TRIAL IN THE DELTA:
THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL
ABOUT
The murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955 brought national attention to the racial violence and injustice prevalent in the deep south. While on a trip from his hometown, Chicago, to visit relatives in Mississippi, Till went to the Bryant store with his cousins, and may have whistled at Carolyn Bryant, a white woman. Her husband, Roy Bryant, and brother-in-law, J.W. Milam, kidnapped and brutally murdered Till, dumping his body in the Tallahatchie River. The newspaper coverage and murder trial galvanized a generation of young African Americans to join the Civil Rights Movement out of fear that such an incident could happen to friends, family, or even themselves.
Trial in the Delta plays like a reenactment of the actual court proceedings that played out in Sumner, Mississippi in 1955. Key characters, based on real life, include presiding judge Curtis Swango, defense attorney J. J. Breeland, district attorney Gerald Chatham, and, of course, J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant, the two men who were found not guilty of murdering Emmett Till, but later admitted to the heinous crime. Actors portraying witnesses for the defense and prosecution, including Emmett Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Bradley and other family members, will be seated among the audience, bringing the courtroom action to vivid life in a documentary-style setting.
This event is being created in partnership with The DuSable Museum of African American History.
PERFORMANCE DETAILS
DETAILS
Join us at The DuSable for the live reading of Trial in the Delta on
Saturday, February 26, 2022 at 7 p.m. CST!
TICKETS ARE:
-
$45 (general admission)
-
$25 (for CollaborActivists & DuSable members)
-
$15 (for youth, educators, seniors, artists, activists and low income patrons)*
*be prepared to demonstrate eligibility onsite with business card, survey information, etc
Use the promo code JANUARY for 30% OFF ANY TICKET price until January 31st!
EXPERIENCE
The production will be an immersive reenactment of the actual courtroom setting with the audience and actors co-mingled in the house.
As a result, Trial in the Delta promises to be a new, more authentic account of one of the most monumental injustices of the U.S. legal system in the 20th century.
Run time is approximately 2 hours and will be followed by a Crucial Conversation with the audience. The reading will be filmed with multiple cameras for a corresponding video project.
FILMING NOTICE
Please be aware that a photography and film team will be recording and documenting the event. The photographs and films may be published, transmitted or broadcast by Collaboraction and used in public materials, including on Collaboraction's website, and may be circulated to the press and other broadcast media and internet websites for publication, transmission or broadcast.
THE TEAM
SPONSORED BY
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Anthony Moseley (he/him)
Anthony has been the Artistic Director of Collaboraction since 1999, using theater as a tool of knowledge, empathy, dialogue and action. Through this work, Moseley has commissioned and collaborated with thousands of artists to build a more equitable future for Chicago through projects including Sketchbook Festival, Peacebook, Encounter and The Light youth theater festival. As a writer/director he created Crime Scene: a Chicago Anthology and its four sequels, This is Not a Cure For Cancer, Connected and A Blue Island in the Red Sea. In 2018, Collaboraction was honored with a Comcast/Ovation Stand for the Arts Award and an Otto Award for “ground-breaking political theater.”
Anthony has been the Artistic Director of Collaboraction since 1999, using theater as a tool of knowledge, empathy, dialogue and action. Through this work, Moseley has commissioned and collaborated with thousands of artists to build a more equitable future for Chicago through projects including Sketchbook Festival, Peacebook, Encounter and The Light youth theater festival. As a writer/director he created Crime Scene: a Chicago Anthology and its four sequels, This is Not a Cure For Cancer, Connected and A Blue Island in the Red Sea. In 2018, Collaboraction was honored with a Comcast/Ovation Stand for the Arts Award and an Otto Award for “ground-breaking political theater.”
PRODUCER
Carla Stillwell (she/her)
Carla has been an award-winning actor, playwright, producer, artistic director and teacher for three decades. Ms. Stillwell is a teaching artist with Victory Gardens Theatre and will be joining the Loyola University theatre department’s adjunct staff in Spring 2022. Ms. Stillwell has founded The Stillwell Institute for Contemporary Black Arts. This organization moves with a mission to recruit, develop and support contemporary Black artists and to teach art making in the Black community as a healing practice, a vehicle for social change and a viable career opportunity. Most recently, she has joined the staff of Collaboraction as the company's first full-time producer.
