T.J. Anderson 
​​Artistic Associate

is elated to join Brown Paper Box Co. after serving as music director for A New Brain. Past work with the company includes Godspell and both "Character Breakdown" cabarets. Other Chicago acting credits include As You Like It (The Traveling Players), Paradise Lost (The Agency Theatre Collective) and Romeo vs. Juliet (Pretty/Windy Theatre). Regionally, he has been seen as Finch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Pirelli in Sweeney Todd. Aside from acting, he has been an avid music director and theater musician in Chicago and Michigan.

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Aaran bowen
​​Assistant production manager

is a Senior Graphic Design major at Depaul University with a minor in French Language Studies. She has a passion for stage management and technical theatre that she hopes will fit perfectly in her new position of Assistant Production Manager. Her previous credits include 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Waiting for Godot with DePaul Theatre Union, as well as The Music Man with Cincinnati Young People's Theatre and many others. She's incredibly excited to start her next adventure with Brown Paper Box and can't wait to get started. ​

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ERIN SHEA BRADY 
​Artistic Associate

is thrilled to join the Brown Paper Box Co. team! Erin is a freelance writer, director and is the Artistic Director of No Stakes Theater Project, an organization dedicated to supporting the creative risks of emerging artists, where she has produced several productions, staged readings, and initiatives since 2014. Directing credits include: Kander & Ebb's Cabaret, Sharr White’s Annapurna (staged reading) and Jim Cartwright’s The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (No Stakes Theater Project); Stands (Spartan Theater, staged reading) and Anna Schutz's Prodigy: A Modern Family Portrait (staged reading). In assistant direction and dramaturgy roles, Erin has worked on productions at the Goodman, TimeLine, A Red Orchid, Jackalope, Northlight, and Remy Bumppo. A graduate from the directing program at Columbia College Chicago, her training also includes internships at Steppenwolf (Casting Department), American Blues (Performance Intern, Waiting for Lefty), Northlight and A Red Orchid.  Erin is also a contributing critic at Perform.Ink and is hard at work on her new play, Revivial. 

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ZACH DRIES
​Photographer/Videographer

began working with Brown Paper Box Co. as a photographer/videographer after moving to the Chicago area from Boston. He began photography work during cabaret performances and soon branched into photo and video work for Now. Here. This. (2016) and The Baltimore Waltz (2017). He began his work in photo/video work in 2011 and has credits in event, commercial, wedding, and performance production. ​​

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zach@brownpaperbox.org

 

Matthew Fayfer
BUSINESS MANAGER

 joined Brown Paper Box Co. after performing in Little Women: The Musical in 2019. He has since been seen with BPBCo. in “Holding On: A Community Cabaret”.  He holds degrees in Psychology and Theatre Studies from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. Additionally, he spent four summers in Door County, working with Peninsula Players Theatre.  Regionally, you may have seen him in productions in Madison with companies such as StageQ, MTM, and Four Seasons Theatre.  After relocating to Chicago in 2013, he worked for Actors’ Equity Association for four years, and is thrilled to bring that experience to the service of BPBCo. His love for Chicago theatre is deep, and he looks forward to continuing the tradition with the fine folks at Brown Paper Box Co.

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matt@brownpaperbox.org

 

SAMANTHA GATWOOD
DONOR RELATIONS MANAGER

is elated to join the Brown Paper Box Co. family. Samantha, or Samm as her friends call her, is a freelance actor, director and choreographer who can be found throughout the Chicagoland area with her beloved bulldog Elphaba. She graduated with her degree in Musical Theatre from Drake University where she developed a passion for teaching and choreography. She spends the vast majority time as a teaching artist, but also loves to spend time on and around stage; some of her favorite credits include The Wild Party (Queenie), Rock of Ages (Waitress #1/Assistant Choreographer/Fight Captain) and Jesus Christ Superstar (Choreographer). samanthagatwood.com ​

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samm@brownpaperbox.org

 

Kaitlyn Guerrieri
Guest Services Manager

is so excited to be back in the Chicago Theatre world, and even more excited to be working with Brown Paper Box Co. She has been a Stage Manger for two Brown Paper Box Co.'s shows and is thrilled to work in a new aspect of the Company. When she is not exploring the Chicago Theatre Scene or working as a Litigation Paralegal, you can find her in a Yoga Studio sweatin' out off those worries! Born and raised in this beautiful city, she is excited to share the Magic that is Chicago Theatre with all of you! ​

