playbill vip

Jackie Martin (Director) Jackie currently teaches fifth and sixth grade Science at St. Isaac Jogues School and is thrilled for the opportunity to teach students outside of the classroom! She graduated from St. Francis High School in Wheaton in 2011. During her time at St. Francis High School, she has been involved in all aspects of theatre, such as acting, set construction, running crew, lights, and costumes.  In 2010, her fall play cast was chosen to perform the drama, Auschwitz Lullaby, at the annual Illinois High School Theatre Festival at Illinois State University. She then went on to graduate with a B.S. in Elementary Education from Loyola University Chicago in May of 2015 and has been awarded Loyola's Presidential Medallion Award and the School of Education's Dean Award for her dedication to teaching. Aside from taking theatre classes at the high school and university levels, Jackie has produced the St. Francis Summer Musical between 2011 and 2015. She has also acted as director and playwright for the SFHS Young Spartan Showcase, a theatre program in which third through sixth grade students perform one acts. She currently directs the St. Francis Summer Musical Program for incoming seventh through twelfth grade students. She has most recently received theatre instruction certification from iTheatrics and has worked alongside Cynthia Ripley and Marty Johnson, the program creators and primary directors for Music Theatre International (MTI). Past directorial credits include Aladdin (SIJ 2018), Mary Poppins (SFHS 2018), The Lion King (2017), and Elf the Musical (2016).

Nora Lewis (Music Director) Nora (Collins) Lewis is thrilled to be back for the second year helping with the SIJ musical! After graduating from SIJ herself, she went on to Fenwick High School where she performed in all 12 Blackfriars Guild productions. She then went to St. Mary's College of Notre Dame where she earned in Bachelor of Music in Music Education and was also a member of the Pasquerilla East Musical Company at the University of Notre Dame. Her favorite roles include Maria in The Sound of Music (SIJ), Kim MacAfee in Bye Bye Birdie (Fenwick), Belle in Beauty & the Beast (Fenwick), Kitty in The Drowsy Chaperone (Notre Dame), and Roxie Hart in Chicago (Notre Dame). She taught PreK-8th Grade music at Immaculate Conception-St. Joseph School in Chicago for 6 years before coming to SIJ last year to teach PreK 4 year olds. She lives in LaGrange with her husband and two children.

Jeff Nowicki (Set Design) Jeff is thrilled to work with SIJ on their production of Beauty and the Beast Jr. Creating theatrical sets which allow the cast and audience to become one while they enjoy the production is such a joy. Past productions include Suessical, Fiddler on the Roof, Shrek, Legally Blonde, Rumors, Little Shop of Horrors, Mary Poppins, Blithe Spirit, Beauty and the Beast, Adams Family, The Glass Menagerie, High School Musical, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Bye Bye Birdie, You Can't Take it With You, West Side Story, Wizard of Oz, Sister Act, and the Divine Providence School Live Haunted House.