Allison Sokolowski (Artistic Director/Founder/Conductor/Ensemble) is an actor, storyteller, and proud Chicagoland native with a B.S. in Acting and English from Illinois State University represented by Lori Lins Ltd, and she is grateful to practice Playback Theatre in this great city. She was a founding member of the Illinois State Playback Theatre Ensemble where, for over two years, she performed in shows and helped lead outreach workshops with the local Boys and Girls Club. She has also studied at the Centre for Playback Theatre in New York and with several leading Playback Theatre teachers worldwide, including the founders of Playback Theatre. She loves bringing young writers’ creative stories to life as a ensemble member with Playmakers Laboratory where she is also a teaching artist in their CPS 3rd-5th grade creative writing residency program. Allison is most interested in imaginative, innovative, and socially rooted productions and projects, and you can learn more about her and her work at http://allisonsokolowski.wixsite.com/allisonsokolowski
Rian Sondag (Co-Artistic Director/Conductor/Ensemble) is a Chicago-based comedian and storyteller with a passion for laughter and independent theater. She received her BA in Theater from Miami University. She can be found performing sketch, improv, and karaoke at different venues around the city, and is a proud member of her recreational softball team- Retrograde. Check out her Instagram (@therealriansondag) for more info and general silliness.
Lee Peters (Managing Director/Ensemble) is a Creative Arts Professional who specializes in education and storytelling in all its forms. Lee is grateful to have had many opportunities to work with and impact the lives of young people as teacher and director for over 20 years. He is currently a company member wit Playmakers Laboratory, an Artistic Associate with Chicago Playback Theatre, a teacher and director with Ovation Academy, and a teaching artist with Chicago Dantztheatre and Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education.
Jamie Redwood (Financial Director/Ensemble/Musician) is a Chicago actor, musician and performer who brings radical kindness into the rehearsal room. She is a proud ensemble member of the Chicago Playback Theatre and Idle Muse Theatre Company. When she’s not performing, Jamie spends her time working with Piano Power, offering private and group piano/voice/guitar lessons to people of all ages. Check out her Instagram for more information on performances and life updates (@jamie.rdwd).
Teri Talo (Social Media Manager/Ensemble) is a Non-Binary, Boriquen/Mexican actor, singer, teaching artist, and visual artist based in Chicago. They are excited to be returning to CPTE as an Ensemble Member and the Social Media Manager. They are also a teaching artist with Chicago Children’s Theatre. Their performance work includes, Floating Girls(#WeWomenFest25 with Artemisia Theatre at Bramble Arts Loft), Whore of Babylon (Pocket Theatrics at The Understudy), Pericles (The Forest Theatre), Virtue and Grace (1700 Lookout Series at Steppenwolf and Under St. Marks Theater in New York), and A Town Called Progress (Promethean Theatre at The Den Theatre). Their directing work includes, it’s been ten years since everyone died. a play about final girls and assistant directing Cock by Mike Bartlett, both with Open Space Arts. insta: @teri_talo and @gallery_talo
Evelyn Jane Wohlbier (Training Manager/Ensemble) is a devised theatre artist fresh to the Chicago theatre scene, a proud ensemble member of the Chicago Playback Theatre Ensemble, and an emerging Intimacy Director currently earning her graduate certificate in Intimacy at The Theatre School at DePaul University. Recent shows include: “Calypso” (2025) with The Village Theatre, “Infinity Burns” (2025) at A Red Orchid Theatre, and “I Think of You: Illuminating Mass Incarceration from Inside Out” (2023) at Portland Center Stage.
Chase Nuerge (Ensemble) is a Chicago-based actor whose passion is making relevant and political theater, especially normalizing gender non-conformity. Previous roles include Zhey in [Trans]formation (The Living Canvas and Nothing Without a Company), Zelazny in Down the Rocky Road and All the Way to Bedlam (Otherworld Theater), and Sad Boy in Wasteland Hero (Reutan Collective).
Eric Cho (Ensemble) is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) in IL and owner of IMPROVing Life Counseling Inc. He has been working in the mental health field for 25+ years. He is a graduate of the CIIS Drama Therapy Program and was bitten by the Playback bug while there. He has performed with various Playback ensembles in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Milwaukee, and Chicago, and can currently be seen performing with The Therapy Players, a Chicago based improv group comprised entirely of mental health professionals. Eric is thrilled and grateful to be returning to the world of Playback Theater with CPTE.
