We were over the moon to celebrate our team with portraits by the one and only Joe Mazza at Brave Lux, Inc. It was a wild night - complete with a tornado warning and a 45 minute break as we sheltered down to hide from an intense storm. But, Joe is ALSO a force of nature, and he captured some truly beautiful images of our staff that showcase the energy and personality of each member of our team. We're excited to share our new staff photos and introduce you to all the people who make A.B.L.E.'s programs possible.
Meet our Teaching Artists!
Every A.B.L.E. session is staffed by 2 Teaching Artists. Teaching Artists develop curriculum and materials for our rehearsals and shape and direct our performances. They engage participants with a mix of learning and communication styles through a range of activities and support strategies, and also support our facilitation team in learning how best to accommodate the needs of each of our actors. Our teaching artists have a range of experiences and interests as performers and educators, but are all curious, communicative, and collaborative.
Braden Cleary (he/him)
Braden joined the ABLE team as a volunteer facilitator in 2016 before joining the Teaching Artist team in 2020 when his adaptation of “The Comedy of Errors” became ABLE Ensemble’s first digital web series project. Some of his favorite things to explore in rehearsal include Shakespeare, applied theater, and physical theater. Braden is always ready to lip sync for his life when his favorite dance party song, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” comes on the playlist. Originally from Valparaiso, Indiana, Braden has a B.A. in Theater & Drama and a B.S. in Arts Management from Indiana University. Braden has a range of experience in theatre and has served as a teaching artist for Red Kite program at Chicago Children’s Theatre, Columbia College Chicago Center for Community Arts Partnerships, Chicago Youth Shakespeare, and Mudlark Theatre.
Kiaran Hartnett (she/her)
Kiaran is from Milwaukee, and moved down to Chicago after finishing up her bachelors in Psychology and Theatre from the University of Minnesota. Over the years, Kiaran has worked with people with developmental disabilities in both clinical and theatrical settings. She has been a part of A.B.L.E since 2019, and her favorite production so far has been "Romeo and Juliet Remix". She enjoys teaching Shakespeare, movement and devising with the ensemble. She is currently pursuing her Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at DePaul University and is an aspiring Dance Movement Therapist. Her favorite dance party song is "Dance Yrself Clean" by LCD Soundsystem.
Kaylie Honkala (she/her)
Kaylie grew up in Ashland, Illinois and moved to Chicago after receiving a theatre degree from Millikin University. After working in theatre production for 5 years, she returned to school to receive a masters degree in special education and is now a teacher with Chicago Public Schools. It's so difficult to choose a favorite ABLE show, but "Thereby Hangs a Tale" holds a tender spot in her heart. Devising new shows with the ensemble is her all-time favorite activity to do with ABLE, aside from getting down to "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" during dance party!
Perry Hunt (she/they)
Photo by Huy Nguyen
Perry is from South Bend, Indiana and moved to Chicago in 2016 after graduating from Butler University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater and a minor in Communication Sciences and Disorders. As a teaching artist, she has worked with companies all over the city including Chicago Children's Theatre, Auditorium Theatre, and South Chicago Dance Theatre. She has primarily taught residencies in Chicago Public Schools with diverse learners and in special education classrooms. Perry is passionate about teaching devised theatre through improv, ensemble collaboration, and supporting actors in finding their unique voice as a performer. Her favorite dance party song is Meghan Trainer's "Better When I'm Dancin'."
Kal Jazeera (they/them)
photo by Elias Rios
As a wearer of many hats, Kal Jazeera always brings something special to the stage and the classroom. Kal’s favorite mediums are creative writing, music, and comedy. Kal has studied at Columbia College Chicago, The Second City, iO and The Annoyance. Their favorite thing to teach is musical comedy. Kal finds inspiration in comedy, writing, and music’s ability to create insight and commentary on the ways we interact with the earth and each other. Their favorite dance party song is “Love Again” by Dua Lipa.