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boxoffice@brownpaperbox.org

 

Jeremy Hollis
​Production Manager

is a freelance scenic designer based in the Chicago area. He began working with Brown Paper Box on their production of The Baltimore Waltz. He has worked with companies such as Black Button Eyes, Pride Films and Plays, The Factory Theatre, Eclectic, and Metropolis, among others. You can also catch him in his other life as a molecular biology researcher at Northwestern, or hoping Jason Heyward gets another year with the Cubs. He is also a strong contender for Chicago's #1 Stan's Donuts fan. jeremyhollisdesign.com

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pm@brownpaperbox.org

 

M. WILLIAM PANEK 
​Marketing DIRECTOR/CO-FOUNDER

is a proud graduate of the University of Illinois' Theatre Department. Production Manager: "Last Midnight" An Adult Homecoming and They're Playing Our Song. Director: Now. Here. This., [title of show] (Jeff Award Nominated), A New Brain, Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls, Godspell, To Tree (world premiere), Reefer Madness! The Musical in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Casting Associate: The Baltimore Waltz, Julius Caesar, Spike Heels. Cabaret: "Positively Present," "Mary'z With a Z," "Proud at Mary's" at Mary's Attic, "Spring Forward Fail Back" at Uncommon Ground, and "BPB Yearbook" "Character Breakdown" at Davenport's. He recently collaborated with Zach Zimmerman (Luke Babylon: Christian Magician and Spell) at iO Chicago, iO New York, The Duplex New York, and the Annoyance Theatre, as well as The Artists Lab at Stage 773. William served as an artistic associate with The Orchard Project in Hunter, NY, a production assistant for the 24-Hour Musicals at Joe's Pub, and the business management assistant at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. He can be found on Twitter and Instagram @mwilliampanek.

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william@brownpaperbox.org

 

Anna Schutz
​Managing Director/Co-Founder

is a proud founding member of Brown Paper Box Co. She holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is currently working towards her Masters in Nonprofit Management at DePaul University. She has worked in Chicago as an actor, singer, & arts administrator for the last decade. As a playwright, Anna's first script, Prodigy, was selected for the League of Chicago Theatres' Bright Angel Creative Retreat in 2017 and then received a staged reading co-sponsored by DePaul University's Women's & Gender Studies Department. Prodigy was most recently selected for Dandelion Theater's Reservoir Series taking place in May 2019. www.annaschutz.com ​

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anna@brownpaperbox.org

 

Charlie Sheets 
​Graphic Designer

is currently residing in (suspiciously) always sunny California. He’s been designing for over a decade—and has the arthritis to prove it! Charlie’s worked in a variety of industries including transportation, retail, automotive, healthcare, and consumer technology/marketing—you might be using something he’s designed! His work with the Brown Paper Box Co. includes designs for productions and events since 2012, as well as website and social media graphics and consultation. To see Charlie's portfolio, visit charliesheets.com.

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Kristi Szczepanek
​Artistic Director

joined Brown Paper Box Co. after performing as the understudy in Now. Here. This. She has since been seen with BPBCo. in "The Broad-Way: A Ladies Cabaret" and created and coordinated "Positively Present: An Uplifting Cabaret." She served as the Management and Development Assistant at Off-Off-Broadway's Ensemble Studio Theatre, helping coordinate events like the Sloan Project and their annual Marathon of One Act Plays. Chicago companies she's had the pleasure of working with both onstage and off include Quest Theatre Ensemble, Tympanic Theatre Company, Chicago Dramatists, and the Something Marvelous Festival. www.kristisz.com

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kristi@brownpaperbox.org

 

Gin To
​Artistic Associate

is an undergraduate student at DePaul University class of 2020. She moved to Chicago at the end of 2016 as an international student from Vietnam. She began working with Brown Paper Box Co. on their production of The Baltimore Waltz as Assistant Stage Manager. She is currently working on Brown Paper Box Co.’s Speech and Debate as the Production Intern. Gin is passionate about theatre and is still trying on its various hats to find the best fit. In her free time, Gin muses about post-graduation job prospects (or the lack thereof) that a liberal arts degree and eclectic theatre experience can offer. Take a look at Gin’s artwork on Instagram.​

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