Paul W. Kruse (Playwright, he/him) "I am wildly grateful to be working with Jeremy and this highly skilled, deeply talented team of artists, all brought together through the generous faith of Shattered Globe. This entire experience has been a gift."

Paul tells Queer love stories. As a playwright and media artist from Western Wisconsin, his work flows from his Midwestern roots and ever-evolving experience of family. Paul often writes collaboratively, drawing from his years of experience as a videographer and documentarian. He was a 2023–2025 Jerome Fellow at the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis and a cohort member of Audible’s third Emerging Playwrights Fund. His audio play Once Removed was an official selection at the 2022 Tribeca Festival. Paul’s plays have been produced by Adjusted Realists in Brooklyn, NY; Quantum Theatre in Pittsburgh, PA; the Vortex Theater in Austin, TX; and in high schools around the country. Paul has developed work at The Ground Floor at Berkeley Rep, Yaddo, the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University, and Middlebury College. Paul completed his MFA at UT Austin in 2020, where he was a fellow with the Michener Center for Writers. From 2012–2022, Paul was resident playwright with Pittsburgh’s Hatch Arts Collective, which he co-founded with Adil Mansoor and Nicole Shero. www.paulwkruse.com

Jeremy Ohringer (Director, he/him) is delighted to work with SGT on Paul’s remarkable play. Chicago directing credits include Briefly Breathless (Steppenwolf LookOut), A Devil Comes to Town (Trap Door), Who Walked All Night (Rhino Fest), and Sad Songs for Bad People (Rough House Theater). At The Theater School at DePaul University (where he is also an Adjunct Professor) he directed The Moors, Monica, and StupidF#@%ingBird. He has also directed several performances at North Central College including Everybody Thrashing, Ride the Cyclone, Tristan and Iseult, Constellations, and The Importance of Being Earnest. He is a graduate of Skidmore College and holds an MFA in directing from Boston University. Love to the folks who help me “be a fish instead!” jeremyohringer.com

Eleanor Kahn**(Scenic Designer, she/her) works regionally and internationally as a scenic designer, experiential, immersive, event and community-focused artist and designer.  Career highlights include: co-creator and designer of FORTS! Build Your Own Adventure; scenic design for Iron & Wine on the national Outside Problems tour; creative director + designer for an immersive lobby activation at the Harris Theater for English National Ballet’s production of CREATURE; designer for a 2019 art activation in Millennium Park; and details designer for Hebru Brantley’s Nevermore Park. Scenic design highlights include: This Too Shall Slap (The Second City); Urinetown, Tell Me on a Sunday, and Never Better (Theo Ubique); It’s A Wonderful Life and In the Grove of Forgetting (TheatreSquared); Goodnight Moon and Milo Imagines the World (Chicago Children’s Theater); Notes from the Field (Timeline Theatre); Hairy Ape and The Mother (Oracle Productions);and NOVA which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She was named one of NewCity Magazine’s Top 50 Players Who Really Perform for Chicago in 2025. Eleanor has an MFA in Scenic Design from Boston University. Her full portfolio can be viewed at www.eleanorkahn.com. Kahn is a proud member of USA 829.

Sierra Walker (Lighting Designer, she/her) is a Chicago-based lighting designer whose work centers on supporting story and performance through collaboration with artists across disciplines. She believes that sharing your work with others is where meaningful art is truly born. Recent credits include Circus Quixote (Associate Lighting Designer) at McCarter Theatre and Taming of the Shrew (Associate Lighting Designer) at Court Theatre. Her upcoming work includes Do Something Pretty (Lighting Designer) at Rivendell Theatre in Chicago. She holds an MFA in Lighting Design from Northwestern University.  

Delena Bradley (Costume Designer, she/her)

Christopher Kriz**~ (Original Music and Sound Design, he/him) is an award-winning composer and sound designer based in Chicago. Previous SGT designs include: A Tale Of Two Cities (Jeff Award for Original Music), Ugly Lies The Bone,Lobby Hero, Jump, and dozens of others. A winner of 7 Joseph Jefferson Awards, Kriz has designed hundreds of productions for companies in Chicago including Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Northlight, Court, Chicago Shakespeare, Writers, Paramount, Timeline, Victory Gardens, Remy Bumppo, and many others. Regional credits: Seattle Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Repertory, Indiana Repertory, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Nebraska Repertory, Peninsula Players, TheatreSquared, American Stage, Montana Shakespeare, Michigan Shakespeare Festival, and others. Kriz is a proud member of United Scenic Artists 829 and is represented by the Michael Moore Agency. To hear more of his work, visit www.christopherkriz.com

Saskia Bakker (Properties Designer) is a Chicago-based prop and puppet designer who is thrilled to work at Shattered Globe Theatre again. Previously at Shattered Globe, Saskia designed props for Ugly Lies the Bone. Additional select prop design credits include Wish You Were Here (Remy Bumppo Theatre), Cygnus (Gift Theatre), Black Sunday (Timeline Theatre), and The Dream King (Teatro Vista). They’ve created puppets for A Devil Comes to Town (Trap Door Theatre), House of the Exquisite Corpse: Blood and Puppets (Rough House Puppet Arts), and numerous puppet slams and personal projects. You can see more work on Instagram @okpuppeteer.

