Aaron Shapiro, Executive Director and co-founder of Studio BE as well as President of the Executive Board, graduated with two B.A’s from Barat College of DePaul University where he received Departmental Honors in both Economics and Acting/Directing. As a child he performed in several productions with the L.A. Opera Company, the Los Angeles Children Chorus, and regularly worked as an extra in TV shows, commercials, movies, and music videos. After college Aaron founded Oracle Productions and opened their 40-seat black box theatre in Wrigleyville where he served 4 years as Artistic Director. He has worked professionally in Chicago as a director, stage manager, producer, actor, production manager, electrician, carpenter, sound technician, technical director, scenic designer and lighting designer for Collaboraction, American theatre Company, The House Theatre, The Lincolnshire Mariott, Shattered Globe, Theatre Wit, Devonshire Players, Downers Grove Players, Pegasus Players, Victory Gardens Greenhouse and Biograph, Teatro Luna, Teatro Vista, Timeline, Next, About Face, The Entertainment Project, T.U.T.A., Light Opera Works, Albany Park Theatre Project, and Pinebox Theatre
Tamara Drew, Artistic Director of Youth Programming, is also the Secretary of Studio BE’s Executive Board as well as co-founder of the company as a whole. A graduate of Millikin University with a BA in both Theatre and Sociology, Performer, social activist, educator, and mom, she incorporates values of commitment, hard work, integrity, and ownership into every facet of her teaching philosophy. She has worked as a mentor and educator at The Entertainment Project, Providence Catholic High School, The Beverly Arts Center, Union Park, the Skokie Park District, Decatur Park District, The Stanford University I Have a Dream Foundation in East Palo Alto, CA, and various other workshops, Master classes, and events. She has also worked as a professional vocalist, Art and Fashion Model, and competed at the National level in various beauty pageants and vocal contests. This combined experience in conjunction with a passion for social justice and a unhindered love for the performing arts and experiencing a child’s personal growth serves as Ms. Tamara’s springboard for her every professional endeavor. Tamara Drew is Studio BE. Innovating Creation since 2009
Mac Vaughey, Studio BE Executive Board Vice President, is a graduate of Brown University and recipient of the University’s Weston Prize for Theatrical Design. He is the resident Lighting Designer at the 16th Street Theater in Berwyn, recently named the Chicago Reader’s “Best Emerging Theatre Company.” Mac is also an Artistic associate for Teatro Luna, and Premiere Theatre & Performance, and a company member at Walkabout Theatre. Additionally, Mac’s work has been seen at the American Theatre Company, Redmoon Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Collaboraction and Climax Nightclub. Mac has also worked with Infamous Commonwealth, The Sinnerman Ensemble, Open Eye Productions and many other theatre companies. Mac also serves as head of the lighting department for the Next Theatre in Evanston, Light Opera Works, Timeline Theatre Company, and the American Theatre Company. Mac can also be found at Chicago Spotlight Inc, as rental manager.
Robert-Eric West - is a graduate of Butler University with a BA in musical theatre including concentrations in vocal performance and pedagogy as well costume, hair and make-up design. He began his career at the age of six as a member of a youth theatre studying with the acclaimed children’s theatre director and author Nora MacAlvay, returning later in life as the company’s artistic director. Robert-Eric spent 13 years as a vocal coach and musical theatre history instructor at Indiana University where he also founded the Monroe County Children’s Theatre. For the past eight years he has supported his bohemian theatrical life as a make-up artist and artist trainer for Prescriptives, Shu Uemura and Giorgio Armani Cosmetics at the national level and has had his work appear on stage, screen and print. Spanning almost 40 years, his career has taken him from one coast to the other but he will always call Chicago home. He has performed, designed, directed and taught workshops and Master classes for the Dunes Arts Foundation, Candlelight, Festival Players Guild, Drury Lane, Oracle Productions and Indiana Repertory Theatre, just to name a few. With his real passion in the art of performance, Mr. West’s (as his students call him) drive is to instill in each of the young lives he helps to mold that nothing is out of their reach and his biggest joy is to see the breakthrough moment when student becomes who they were truly meant to BE.
Liz Wilson (2009/2010 Internship) graduated from Kansas State University with a B.A. in theatre and costume design. Her past credits include wardrobe for Last Blay Play, Ragtime, Les Miserables, The Music Man, The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged, and costume designer for This is Our Youth, Down the Road, Dancing at Lughnasa, Noises Off, and Yours for the Asking.
Katie Minix (2009/2010 Internship) graduated from Loyola University with a B.A. in Theatre emphasizing in set and lighting design. Her past productions include set designer for Lonesome West and The Diviners as well as the lighting designer for Wit and Savage in Limbo.
Kate Masiak (2009/2010 Internship) graduated from Florida State University with a B.A. in Theatre with an emphasis in directing. Her directing credits include Rabbit, Closer, Bleed Like Me, Still Life with Iris, True Man; A Musical and The Problem.
Dane Murphy (2009/2010 Internship) graduated from Wichita State University with a B.M. in Piano Performance. He is currently working towards his masters in Arts Management at Columbia College. His past productions include musical director for School House Rock Live Jr. and accompanist for Seussical.
Aimee Radics (2009/2010 Internship) graduated from Ithaca College majoring in Music and Theater. Aimee’s credits as a music director include Tick…Tick…Boom, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, A Chorus Line, Sweeny Todd, Songs for a New World and Into the Woods.
Natasha Blanchette (2009/2010 Internship) graduated from Wright State University with a B.F.A in Design and Technology and Stage Management. Her past credits include carpenter for The Music Man, Spitfire Grill, Distracted, Assistant Technical Director for Titanic: The Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Lady! Be Good, and West Side Story, Technical Director for Smokey Joe’s Café and Urinetown and Stage Manager for Urinetown, Oliver! and Annie.
Mollie MacKenzie Alexander (2009/2010 Internship) is a Junior at Columbia College Chicago double majoring in theatre and Film. Her past productions include Honk, Pirates of Penzance, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, As You Like It, The Nutcracker, and several student films.
Titus Fox (2009/2010 Internship) graduated from Friends University with a B.A. in Communications Media. His past credits include Godspell, short films and tech for multiple stage shows. Titus is from Kansas which has just about as weird of weather as here.
Karl Geweniger (2009/2010 Internship) has his BA in Film and Video from Columbia College Chicago. His past credits include various documentary films, short films and experimental video. Karl loves bikes, music and film!
