Dean Monti started writing at age two, but nothing really legible until age five. Since then, his work has appeared in several literary journals including The Eclectic Literary Forum, Ellipsis, and Empty Mirror. His critically-acclaimed comic novel, The Sweep of the Second Hand, was published by Penguin Random House. He is also the author of several plays and has had works staged in Chicago (by Alison Veseley) and elsewhere. He taught creative writing at Columbia College and College of DuPage. He completed his MFA in Creative Writing at Queens University in Charlotte, and has since written five more novels and several short stories. He has also been an association journalist for 22 years and has interviewed everyone from Colin Powell and James Carville to Jerry (The Beaver) Mathers and Cyndi Lauper. He lives in Glen Ellyn with his wife Julie and their two cats.

David Rice is Co-Founder (with his late wife Alison C. Vesely) of First Folio Theatre, where he has produced over 70 productions which have earned 40 Je Nominations and 7 Je Awards. He is also a playwright specializing in adaptations, whose works include Shrew’d!, Captain Blood, Cymbeline: A Musical Folk Tale (Je Awards – Original Adaptation and Original Music), The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe: A Love Story (Je Nomination – Original Adaptation), The Castle of Otranto, and Dean Monti’s Why Dogs Don’t Talk. Onstage at First Folio he has been seen as Sandor Turai in Rough Crossing, H.C. Curry in The Rainmaker, and Knuckles McCann in Jeeves Takes a Bow, amongst others. David has worked at numerous Chicago theaters in the last four decades, including the Paramount, Marriott’s Lincolnshire, Briar Street, and Candlelight. Trivia lovers may be interested to know that David was a four-time winner on Jeopardy! David is a proud member of both the Dramatists Guild and Actors Equity Association.

Morgan Manasa (she/her/hers), a graduate of the Chicago College of Performing Arts and Theatre Conservatory at Roosevelt University, has been a theatremaker in Chicago for the past 20 years. Morgan is an ensemble member of Babes With Blades Theatre Company where she’s been seen in their all-female production of Henry V (Fluellen) and Witch Slap (Goody Blunt). Morgan has directed a handful of one acts and 10 minute play festivals, but made her mainstage directorial debut with Arthur M. Jolly’s The Lady Demands Satisfaction (Jeff Recommended) with BWBTC. Most recently she directed In The Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) with Idle Muse Theatre Ensemble. Thank you for supporting live theatre! www.morganmanasa.com.

Mike Alongi joins First Folio for his first production. While he has no formal background in Theater, Mike is credited with producing, editing, and acting (minor role) in the 2019 short, “I’m Not a Bad Person”, and he co-wrote the upcoming web series, “Reaper, inc.”

Amy Creuziger returns to First Folio after serving as stage manager for Women in Jeopardy, Jeeves At Sea, and Captain Blood. Other Illinois credits include several productions with Artists’ Ensemble, and New American Theater in Rockford. Amy spent her early career stage managing, and directing in Minneapolis & St. Paul including productions with The Ordway, and Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. She has been a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association since 1999. She currently directs the theater productions at Rochelle Township High School where she has served as the Theater Arts Director since 2010.

Christopher Kriz is an award winning composer and sound designer based in Chicago, having received 5 Joseph Je erson Awards with a total of 21 nominations for his music and sound design. Chicago: Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Court Theatre, Northlight, Remy Bumppo, Victory Gardens, Timeline, and many others. Regional: Seattle Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and many summer seasons at Peninsula Players. Kriz is a proud member of United Scenic Artists 829. To hear more of his work, please visit christopherkriz.com.

Kate Danziger has been with First Folio in her current capacity since February 2017. She has been connected to First Folio Theatre since 2005, when she was hired as the assistant stage manager for The Taming of the Shrew. She became First Folio’s resident AEA stage manager and an Artistic Associate and worked on 17 shows as part of the stage management team. Prior to becoming First Folio’s Managing Director she was the Administration and Event Manager for the Skokie Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Kate holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Loyola University Chicago and a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a member of Actor’s Equity and a proud mom of two adorable boys.

Melaine Keller's First Folio directing credits include The Guys, All Childish Things, Mary’s Wedding, Silent Sky, and The Amish Project. Other directing credits include Much Ado About Nothing at Oak Park Festival Theatre and projects with Shakespeare Project of Chicago, Irish Theatre of Chicago, Fraud and Phony, WildClaw and Chicago Dramatists. As an actor, Melanie has appeared in over twelve productions at First Folio including The Turn of the Screw, Salvage, Private Lives, and Blithe Spirit. Acting credits with Signal Ensemble include East of Berlin and The Russian Play (Je Award for Best Actress), The Weir (Je Nomination for Best Supporting Actress), She Stoops to Conquer, and Much Ado About Nothing. Additional acting work includes Lady Macbeth at Oak Park Festival Theatre, a season at the Stratford Festival of Canada, seasons at Lakeside Shakespeare and Michigan Shakespeare Festival, and productions at the Goodman, Northlight, Peninsula Players, Chicago Shakespeare, Shakespeare Project of Chicago, Waterfront Playhouse of Key West, Artists’ Ensemble, and Strawdog Theatre, among others. She has appeared on Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and in the short film UberEx.