Kristina Fluty (Intimacy Director, she/her) Shattered Globe debut. Amadeus, Noises Off, Another Marriage, Describe the Night, The Children (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Wish You Were Here,Frankenstein, Top Girls (Remy Bumppo); Dhaba on Devon Avenue, The Last Match (Writer’s). Lie of the Mind (Raven);Black Sunday, Cardboard Piano (TimeLine); Spring Awakening (Porchlight); A Little Night Music, The Sound of Music (Marriott); Mies Julie, Indecent (Victory Gardens). Regional: Linda Vista (Center Theatre Group – LA). Kristina’s main creative home since 2003 is Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak, a modern dance company based in Chicago. MA in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling, Laban Movement Analyst, Movement Pattern Analyst, Spiral Body Techniques® instructor. Associate Professor of Movement - The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Ben Murphy (Assistant Director, he/him) is an actor and director from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Most recently, he directed Poolside at Your Local Drama Club and acted in The Seagull at Red Theater. Other Chicago acting credits include How to Defend Yourself (Snails on a Bike); the 37th Annual Young Playwrights Festival (Pegasus); Romeo and Juliet, Number the Stars (GreatWorks); and Witch,I Love Chess, and You're a B*tch, Opal Hadley (The Understudy). He’s also toured Hamlet and The Winter's Tale with Montana Shakespeare in the Parks. He holds a BFA in Acting from Boston University and a Certificate in Classical Acting from the London Academy of Musical and Dramatic Art. All the gratitude in the world to Olivia & his family.

Alexa Berkowitz (Production Manager, she/her) has worked with a number of theatre companies in Chicago as both a stage manager and production manager including City Lit Theater, Promethean Theatre Ensemble (where she is an ensemble member), Strawdog Theatre Company, The Factory Theater, and Black Button Eyes Productions.  Alexa is also the assistant production manager at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. She graduated from the University at Buffalo, SUNY with a B.A. in Dance and a B.A. in Theatre.  Alexa also holds a M.A. from Loyola University Chicago in Women’s Studies and Gender Studies.

Tina M. Jach*(Production Stage Manager, she/her) is as an ensemble member of Shattered Globe Theatre. Some of her SGT credits include: Ugly Lies The Bone, Lobby Hero, Becky Nurse Of Salem, A View From the Bridge, London Road, Rasheeda Speaking; Sheepdog; Crime And Punishment and Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday; Other Chicago credits include Four Places (Den Theatre); The Father (Remy Bumppo Theatre); Fade (Teatro Vista & Victory Gardens Theater), Henry Johnson, Hand To God, Eurydice, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity and Anna in the Tropics (Victory Gardens Theater), Confessions of a P. I. M. P. (Grippo Stage Company, Inc.), Race (Goodman Theatre).  Ms. Jach holds an MFA in Stage Management from Rutgers University, and is a proud member of AEA.

Adam Schulmerich+ (Assistant Production Manager he/him) is an ensemble member with Shattered Globe Theater and is thrilled to be working in the role of Production Manager this season.

Grace Herman (Assistant Stage Manager, she/her) is a stage manager, director, and dramaturg based in Chicago, originally from Tamarindo, Costa Rica. She is thrilled to be working with Shattered Globe for the first time on this production. Recent credits include: Eureka Day (Dramaturg, TimeLine Theatre), Devil Comes to Town (Assistant Director, Trap Door Theatre), Notes from the Field (Assistant Director & Dramaturg, Loyola University). She holds a B.A. in Theatre from Loyola University Chicago.  https://gsherman723.wixsite.com/website

Riley Bulson (Assistant Stage Manager, she/her) is a Chicago-based stage manager and theatre artist, excited to be the Cover Assistant Stage Manager for Eelpout! with Shattered Globe Theatre! She is an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago, where her credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Legally Blonde, and Orange Julius. Riley serves as Production Management Coordinator for Loyola’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts and has additional stage management experience with The Beautiful City Project on Jesus Christ Superstar and We Will Rock You!. She gratefully acknowledges the mentorship of Miranda Anderson, April Browning, and Theresa Ham, along with the support of many colleagues and friends.

Benjamin Lipinski (Technical Director, he/him)

Ellie Fey (Lead Electrician, she/her) is a 24 year old Chicago based Lighting Designer and Electrician. She graduated from The Theatre School at DePaul University in 2023 with a BFA in lighting design. This will be Ellie's seventh production as Lead Electrician for SGT, and she has run electrics for other companies such as Jackalope Theatre, Theatre Wit, and The Artistic Home. Some of her design credits include Lobby Hero (Shattered Globe Theater), The Drowsy Chaperone; Urinetown (Theo Ubique Cabaret Theater), Turn of the Screw (The Music School at DePaul University), Superior Donuts; Witch (The Artistic Home), The Unknown Variable (Momentary Theatre), Fizz and Ginger (Chicago Fringe Opera). Ellie has received two Jeff Award nominations for outstanding lighting design for her work on Lobby Hero and Witch. In the coming months she will be designing Here Be Sirens at Chicago Fringe Opera and Southern Rapture at Tin Drum Theatre Company. You can check out her portfolio at www.elliemfeydesigns.com.

