Theatre Staff

Artistic Director

Deb Alley has worked in professional theatre for more than 25 years. She graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Directing from Illinois State University; was co-founder and Managing Director for Columbus Ensemble Theatre; served as the Director of Children's Theatre/Special Events at Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse in Rock Island, IL; worked as a stage manager on three national tours, and was Associate Producer for DramaSearch Productions Company.

Her credits at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival include serving as Production Stage Manager, Production Manager, Company Manager, and Associate Artistic Director. She directed Julius Caesar during the 2006 season and Much Ado About Nothing in 2007. She has directed shows as varied as The House of Blue Leaves, The Laramie Project, Vinegar Tom, My Fair Lady, The Rivals, Caucasian Chalk Circle, Servant of Two Masters, Pippin, The Arkansas Bear, and the world premiere of Nancy Van deVate's one act opera, Where the Cross is Made.

Deb is currently an Associate Professor of Theatre at Illinois State University.

Managing Director

John Poole is the Managing Director of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival and Interim Director of the School of Theatre for 2007-2009. Dr. Poole arrived at Illinois State University in 1997 and has served in a variety of positions including Interim Associate Dean, Associate Director for the School of Theatre, and General Manager of the Festival.

Awarded a doctoral degree in Theatre History from the University of Georgia in 1995, Dr. Poole studied African-American Theatre Practice and the Federal Theatre in the Deep South in the 1920s and 1930s. His research interests also include Gay Theatre and Gender Studies. In 2007 he contributed an article on producer David Geffen in Robert Schanke's Angels in American Theatre: Patrons, Patronage, and Philanthropy. He is also published in Theatre History Studies, "Making a Tree from Thirst: Acquiescence and Defiance in the Negro Federal Theatre Project in Birmingham, Alabama" and in Theatre Symposium, "Black Audience Dynamics in the Buzzard Roost of the Deep South." Dr. Poole's other publications appear in Theatre Studies Journal and in Theatre Journal.

Dr. Poole has worked with the Mid-America Theatre Conference for the past 10 years and currently serves as immediate past president.

Production Manager

Chad Lowell is Production Manager for The Illinois Shakespeare Festival as well as Production Coordinator for the School of Theatre at Illinois State University. He began working for the Festival in 2002, and became Production Manager in 2003. He earned his master's degree from the University of Georgia in Scenery and Lighting Design.

Before spending his summers with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, he worked seven summers with the Highlands Playhouse in Highlands, North Carolina. There he worked in a number of different capacities including Technical Director, Resident Scene Designer, and Resident Lighting Designer.

 

Marketing Director

Chris Garcia Peak holds an M.F.A in Directing from The Theatre School at DePaul University, a Masters of Arts degree in Performance from London's Mt. View Theatre Academy, and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Texas Christian University.  He is the former marketing director of Angle Media an alternative publishing company in Texas, and Development Director for British Sky Broadcasting in Los Angeles. He previously served as the Artistic and Marketing Director of Collision Theatre in Chicago.   

Chris was also the CEO and owner of Space Gorilla PR and Marketing Chicago, where he lead successful marketing campaigns for non-profit organizations and artists.  From 2003-2004, Chris was one of recipients of The Michael Maggio Directing Fellowships from the Goodman Theatre.   Recently, Chris has taught at The Theatre School at DePaul University and Columbia College Chicago. 

Business Manager

Nancy Eller is the Business Manager for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival and Administrative Assistant I for the School of Theatre at Illinois State University. She began working at the University in 1984 and has served as Business Manager for the Festival since 2001. She received her bachelor's degree from Illinois State University.

 

Associate Managing Director

A transplant from Los Angeles, CA, Vanessa started with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival in spring 2007. Vanessa received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance from the University of Florida and is now working on a Master of Business Administration in Arts Administration at Illinois State University.

Vanessa has spent the past 22 years in the entertainment business in such varied roles as actress, dancer, singer, casting coordinator, producer, assistant managing director, director of marketing and now Associate Managing Director.