five with collaborator Derek Muro. Zach received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Richard Danielpour and Nils Vigeland.

KRISTI J. MARTENS (production stage manager) is happy to be back at the Mercury Theater after being the Production Stage Manager for Helldrivers of Daytona. Kristi was, also, the PSM at the Mercury Theater for The Producers, The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes, The Addams Family (Joseph Jefferson Award Winner - Best Musical Mid-Sized Theater), Avenue Q and The Color Purple. Some other theaters that she has worked at: Drury Lane Theater (Oakbrook Terrace), Northlight Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Goodman Theatre, The Royal George Theater, Drury Lane Evergreen Park, Drury Lane Water Tower, Fox Valley Repertory, Oak Park Festival Theater, Fulton Opera House (Lancaster, PA), Maine State Music Theater (Brunswick, ME), Theater At the Center (Munster, IN), WYO Theater (Sheridan, WY), Carousel Dinner Playhouse (Akron, OH), Dallas Theater Center (Dallas, TX). A proud Equity member for over 26 years, Kristi started stage managing with children’s theater.    

JASON SHIVERS (assistant stage manager) Jason previously stage managed with SoloChicago Theater on their hit production of Churchill (2014-2016) which has run in Chicago, off-Broadway in New York City, and continues to tour engagements across the nation. Other Chicago credits include stage management for A Jewish Joke (2016 Spiel Productions) and This (2016 Windy City Playhouse). He is a proud member of Actors Equity and the Stage Managers Association. He continues to work as Production Manager with SoloChicago Theater and as Master Electrician with the Mercury Theater.

RACHEL BOYLAN (wardrobe supervisor)

M. SWEENEY LAWLESS (dramaturg) is a NYC writer and performer. She has been dramaturg on productions including the Oresteia Project: Come Appear Punish and Agamemnon at the Irondale Center (directors Ioli Andreadi and Jay Stern) for the World Wide Lab, Daughter of the Sun by Annie G. Levy and Franny Silverman, Elijah’s Angel by Michael J. Rosen (commissioned for the 100th anniversary of the JCC of Columbus, Ohio), and Shiksappeal: Getting the Chosen to Choose Me by Katherine Williams for the 2012 FringeNYC. Meg was a founding member of comedy groups Euphobia and The Central Fungus and toured and taught improv with Chicago City Limits. Her writing appears in some humor anthologies, and her horror comic A Knock on the Head was illustrated by 16 artists and is on exhibit at The Creek and the Cave in NYC. @Specky4Eyes on Twitter. She can hide up to five bees secretly in her mouth.

LOTUS THEATRICALS (general management)  Lotus Theatricals is a producing and general management firm devoted to presenting and promoting Chicago theater. Founded by Jason Epperson and Abigail Trabue in late 2015, Lotus is developing several commercial theater projects in addition to the launch of the new PerformInk. Previously, Epperson was the General Manager and Producer for the Mercury Theater for nearly 10 years, and the Executive Director of the Greenhouse Theater Center for the last two, where he produced Churchill in Chicago and Off-Broadway. Trabue is a business analyst, actor, and casting director with 12 years of experience in the Chicago theater community.

THE HERON AGENCY (press representative) is a full service PR, Social Media, Marketing, & Ad agency. National Tours: The Singalong Wizard of Oz, C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce, Celtic Thunder, and Sphinx Virtuoso. Numerous concert engagements at arena theaters representing such artists as Prince, Jerry Seinfeld, Fleetwood Mac, Wynonna Judd, Louis CK, The Beach Boys, Jewel, and Andre Rieu. Clients have also included Sesame Street Live, the World Tour Olympic Superstars, the Champions Challenge (McEnroe, Bjorg, Agassi), Barney Live!, the Highland Games, the Apollo Chorus, and the Harlem Globetrotters. Additionally, they represent regional theaters including the Marriott Theatre, Stage 773 and First Folio. Other corporate clients include Hyatt Hotels, Massage Envy, and Le Meridien Hotels.  www.heronagency.com