Carla has been an award-winning actor, playwright, producer, artistic director and teacher for three decades. Ms. Stillwell is a teaching artist with Victory Gardens Theatre and will be joining the Loyola University theatre department’s adjunct staff in Spring 2022. Ms. Stillwell has founded The Stillwell Institute for Contemporary Black Arts. This organization moves with a mission to recruit, develop and support contemporary Black artists and to teach art making in the Black community as a healing practice, a vehicle for social change and a viable career opportunity. Most recently, she has joined the staff of Collaboraction as the company's first full-time producer.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Elsa Hiltner (she/her)
Elsa is a Company Member of Collaboraction, costume designer, and international organizer on theatrical labor equity. Her essays include "A Call for Equal Support in Theatrical Design" (HowlRound, 2016 & Stage Directions, 2017), "Inequity by Design" (HowlRound, 2020), and "Pay Equity: What's in it for Theatre Companies?" (HowlRound, 2021). She has worked with Collaboraction since 2007 as a designer and deviser, and joined the staff in 2017. She co-created The Mars Assignment, a 2016 Collaboraction production on mental illness and stigma. Elsa is a co-founder of On Our Team, a Chicago-based organization working to build equity in theatrical design and was awarded the Michael Merritt Arts Advocacy Award in 2021.
Elsa is a Company Member of Collaboraction, costume designer, and international organizer on theatrical labor equity. Her essays include "A Call for Equal Support in Theatrical Design" (HowlRound, 2016 & Stage Directions, 2017), "Inequity by Design" (HowlRound, 2020), and "Pay Equity: What's in it for Theatre Companies?" (HowlRound, 2021). She has worked with Collaboraction since 2007 as a designer and deviser, and joined the staff in 2017. She co-created The Mars Assignment, a 2016 Collaboraction production on mental illness and stigma. Elsa is a co-founder of On Our Team, a Chicago-based organization working to build equity in theatrical design and was awarded the Michael Merritt Arts Advocacy Award in 2021.
PUBLIC RELATIONS REPRE
Jay Kelly, (He/Him)
Jay is a Chicago PR specialist with more than 30 years of experience representing non-profit performing arts organizations including theaters, dance companies, music organizations and festivals. He has proudly represented Collaboraction since 2011. Other clients include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), Lucky Plush Productions, Manual Cinema, Paramount Theatre, Physical Theater Festival Chicago, Season of Concern, Teatro Vista, Theater Wit and TimeLine Theatre Company. He launched Jay Kelly PR in July 2017 after seven years as Vice President of Arts and Culture at a mid-sized PR firm. He also served three years as an adjunct marketing professor at The Theatre School at DePaul University in the performing arts management program. For more, visit jaykellypr.com.
Jay is a Chicago PR specialist with more than 30 years of experience representing non-profit performing arts organizations including theaters, dance companies, music organizations and festivals. He has proudly represented Collaboraction since 2011. Other clients include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), Lucky Plush Productions, Manual Cinema, Paramount Theatre, Physical Theater Festival Chicago, Season of Concern, Teatro Vista, Theater Wit and TimeLine Theatre Company. He launched Jay Kelly PR in July 2017 after seven years as Vice President of Arts and Culture at a mid-sized PR firm. He also served three years as an adjunct marketing professor at The Theatre School at DePaul University in the performing arts management program. For more, visit jaykellypr.com.
COMMUNICATIONS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER
Willow James, (He/Him)
Willow is a Chicago-based theatre artist and freelance photographer with a passion for new works and empowering those from historically underserved communities. This passion has fueled his career as an actor, director and sound designer working with Windy City Playhouse, Stage Left Theatre, Perceptions Theatre and others. He serves as Producer and Resident Sound Designer at Artemisia Theatre and is a teaching artist with Pegasus Theatre. Keep up with him at willow-james.org
Willow is a Chicago-based theatre artist and freelance photographer with a passion for new works and empowering those from historically underserved communities. This passion has fueled his career as an actor, director and sound designer working with Windy City Playhouse, Stage Left Theatre, Perceptions Theatre and others. He serves as Producer and Resident Sound Designer at Artemisia Theatre and is a teaching artist with Pegasus Theatre. Keep up with him at willow-james.org
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Pricilla Torres (she/her)
Pricilla Torres is an actor and producer based in Chicagoland. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from UW-Stevens Point and minored in Communication with an emphasis in media, which included film history, screenwriting, and video production. She has worked for Northlight Theatre as a teaching artist apprentice and Oakton Community College as a Production Assistant. Other organizations worked with include First Folio, Misalliance Repertory Theatre, and The Studio Theatre Tierra Del Sol. As a proud mixed race woman, she is passionate about BIPOC representation, supporting BIPOC artists, and being a part of spaces that encourage storytelling by the voices of the unheard.