Luke Wallens (Ensemble) is a registered drama therapist, actor, improviser, singer, dancer and playwright and is proud to be back as an Ensemble Member for Chicago Playback Theatre. He currently sings and dances with Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus as well as dances for Kiki Queens. Outside of performing, Luke loves to garden, bake and go on hiking adventures with his dog.
Zoia Mendoza (Ensemble) is a Chicago actor and clown 🙂
Dan Marie McMillan (Artistic Associate) is a multidisciplinary artist living and creating in Chicago since 2021. With a BFA in Musical Theatre and a passion for storytelling, Dan teaches music, theatre arts, and storytelling classes with different companies in the city. They believe in the power of storytelling as humanity’s most influential tool. Through visual art, oration, music, movement, and dance, Dan works to share messages championing radical vulnerability and acceptance on stage and in the classroom.
Hattie Jule Hodes (Artistic Associate) is a Chicago based actor and theatre maker. She received her BFA in acting from the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Training Program where she minored in cultural studies. She loves making work that honors both the absurd and the poetic alike. When not on stage you can find her teaching yoga, throwing kitchen dance parties, or hiking somewhere green.
Jamía Amíra Taylor (Artistic Associate/Musician) is an actress, musician and comedienne from Washington D.C.. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and Instrumental Performance from Columbia College Chicago. Jamía has played lead roles in several critically-acclaimed Chicago stage productions, including: “Panther in the Sky,” “American Revolution,” “Love and Information,” “The Surgeon and Her Daughters,” “We’re All Born Naked, The Rest is Drag” and many more. Born with a God-given gift for instrumental musicianship, Jamía has mastered nearly a dozen instruments, most of which were self-taught. In addition to improvisational stage performance, she is a music educator and church musician.
Kosarachi “Kosi” Achife (Artistic Associate) is an Igbo-American multi-disciplinary artist and educator. Originally from Houston, Texas, Kosi has been living in and cultivating her creativity in Chicago for almost 10 years.
Maria Angelica Ceullar (Artistic Associate) is a comedy and drama actress and an independent business development professional whose work bridges performance, leadership, and purpose. Trained in improvisation at The Second City and classical drama at Escuela de Teatro Estudio XXI, she brings depth, presence, and emotional intelligence to every role, creating an authentic connection between character and audience. Her stage experience spans classical and contemporary theatre, including works by Shakespeare, Lorca, Chekhov, Ionesco, and Frayn, as well as musicals and commercial performances in Colombia and the United States. A trained dancer in tap, Irish dance, and jazz, She integrates physicality and rhythm into her performances. Parallel to her artistic career, she is the Founder of Incontact Group, where she leads projects across nonprofit and corporate sectors. A bilingual keynote speaker, strategist, and mentor, she is passionate about people, education, service, and innovation. A Dreamer in Action and a servant of faith.
Kennedy Frazier (she/they) (Guest Artist) is a Chicago-based actor, writer, and musician. She studied playwriting and Arabic literature at Kenyon College and she’s a proud graduate of the Academy at Black Box Acting Studio. Alongside their artistic practice, they also serve as a behavioral health instructor and they’re passionate about using storytelling to promote hope and healing.
Sarah Schmitt (Guest Artist) is a Chicago based actor and musician. She received her undergraduate degree in elementary education and Spanish at Monmouth College while also participating in theatre, improv, and gospel groups. After college, she spent a few years living abroad in Granada, Spain and Queretaro, Mexico where she performed in bands and taught theatre. Sarah has always appreciated the act of listening and storytelling and feels lucky to share this passion with the Playback team and its audiences.
Sasha Vulovic (Guest Artist) is a dancer and theater-maker/performer who moved to Chicago in 2018. She has a background in breaking and physical theater from years in Detroit performing with Hardcore Detroit street dance company, and making solo and group work in affiliation with the Hinterlands physical theater company. Over recent years she has enjoyed learning from various collaborations with individuals and companies in dance and theater including Click Clack Club, Ghostlight, Playback Theater, Eternal Resolve, MOCAD, Alyssa Motter, BraveSOUL, Amirah Sackett, Actors’ Gymnasium, and others. She currently teaches social circus, fitness, and yoga.