Mitera Bio: Letitia Guillaud

Letitia Guillaud (Director) is an Artistic Associate of TUTA and one of the Co-Artistic Directors and founders of Strangeloop Theatre.  This is the second production she has directed for Strangeloop. Previous credits include props design for Bo Thomas and the Case of the Sky Pirates (Babes with Blades), The Edge of Our Bodies and The Jewels (TUTA), directing The Sound of a Yellow Flower (Strangeloop) and acting in A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Robbers (Strangeloop).  She would like to thank her family (in-law and out-law), husband and little Felix for allowing her to continue in her theatrical experiments.

Krampus Bio: Maria Burnham

Maria Burnham (Director) is a director, writer, sometimes stage manager, full-time theater monkey and all around jack-of-all-trades. Storefront theater, ho! She studied creative writing and theater at Louisiana State University and has worked in Chicago with such companies as Appetite Theatre Co., New Millennium Theatre Co., Stockyards Theatre Project, TUTA and Red Theater, where she is also a company member. Maria is thrilled to be a member of Strangeloop. She loves pursuing the undiscovered, though mostly she’s just in it for the chicken. She wishes she could stuff this cast in a basket and keep them with her forever because they make her laugh every day.

Loopshop 8 Bio: John Morrison

John Morrison (Director, All The World's An IKEA) has worked as a director in Chicago for close to ten years. He is a proud member of the Bruised Orange Theater Company. He is an associate artist of Strangeloop where he assisted on Thinking Caps and directed last year's Loopshop play Spake. Favorite directing credits include Shuttle To Home, Autumn Leaves, Wyrd Sisters, The Bugaboo Room, Daddy Long Legs, Determination, The Nebraska Project, Geeks Vs. Zombies and Heft. jmorrisondirect.com

Loopshop 8 Bio: Emmi Hilger

Emmi Hilger (Director, Birthday) is thrilled to be working with Strangeloop for the first time. She is currently also directing Love in the Time of Bumblehive by Jeff Tabnick with Stage Left. Emmi is the Artistic Director of Something Marvelous, a festival of magical realism, and she will soon join the staff of The Fine Print Theatre Company as Associate Artistic Director. With Something Marvelous, Emmi has produced and directed The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl and References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot by José Rivera. Directing credits also include Sand Castles by John Green (RhinoFest), 10 Things by Scott Tobin (Collaboraction), The Lover by Harold Pinter (Walkabout Theater Company) and Punk Grandpa, a one-woman show by Laura Scruggs that has performed across the country. She has worked extensively on new plays with Chicago Dramatists, The Fine Print Theatre Company, Piccolo Theatre, 20% Theatre Company, Women's Theatre Alliance, The Arc Theatre and Pegasus Players. Emmi is a proud graduate of Northwestern University. www.emmihilger.com

Loopshop 8 Bio: Maria Burnham

Maria Burnham (Playwright, All The World’s An IKEA; Director, Pity & Guilt) loves running around in the adult playland known as IKEA, forcing actors to act like normal people in plays — which goes against all their instincts — and eating cinnamon rolls. All of which she got to do in the course of Loopshop 8. Maria hates paperwork and writing bios, which she, unfortunately, also had to do during the course of Loopshop 8. Maria studied creative writing and theater at Louisiana State University, has been knocking around Chicago for a few years and is a proud company member of Strangeloop Theatre. Thanks to John, Jean, Mark, everyone who immediately said yes when I asked them to do Loopshop and especially to Justin and Caitlin and Robot Caitlin.

Loopshop 8 Bio: Breahan Pautsch

Breahan Pautsch (Director, Here's My Card) is pleased to be working with Strangeloop again after directing a staged reading of Mitera earlier this year. She earned her B.A. in Theatre and English at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and has been working in Chicago as a director, literary manager and actor since 2003. As a director, she has worked with Akvavit, Raven Theatre, The International Voices Project, Hobo Junction Productions, Full Voice Productions, Mudgeonsoul Productions and Stockyards Theatre Project. She is the Literary Manager and Director of Development for Akvavit Theatre and is a proud ensemble member with Mudgeonsoul Productions.

Loopshop 8 Bio: Spenser Davis

Spenser Davis (Director, Get Back) is really tired of his actors' shenanigans. Previous directing credits include The Picklebot & Lawfer Comedy Festival (Strawdog), Today We Escape (Tympanic), One Minute Play Festival (The Den), All in the Timing (Stage 773), arciTEXT (Arc Theatre), The Ella Plays (Indie Boots) and the Midwest Premiere of From White Plains for Broken Nose Theatre, where he is the Director of Programming. Spenser is also an actor and playwright, and has worked with companies that include American Theater Company, Chicago Dramatists, Stage Left Theatre, Promethean, Red Theater, Waltzing Mechanics and Mary-Arrchie. He is a regular and staff writer on Under Covers, a new SAG-AFTRA web series, and is developing his full-length play Merge as part of The New Colony's Writers Room. He is also the current Artistic Director of Hobo Junction.

Thinking Caps Bio: Maria Burnham

Maria Burnham (Director, Marketing) is a director, writer, sometimes stage manager,   full-time theater monkey and all around jack-of-all-trades. Storefront theater, ho! She studied creative writing and theater at Louisiana State University and has worked in Chicago with such companies as Appetite Theatre Co., New Millennium Theatre Co., Red Theater, Stockyards Theatre Project and TUTA. Maria is thrilled to be a member of Strangeloop. She loves pursuing the undiscovered, though mostly she’s just in it for the chicken.

Thinking Caps Bio: John Morrison

John Morrison (Assistant Director)is a proud member of the Bruised Orange Theater Company. Favorite directing credits include Autumn Leaves, Wyrd Sisters, The Bugaboo Room, Daddy Long Legs, Determination, The Nebraska Project, Geeks Vs. Zombies, and Heft. More about John is available at jmorrisondirect.com.

Hack/Slash Bio: Brad Gunter

Brad Gunter (Director) is originally from suburban Westmont, Ill., and went to Ball State University and Middlebury College with some layovers in different parts of Germany. As a founding member of Strangeloop, Brad wears a lot of hats in the company and typically stays busy during productions as a director, dramaturge or production manager. Outside of theatre, he makes money by doing German-to-English translation and VO recording. He’s worked with several other theatres in town, but you’re most likely to see him busy at his other theatre company, TUTA, where he is an Associate Company Member.