Jeremiah Barr (Set / Props / Puppets and TD)

Jeremiah is very pleased to once again to be working with Black Button Eyes after Nightmares and Nightcaps. Jeremiah also worked on 2017's Shockheaded Peter. Some of the other awesome companies Jeremiah designs with are AstonRep. Theater Company, Promethean Theater Ensemble, Congo Square Theater, Interrobang Theater Project, and City Lit Theater. Many thanks to the cast and crew of Evil Dead the Musical and specially to Samantha.

Jon Beal (Fight Choreographer/ Gore Consultant)

Jon Beal's past violence and blood/gore credits include The House, Goodman, Victory Gardens, The Hypocrites, Steep Theatre, Sideshow Theatre, Birch House, and Jackalope, among others. He is also the resident fight choreographer for Muse of Fire Theatre Company, and recently received a non-equity Jeff Nomination for his fight choreography in Cyrano with BoHo Theatre. Jon has been seen onstage in Not About Nightingales (Raven Theatre), Siegfried, Die Walkure, Bel Canto, Faust (Lyric Opera), and Richard III (Muse of Fire). www.jonbeal.com

Alexa Berkowitz (Stage Manager)

Alexa has worked with a number of theatre companies in Chicago including City Lit Theater, Promethean Theatre Ensemble, Linchpin Theatre, Strawdog Theatre Company, The Factory Theater, and Black Button Eyes Productions. She graduated from the University at Buffalo, SUNY with a B.A. in Dance and a B.A. in Theatre (specializing in technical theatre). Alexa is the executive director with Promethean Theatre Ensemble. She is excited to be back working with Black Button Eyes again.

Liz Cooper (Lighting Designer)

Liz is excited to be a part of another Black Button Eyes show! Some of her recent lighting design credits include Nightmares & Nightcaps, Nevermore, Shockheaded Peter (Black Button Eyes), The Sundial, Bloodhound Law, Father Ruffian and Peyton Place (City Lit), Bard Fiction (Commedia Beauregard), Marisol, Winter's Tale, A Study in Scarlet and Henry V (Promethean).

Robert Hornbostel (Sound Designer)

Robert is a human male, Sound Designer, Composer, and Engineer based out of Chicago. Superpowers include: making sound travel through wires, eating many tacos, making and sharing memes, biking very quickly on Damen, and drinking. Robert enjoys telling big stories in small spaces through the power of sound design...and pyrotechnics. Scratch this part of your screen to hear some of his previous works, or check them out at TechmagicDesigns.com. Thanks and enjoy the show!

Ed Rutherford (Director)

Directing for Black Button Eyes: Nightmares & Nightcaps: The Stories of John Collier (World Premiere), Nevermore (Chicago premiere), Shockheaded Peter, Amour (Chicago premiere), Goblin Market, and Coraline (Midwest Premiere). He is an artistic associate with Promethean Theatre Ensemble, where he directed The Liar, his own adaptation of the Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn, Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle and the company's inaugural production, Christopher Durang’s Beyond Therapy. Directing with Brown Paper Box Co: The Baltimore Waltz. As an actor, he's performed with Drury Lane Oakbrook, Porchlight, Theater Wit and many others. A graduate of Northwestern's theater program, he recently completed his MBA at Kellogg.

Rachel Sypniewski (Costumer Designer)

Rachel is grateful to be part of the team bringing you Evil Dead: The Musical. This is her first production with Black Button Eyes Productions. Ms. Sypniewski has designed with many companies in Chicago including Goodman, The New Colony, Jackalope, Red Tape, Trap Door, Emerald City, Lifeline, Haven, 20% Theatre, 16th Street Theater, Griffin,CityLit, Oak Park Festival Theatre, Chopin, Promethean, Strawdog, Vitalist, Rasaka, the Factory, and Redtwist. She also has designed at Wheaton College, North Central College, St. Patrick's High School, Indiana University Northwest, and the Chicago Academy for the Arts. Rachel is a company member with The Factory and an Artistic Associate with 16th Street Theatre, Trap Door and Griffin. More info at www.rachelsyp.com.

Melanie Thompson (Assistant Props Designer)

Melanie is ecstatic to work on Evil Dead! Past Credits include: I Know My Own Heart (Pride Films & Plays), James & the Giant Peach (Metropolis SOPA), The Lonesome West (AstonRep), KOALAS (16th Street Theatre Co.), Docfest 2018: Learning 101 (Erasing the Distance), The Laramie Project (AstonRep), HIR (Steppenwolf Theatre Co.), Pass Over (Steppenwolf Theatre Co.), I Can Cook Too: an evening of Musical Theatre with Krista Hansen (DUPAC). Erasing the Distance: Dominican, Chapter 2 (DUPAC), Shockheaded Peter (Black Button Eyes Productions), The Addams Family (DUPAC), and The Seagull (DUPAC). She thanks her friends, family, and Prince the Cat for their love and support.

Oliver Townsend (Music Director)

Oliver is pleased to have the opportunity to work on Evil Dead the Musical with Black Button Eyes Productions. Most recently, he was the Associate Music Director for the National Tour of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Preceding that, he was the Cast Music Supervisor for Carnival Cruise Lines, overseeing the performances on various ships. He has played the keyboard for artists including Lorna Luft, Il Divo, The Foundations, and Marvin Hamlisch. Other credits include various productions of Wicked (he started at age 20 and is the youngest pianist perform the show to date!), Legally Blonde at the Paramount Theatre, The Color Purple at the Mercury Theatre, Disaster at Chicago Theatre Works, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (the show’s composer/lyricist, William Finn, praised Oliver's interpretation of the score), and playing in the final band for the Gold Unit of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Derek Van Barham (Choreographer)

Derek is the Producing Artistic Director of Kokandy Productions, and a member of the Red Tape Theatre ensemble. He previously served as Associate Artistic Director of Pride Films & Plays. For PFP, he directed Perfect Arrangement, Angry Fags (Steppenwolf Garage), Songs from an Unmade Bed (Jeff nomination), and (co-directing) PRISCILLA, Queen of the Desert. Choreography credits include The CiviliTy of Albert Cashier and BITE (PFP), all Black Button Eyes productions, and Salonathon. Other directing credits include The View Upstairs (Circle Theatre), Three Days of Rain (Boho), Miracle! by Dan Savage, Skooby Don't (Hell in a Handbag), and HOT PINK (New American Folk Theatre). He was named one of Windy City Times 30 Under 30, recognizing Chicago's LGBTQ+ community.

Beth Weinstock (Assistant Stage Manager)

Beth is excited to be making her Black Button Eyes debut with Evil Dead the Musical! She most recently worked with Pride Films and Plays on It’s Only A Play!, Fucking Men, and Flies! The Musical. Other Chicago productions include Everybody with Brown Paper Box Co.; Tonya and Nancy: A Rock Opera and My Name is Annie King with Underscore Theatre Company.