Artistic Director Note:
In 2008, NWaC was incorporated by a bunch of scrappy 20-somethings wanting to push boundaries and do some risky DIY theatre, adding musical numbers and fight scenes in most of our productions. And naturally our stories reflected our queerness as we strived to tell narratives that teetered the line between our own experiences and how we thought the world could be. We experimented, we made mistakes, but most of all we had fun building a community where LGBTQIA+ folks could feel seen while exploring the theatre arts. This was always and will always be the roots of NWaC: to celebrate people for who they are and challenge them to grow as artists and humans. Sofa King Queer is a musical that reflects who we were in a lot of ways while making me appreciate who we are now; the evolution that has occurred. As I take a nostalgic look back through the lens of this story set in 2008, I am filled with gratitude and aloha for everyone who has ever taken part in NWaC, from artists, to board members, audiences, and donors of all kinds.
-Hannah Ii-Epstein (NWaC Artistic Director)
Writer’s STATEMENT:
The idea for Sofa King Queer began in 2018, as we encountered a moment of uncertainty for LGBTQIA+ people, our experiences and our rights. At that time, rights were quickly being eroded following a period of strides toward greater LGBTQIA+ equality in different forms, exemplified by the 2015 court decision (Obergefell v. Hodges) leading to federal marriage equality. I was thinking about how history may be signposted by these big decisions but how history is also built from an accumulation of preceding moments, periods, and movements that must resist forces of political power and coercion all along the way. I decided to go slightly back in time and start our journey from within the period where the framework for our current debate over queer rights began to coalesce. As my time forming this story continued and we entered into the 2020s, it became urgent to activate the past and focus a mirror on our current issues.
With continued anti-LGBTQ legislation being pushed across the country--and with much of it focused around gender identity--we are in an era where queer people are increasingly vulnerable to attacks political and physical. Claiming one's queerness is an essential aspect of resistance and liberation, and it parallels the drive in the early 2000s toward more widely respecting the personhood of and demanding equal rights for LGBTQIA+ people. However, it is also important to me to recognize that visibility is also risky and scary, so crafting a musical that conveys all those feelings through the microcosm experience of a small group of queer people became the best way to marry the joy and the uncertainty of queer existence.
Sofa King Queer was initially conceived as a “play with music” to specify the setting as one deeply involved in music. Being a teenager in the early 2000s, I have adored pop-punk and emo music since that time, and I chose to focus on pop-punk for this show as a way to reclaim queerness that was represented more within the genre’s fanbase than by the industry and bands in that scene. I wanted to highlight the limitations for queer people who often had to choose to remain closeted to maintain success in the industry, particularly within the time period in which this musical is set. However, the themes of the show—of being caught between assimilation or alienation from one’s relationships, ambitions, and life—pushed me toward incorporating music for each character, binding them together more closely and necessarily shifting the play to become a musical. This creates a more complete portrait in depicting queer experiences, allowing the audience to connect with our characters’ moments of despair, frustration, delight, and celebration. My hope is that audiences are able to join in on the very real messiness and exhilaration of being a queer human that is the heart of Sofa King Queer. -Kevin Sparrow (NWaC Literary Manager / Book, Music & Lyrics)
Book, Music & Lyrics Kevin Sparrow (They/Them)
Kevin Sparrow (they/them) is a Chicago-based playwright, performer, and dramaturg. They premiered the self-help satire Cornerstone with Nothing Without a Company in 2018. As Literary Manager for NWaC, Kevin was dramaturg for the productions Down the Moonlit Path and ThroatPunch, and they produced the 2018 and 2019 editions of the New World Play Festival, which showcased 16 new short plays from local and national playwrights. Kevin creates devised work through their independent project MUnCh, and they premiered the virtual, interactive experience The Kingdom of Slovenalia: An Agri-fantastical Parable in 2021 with support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the City of Chicago. Most recently, they premiered White Unders as part of Rhinofest in 2023.
