DIRECTOR.   EDUCATOR.  PRODUCER.

Kristin L. Schoenback (they/them) is a Chicago-based director, educator, and producer, invested in work that practices generosity, subverts traditional narrative structures, and challenges how we think about ourselves in the world. They are interested in the intersection of art and its community, looking for ways that theatre can not only inspire, but can make real action in its community,  gravitating toward narratives that disrupt our thoughts about class and gender structures.

Their work is ensemble driven and explores the spaces in-between and unspoken, elevating the visual metaphor of the story through movement and physical feats.  Kristin is invested in amplifying voices that have been pushed to the sidelines such as women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and the working-class. They are learning what is is to take up space in an otherwise patriarchal world, all while pursuing generosity, empathy, and justice. 

 

Obsessed with Priya Parker's THE ART OF THE GATHERING, Kristin values the spaces we work in as artists and how we commune with each other in the world.  'Our process is just as - if not more so - important as our product. It is our responsibility on this earth to care for one another, and create a space that reminds us that what we do as artists, is create something to give away. Our work should both awe and honor the guests.'  

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They serve as co-creative producer and founder of project-based collective, Cats Cradle Theatre. Some notable directing credits include THE ALMOST EMPEROR OF THE UNOFFICAL DEESTRICK OF LAKE MICHIGAN, THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT (Cats Cradle), JANE ABORTION & THE UNDERGROUND (Coalescence), TITUS ANDRONICUS (The Collective), TAME THAT B!#@h (Arkansas Shakespeare), A LONG WAY TO TIPPERARY (Valiant), MACHINAL (Lake Forest), & OEDIPUS, A CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME (Illinois State). They have worked with such companies as Book-It Repertory Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, The House Theatre, and the Hypocrites. Having worked intimately with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, they co-conceived the programming for educational outreach, including their short Shakespeare touring company (Bard in a Box) which travels to community centers, schools, and prisons. They hold an MFA in directing from Illinois State University, and a BA from Concordia University, Chicago. They are an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Union.