AFT News

ZAHRA BAKER

Zahra Baker is a performance artist recognized for her work as a folk and improv vocalist, dramatic actor and an engaging storyteller. She has performed at music and storytelling festivals, schools, museums, conferences and special events across the country. Zahra is a member of the National Association of Black Storytellers (NABS), the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), a 3Arts Make a Wave recipient, and an active participant in the national cohort, Creating Freedom Movements.

Zahra is an interdisciplinary Teaching Artist and artivist in the Chicago area. She has collaborated with musicians, artists, dancers, storytellers, poets, performance artists, ritualists, children, teens and adults. Her primary work has developed into a focus on giving voice to overlooked and undervalued communities through music wellness, communal song and story gatherings. Her goal is to co-create healthy environments that inspire compassion, care and creativity.

“I’ve been involved with AFT in a variety of roles for over 20 years. As an actor, vocalist, storyteller, and youth program associate, I’ve found a welcoming space that nurtures a holistic sense of self. I’m delighted to join the team to support, encourage, and activate the power to unapologetically express ourselves in our fullness.” –Zahra Baker

JOS N. BANKS

Jos N. Banks is a true renaissance man… Jos is a multi- award winning Visual/ Performing Arts Artist, Costume Designer, Stylist, Teaching Artist & overall LGBTQ+ trailblazer. Jos is most known for his star turn as Lola in Kinky Boots, both on the international tour (US, Canada, China & Singapore) & several regional houses having performed over 387 performances! Tours: North American / Canadian – Hair (Hud), The Color Purple (Harpo). Select Regional: Ms. Blakk for President (Joan Jett Blakk) & Choir Boy (Pharus) at Steppenwolf, The Goodman, Yale Dramatic Association, The Muny, Drury Lane Oak Brook, Paramount Theatre, The Second City, Orlando Shakes, About Face Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, Writers Theatre, Congo Square, Farmers Alley, Raven Theatre, Apollo Theatre, Black Ensemble Theatre, Theo Ubique, Royal George, Dutch Apple & many more. Film: Ocean in Showtime’s THE CHI, Dr. Greg Martinson in Showtime’s Work in Progress & the Rise Against music video Make It Stop (lead). Jos is a well rounded designer, having interned with Micheal Kors at Teen Vogue Magazine in NYC for his fashion designs and illustrations. Winner of StageScene LA’s “Scenie” Award for “Break Out Performance in a Touring Production” as Lola in Kinky Boots in 2018 & four time nominee for “Best Costume Designer” at the Black Theater Alliance Awards. Jos also serves as curator and keynote speaker of his very own Master Class entitled “#BeFEARLESS,” which he has now instructed to young theatre artisans from grade school to collegiate, nationally. Jos also serves as an Artistic Associate with About Face Theatre in Chicago, IL and was afforded the company’s first ever costume designer residency. Representation: THE MINE AGENCY. Be FEARLESS. Proverbs 3:5. www.FearlessJos.com // Follow Me: @JosNBanks

“Being an artistic associate w/ AFT means more to me than I can ever explain. Being a Chicago native, a PROUD queer black man, a storyteller in many realms & a long time collaborator with the company; this just makes sense. I’m absolutely overjoyed to officially join the team in this new chapter, celebrating 30 years of creating transformational art & being one of the premiere LGBTQ+ union houses in our nation. I hold this moment as a badge of honor as we enter a time where this work is needed more than ever before. Our job as artists is to reflect the times, I plan to do exactly that. I look forward to creating more thought provoking, challenging & purposeful work ahead. The time is now – we are eager & ready.” –Jos N. Banks

JYREIKA GUEST

Jyreika Guest is an actor, dancer, and intimacy director based in Chicago. Thankful to God for continuing to guide her and to her family and community for loving her. Theatre credits include: FELA! (Olney Theatre), How Blood Go and What to Send Up When It Goes Down (Congo Square); Tragedy of King Christophe (The House Theatre of Chicago); Lindiwe U/S (Steppenwolf); Frankenstein (Remy Bumppo); columbinus (The Yard Theatre Company); In the Blood (Red Tape Theatre); Fly Honeys Show (The Inconvenience Project); The Wiz (Kokandy Productions). Intimacy direction credits include: Ain’t No Mo (Woolly Mammoth Theatre); Is God Is (Red Orchid Theatre); Groundhog Day, Rock of Ages (Paramount Theatre); Fire Shut Up In My Bones and Champion (Lyric Opera); Sheepdog (Shattered Globe); Brooklyn Laundry, Little Women, Selling Kabul, Intimate Apparel, Fireflies (Northlight Theatre); The Tasters (Rivendell Theater Ensemble); The Light (Coalescence Theatre); The Children of Edgar and Nina (The Neighborhood Theatre); October Storm and The Last Pair of Earlies, Hoodoo Love– Asst. (Raven Theatre); First Deep Breath – Asst. (Victory Gardens). Film/TV: Starz Power Book Series: Force, Rough River Lake, and The Poet Series. She is proudly represented by DDO Talent Agency. IG: @jevelyng