Lawrence Kern (he/him)
Lawrence hails from Austin, TX, and moved to Chicago in 2004 to pursue his Masters in Theatre from The Chicago College for Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Lawrence is a multi-faceted performer, having worked onstage, in film, and as a motion-capture performer. He’s been in many of your favorite video games including the Mortal Kombat and Injustice franchises, and is always happy to talk superheroes with you. He also wrote and directed both of A.B.L.E.’s feature films - The Spy Who Knew Me and The Curse of the Tempest Jewel. He loves building friendships and rapport among the ensembles. His favorite dance party song to boogie to is “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake.
Emma MacLean (she/her)
Emma is originally from the Boston area but lived in Chicago about 5 years. Emma has always been interested in work made at the intersection of art and disability. She has worked as a teaching artist for over a decade with the Spotlight program, Chicago Children's Theatre's Red Kite program, Mudlark, the Viola Project and others. It is really hard for her to pick a favorite ABLE show as each one has its own wonderful elements, but it was truly magical to bring the Arden forest to life for "As You Like It". Her favorite thing to teach is Shakespeare - she attended a Shakespeare camp when she was 10 years old and it sparked her love for theatre, and now she gets to share that with others. Emma recently relocated to Minneapolis, but continues to support A.B.L.E.'s virtual programs, including our Wednesday night dance parties where she jams out to “Dancing On My Own” by Robyn.
Arin Mulvaney (she/they)
Arin is originally from Kalamazoo, MI, but has called Chicago has been home for several years. She joined the A.B.L.E. team in 2019 and has over 20+ years of experience teaching theatre to people of all ages. This included a long stint as the Artistic Director of Shakespeare All Stars, which toured productions and educational programs to several area schools. Arin has worked with the disability community through theatre residencies with Ray Graham Occupational High School and is currently a coach at Gateway for Learning. One of her favorite games to teach is "Yes, let's!" because everyone can participate at once and each actor has a turn to share their creativity with the ensemble. Arin’s favorite dance party song is “Happy” by Pharrell.
Katie Yohe (she/her)
Originally from West Chester, PA, Katie has called Chicago home since 2007. Katie is a multi-faceted performer and educator with credits ranging from musicals to Shakespeare both in the U.S. and abroad. Katie founded A.B.L.E in 2016 with the hope of building opportunities for others to find the same confidence, friendships, and joy she has found through the arts. In her tenure with the company, she has produced over 20 stage productions and 2 feature films for this population, and also authored adaptations of 6 plays from the classical canon. She has a soft-spot for A.B.L.E.’s devised shows, especially 2018’s "Thereby Hangs a Tale". She especially loves teaching movement and is also a certified Pilates and GYROTONIC® Instructor. Katie holds a BFA in Drama from Syracuse University and an MA with Distinction in Applied Theatre from The Royal Central School for Speech and Drama in London. Her ongoing research centers on developing creative arts programming for individuals with a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and dementia. Her favorite dance party tune is “How Will I Know” by Whitney Houston.
Melanie Zehner (she/her)
Melanie is from Syracuse, New York, and traveled from one snow globe to another when she moved to Chicago in 2021. She graduated with her BA in Theatre from SUNY Potsdam, received her MA in Physical Acting from the University of Kent Canterbury, and is a graduate of the Second City Conservatory. Melanie has worked as a Teaching Artists at Imagination Stage, Sitar Arts, ArtStream Inc and Wellness4Every1. On top of having several theatrical writings produced, Melanie is a proud member of both AEA and SAG-AFTRA. Her favorite activities to teach are improv, creative writing and devising. An avid reader, Melanie is also the leader of A.B.L.E.'s Disability Justice Book Club. Her favorite dance party song is "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie.
And a special shout out to the person who keeps us all organized, our wonderful Program Manager
Beth Sherwood (she/her)
Originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin, Beth moved to Chicago in 2012 to pursue a master's degree and explore all the windy city has to offer. She has a B.S. in Art Therapy from Edgewood College and a M.S. in Child Development--specialization in Child Life--from the Erikson Institute. She has worked for over 8 years as a certified child life specialist, and currently works at Advocate Children's Hospital Oak Lawn in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. Beth joined A.B.L.E. in 2015 and has enjoyed being a volunteer facilitator throughout many productions. A huge fan of devised ensemble pieces, her favorite show to assist was Gems Unseen. When she is not swimming, biking, or running, you may find her jamming to her favorite dance party song: “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus.
More from our photo shoot with Joe Mazza
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