ST NICHOLAS CAST
Kevin Webb (The Man) (he/him)
Kevin Webb is oh so happy to be returning to Black Button Eyes. He has been seen in their productions of Shockheaded Peter, Mary Rose, Coraline, Nevermore, Nightmares & Nightcaps, Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, Amour and Whisper House. Chicago credits: Titanic the Musical (Marriott); Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods and Jekyll & Hyde (Kokandy); Sweeney Todd and The Irish…and How They Got That Way (Porchlight); The Pragmatists — Poland and Chicago,* The Killer, Mother Courage* and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Trap Door); The Secret Garden (Court); A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd (Theo Ubique); The Pitchfork Disney (Interrobang); The View UpStairs (Circle); Marie Christine (BoHo); Songs from an Unmade Bed, Angry Fags and Design for Living (PrideArts). Kevin is a proud member of the Trap Door Theatre ensemble and spends most days walking dogs around Chicago.
David Lipschutz (Understudy))
Previous BBE productions: A Shadow Bright and Burning, Evil Dead the Musical and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Other Chicago credits include productions with Hell in a Handbag (proud company member), Kokandy, Broken Nose, Factory, and Victory Gardens. Thanks to Ed, Erin, and BC/KJOC. davidlipschutz.com
ST NICHOLAS CREW
Jeremiah Barr (Scenic/Props, Technical Director) (he/him)
Jeremiah is very happy to be a part of the St Nicholas team. Some of his past credits include Black Button Eye's Strange Cargo (co-production with City Lit) A Shadow Bright and Burning, Mary Rose, Evil Dead the Musical, Shockheaded Peter, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, and Nightmares and Nightcaps: the Stories of John Collier-Jeff nominated for best specialized design-puppets; Aston Rep's Language Archive, Buried Child, Equus, When We Were Young and Unafraid- Jeff nominated for best scenic design, City Lit Theatre's Night of the Hunter, Playboy of the Western World. You might have also seen his handy work at the Chicago Botanic Gardens Lightscapes where he creates and installs the large scale installations for the holiday season. When not designing or building shows Jeremiah enjoys visiting strange and interesting places in search of mystery and adventure with his amazing partner Sam. Huge shout out to Ed, all the awesome designers, and cast members.
Liz Cooper (Lighting Designer) (she/her)
Liz is excited to be designing for Black Button Eyes again! Some of her favorite designs for Black Button Eyes include Mary Rose, The Authorized Fan Production of Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, Ghost Quartet, and Shockheaded Peter. Other favorite design credits include I Promised Myself to Live Faster, The Golden Girls Lost Episodes at Golden Con 2022, The Drag Seed (The Chopin, Chicago and La Mama, NYC) and Christmas Dearest (Hell in a Handbag), Night of the Hunter, Thirteen Days and The Sundial (City Lit), and, The Winter's Tale (Oak Park Festival Theatre). She is a resident designer at City Lit. Her light plot for Christmas Dearest was included in Live Design's 31 Days of Plots in 2021.
Joe Griffin (Sound Designer) (he/him)
Bio coming soon.
Carrie Hardin (Voice and Dialect Coach) (she/her)
Carrie is pleased to be back with Black Button Eyes after coaching their 2024 production of A Shadow Bright and Burning and their 2022 production of Mary Rose. You might have also heard her coaching efforts around town at Babes with Blades, Kokandy, First Folio, Pegasus, CityLit, Idle Muse, (the dearly departed) Prologue Theatre Co, and Loyola University Chicago, where she also sometimes teaches. Many thanks to Ed and everyone involved, and to her family, for putting up with her near-constant quiet mumbling in different voices.
Ella Johnson (Stage Manager) (she/they)
Bio coming soon.
Ed Rutherford (Producer/Director) (he/him)
Ed Rutherford is the Producing Artistic Director of Black Button Eyes Productions, where directing credits include Strange Cargo: The Doom of the Demeter, Ghost Quartet (Jeff Nomination: Director of a Musical), Evil Dead the Musical (Jeff Nomination: Director of a Musical), Shockheaded Peter, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Goblin Market, and Coraline, as well as his scripts Nightmares & Nightcaps, A Shadow Bright and Burning, and Mary Rose (Jeff Nomination: New Work). Promethean Theatre Ensemble: artistic associate, where he directed The Liar, his adaptation of Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, and Beyond Therapy. Book & Lyrics: the parody musical Murder, ReWrote and Mary Rose. As an actor, he's performed with City Lit, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Porchlight, Theater Wit and many others. A graduate of Northwestern's theater program, he also completed his MBA at Kellogg. ed-rutherford.com
Carli Shapiro (Substitute Stage Manager) (they/them)
Bio coming soon.
Rachel Sypniewski (Costume Designer) (she/her)
Rachel is thrilled to be back collaborating with BBEP! Other companies she has worked with include Goodman, Kokandy, Music Theater Works, Theater Wit, Backstage Breckenridge Theater, Babes with Blades, Trap Door, Oak Park Festival Theater, Citadel, Midsommer Flight, Hell in a Handbag, Lifeline, Porchlight, Griffin, Strawdog, the Factory and Redtwist. She also has designed at Wheaton College, Governor's State University, North Central College, St. Patrick's High School, Indiana University Northwest, Loyola Academy, and the Chicago Academy for the Arts. She is a ten-time Non-equity Jeff nominee, having been awarded two. More info at www.rachelsyp.com