Behind the Scenes

Heather Vogel

Production Manager // Heather is thrilled to be working with Serendipity Theatre Collective again and even thrilled-er to participate in 2nd Story. She graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in stage management and has been working in the Chicago area ever since. Most recently, Heather was the Production/Stage Manager for Strawdog Radio Theatre Six A Many Splendored Thing and also Assistant Stage Manager for Remy Bumppo's production of Mrs. Warren's Profession. She previously was the Production Stage Manager for Serendipity Theatre Collective’s premiere of Voices Underwater and has stage managed numerous other plays about town.

Mikhail Fiskel

Music Director // As a designer, musician, composer and performer, Mikhail "Misha" Fiksel is an emerging noisemaker in the Chicago theatre and music community. Originally transported from the frozen steppes of Siberia, Mikhail found his way to the great Windy City via the University of Chicago, where he received his Bachelor Degree and also began his ventures into the realm of sound design. In addition to being a member of Serendipity Theater Company, he is an ensemble member with Strawdog Theatre Company, and an Artistic Associate with Collaboraction and Teatro Vista. He has designed and composed for a variety of theatres and companies including ATC, The House, Redmoon Theater, Victory Gardens, The Goodman Theatre, The Hypocrites and many others. He also is a resident designer at the Vittum Theatre, and a part faculty member of the Loyola University Theatre Department. As a musician, he performs throughout this city, either as a solo artist (often under the moniker "dj white russian") or with his project "Seeking Wonderland", an improvisational ensemble on a quest of fusing nu-jazz, live electronic music, and visual media. He holds residencies at sushi wabi and The Morseland, and was regularly featured on Q101's Sonic Boom: Subsonic, a program dedicated to new electronic music.

Stephanie Farina

Sound Designer // Stephanie Farina started her sound career about a year and half ago when she moved to Chicago. Starting as an intern at the Goodman Theatre, she has since returned there as an employee, mic running for Ain’t Misbehavin, Turn of the Century, and A Christmas Carol, as well as sound engineered for Esperanza Rising and Latino Feast 2008. Outside of Goodman she has acted as Assistant Sound Designed Contraption at The Neofurist, sound engineer for The Attempters and Rose and the Rime with The House Theatre of Chicago, and The American Girl Revue at the American Girl Theatre. She also designed sound for Laughter on the 23rd Floor at Raven Theatre. Stephanie has also worked with Metropolis Performing Arts Center as an outreach instructor with their technical theatre outreach program. She is eager and excited to continue her sound career and wants to thank all of the people who helped her get here and support her everyday!

Miles Polaski

Music Director // Miles Polaski is a sound designer, composer and musician in Chicago, IL. He is the resident sound designer with Collaboraction and a music director/curator with Serendipity Theatre's 2nd Story. In 2008, Miles worked on music for Lie of the Mind at Strawdog Theatre which won a non-equity Jeff Award and his sound design for White People at The Gift Theatre was nominated for an equity Jeff Award. In 2007, he was nominated for two non-equity Jeff Awards for his sound design and original compositions for Equus at Actor's Workshop. Miles has had the pleasure of working with many Chicago theatre companies, since moving to Chicago in 2004, including TUTA, Chicago Dramatists, Noble Fool Theatricals, The House Theatre of Chicago, Chicago Shakespeare, Light Opera Works, Redmoon, The Hypocrites, Theatre Seven, Infamous Commonwealth, Backstage Theatre, among others. Before moving to Chicago, Miles worked as an actor and sound designer at The Barter Theatre, state theater of Virginia.

Katie Pryor

Assistant Producer // As a member of Serendipity Theater Collective, Katie Pryor is also the resident nunchuk skills expert. She served as producer of the 2nd Story series at The Spot in Uptown, the Annoyance Theater’s production of Dennis Tar, High School Tennis Star and an assistant producer for the 2nd Story Festival for the last two years. She enjoys carrying equipment to and from various venues and dreams of writing a great story. She holds a 2nd degree black belt and still cannot break cement blocks with her hands. She would also like to give a shout out to her rockstar 2nd Story of Death Broomball teammates.

Jeremy Quinn

Wine Director // Living in France more than a decade ago, Jeremy developed an instinct for wine with a generous friend and his deep cellar of Burgundy and Bordeaux. While the goal which took him there, studying French literature in the original, remains a work in progress, he’s delighted to feel the vinous instinct rapidly become a passion, and no less lifelong a pursuit. He took a Bachelor’s degree in Fiction Writing from the University of Montana in 2000, and has served as the sommelier at Webster’s Wine Bar, Chicago’s oldest, since 2003, completing his sommelier certification in June 2006. By more refined wine writing and frequent travel, he hopes to convey the philosophy of small-production, often biodynamic, hand-crafted wines to a wider audience, while exploring the historical and geographic determinations which create a fine wine.

Nick Kawahara

Nick Kawahara has lived all over the US, from Florida to Colorado to Hawaii, but he's originally Houstonian. His experience spreads across just as many fields: you might find him working on a film project, painting a mural, or involved in community activism, but his interests tend to settle around writing and the audio arts. He hopes to utilize these mixed experiences to further empower those who need it. Nick will be graduating from Columbia College Chicago this year with his degree in Audio and a minor in Fiction Writing.

Christopher Jobson

Web Design // Christopher Jobson is a native Texan who transplanted to the streets of Chicago nearly 7 years ago to study web design and writing at Columbia College. He has designed way too many sites for universities, radio personalities, sculptors, theaters, and restaurants in Chicago and Washington D.C. He is currently working on an MS in Human/Computer Interaction at DePaul University, and spends time working with a fantastic non-profit organization, Rebuilding Together * Metro Chicago, that helps rebuild homes for elderly, low-income, and disabled individuals. Serendipity rocks his socks.

Kat Powers

Guerilla Marketing // When not brainstorming new and fantastic guerilla marketing schemes for 2nd Story, Kat Powers can be seen dashing around on her bicycle, collecting props and balancing them on her handlebars. Kat worked with Serendipity Theatre on last year’s production of Voices Underwater, and has also worked as a props designer with Steep, the Vittum Theatre and Redmoon. In addition to making buttons, pins and stickers for 2nd Story, Kat also loves taking photographs and painting formal portraits of writers. She looks forward to the continuing and upcoming seasons.