"​My name is John Lattanzi and I am an intern for the Brown Paper Box Co. this summer! I will be running the social media accounts, assisting with box office, marketing, and any and all day to day administrative projects throughout the summer!

I will be a senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where I am pursuing a dual degree in Theatre and Speech and Hearing Science, concentrating in Theatre Studies and Neuroscience of Communication. Through that study, I hope to gain insight on how our voice and body language influence how others perceive us as people and also how we can manipulate that. With that, I hope to work as a director, in casting, in marketing, and to just spread knowledge and insight to the theatre community.

My previous theatre experience has been mainly cultivated at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where I have worked on many productions at the Krannert Center for Performing Arts, The Armory Free Theatre, and with many student groups around campus. Some notable productions of my involvement are with Kingdom City at the Krannert Center as assistant to the director (directed by JW Morrissette), Iago’s Plot at the Krannert Center as assistant to the director in the spring of 2017 (directed by Shozo Sato), and as an editor and future director of Tony Fiorentino’s new play Cash Cows. On top of that, I am also the Student Coordinator for the Illinois High School Theatre Festival and the University of Illinois Theatre Department’s Student Playwright Outreach Theatre.

I’m very excited to work with the great people at the BPBCo. and am looking forward to a great summer!"

We are so excited to have John join our team for the summer! Welcome aboard! I-L-L!

​- BPBCo.

NOW. HERE. THIS.'s full cast and creative team are SET:

Neala Barron (Woman 1), Matt Frye (Man 2), Anna Schutz* (Woman 2), Nick Shoda* (Man 1), Chad Michael Innis (Male Understudy), and Kristi Szczepanek (Female Understudy).

Justin Harner* (piano), Matt Ulm (bass), and Jonathan Levitt (drums).

M William Panek* (Director), T.j. Anderson* (Musical Director), Justin Harner* (Asst. Musical Director), Margaret Baughman (Stage Manager), Sara Heymann* (Set/Prop Designer), Eric Vigo (Lighting Designer), Laura Wiley (Projection Designer), Jenna Schoppe* (Choreographer), Johnny Kyle Cook (Costume Coordinator), Damian Wille* (Production Manager), and Charlie Sheets* (Graphic Designer).

*Denotes BPBCo. Members

Beyond thrilled to announce that we're recipients of a 2016 grant from The Saints, Volunteers for the Performing Arts!

"The company specializing in 'engaging, innovative - yet simple - theatre' is using their Saints grant to produce the Chicago premiere of NOW. HERE. THIS., a new musical from the creators of [title of show] (which BPB did last summer) in July at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble."
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As our first musical with a 4-piece band, this grant will graciously be put to use. Thanks, Saints, and thanks to BPBCo. members Michelle, Sarah, Anna and Nick for spearheading the grant-writing team!