Pricilla Torres is an actor and producer based in Chicagoland. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from UW-Stevens Point and minored in Communication with an emphasis in media, which included film history, screenwriting, and video production. She has worked for Northlight Theatre as a teaching artist apprentice and Oakton Community College as a Production Assistant. Other organizations worked with include First Folio, Misalliance Repertory Theatre, and The Studio Theatre Tierra Del Sol. As a proud mixed race woman, she is passionate about BIPOC representation, supporting BIPOC artists, and being a part of spaces that encourage storytelling by the voices of the unheard.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Anthony Moseley (he/him)
Anthony has been the Artistic Director of Collaboraction since 1999, using theater as a tool of knowledge, empathy, dialogue and action. Through this work, Moseley has commissioned and collaborated with thousands of artists to build a more equitable future for Chicago through projects including Sketchbook Festival, Peacebook, Encounter and The Light youth theater festival. As a writer/director he created Crime Scene: a Chicago Anthology and its four sequels, This is Not a Cure For Cancer, Connected and A Blue Island in the Red Sea. In 2018, Collaboraction was honored with a Comcast/Ovation Stand for the Arts Award and an Otto Award for “ground-breaking political theater.”
Anthony has been the Artistic Director of Collaboraction since 1999, using theater as a tool of knowledge, empathy, dialogue and action. Through this work, Moseley has commissioned and collaborated with thousands of artists to build a more equitable future for Chicago through projects including Sketchbook Festival, Peacebook, Encounter and The Light youth theater festival. As a writer/director he created Crime Scene: a Chicago Anthology and its four sequels, This is Not a Cure For Cancer, Connected and A Blue Island in the Red Sea. In 2018, Collaboraction was honored with a Comcast/Ovation Stand for the Arts Award and an Otto Award for “ground-breaking political theater.”
PRODUCER
Carla Stillwell (she/her)
Carla has been an award-winning actor, playwright, producer, artistic director and teacher for three decades. Ms. Stillwell is a teaching artist with Victory Gardens Theatre and will be joining the Loyola University theatre department’s adjunct staff in Spring 2022. Ms. Stillwell has founded The Stillwell Institute for Contemporary Black Arts. This organization moves with a mission to recruit, develop and support contemporary Black artists and to teach art making in the Black community as a healing practice, a vehicle for social change and a viable career opportunity. Most recently, she has joined the staff of Collaboraction as the company's first full-time producer.
Carla has been an award-winning actor, playwright, producer, artistic director and teacher for three decades. Ms. Stillwell is a teaching artist with Victory Gardens Theatre and will be joining the Loyola University theatre department’s adjunct staff in Spring 2022. Ms. Stillwell has founded The Stillwell Institute for Contemporary Black Arts. This organization moves with a mission to recruit, develop and support contemporary Black artists and to teach art making in the Black community as a healing practice, a vehicle for social change and a viable career opportunity. Most recently, she has joined the staff of Collaboraction as the company's first full-time producer.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Elsa Hiltner (she/her)
Elsa is a Company Member of Collaboraction, costume designer, and international organizer on theatrical labor equity. Her essays include "A Call for Equal Support in Theatrical Design" (HowlRound, 2016 & Stage Directions, 2017), "Inequity by Design" (HowlRound, 2020), and "Pay Equity: What's in it for Theatre Companies?" (HowlRound, 2021). She has worked with Collaboraction since 2007 as a designer and deviser, and joined the staff in 2017. She co-created The Mars Assignment, a 2016 Collaboraction production on mental illness and stigma. Elsa is a co-founder of On Our Team, a Chicago-based organization working to build equity in theatrical design and was awarded the Michael Merritt Arts Advocacy Award in 2021.
Elsa is a Company Member of Collaboraction, costume designer, and international organizer on theatrical labor equity. Her essays include "A Call for Equal Support in Theatrical Design" (HowlRound, 2016 & Stage Directions, 2017), "Inequity by Design" (HowlRound, 2020), and "Pay Equity: What's in it for Theatre Companies?" (HowlRound, 2021). She has worked with Collaboraction since 2007 as a designer and deviser, and joined the staff in 2017. She co-created The Mars Assignment, a 2016 Collaboraction production on mental illness and stigma. Elsa is a co-founder of On Our Team, a Chicago-based organization working to build equity in theatrical design and was awarded the Michael Merritt Arts Advocacy Award in 2021.
PUBLIC RELATIONS REPRE
Jay Kelly, (He/Him)
Jay is a Chicago PR specialist with more than 30 years of experience representing non-profit performing arts organizations including theaters, dance companies, music organizations and festivals. He has proudly represented Collaboraction since 2011. Other clients include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), Lucky Plush Productions, Manual Cinema, Paramount Theatre, Physical Theater Festival Chicago, Season of Concern, Teatro Vista, Theater Wit and TimeLine Theatre Company. He launched Jay Kelly PR in July 2017 after seven years as Vice President of Arts and Culture at a mid-sized PR firm. He also served three years as an adjunct marketing professor at The Theatre School at DePaul University in the performing arts management program. For more, visit jaykellypr.com.