Director JD Caudill (They/Them)
JD Caudill is a queer director, literary manager, and music director, whose recent direction includes Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Haven Theatre), The SpongeBob Musical (Kokandy Productions), I Promised Myself to Live Faster (Hell in a Handbag), and After the Blast (Broken Nose Theatre), as well as Southern Comfort (Pride Films and Plays), Bechdel Fests 4-6 + 8 (Broken Nose Theatre), Book of Shadows (Broken Nose Theatre), and other plays at The New Colony, Haven Theatre, The Runaways Lab Theatre, New American Folk Theatre, Hobo Junction, 20% Theatre, Paragon Theatre, Otherworld Theatre, Arc Theatre, 16th Street Theatre, Stage Left, The Syndicates, and Red Theatre. They have been a proud ensemble member of Hell in a Handbag for eight years, and served as interim artistic director of Broken Nose Theatre following five years of literary management and ensemble member status. Their mission is to create queer art for everyone, for they want queer audiences to see themselves onstage more authentically than ever before while helping non-queer audiences build empathy and understanding for our community.
Music, Musical Director & Arranger Ron Attreau (He/Him)
Ron Attreau (Music Director) (he, him) is a Lakeview Chicago-based pianist, multi-woodwind instrumentalist, music teacher, and conductor. Some favorite music directing experiences include Urinetown (University of Illinois-Chicago), Young Frankenstein (Covedale Center), and Reefer Madness (Towle). Ron recently graduated with a Master of Music from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, with a focus on conducting and repertoire. Thanks for supporting queer (particularly trans and non-binary) artists by seeing TVC, and I hope you enjoy the show!
Music Director’s Note
“While I have music directed and played piano or woodwinds in the pit for 100+ musical theater productions over the past 25 years, this is the first show for which I have been intimately involved in the composition and creation of the musical materials… and it has been a blast! I have really enjoyed working with Kevin and Eric to shape the music, and creating the orchestrations and vocal arrangements for this show to make it really come to life. SKQ rings so true to my experience as a millennial who grew up listening to these styles of music (pop-punk/emo/grunge rock, aka “whiny white boy bands”) for most of my childhood and early adulthood. It has been a treat to work on a show that is so deeply rooted in queer culture and committed to representing the diversity of LGBTQ+ lives–not only through the characters and writing, but also by featuring so many wonderful and talented LGBTQ+ actors and creative/production staff and designers (especially director, JD Caudill!). I am incredibly proud to present this show, and I hope you all thoroughly enjoy Sofa King Queer!” - Ron Attreau
Assistant Production Manager & Stage Manager
Dakota Allen (they/them) is a Chicago based stage and production manager. In their years of theater experience, they have worked on with building and painting sets, lighting, and sound before really finding their love in stage and production management. Some of Dakota’s favorite shows they’ve stage managed include A Year with Frog and Toad (Indiana State University) and The Importance of Being Earnest (Strawdog Theatre Company). Some of Dakota’s other favorite productions they’ve done include serving as an assistant stage manager for Clue (Crossroads Repertory Theater) and deck crew in Measure for Measure (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). Dakota also serves as New Wave Theatre Company’s Production and Acquisition Manager. They are very excited to be working with Nothing Without a Company and bringing more new queer theater to Chicago.
Stage Manager
Katie Nowak (she/they) is a recent Loyola University Chicago graduate from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is ecstatic to be stage managing Nothing Without A Company’s production of Sofa King Queer! Regional Credits: The Art of Bowing (Haven Chicago, Asst. Stage Manager), Sentinels (CPA Theatricals, Asst. Stage Manager). Loyola Credits: Once (Baruška), The Old Man and the Old Moon (Perry/Ensemble), Polaroid Stories (Persephone/Semele), #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence (Project Lead), Into the Woods (Asst. Stage Manager). She would like to thank her family, friends, and mentors for their love and support. Find her on Instagram: @_katienowak_
"This show is so important for me because the first time I experienced "found family" was within the queer community, and Sofa King Queer puts that feeling into a theatre setting. It's also something original, vibrant, and punk on the Chicago theatre scene, which is a breath of fresh air after all of the revivals and movie-to-stage musicals we're seeing today. A completely new musical about alternative gay people? Sign me up!"
Album Recording Yoo Soo Kim (He/Him
Yoo Soo started hitting and strumming all sorts of musical instruments since he was a kid. At 6 years old, he started with classical piano and has since picked up the guitar, bass, drums, viola, and violin. By 16, he got his first mixer and now produces, mixes, programs, and engineers all of his music. With a classical background and music minor from the University of Illinois, his knowledge of music, theory, instrumentation, and recording has brought him praise as a strong communicator. Yoo Soo also creates music as good son, an alternative pop act. He and his music have been featured in NPR, Paste Magazine, and Alternative Press. His work has been featured in the Super Bowl, IBM, Toyota, Reese’s, and Dell among others.
