Faculty Profiles

Before earning his Ph.D. in Communication, Rhetoric, & Digital Media at North Carolina State University, Dr. Pepper earned an M.A. in Film Studies from the University of Iowa and a B.A. in Drama & Communication from the University of New Orleans. His work has appeared in Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, Nebula, FlowTV, and Culture Machine. He has also contributed book chapters to several edited collections and is working on a book project on HBO’s HIV/AIDS programming.

Sarah earned her MFA in Stage Design – Scenic Design from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., where she received a full-ride scholarship, and trained under award-winning scenic designers: Daniel Ostling, Todd Rosenthal and Walt Spangler.

Select Credits: Lookingglass Alice (Associate Scenic Designer for 2020 remount production in Chicago, and the Miami and Denver Tours, Lookingglass Theatre Company); South of Settling (Steppenwolf);  In The Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) (TimeLine Theatre Company); The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and James and the Giant Peach (Filament Theatre); Fulfillment Center and 3C (A Red Orchid Theatre); Unseen, A Life Extra Ordinary (The Gift Theatre).

Her design work has been recognized regionally by the American College Theatre Festival, nationally by the JFK Center for the Performing Arts, and internationally at the Prague Quadrennial exhibition held in the Czech Republic. Her photography work has been exhibited in New York City.

Portfolio

Adam is an accomplished director with a long history developing critically and nationally acclaimed new work. He brings credits and assistant credits at Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Court Theatre, CityLit, Redtwist, The Side Project, Bristol Riverside Theatre, South Bend Civic Theatre, and leading companies across Chicago and the east coast. One of Chicago’s leading voice and dialect coaches, Adam has vocally designed nearly sixty productions in Chicago with his work praised by Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune as “remarkable."

As an arts leader, Adam has helped to build, shape, and support major institutions such as Bristol Riverside Theatre, Hartford Stage Company, and William Morris Endeavor. Adam previously taught at Columbia College Chicago and Northwestern University before joining NEIU. In addition to his time on campus, Adam continues to serve young artists as the head of musical theatre at Actors Training Center in Wilmette. His other interests include his wife, young son, a dog and cat, baseball, golf, crossfit, and his amazing neighborhood in Evanston. MFA-Directing, Northwestern University, BFA-Acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. 

Leslie has been working as an Artist/Educator in the Midwest Region for over a decade. In addition to working on stage and screen and off, she works as a voice-over artist, audio book narrator, and amateur photographer. She is a proud member of Actors' Equity. Some regional theatres include Williamston Theatre, Tipping Point Theatre, Performance Network Theatre, The Henry Ford Museum, Metropolis Performing Arts, Idle Muse, Dandelion Theatre and Quest Theatre Ensemble.

G. "Max" Maxin IV works also a freelance theatrical designer in Chicago and is one of the co-founders of Another Door Theatre Project. Favorite design credits include: "Gypsy," "Little Women," "Cabaret," "Bare (Another Door)"; "Urinetown" (Jeff Nomination Lighting), "Three Days of Rain," "Next to Normal," (BoHo); "The Nance," "Priscilla: Queen of the Desert," "Angry Fags," "Design for Living," "The Submission," "Book of Merman" (Pride Films & Plays); "First Date" (Royal George); "Spamalot" (Nightblue); "From These Fatal Loins," "Home Before Dark" (The Ruckus), and "Story of a Story" (The Untold Story) (Underscore).

Cyndi Moran teaches a variety of media production courses includingIntroduction to Video Production, Advanced Video Production, and Digital Video Editing, as well as cinema studies courses, such as Documentary Film and The Art of Film and Video. Her documentary work has been seen on the PBS series P.O.V., and in numerous national and international festivals. She has produced TV segments for WTTW and The Sundance Channel, and she has edited independent documentary productions, television shows, commercials, and programs for artists and not-for-profits.

John Ross Jr. has been a faculty member in the Department of Communication, Media, and Theatre since 2000. He teaches courses in public speaking, voice and diction, and human communication, and he holds a graduate degree in dramatic arts from Harvard University.

Professor Matthew Sage is a multimodal artist who has worked across many genres and forms; from writing poems for Rocky Mountain National Park, to collaborating as a musician and sound designer with acclaimed performance artist Pope.L at the Art Institute of Chicago, to operating an internationally acclaimed private press record label out of his basement for nearly a decade. Sage makes work interested in exploring how historical forms interact with modern technology. Schooled in classical poetry, Sage transmits his interests in fine arts and classical historicism into new technological manifolds. He has performed at the MOMAPS1 in New York, and has worked extensively with the Art Institute of Chicago as a performer and graduate ambassador. 

Dan Wirth toured throughout the United States with The Acting Company. In New York City, he performed at the Public Theatre, the Harold Clurman Theatre, the 18th Street Playhouse, the Lamb’s Theatre, Playwright’s Horizons, The American Place Theatre, and the Actor’s and Director’s Lab (AKA the Samuel Beckett Theatre.) In Europe, he performed at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival and at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Regionally, he appeared at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and the Utah and Oregon Shakespeare Festivals. He performed in plays directed by Alan Schneider, Joseph Papp, Michael Langham, Liviu Ciulei, Garland Wright, Jerry Turner, and Sharon Ott, and appeared on-stage with James Cromwell, J. T. Walsh, Jimmy Smits, Jamey Sheridan, Bob Gunton, Diane Venora, Kathleen Widdoes, David Warrilow, Alvin Epstein, Leigh Taylor-Young, Margaret Reed, Howard Korder, Wayne Knight, and Jeff Daniels. In Chicago, Dan most recently appeared in "Lounging" at both the Raven Theatre and the Filament Theatre. He was a Chicago Cub in the film "Rookie of the Year." Dan has directed for seven Chicago area theatre companies, most recently directing "The Merry Wives of Windsor" for Fury Theatre.

An award winning playwright, Dan’s play Used Carlotta won new play contests at the Source Theatre in Washington, D.C. and the New American Comedy Festival in Ukiah, California, and was produced each time. It was also a finalist in the National Playwrights Conference at the O'Neill Theater Center. His play "Urban Renovator Blues" was chosen by The Cleveland Public Theatre as part of their Eighth Festival of New Plays. In Chicago, his production of the play was featured at Cabaret Voltaire. His 10-minute play "Smell the Coffee" was featured at Chicago Dramatists and "Shed" was featured in NEIU’s recent Nuevas Voces Play Festival. Dan is also a published poet and a filmmaker.

At NEIU he has directed fifteen main stage plays, four Children’s Theatre productions, and eight Summer Transition Program Drama Workshops. He appeared on stage here as a very large Lady Bracknell in "The Importance of Being Earnest." He has also taught theatre and communication courses at Dominican University, Harper College, Daley College, Barat College, Lake Forest College, Wright College, and Oakton Community College. He has an M.F.A. from The University of California, San Diego, and a B.S. from Central Michigan University.