Ron West
Director
Ron is grateful to have directed many productions for the Open Fist, including BUDDY JACK, EARLY AND OFTEN, THE KNACKER'S ABC, WE WON'T PAY! WE WON'T PAY!, WELCOME TO YOUR ALTERNATIVE REALITY, FOODSEXWORKSLEEPGOD, THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, and his own musicals deLEARious (starring Brendan Hunt) and NEIL SIMON'S MUSICAL FOOLS. He has directed Ms. Butterfield's plays LIFE EXPECTANCY, THE MIGHTY FOUR (starring Jean Smart), and TOP OF THE WORLD at other venues, such as the Teachers' Club in Dublin, Ireland. He looks forward to the revival of THIS WEEK THIS WEEK, the live news-based sketch show at the Open Fist, of which he is the managing editor. Chicago Shakespeare produced his plays THE PEOPLE VS FRIAR LAURENCE (starring Keegan-Michael Key), THE COMEDY OF ERRORS AT SHEPPERTON, TAMING OF THE SHREW, THE MARCH FOR THE VOTE. He will accept your offer to play Scrooge in your 2026 production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. He bats right and throws right. Hello to Betsy and Douglas.
Catherine Butterfield
Writer
Catherine Butterfield is the author of ten published plays, the best-known probably being "Joined at the Head," "The Sleeper," "Life in the Trees" and "To the Bone." She is also the author of two novels, "The Serpent and the Rose," and the newly released "Manhattan Triptych." She and Ron West recently returned from Ireland, where Ron directed Catherine's comedy, "Life Expectancy," about the event-filled lead up to the birth of her daughter. Irish actors are a delight to work with; Ron and Catherine hope to return for more. Catherine has written and produced for TV ("The Ghost Whisperer," "Grimm," "FAME LA," "Party of Five,") and has over sixty short films on her YouTube channel. Two of them have won Telly Awards, a gold and a bronze. She has other awards, but you've probably never heard of them. She and Ron have two new kittens, Betsy and Douglas, who make life a riotous joy.