“While I don't identify as LGBTQ+, I have many friends and musicians I've worked with that do. Through them, I've learned how difficult it can be living as someone who identifies that way, and I want to help that community how I can. Plus, I've lived and breathed pop punk, especially during the time SKQ takes place, so it seemed like it was the right fit to help engineer the record.”
Album Mixer Angel Torres (She/They)
I'm an audio engineer and an electronics enthusiast. I've been working with local bands in the Chicago area for 20 years. Within that time, I've also worked with a few theater companies as an audio, video, stage, and lighting tech off and on.
“I'm thrilled to be working with the SKQ cast, and with NWaC one again, in capturing the music of this show and facilitating a way for the audience to bring these songs home with them. Growing up, I saw my community being forced to hide by means of social pressure and legislation. The only queer representation available in media were as villains or monsters. SKQ does an outstanding job at highlighting our humanity. And, it's so important to continue to add stories about the queer experience. I look forward to a future where our existence is no longer made political. SKQ is one more brick that will help build that future.”
Dramaturg Rachel Perzynski (She/Her)
Rachel Perzynski (she/her) is a freelance dramaturg, teaching artist, and literacy educator based in Chicago. Some of her previous dramaturgy credits include NWaC's 2019 New World Play Festival, MUnCH's productions of The Kingdom of Slovenalia, and De.cypher, a digital salon of work by queer and BIPOC artists curated by Mars Wolfe. She specializes in new play development, devised work, and branching narratives with a BFA in Dramaturgy/Dramatic Criticism and a Masters in Library and Information Science.
“I remember reading an early draft of the script in 2019 and being struck by the small community of queer characters Kevi had built. That community has evolved over time, but has retained its unapologetic, playful, and sincere examination of found family. I love Granger's line about how queer people absorb space. These characters are so distinctive that their space also absorbs and reflects them. I'm excited for audiences to be immersed in it.”
Asst Director Liam Shannon (they/them)
Liam (they/them) is a multi-faceted Director, dramaturg, writer, and nerd with a passion for non-traditional art and queer stories. They are originally from Southern California but were called to Chicago by its incredible theatre and sense of belonging. They seek to plant a seed of inspiration, reflection, and joy in audiences and artists alike and to bring the impact and radical joy of theatre to all. Since graduating with a BFA in directing from DePaul last March Liam has worked with the Free Street Youth Ensemble, Music House Inc, dramaturged and performed in the Nasty Brutish and Short puppetry cabaret, and served up smiles and lobster rolls at their day job, The Waterfront Cafe. They are beyond excited for the opportunity to work on this project.
I appreciate that SFK conveys a variety of individual queer experiences while also maintaining the themes of identity and love throughout. My heartstrings were tugged by Brody's reprise of Backroom Boy at the end of the play despite the societal pressure keeping him in the closet. The writing is sharp and funny and I love the punk genre influences!
Intimacy Director Carly Belle "CB" Cason (They/She/Any)
Carly Belle Cason is a choreographer and teaching artist working bi-costal from Lake Michigan to the Texas shoreline. Cason is a founding member of Counterfeit Combat. Other Intimacy and choreography credits include: RENT, Sweeney Todd (Theater 121), Mercury Hamlet (Quicksilver Shakespeare), And They Were Shipmates (Counterfeit Combat), and The First Fox (Moon Rabbit Prod.)
“This was a script that I couldn't put down. I can't help but think of where I was in 2009 as a closeted highschooler growing up in Texas. "Out" is still something I can only be with a few members of my family. I admire the way the characters in SKQ find grace for themselves, and each other as they navigate gender, sexuality, and queerness without ready answers.”
Intimacy Consult Greg Geffrard (He/Him)
Greg Geffrard is an educator, Intimacy practitioner, culture worker, and facilitator. He cultivates sustainable artistic spaces of exploration by sharing consent-forward trauma-conscious advocacy tools. He is Guiding Faculty with Theatrical Intimacy Education and the Director of the BFA Acting Program at Brenau University in Georgia. He is elated to be part of the Intimacy team for SFQ as an Intimacy Consultant.
“We all aspire to be surrounded by people who reflect our most authentic self back to us but that is not always the easiest truth to endure. I love how honest the characters are to each other even when they are trying to hide in plain sight. Being human is hard but we are reminded that we don't go through this thing called life alone. This show allows us to watch a world unveil itself in real time and the twists in Act II are unpredictable yet so satisfying.”