Jay is a Chicago PR specialist with more than 30 years of experience representing non-profit performing arts organizations including theaters, dance companies, music organizations and festivals. He has proudly represented Collaboraction since 2011. Other clients include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), Lucky Plush Productions, Manual Cinema, Paramount Theatre, Physical Theater Festival Chicago, Season of Concern, Teatro Vista, Theater Wit and TimeLine Theatre Company. He launched Jay Kelly PR in July 2017 after seven years as Vice President of Arts and Culture at a mid-sized PR firm. He also served three years as an adjunct marketing professor at The Theatre School at DePaul University in the performing arts management program. For more, visit jaykellypr.com.
COMMUNICATIONS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER
Willow James, (He/Him)
Willow is a Chicago-based theatre artist and freelance photographer with a passion for new works and empowering those from historically underserved communities. This passion has fueled his career as an actor, director and sound designer working with Windy City Playhouse, Stage Left Theatre, Perceptions Theatre and others. He serves as Producer and Resident Sound Designer at Artemisia Theatre and is a teaching artist with Pegasus Theatre. Keep up with him at willow-james.org
Willow is a Chicago-based theatre artist and freelance photographer with a passion for new works and empowering those from historically underserved communities. This passion has fueled his career as an actor, director and sound designer working with Windy City Playhouse, Stage Left Theatre, Perceptions Theatre and others. He serves as Producer and Resident Sound Designer at Artemisia Theatre and is a teaching artist with Pegasus Theatre. Keep up with him at willow-james.org
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Pricilla Torres (she/her)
Pricilla Torres is an actor and producer based in Chicagoland. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from UW-Stevens Point and minored in Communication with an emphasis in media, which included film history, screenwriting, and video production. She has worked for Northlight Theatre as a teaching artist apprentice and Oakton Community College as a Production Assistant. Other organizations worked with include First Folio, Misalliance Repertory Theatre, and The Studio Theatre Tierra Del Sol. As a proud mixed race woman, she is passionate about BIPOC representation, supporting BIPOC artists, and being a part of spaces that encourage storytelling by the voices of the unheard.
Pricilla Torres is an actor and producer based in Chicagoland. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from UW-Stevens Point and minored in Communication with an emphasis in media, which included film history, screenwriting, and video production. She has worked for Northlight Theatre as a teaching artist apprentice and Oakton Community College as a Production Assistant. Other organizations worked with include First Folio, Misalliance Repertory Theatre, and The Studio Theatre Tierra Del Sol. As a proud mixed race woman, she is passionate about BIPOC representation, supporting BIPOC artists, and being a part of spaces that encourage storytelling by the voices of the unheard.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Anthony Moseley (he/him)
Anthony has been the Artistic Director of Collaboraction since 1999, using theater as a tool of knowledge, empathy, dialogue and action. Through this work, Moseley has commissioned and collaborated with thousands of artists to build a more equitable future for Chicago through projects including Sketchbook Festival, Peacebook, Encounter and The Light youth theater festival. As a writer/director he created Crime Scene: a Chicago Anthology and its four sequels, This is Not a Cure For Cancer, Connected and A Blue Island in the Red Sea. In 2018, Collaboraction was honored with a Comcast/Ovation Stand for the Arts Award and an Otto Award for “ground-breaking political theater.”
Anthony has been the Artistic Director of Collaboraction since 1999, using theater as a tool of knowledge, empathy, dialogue and action. Through this work, Moseley has commissioned and collaborated with thousands of artists to build a more equitable future for Chicago through projects including Sketchbook Festival, Peacebook, Encounter and The Light youth theater festival. As a writer/director he created Crime Scene: a Chicago Anthology and its four sequels, This is Not a Cure For Cancer, Connected and A Blue Island in the Red Sea. In 2018, Collaboraction was honored with a Comcast/Ovation Stand for the Arts Award and an Otto Award for “ground-breaking political theater.”
PRODUCER
Carla Stillwell (she/her)
Carla has been an award-winning actor, playwright, producer, artistic director and teacher for three decades. Ms. Stillwell is a teaching artist with Victory Gardens Theatre and will be joining the Loyola University theatre department’s adjunct staff in Spring 2022. Ms. Stillwell has founded The Stillwell Institute for Contemporary Black Arts. This organization moves with a mission to recruit, develop and support contemporary Black artists and to teach art making in the Black community as a healing practice, a vehicle for social change and a viable career opportunity. Most recently, she has joined the staff of Collaboraction as the company's first full-time producer.
