Joe Foust

Redge

Joe Foust is happy to return to Theater Wit, where he performed Santaland Diaries until Chicago was sick of him. Chicago acting credits include What the Butler Saw, Endgame (Court Theater), The Beard of Avon (Goodman Theatre), Mother Courage and Her Children (Steppenwolf), Kabuki Medea (Wisdom Bridge), The Seagull, Major Barbara (Remy Bumppo), Accidental Death of an Anarchist (Next), fourteen productions with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where favorites include The Winter’s Tale, Hamlet, Timon of Athens, Twelfth Night, and Henry IV parts 1 and 2, and three seasons with Oak Park Festival Theater. Regional credits include playing Hamlet at Nevermore Theater, Around the World in 80 Days (Cleveland Playhouse), six productions with Milwaukee Shakespeare, Kabuki Achilles (People’s Light and Theater Co), The Winter’s Tale (Missouri Rep), Romeo and Juliet (River Styx, London) and eleven seasons acting and directing with Peninsula Players. Joe is a founding member of Defiant Theatre, where credits include directing and co-writing Action Movie: the Play and Ubu Raw.

Alice Wedoff

Danielle

Alice Wedoff is quite happy to be working with Jeremy again after having appeared in his little known (but well loved) production of The Flu Season with Black Sheep. Elsewhere around town she has worked with Pegasus Players on YPF and Shape of a Girl (Jeff Nomination, Solo Performance), with Tuta (Romeo and Juliet, It’s Only the End of the World, Tracks, and Still Life in Color), The Hypocrites (Three Penny Opera), Redmoon (Boneyard Prayer), Chicago Dramatists (Feast), and a smattering of other theaters around Chicago.

Coburn Goss

Brent

Coburn Goss recently appeared in Fake at Steppenwolf, The Crowd You’re In With at Goodman, and Dying City with Next Theatre. Other credits include: Dead Man’s Cell Phone, The Royal Family, Absolution (Steppenwolf), When the Messenger Is Hot (Steppenwolf, also Off-Broadway at 59E59 Street), Vigils (Goodman), Seagull (Writers’ Theatre), and The Last True Believer (Seattle Rep), and A Whistle in the Dark, Journey’s End (Seanachai Theatre). He is the author of Marked Tree (Osborn Award from the American Theatre Critics’ Association for Best Emerging Playwright and After Dark Award for Best New Work) first produced by Seanachai. Film: The Lucky Ones, Shelter, Joshua, What Women Want. Television: E/R, The Beast, Prison Break.

Lance Baker

Jack

Lance Baker is making his third appearance at Theatre Wit, having been seen in the one-man shows Santaland Diaries and Thom Pain (based on nothing), for which he received a Jeff Award for Solo Performance. Most recent credits include Lookingglass’ Around the World in 80 Days for Kansas City Rep; Northlight’s Mauritius [Jeff nomination]; Fanny Brice: The Real Funny Girl at Maltz Jupiter, FL; Amadeus at Chicago Shakespeare; the world premiere of Craig Wright’s Lady for Northlight; A Steady Rain for Chicago Dramatists; A Park in Our House, I Sailed with Magellan, and Young Lady from Rwanda at Victory Gardens; Ionesco’s Hunger and Thirst and The Grey Zone at A Red Orchid; Dollhouse and Lobby Hero at Goodman [both Jeff nominated]; Thyestes, Travesties [Jeff nomination], The Importance of Being Earnest, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf at Court; No Place like Home at Steppenwolf; Nocturne for Naked Eye; Up Against It for Lookingglass; This Is Our Youth [After Dark Award], Dealer’s Choice [Jeff nomination], and Ecstasy with Roadworks. Directing credits include the world premiere of Brett Neveu’s The Earl, and the Chicago premiere of A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant, both at A Red Orchid.

Michael Kessler

Aaron

Michael is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Theater Wit and this amazing cast. Other Chicago credits include understudying The Return to Haifa at Next Theatre and play development workshops with Chicago Dramatists, Stage Left, and Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Favorite college credits include Some Girl(s), In A Dark Dark House, and Mad Forest. Michael has worked as a teaching artist in American Theatre Company’s Chicago Chronicle and American Mosaic programs and is currently a teaching apprentice for the Piven Enrichment Through Empowerment Program. Michael is an Associate Artist at Chicago Dramatists and a graduate of Northwestern University and the School at Steppenwolf. Thanks to Penny, Jeremy, friends, and family.

Austin Talley

Ruby Jones

Austin Talley hails from Spartanburg, South Carolina. A graduate of DePaul Theater School for Acting in 2007, he has had the pleasure of being in Milk by Nambi E. Kelley, Ten Square by Shepsu Aahku, and She Calls up the Sun by Addae Moon. This is his first Theater Wit production and he would like to thank everyone for this opportunity to be a part of their community.

Penny Penniston

Playwright

Spin is the third of Penny’s stage plays to have its world premiere at 1229 W Belmont. The Roaring Girl, co-adapted with Jeremy Wechsler, premiered in this location with Shakespeare’s Motley Crew and received a Jeff nomination for “Best Adaptation.” now then again had its world premiere here with the Bailiwick Repertory Theater and won a Jeff Citation for “Best New Work.” now then again was published by Broadway Play Publishing in 2002. In 2005, a screenplay adaptation, titled Love is Brilliant, won the Alfred P. Sloan Award at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Penny has written short plays for Chicago’s Collaboraction Theater Company and Shakespeare’s Motley Crew. From 2002-2007, she taught Playwriting as an Adjunct Professor in the Theater Department of Northwestern University. Her book, Talk the Talk: A Dialogue Workshop for Scriptwriters was recently published by Michael Wiese Productions.

Penny began her writing career as an advertising copywriter. She wrote national radio, television and print ads for brands such as Hardee’s, Huffy Bicycles, Red Lobster, Clearasil, Hoover, Metamucil and Ameritech. In 2004, Penny’s television campaign for the League of Chicago Theaters won a Summit Creative Award. In between writing scripts, Penny still takes on freelance copywriting projects.