Choreographer Amethyst Rose (They/Them)
Amethyst is a Chicago based freelance preforming artist and choreographer. Who has studied with the likes of Randy Duncan, Homer Bryant, Freddie Moore, and Winston Brown to name few. Amethyst is Chicago raised where they studied at Chicago academy for the Arts and later in New York at the Alvin Ailey American school of Dance. Amethyst hope is to create and bring to life a space where all facets art and it’s various mediums can be explored and enjoyed.
“I was really compelled by the story of Queer people ( artist ) still in a journey to find themselves in their selves and in other queer people. The different levels of comfortability in these characters resonated with my journey that I’ve been on to fully except myself and others around. I think this show, highlight the unspoken language we all navigate with in our everyday lives, and how boundaries play a part in our experiences. With that being said I think celebration is still apart of the show, of ones self can be seen in the design of the stage and cast. I guess through the show i ask myself what does absolute relief look like?”
Costume Designer Rachel Meltzer (Any Pronouns)
Rachel Meltzer (She/They/He) is a Chicago Costume Designer and Actor who enjoys designing surrealism and hates long walks on the beach. They especially enjoy theatre with conflict and is writted with the purpose of social change. Their previous Chicago shows include "Fallen Angles Hotel" "Detroit 67" "American Origami" "Forgiving Typhoid Mary" "Feilds of Clovers" and "Gay as Hell".
“I really enjoy Sofa King Queer for it's nieche veiw into a facet of the queer experience. It's clearly a show written by queer people for queer people and is unapologetically such.”
Lighting Designer Jackson Mikkelsen (he/him)
JACKSON MIKKELSEN (he/him; Lighting Designer) NWaC: Debut. CHICAGO: The Snow Queen (Marriott), Ragtime (Metropolis), The Wild Party (Blank Theatre Company), The Tempest (Oak Park Festival Theatre). Jackson is a part time performer, part time lighting designer/electrician. Jackson has worked lighting with Hell in a Handbag, Haven, Black Button Eyes, City Lit, Redtwist, and Prop Theatre. Jackson is a 2023 graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University with a BFA in Musical Theatre, where he now works as the department’s lead electrician. Represented by Talent X Alexander. www.jacksonmikkelsen.com
“I love new queer works! I love musical theatre! I love Chicago! :)”
Sound Engineer (aka A1) ) Jakey Mumfie
Jakey Mumfie is an audio engineer, sound designer, game developer, and musician from Griffin, IN, with a Bachelors of Arts in Creative Media from Champlain College. They grew up on a farm, helped put on concerts their whole life, went to college for game sound, made some weird art, worked on theatre productions, made some games, volunteered at concerts, festivals, and conferences, wore earplugs around heavy machinery, played a lot of music, taught drums, and have been doing basically everything that can be done that involves audio and technology in the meantime.
“I have always related with the art and community that exists at the intersection of Queerness and Punk, and I've felt their close proximity my entire life as I've journeyed through self expression and identity. Genderqueer and genderpunk are synonyms to me, and I've navigated the balance of queer expression with confrontationalism and bucking the system, while also being a sound engineer hoping to be an invisible presence in the work I do in that field. After moving to Chicago to further those personal journeys, I was very excited to discover Nothing Without A Company. I was immediately struck by even just the description of Sofa King Queer, and knew that I wanted to be a part of the group that created such a work and to help this musical come into existence.”
Space/Set Designer Jonathan Berg-Einhorn (he/him)
Jonathan Berg-Einhorn(he/him) is a Chicago based scenic designer. Favorite design credits include Hand to God (Paramount Theatre); Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Mercury Theater); The Reclamation of Madison Hemmings (American Blues Theatre); The Spongebob Musical (Kokandy Productions); Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Haven Theatre); The Producers (Music Theater Works); Picasso at the Lapin Agile, The Christians (Citadel); Associate designer for Ernest Shackleton Loves Me (Porchlight); Babel, Isaac’s Eye (Jeff nominated, Redtwist). Jonathanbergeinhorn.com
“2008 was the beginning of my high school journey as I was coming to terms with my sexuality. The music and genre of that time is what really helped me figure out who I was. I still listen to this music everyday in the car.”