“What I’m most looking forward to as an Artistic Associate member of AFT is the potential to connect and share our stories through many programming efforts. When I consider how much the term community is mentioned, I think about what details we can all identify with as humans no matter the background. I think AFT has done a fantastic job in cultivating strong relationships and innovative ways to engage audiences, so I’m thrilled to offer what I’m most passionate about in upcoming collaborations. Being called queer used to be considered a slur and now I (amongst many others) have reclaimed it in our liberation. How can we further the liberation of our communities while also connecting beyond our spheres of understanding? Tell me your story and I’ll tell you mine. Somewhere in there, we’ll find humanity.” –Jyreika Guest

CATHERINE MILLER

Catherine Miller (they/them) has been casting for AFT since Mosque4Mosque, in addition to dramaturging The Brightest Thing in the World and acting as artistic producer of the 2024 Re/Generation Studios. Catherine is the resident casting director for Raven Theatre and American Musical Theatre Project at Northwestern University, in addition to having recently cast productions for Chicago Children’s Theatre, Theatre Wit, Backstitch Arts, and Jackalope Theatre, among many others. Additionally, Catherine has done dramaturgy and gender consulting work for Paramount Theatre, Diversionary Theatre, Cygnet Theatre, and Actors Theatre of Louisville, while also guest lecturing/teaching at Acting Studio Chicago, Northwestern University, The Theatre School, Notre Dame University, Roosevelt University, Columbia College, among others. They were a 2021 3Arts Make A Wave recipient and were featured in American Theatre Magazine’s Role Call. They were also on NewCity Magazine’s 2020 + 2019 Players: The Fifty People Who Really Perform for Chicago and the Windy City Times’ 30 Under 30 list. Catherine has a BFA in Dramaturgy/Criticism from The Theatre School at DePaul. For more, subscribe to their new substack.

“Being named an Artistic Associate with About Face Theatre is truly an honor for me. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a lot of theatres take major steps back when it comes to intentional diversity in casting and less risks when it comes to what they’re producing. But not AFT. We are an inherently radical theatre company making unapologetically queer art in an increasingly uncertain time. But we’ve also been doing it for the past 30 years, so we’ve had plenty of practice. I am very grateful to formally call AFT my artistic home and work amongst so many people who have informed my own journey as a queer artist.” –Catherine Miller

WILL WILHELM

Will Wilhelm (they/them) is a trans/non-binary actor, writer, and educator based in Chicago. With About Face Theatre, Will wrote and performed Gender Play, or what you Will, which garnered two Jeff Award nominations: Best Solo Performance & Best New Work. They also understudied the original run of We Three Lizas at the Steppenwolf Garage in 2012. A Michigan native, Will has performed regionally with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (As You Like It, Macbeth, Oklahoma!); Portland Center Stage (Rent) and Shakespeare Theatre Company (Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci). Select Chicago performance credits include Mr. Burns (Theater Wit), Straight White Men (Steppenwolf Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oak Park Festival Theatre), Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (Goodman Theatre), and My Wonderful Birthday Suit (Chicago Children’s Theatre). As an educator, Will has been invited to teach and share their work with several Chicago universities and across the US at University of Pittsburgh, Emerson College, Wofford College, and Baldwin Wallace University, as well as Mozarteum University in Austria and University of Wolverhampton in the UK. Next up, Will kicks off a 2025 tour of Gender Play this spring with Indianapolis Shakespeare Company. A proud Northwestern graduate, Will is represented by Gray Talent Group. IG: @mx.willwilhelm www.WillWilhelm.com

“I’m overjoyed to be joining the ranks of AFT’s Artistic Associates. I have called Chicago’s theatre community home for over a decade, and throughout that time, I have always been drawn to how About Face has told queer stories with nuance and care. I know from personal experience how much they nurture artists and invest in their growth. I am honored to represent AFT in Chicago and beyond.” –Will Wilhelm