Carla has been an award-winning actor, playwright, producer, artistic director and teacher for three decades. Ms. Stillwell is a teaching artist with Victory Gardens Theatre and will be joining the Loyola University theatre department’s adjunct staff in Spring 2022. Ms. Stillwell has founded The Stillwell Institute for Contemporary Black Arts. This organization moves with a mission to recruit, develop and support contemporary Black artists and to teach art making in the Black community as a healing practice, a vehicle for social change and a viable career opportunity. Most recently, she has joined the staff of Collaboraction as the company's first full-time producer.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Elsa Hiltner (she/her)
Elsa is a Company Member of Collaboraction, costume designer, and international organizer on theatrical labor equity. Her essays include "A Call for Equal Support in Theatrical Design" (HowlRound, 2016 & Stage Directions, 2017), "Inequity by Design" (HowlRound, 2020), and "Pay Equity: What's in it for Theatre Companies?" (HowlRound, 2021). She has worked with Collaboraction since 2007 as a designer and deviser, and joined the staff in 2017. She co-created The Mars Assignment, a 2016 Collaboraction production on mental illness and stigma. Elsa is a co-founder of On Our Team, a Chicago-based organization working to build equity in theatrical design and was awarded the Michael Merritt Arts Advocacy Award in 2021.
Elsa is a Company Member of Collaboraction, costume designer, and international organizer on theatrical labor equity. Her essays include "A Call for Equal Support in Theatrical Design" (HowlRound, 2016 & Stage Directions, 2017), "Inequity by Design" (HowlRound, 2020), and "Pay Equity: What's in it for Theatre Companies?" (HowlRound, 2021). She has worked with Collaboraction since 2007 as a designer and deviser, and joined the staff in 2017. She co-created The Mars Assignment, a 2016 Collaboraction production on mental illness and stigma. Elsa is a co-founder of On Our Team, a Chicago-based organization working to build equity in theatrical design and was awarded the Michael Merritt Arts Advocacy Award in 2021.
PUBLIC RELATIONS REPRE
Jay Kelly, (He/Him)
Jay is a Chicago PR specialist with more than 30 years of experience representing non-profit performing arts organizations including theaters, dance companies, music organizations and festivals. He has proudly represented Collaboraction since 2011. Other clients include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), Lucky Plush Productions, Manual Cinema, Paramount Theatre, Physical Theater Festival Chicago, Season of Concern, Teatro Vista, Theater Wit and TimeLine Theatre Company. He launched Jay Kelly PR in July 2017 after seven years as Vice President of Arts and Culture at a mid-sized PR firm. He also served three years as an adjunct marketing professor at The Theatre School at DePaul University in the performing arts management program. For more, visit jaykellypr.com.
Jay is a Chicago PR specialist with more than 30 years of experience representing non-profit performing arts organizations including theaters, dance companies, music organizations and festivals. He has proudly represented Collaboraction since 2011. Other clients include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), Lucky Plush Productions, Manual Cinema, Paramount Theatre, Physical Theater Festival Chicago, Season of Concern, Teatro Vista, Theater Wit and TimeLine Theatre Company. He launched Jay Kelly PR in July 2017 after seven years as Vice President of Arts and Culture at a mid-sized PR firm. He also served three years as an adjunct marketing professor at The Theatre School at DePaul University in the performing arts management program. For more, visit jaykellypr.com.
COMMUNICATIONS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER
Willow James, (He/Him)
Willow is a Chicago-based theatre artist and freelance photographer with a passion for new works and empowering those from historically underserved communities. This passion has fueled his career as an actor, director and sound designer working with Windy City Playhouse, Stage Left Theatre, Perceptions Theatre and others. He serves as Producer and Resident Sound Designer at Artemisia Theatre and is a teaching artist with Pegasus Theatre. Keep up with him at willow-james.org
Willow is a Chicago-based theatre artist and freelance photographer with a passion for new works and empowering those from historically underserved communities. This passion has fueled his career as an actor, director and sound designer working with Windy City Playhouse, Stage Left Theatre, Perceptions Theatre and others. He serves as Producer and Resident Sound Designer at Artemisia Theatre and is a teaching artist with Pegasus Theatre. Keep up with him at willow-james.org
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Pricilla Torres (she/her)
Pricilla Torres is an actor and producer based in Chicagoland. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from UW-Stevens Point and minored in Communication with an emphasis in media, which included film history, screenwriting, and video production. She has worked for Northlight Theatre as a teaching artist apprentice and Oakton Community College as a Production Assistant. Other organizations worked with include First Folio, Misalliance Repertory Theatre, and The Studio Theatre Tierra Del Sol. As a proud mixed race woman, she is passionate about BIPOC representation, supporting BIPOC artists, and being a part of spaces that encourage storytelling by the voices of the unheard.
Pricilla Torres is an actor and producer based in Chicagoland. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from UW-Stevens Point and minored in Communication with an emphasis in media, which included film history, screenwriting, and video production. She has worked for Northlight Theatre as a teaching artist apprentice and Oakton Community College as a Production Assistant. Other organizations worked with include First Folio, Misalliance Repertory Theatre, and The Studio Theatre Tierra Del Sol. As a proud mixed race woman, she is passionate about BIPOC representation, supporting BIPOC artists, and being a part of spaces that encourage storytelling by the voices of the unheard.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Anthony Moseley (he/him)
Anthony has been the Artistic Director of Collaboraction since 1999, using theater as a tool of knowledge, empathy, dialogue and action. Through this work, Moseley has commissioned and collaborated with thousands of artists to build a more equitable future for Chicago through projects including Sketchbook Festival, Peacebook, Encounter and The Light youth theater festival. As a writer/director he created Crime Scene: a Chicago Anthology and its four sequels, This is Not a Cure For Cancer, Connected and A Blue Island in the Red Sea. In 2018, Collaboraction was honored with a Comcast/Ovation Stand for the Arts Award and an Otto Award for “ground-breaking political theater.”
