What's Next Lab

Aaron Carter (Playwright) 

Is a Chicago playwright, originally from Ohio. His paternal grandfather was a black Baptist preacher, his maternal grandparents were white vaudeville performers. The influence of his ancestors is seen in Aaron's focus on race, faith, and obscure performance skills. Aaron's latest short play will be produced as part of Theater Seven'sLandmark Project. In progress is The Book of Astaroth, a commission made possible by the Wallace Foundation. First Words, produced by MPAACT, was nominated for a non-Equity Jeff Award and received Black Theater Alliance Award. Other productions include Panther Burn(MPAACT), and Swamp Baby (Phase 3 Productions).

Brant Russell (Director) 

THE CAST:

Elana Elyce (Ensemble)

Hails from Detroit, MI and has been living and performing in Chicagoland since June 2007.  This is her debut with Next Theatre and it has been awesome! Last spring she helped create and performed in the Jeff Award winning play Wilson Wants it All with The House Theatre of Chicago. She has been seen with Second City’s BrownCo, Lincoln Square Theatre, Stockyards Theatre Project, Urban Theatre Company, 20% Theatre Company, the Village Players of Oak Park, Prologue Theatre Company and MPAACT.  She has recently become an ensemble member with Greenetree Productions. www.elanaelyce.net

Rashaad Hall (Ensembe)

Is proud to be making his Next Theatre debut with Start Fair in the Common Race.  Rashaad is a recent graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University receiving his BFA in Acting. You can catch him in Steppenwolf Garages rotating repertory production of Sonnets for an Old Century with Urban Theatre Company spring 2011. This fall he played Francis, in the extension of Remy Bumppo’s Night and Day directed by James Bohnen. He is a member of the Inconvenience Theatre Collective and a percussive poet. His Chicago credits also include A Streetcar Named Desire, Iphigenia 2.0, Bud, Not Buddy, Holes and Romeo and Juliet as part of the Theatre School ensemble. Last summer he was seen as the Cheshire Cat in Nothing Without A Company’s traveling production of Alice in Wonderland.

Rashaad Hall (Ensembe)

Is proud to be making his Next Theatre debut with Start Fair in the Common Race.  Rashaad is a recent graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University receiving his BFA in Acting. You can catch him in Steppenwolf Garages rotating repertory production of Sonnets for an Old Century with Urban Theatre Company spring 2011. This fall he played Francis, in the extension of Remy Bumppo’s Night and Day directed by James Bohnen. He is a member of the Inconvenience Theatre Collective and a percussive poet. His Chicago credits also include A Streetcar Named Desire, Iphigenia 2.0, Bud, Not Buddy, Holes and Romeo and Juliet as part of the Theatre School ensemble. Last summer he was seen as the Cheshire Cat in Nothing Without A Company’s traveling production of Alice in Wonderland.

Danny Reese II (Marcus) 

This is Danny’s first production with Next Theatre. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, he has performed in various productions in Chicago including Resurrection (ETA Theartre), This Is How It Goes (Rogers Park Ensemble Theatre), Protecting Sammy (Gorilla Tango Theatre) to name a few. Danny is very grateful for this opportunity working with Next Theatre and looks forward to more opportunities to come. He is dedicating his performance to his little princess Asiya Nichole, and Adiat Baker. “We all will fight for the people who have nothing. Promise.”

Melissa Reimer (Ensemble)

is thrilled to be making her Next Theatre debut.  Other Chicago works include Harper Regan, 2,000 Feet Away, Book Of Days, Catch-22 (Steep Theatre), The Hostage, Picnic, Letters Home - Chicago/National Tour (Griffin Theatre), The Skin Of Our Teeth (Backstage Theatre - Jeff Nomination/Best Supporting Actress).  London works include The Lost Vegas Series (Riverside Studios), An Empty Plate  In The Cafe Du Grand Boeuf (New End Theatre) and Tame And The Conways (Drayton Court Theatre).  Melissa will next appear as Else in Festen at Steep Theatre. Melissa trained at the Drama Studio London.  She is a Steep Theatre ensemble member.

Brandon Saunders (Tiberius)

This will be Brandon's first performance with Next Theater and he couldn't be more excited about it. He studied in the BFA theater program at Southern Oregon University. Brandon has had the pleasure of working for companies such as Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Michigan Shakespeare Festival, Rubicon Theater and is happily performing Shakespeare in high schools as a member of A Crew of Patches here in Chicago. To date, Brandon's favorite shows to perform in have been The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, Of Mice and Men, Dr. Faustus, Richard III and Romeo & Juliet.

Shawn Pfautsch (Ensemble )

is making his Next Theater debut. He is an actor, playwright and musician and a graduate of Southern Methodist University's Meadows School of the Arts. Shawn is a company member of The House Theatre of Chicago where he has performed in over a dozen plays during its ten year history (most recently as Chicamaw in Thieves Like Us) and written two: Hatfield & McCoy and The Attempters. His other stage credits include: Steppenwolf (Theatrical Essays), Dallas Theater Center (South Pacific), The Hypocrites (Pirates of Penzance), and Lakeside Shakespeare (Henry V, Loves Labors Lost, As You Like It, and King Lear).