Artist Profiles
ARTIST PROFILES
Krista Hansen (Narrator) has been with DU’s Theatre Arts program for nearly 23 years, serving as Artistic Director, Professor and department Chair. She has directed dozens of Dominican productions, including: The SpongeBob Musical, The Wolves, The Prom, Mamma Mia!, The Addams Family, The Drowsy Chaperone, Macbeth, Legally Blonde, The Laramie Project, RENT, Noises Off and more. Krista has also appeared on the DU stage alongside her students in The Prom, Retrospective Revue and playing the title role in Mother Courage and Her Children. As a director, actor, intimacy choreographer, and voice/movement/dialect/character coach, Krista has worked with many theatres throughout Chicagoland, including AstonRep, Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, Erasing the Distance, and more. She is a recipient of the Davlin Diversity Award and the Singing Hoosiers Distinguished Alumni Award, serves on the Advisory Board of The Beautiful City Project, and is a proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. Krista sends love to Charlotte and the boys; and much gratitude to all the collaborators of Every Brilliant Thing. “Our imaginations are what make life bearable… because in order to live in the present we have to be able to imagine a future that’s better than the past.” – Duncan Macmillan
Jeremiah Barr (Scenic & Properties Designer/Technical Director), a jack of all trades carpenter, designer and artist, is very excited to be working with the EBT team. Some of his past design credits include Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson-Apt 2B (scenic design), The SpongeBob Musical (scenic design), and The Wolves (scenic design) at Dominican University; Sherlock Holmes and the Christmas Clowns (scenic), RUR (scenic design), Glassheart (scenic design), Night of the Hunter (scenic design) with City Lit Theatre; Strange Cargo (props/puppet design), A Shadow Bright and Burning (scenic/props design) with Black Button Eyes; Book of Will (props design), A Town Called Progress (scenic/props design) with Promethean Theatre Ensemble; Betrayal (scenic/props design), The Language Archive (scenic/props design) and The Pillowman (scenic/props design) with AstonRep Theatre Company. You might have also seen his TD handy work with Blue in the Right Way, Idle Muse, Promethean Theatre Ensemble, City Lit, Shattered Globe and Eclectic Full Contact Theatre as well as many other fine theatres in the Chicagoland area. Shout out to the great cast and fantastic crew. A big shout out to Samantha for all her love and knowledge of cats that keeps him on his toes.
Samantha K. Barr (Lighting Designer/Production Manager) is very happy to be on the Lund stage again with such a fine team. Sam has been at DU for a little while now and has been fooling around with lights and electrics since around the age of 8. She is very happy to have so many collaborators on this special project. Special thanks to everyone who listens to her rant about pixels while keeping her from falling off of ladders. Much love always to everyone who helps light the world.
Nina Dolan (Assistant Stage Manager/Outreach Liaison) is elated to be making her ASM and DU Outreach debut with this profoundly moving production. Her background consists of acting on stage in both plays and musicals. She is a senior studying Theatre Arts and Film at Dominican University and is continuing her education at the University of Amsterdam this fall to receive her master’s in Theatre Studies. When Nina is not working on her craft she is advocating for suicide prevention and awareness in her community by running the Scream Club chapter in Bloomingdale. She also independently fundraises for and speaks at Roger’s Behavioral Health in Hinsdale, IL, where four years ago she was once a patient herself. She says, “Thank you to mental health advocates and professionals everywhere for instilling hope. And to my deeply loved family, friends and mentors, you are all brilliant things on my list.”
Veronica Flores (Outreach Assistant) is a junior at Dominican University studying English Writing and is very excited to work as an outreach assistant for her first show! Past Dominican Theatre Arts show credits include: Blithe Spirit (Costume Shop Assistant), The Wolves (Costume Shop Assistant), and Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt 2B (Costume Shop Assistant). She wants to give a huge thanks to her family and kooky friends who support her through everything!
Mateo Gutierrez (Assistant Production Manager/Assistant Lighting Designer) is a senior at Dominican University studying Theatre Arts and is excited to be working on this production. Past credits include The SpongeBob Musical (PSM), Carousel with Music Theatre Works (Assistant Stage Manager), Blithe Spirit with Dominican University (Master Electrician), and No Man’s Sky with Steppenwolf (Electrics Intern). He is grateful for the opportunity to get his foot in the door of production management and to work with Sam on yet another lighting project.
Sunniva Holmlund (Production Stage Manager) is delighted to work with the lovely folks at Dominican for the fourth time! Local credits include productions with Compass Theatre, Redtwist, Teatro Vista, and Collaboraction, with whom they are a company member. Sunniva is studying to be a yoga teacher and enjoys exploring somatic and movement work.
Robin M. Hughes (Director) directed Silent Sky, Mother Courage and Her Children, Extremities, Toys in the Attic, and A Doll’s House at Dominican and acted in Romeo & Juliet (Friar), Our Town (Stage Manager), and Dead Man Walking (Sister Prejean). As a Steppenwolf Fellowship recipient, Robin worked on Sideman, Hysteria, The Ballad of Little Jo, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Orson’s Shadow. Additional credits include the Guthrie, Victory Gardens, Little Theatre On the Square, Williams Street Rep, Griffin, Metropolis, Circle, Light Opera Works, Bailiwick, and Mary-Arrchie. Robin is a graduate of the Steppenwolf School, an AEA candidate, and a proud SCD union member.
Robert Tobin (Sound Designer) is excited to come back to Dominican after designing sound for Silent Sky a few years back. Besides his sound design work, he works consistently as an actor and director throughout Chicago and regionally on theatre and film. He is also lead singer of the rock band Blue Ether. Enjoy the show!
Hannah Wald (Outreach Event Manager) works for Dominican University as the Event Services Systems Coordinator and is an alum of the institution. Hannah is thrilled to step back into the world of theatre for Every Brilliant Thing! She worked closely with students, Nina Dolan and Vero Flores, to host SCREAM events in the quad to share a collective “scream into the void” leading up to the production, as well as the lobby experience as you entered the show. She is so proud of the crew for all the amazing work that was accomplished on this production.
Andrea White (Costume Shop Manager) has been costume shop manager at Dominican since 2024. She has also costume designed DU’s productions of Blithe Spirit, The Wolves, Ms Holmes and Ms Watson-Apt 2B, and is currently working on DU’s upcoming production of Company. Being a part of the supportive and positive theatre arts community at Dominican is on Andrea’s list of “brilliant things”!
Kat Yackley (Costume Designer) is thrilled to be working again with the amazing team at Dominican University. She is honored to contribute to the important work of presenting Every Brilliant Thing and to collaborate with such a thoughtful and dedicated group.