Sandy Shinner+ (Producing Artistic Director, she/her) joined Shattered Globe Theatre in October 2013 as the theatre’s first Producing Artistic Director. Her SGT directing credits include Deborah Zoe Laufer’s Be Here Now, Will Snider’s How to Use a Knife, Scott McPherson’s Marvin’s Room, and Sally Nemeth’s Mill Fire. The former Associate Artistic Director of Victory Gardens Theater, she created the nationally known IGNITION! Festival, served as co-director of the Access Project, and, with former Artistic Director Dennis Zacek and former Managing Director Marcelle McVay, accepted the 2001 Regional Theater Tony Award on behalf of Victory Gardens. She has directed over 85 plays at theaters including Victory Gardens, Remy Bumppo, American Blues, the University of Virginia, Actors Theater of Louisville’s Humana Festival, Steppenwolf’s First Look Repertory of New Work, New York’s 78th Street Theater Lab, and the Sacramento Theater Company, among others. Her production of Trying by Joanna McClelland Glass transferred to New York, and her direction was nominated for the Joe A. Callaway Award. Shinner received the 2013 Kathryn V. Lamkey Spirit Award from the Equal Employment Opportunity Committee of Actors’ Equity Association for her commitment to diversity and non-traditional casting. She has been recognized as one of “50 Top Players” by Newcity and a “Chicagoan of the Year” by the Chicago Tribune. She is an adjunct professor at DePaul’s Theatre School, and an Ambassador for the National New Play Network.

Amber D. Montgomery (Associate Artistic Director, she/her) is the Associate Artistic Director of Shattered Globe Theatre. Her Chicago directing and associate/assistant directing credits include JUMP, Rasheeda Speaking and Sheepdog (Shattered Globe Theatre), School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play (Goodman Theatre), Lindiwe (Steppenwolf Theatre), Too Heavy for Your Pocket (TimeLine Theatre), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Writers Theatre), Measure for Measure (American Players Theatre), First Love is the Revolution (Steep Theatre), The Snow Queen (The House Theatre of Chicago), Countess Dracula (Otherworld Theatre) and REVLOT (Story Theatre New Play Festival). Montgomery was awarded a Directing Fellowship at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and at Steppenwolf Theatre’s Department of Education/SYA. She has also trained at Shakespeare’s Globe in London and LISPA (now Arthaus Berlin). She holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program and an MA from Central Saint Martins in London.

Lesley Swanson (General Manager, she/her) brings over 12 years of experience in Arts Management and Arts Education. Swanson has planned and executed productions in the non-profit sector for television, theater, and orchestra. She has also directed schools of dance, drama, and music. Swanson earned a MM in flute performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and a BM from Grand Valley State University. She owns a private studio in the City of Chicago where she teaches flute students of all ages. Active in Chicago’s new music scene, her dynamic flute playing can be heard with the Chicago Composers Orchestra. Swanson has proven herself to be a powerful advocate for women’s rights. As an arts leader, she is committed to continuing education. She recently completed Enrich Chicago’s training Building a Culture of Anti-Racism.

Julia Farrell Diefenbach (Director of Marketing and Community Engagement, she/her) is the Managing and Marketing Director for Artemisia Theatre, Chicago's feminist theatre. She previously served as the Director of Marketing and Social Media for Haven Chicago and as the Associate Artistic Director of The Halogen Company, an award-winning immersive theatre company in Los Angeles. She has collaborated with numerous Chicago theatres including: Collaboraction, Broken Nose Theatre, Midsommer Flight, Firebrand, Go To Productions, and Citadel Theatre. Certified as an Intimacy Captain by the ICC, she also freelances as a director and dramaturg, bringing her expertise to a variety of theatrical projects. Julia holds a BA in Directing with a minor in Stage Combat from Columbia College Chicago. juliafarrell.net

Nate Santana*^ (Casting Director + Producer, he/him)  joined the company as an Ensemble Member in 2018. For three years, he taught and directed the Protege Program at SGT as well as produced and oversaw the inaugural Global Playwriting Series (GPS), which received over 150 submissions in its first year. Theatre credits include Marvin’s Room (Shattered Globe); Ironbound (Raven Theatre); The Thanksgiving Play (Steppenwolf); Legend of Georgia McBride, Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley (Northlight); Frankenstein, Sense and Sensibility (Indiana Repertory Theatre); SS! Romeo and Juliet, SS! Twelfth Night (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Balm in Gilead, Golden Boy (Griffin Theatre); The Abuelas, White Tie Ball, Momma’s Boyz (Teatro Vista); The Rainmaker (BoHo Theatre); References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot (Phoenix Theatre Indianapolis) and What Happened When, Slipping (the side project). Television credits include Chicago Med, Chicago PD, Suits and The Exorcist. Santana is also an Ensemble Member with Teatro Vista. He studied at the School at Steppenwolf, The Moscow Art Theatre, and received his BA from Valparaiso University.