Anthony has been the Artistic Director of Collaboraction since 1999, using theater as a tool of knowledge, empathy, dialogue and action. Through this work, Moseley has commissioned and collaborated with thousands of artists to build a more equitable future for Chicago through projects including Sketchbook Festival, Peacebook, Encounter and The Light youth theater festival. As a writer/director he created Crime Scene: a Chicago Anthology and its four sequels, This is Not a Cure For Cancer, Connected and A Blue Island in the Red Sea. In 2018, Collaboraction was honored with a Comcast/Ovation Stand for the Arts Award and an Otto Award for “ground-breaking political theater.”
PRODUCER
Carla Stillwell (she/her)
Carla has been an award-winning actor, playwright, producer, artistic director and teacher for three decades. Ms. Stillwell is a teaching artist with Victory Gardens Theatre and will be joining the Loyola University theatre department’s adjunct staff in Spring 2022. Ms. Stillwell has founded The Stillwell Institute for Contemporary Black Arts. This organization moves with a mission to recruit, develop and support contemporary Black artists and to teach art making in the Black community as a healing practice, a vehicle for social change and a viable career opportunity. Most recently, she has joined the staff of Collaboraction as the company's first full-time producer.
Carla has been an award-winning actor, playwright, producer, artistic director and teacher for three decades. Ms. Stillwell is a teaching artist with Victory Gardens Theatre and will be joining the Loyola University theatre department’s adjunct staff in Spring 2022. Ms. Stillwell has founded The Stillwell Institute for Contemporary Black Arts. This organization moves with a mission to recruit, develop and support contemporary Black artists and to teach art making in the Black community as a healing practice, a vehicle for social change and a viable career opportunity. Most recently, she has joined the staff of Collaboraction as the company's first full-time producer.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Elsa Hiltner (she/her)
Elsa is a Company Member of Collaboraction, costume designer, and international organizer on theatrical labor equity. Her essays include "A Call for Equal Support in Theatrical Design" (HowlRound, 2016 & Stage Directions, 2017), "Inequity by Design" (HowlRound, 2020), and "Pay Equity: What's in it for Theatre Companies?" (HowlRound, 2021). She has worked with Collaboraction since 2007 as a designer and deviser, and joined the staff in 2017. She co-created The Mars Assignment, a 2016 Collaboraction production on mental illness and stigma. Elsa is a co-founder of On Our Team, a Chicago-based organization working to build equity in theatrical design and was awarded the Michael Merritt Arts Advocacy Award in 2021.
Elsa is a Company Member of Collaboraction, costume designer, and international organizer on theatrical labor equity. Her essays include "A Call for Equal Support in Theatrical Design" (HowlRound, 2016 & Stage Directions, 2017), "Inequity by Design" (HowlRound, 2020), and "Pay Equity: What's in it for Theatre Companies?" (HowlRound, 2021). She has worked with Collaboraction since 2007 as a designer and deviser, and joined the staff in 2017. She co-created The Mars Assignment, a 2016 Collaboraction production on mental illness and stigma. Elsa is a co-founder of On Our Team, a Chicago-based organization working to build equity in theatrical design and was awarded the Michael Merritt Arts Advocacy Award in 2021.
PUBLIC RELATIONS REPRE
Jay Kelly, (He/Him)
Jay is a Chicago PR specialist with more than 30 years of experience representing non-profit performing arts organizations including theaters, dance companies, music organizations and festivals. He has proudly represented Collaboraction since 2011. Other clients include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), Lucky Plush Productions, Manual Cinema, Paramount Theatre, Physical Theater Festival Chicago, Season of Concern, Teatro Vista, Theater Wit and TimeLine Theatre Company. He launched Jay Kelly PR in July 2017 after seven years as Vice President of Arts and Culture at a mid-sized PR firm. He also served three years as an adjunct marketing professor at The Theatre School at DePaul University in the performing arts management program. For more, visit jaykellypr.com.
Jay is a Chicago PR specialist with more than 30 years of experience representing non-profit performing arts organizations including theaters, dance companies, music organizations and festivals. He has proudly represented Collaboraction since 2011. Other clients include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), Lucky Plush Productions, Manual Cinema, Paramount Theatre, Physical Theater Festival Chicago, Season of Concern, Teatro Vista, Theater Wit and TimeLine Theatre Company. He launched Jay Kelly PR in July 2017 after seven years as Vice President of Arts and Culture at a mid-sized PR firm. He also served three years as an adjunct marketing professor at The Theatre School at DePaul University in the performing arts management program. For more, visit jaykellypr.com.