Makeup / Hair Artist Sydney Genco (She/Her)
Syd Genco is a Makeup Designer and Actor (though you'll only see her Makeup Design work on this production!) Syd is an ensemble member, Company Manager, and Makeup Designer for Hell in a Handbag Productions, where she has performed and designed for the past 13 seasons. Past favorites with HIAH include SNOWGIRLS (Ice Crystal), THE ARTIFICIAL JUNGLE (Roxanne), RUDOLPH THE RED HOSED REINDEER (Elfina). She also designs for Kokandy Productions, including SWEENEY TODD, AMERICAN PSYCHO, ALICE BY HEART, and last summers splashy SPONGEBOB THE MUSICAL (where she not only designed, but also performed in the role of Perch Perkins!) She designed for many other companies, including Trap Door, Haven Chicago, Highland Park Players, Glass Apple Theatre, and more! She’s a graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts with a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance. She is a freelance makeup designer and artist, certified at Make Up First School Chicago. www.madcbs.com
“Syd is particularly happy to be part of this production as she's been friends with Anna and Hannah for many years, almost since the creation of NWaC! She's also participated in NWaC events, like their 24 hour play festival, but has never designed for the company until now. The creative joining of designing for new work (a personal favorite,) NWaC, and collaborative fellow HIAH ensemble member JD Caudill, is exciting, and she's proud to be part of this adventurous work!”
Sound Designer Alex Kingsley (They/Them)
Alex Kingsley (they/them) is a writer, sound designer, and playwright. They are a co-founder of the new media company Strong Branch Productions, where they write, direct, and sound design sci-fi comedy podcast The Stench of Adventure and other shows. Their short fiction has appeared in Translunar Travelers Lounge, Radon Journal, The Storage Papers, and more. Their debut novel Empress of Dust will be published by Space Wizard Science Fantasy in Fall 2024. In 2023 they published their short story collection, The Strange Garden and Other Weird Tales. Alex’s sci-fi plays have been produced in LA, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Alex’s SFF-related non-fiction has appeared in Interstellar Flight Magazine and Ancillary Review of Books. Their games can be downloaded pay-what-you-will at alexyquest.itch.io.
“Pop punk music was very important to me as a young queer person struggling with my identity. I often felt that the bands I listened to were the only ones that understood what I was going through. It is very exciting to be a part of a process that brings an unapologetically queer story to the stage, and one that spotlights the power of this genre of music.”
Properties Designer Jackson Anderson (He/Him)
Jackson Anderson (Props Designer) is delighted to be working with Nothing without a Company for Sofa King Queer. Jackson is a recent Columbia College Chicago graduate with a bachelor's degree in scenic design and musical theater. His recent work includes Hedwig & the Angry Inch with Haven Chicago, Good Company with Michael Brown, How the Light Gets in with Susan Padveen, and #HereToo with Barbara Pitts-McAdams. He'd like to thank Nothing without a Company for the opportunity to join this incredible crew!
“The characters in the show have unique perspectives and try their hardest to embody those perspectives. That is incredibly compelling for someone like me who's still discovering who they want to be. The world is open to whatever comes next and Sofa King Queer embodies that whole-heartedly.”
Tech Director / Builder Kayne Bowling (He/Him)
Kayne Bowling is a freelance carpenter who does standup comedy as a hobby. He has worked with multiple theater company’s including NWaC as a building. This is their technical director debut.
Hannah Traud (she/her) (Assistant Stage Manager) is a Loyola University Chicago graduate from Tampa, Florida. She is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be working with the wonderful cast and crew of Sofa King Queer in her first return to theatre since high school. As a queer rugby player, she is honored to be able to work on such an inspiring show about the queer community and help contribute to such a lovely production. She would like to thank her friends (especially Katie Nowak) for all the support.
Julia Martinez is a programmer by day, and a fashion and costuming enthusiast by night. Since moving to Chicago a year ago to live with her partner, she's loving the artsy queer community she's found here, and has loved working on the show.
SKQ Social Media Amia Korman (They/She)
Amia Korman is a newly Chicago-based actor, playwright and director. After graduating in May from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, they were most recently seen as Éponine in Uptown Music Theater's Les Misérables. Offstage, Amia has provided freelance marketing support to recording artists, startups, Forbes-listed brands, and now, a theatre company! Amia is delighted to put their media and design skills to use toward the elevation of new works. Many thanks to the NwaC team for this wonderful opportunity.
“Sofa King Queer is full of thoroughly queer, thoroughly Chicago comedy and discourse alike. It's really awesome to see something so grounded in the vibrant reality of the music scene here, and grounded in a range of queer experiences.”