COMMUNICATIONS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER
Willow James, (He/Him)
Willow is a Chicago-based theatre artist and freelance photographer with a passion for new works and empowering those from historically underserved communities. This passion has fueled his career as an actor, director and sound designer working with Windy City Playhouse, Stage Left Theatre, Perceptions Theatre and others. He serves as Producer and Resident Sound Designer at Artemisia Theatre and is a teaching artist with Pegasus Theatre. Keep up with him at willow-james.org
Willow is a Chicago-based theatre artist and freelance photographer with a passion for new works and empowering those from historically underserved communities. This passion has fueled his career as an actor, director and sound designer working with Windy City Playhouse, Stage Left Theatre, Perceptions Theatre and others. He serves as Producer and Resident Sound Designer at Artemisia Theatre and is a teaching artist with Pegasus Theatre. Keep up with him at willow-james.org
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Pricilla Torres (she/her)
Pricilla Torres is an actor and producer based in Chicagoland. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from UW-Stevens Point and minored in Communication with an emphasis in media, which included film history, screenwriting, and video production. She has worked for Northlight Theatre as a teaching artist apprentice and Oakton Community College as a Production Assistant. Other organizations worked with include First Folio, Misalliance Repertory Theatre, and The Studio Theatre Tierra Del Sol. As a proud mixed race woman, she is passionate about BIPOC representation, supporting BIPOC artists, and being a part of spaces that encourage storytelling by the voices of the unheard.
Pricilla Torres is an actor and producer based in Chicagoland. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from UW-Stevens Point and minored in Communication with an emphasis in media, which included film history, screenwriting, and video production. She has worked for Northlight Theatre as a teaching artist apprentice and Oakton Community College as a Production Assistant. Other organizations worked with include First Folio, Misalliance Repertory Theatre, and The Studio Theatre Tierra Del Sol. As a proud mixed race woman, she is passionate about BIPOC representation, supporting BIPOC artists, and being a part of spaces that encourage storytelling by the voices of the unheard.
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Anthony Moseley (he/him)
Anthony has been the Artistic Director of Collaboraction since 1999, using theater as a tool of knowledge, empathy, dialogue and action. Through this work, Moseley has commissioned and collaborated with thousands of artists to build a more equitable future for Chicago through projects including Sketchbook Festival, Peacebook, Encounter and The Light youth theater festival. As a writer/director he created Crime Scene: a Chicago Anthology and its four sequels, This is Not a Cure For Cancer, Connected and A Blue Island in the Red Sea. In 2018, Collaboraction was honored with a Comcast/Ovation Stand for the Arts Award and an Otto Award for “ground-breaking political theater.”
Anthony has been the Artistic Director of Collaboraction since 1999, using theater as a tool of knowledge, empathy, dialogue and action. Through this work, Moseley has commissioned and collaborated with thousands of artists to build a more equitable future for Chicago through projects including Sketchbook Festival, Peacebook, Encounter and The Light youth theater festival. As a writer/director he created Crime Scene: a Chicago Anthology and its four sequels, This is Not a Cure For Cancer, Connected and A Blue Island in the Red Sea. In 2018, Collaboraction was honored with a Comcast/Ovation Stand for the Arts Award and an Otto Award for “ground-breaking political theater.”
PRODUCER
Carla Stillwell (she/her)
Carla has been an award-winning actor, playwright, producer, artistic director and teacher for three decades. Ms. Stillwell is a teaching artist with Victory Gardens Theatre and will be joining the Loyola University theatre department’s adjunct staff in Spring 2022. Ms. Stillwell has founded The Stillwell Institute for Contemporary Black Arts. This organization moves with a mission to recruit, develop and support contemporary Black artists and to teach art making in the Black community as a healing practice, a vehicle for social change and a viable career opportunity. Most recently, she has joined the staff of Collaboraction as the company's first full-time producer.
Carla has been an award-winning actor, playwright, producer, artistic director and teacher for three decades. Ms. Stillwell is a teaching artist with Victory Gardens Theatre and will be joining the Loyola University theatre department’s adjunct staff in Spring 2022. Ms. Stillwell has founded The Stillwell Institute for Contemporary Black Arts. This organization moves with a mission to recruit, develop and support contemporary Black artists and to teach art making in the Black community as a healing practice, a vehicle for social change and a viable career opportunity. Most recently, she has joined the staff of Collaboraction as the company's first full-time producer.
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Elsa Hiltner (she/her)
Elsa is a Company Member of Collaboraction, costume designer, and international organizer on theatrical labor equity. Her essays include "A Call for Equal Support in Theatrical Design" (HowlRound, 2016 & Stage Directions, 2017), "Inequity by Design" (HowlRound, 2020), and "Pay Equity: What's in it for Theatre Companies?" (HowlRound, 2021). She has worked with Collaboraction since 2007 as a designer and deviser, and joined the staff in 2017. She co-created The Mars Assignment, a 2016 Collaboraction production on mental illness and stigma. Elsa is a co-founder of On Our Team, a Chicago-based organization working to build equity in theatrical design and was awarded the Michael Merritt Arts Advocacy Award in 2021.
Elsa is a Company Member of Collaboraction, costume designer, and international organizer on theatrical labor equity. Her essays include "A Call for Equal Support in Theatrical Design" (HowlRound, 2016 & Stage Directions, 2017), "Inequity by Design" (HowlRound, 2020), and "Pay Equity: What's in it for Theatre Companies?" (HowlRound, 2021). She has worked with Collaboraction since 2007 as a designer and deviser, and joined the staff in 2017. She co-created The Mars Assignment, a 2016 Collaboraction production on mental illness and stigma. Elsa is a co-founder of On Our Team, a Chicago-based organization working to build equity in theatrical design and was awarded the Michael Merritt Arts Advocacy Award in 2021.
PUBLIC RELATIONS REPRE
Jay Kelly, (He/Him)
Jay is a Chicago PR specialist with more than 30 years of experience representing non-profit performing arts organizations including theaters, dance companies, music organizations and festivals. He has proudly represented Collaboraction since 2011. Other clients include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), Lucky Plush Productions, Manual Cinema, Paramount Theatre, Physical Theater Festival Chicago, Season of Concern, Teatro Vista, Theater Wit and TimeLine Theatre Company. He launched Jay Kelly PR in July 2017 after seven years as Vice President of Arts and Culture at a mid-sized PR firm. He also served three years as an adjunct marketing professor at The Theatre School at DePaul University in the performing arts management program. For more, visit jaykellypr.com.
Jay is a Chicago PR specialist with more than 30 years of experience representing non-profit performing arts organizations including theaters, dance companies, music organizations and festivals. He has proudly represented Collaboraction since 2011. Other clients include Chicago Children’s Theatre, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), Lucky Plush Productions, Manual Cinema, Paramount Theatre, Physical Theater Festival Chicago, Season of Concern, Teatro Vista, Theater Wit and TimeLine Theatre Company. He launched Jay Kelly PR in July 2017 after seven years as Vice President of Arts and Culture at a mid-sized PR firm. He also served three years as an adjunct marketing professor at The Theatre School at DePaul University in the performing arts management program. For more, visit jaykellypr.com.
COMMUNICATIONS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER
Willow James, (He/Him)
Willow is a Chicago-based theatre artist and freelance photographer with a passion for new works and empowering those from historically underserved communities. This passion has fueled his career as an actor, director and sound designer working with Windy City Playhouse, Stage Left Theatre, Perceptions Theatre and others. He serves as Producer and Resident Sound Designer at Artemisia Theatre and is a teaching artist with Pegasus Theatre. Keep up with him at willow-james.org
Willow is a Chicago-based theatre artist and freelance photographer with a passion for new works and empowering those from historically underserved communities. This passion has fueled his career as an actor, director and sound designer working with Windy City Playhouse, Stage Left Theatre, Perceptions Theatre and others. He serves as Producer and Resident Sound Designer at Artemisia Theatre and is a teaching artist with Pegasus Theatre. Keep up with him at willow-james.org
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Pricilla Torres (she/her)
Pricilla Torres is an actor and producer based in Chicagoland. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from UW-Stevens Point and minored in Communication with an emphasis in media, which included film history, screenwriting, and video production. She has worked for Northlight Theatre as a teaching artist apprentice and Oakton Community College as a Production Assistant. Other organizations worked with include First Folio, Misalliance Repertory Theatre, and The Studio Theatre Tierra Del Sol. As a proud mixed race woman, she is passionate about BIPOC representation, supporting BIPOC artists, and being a part of spaces that encourage storytelling by the voices of the unheard.
Pricilla Torres is an actor and producer based in Chicagoland. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from UW-Stevens Point and minored in Communication with an emphasis in media, which included film history, screenwriting, and video production. She has worked for Northlight Theatre as a teaching artist apprentice and Oakton Community College as a Production Assistant. Other organizations worked with include First Folio, Misalliance Repertory Theatre, and The Studio Theatre Tierra Del Sol. As a proud mixed race woman, she is passionate about BIPOC representation, supporting BIPOC artists, and being a part of spaces that encourage storytelling by the voices of the unheard.
“This is the most healing form of activism that I have seen in my life. This is the future. This is all of our future. This is the future of Chicago's talent."
– GQ of The Q Brothers