Lorelei Wernecke - she/her/hers (Theatre Director) graduated from Illinois State University with degrees in Theatre Teacher Education and Musical Theatre Performance, minoring in English. She has directed and music directed productions for ages 8-22, including an award-winning run of Fun Home (Director/Music Director), You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Music Director/Snoopy), and the 2025-26 theatre season here at Niles West! She also has the joy of music directing on and off at Skokie Parks District's Summer on Broadway, and is so happy to see many of her campers make their way to NWTheatre! When she isn't directing, teaching, or performing, you can find Ms. W crocheting and cooking with her friends and sweet kitty, Tallulah. She is so excited and grateful to teach at her alma mater and work with the passionate and ingenuitive young artists at Niles West!

Katherine Parker-Barrows - she/her/hers (Costume Designer) is a seasoned actor and improviser, having performed in and around Chicagoland since the early aughts. She trained in theater at College of DuPage, Middlesex University in London, The Second City, and ImprovOlympic, now known as iO Theater. A self-taught sewer and crafter, she has been practicing her love of costuming and props for a (ahem) few decades. Kate has worked on stage and behind the scenes on many storefront theater productions, as well as her long-running performance troupe, Improvised Jane Austen. She can be seen in residency at the iO Theater, every Saturday at 7:30 PM. Kate feels honored to work with the students of Niles West Theater; their passions are boundless, and their work ethic is an inspiration.

Rick Sims - he/him/his (Sound Designer) has composed and designed sound for numerous Chicago-area theaters, including Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Writers Theatre, Goodman Theatre, American Blues Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, and Northlight Theatre. Regional credits include Arena Stage and Roundhouse Theatre in Washington D.C., Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, South Coast Rep in Southern California, The Getty, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Arden Theatre Company in Philadelphia, Playwrights Horizons in New York City, Actors Theatre of Louisville and Portland Playhouse. Rick won a Jeff Award for sound design for Moby Dick, Frankenstein and Hepheastus (Lookingglass Theatre Company) and BTAA award for Brothers In the Dust (Congo Square), and has received several nominations for both awards. He is an artistic associate of Lookingglass Theatre Company and artistic affiliate with American Blues Theatre. Other than theatre, Rick is a podcast editor for Online Course Igniter, a composer and music producer of Siete Foods recipe videos, A gaming composer and music producer for Scopely Inc., and a freelance jingle producer and composer.

Bailey Lowe - she/her/hers (Choreographer) began her performing arts journey at the age of two, training in ballet and tap. From the first day she took class, she fell in love with everything that dance was. At the age of five, she began competing in dance and begun to take  her training more seriously as well as working on theatre productions in the surrounding area. Bailey danced at Storm Dance Alliance on their Precision competition company at the age of 12, training in numerous styles including ballet, jazz, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, tap and musical theatre along with participating in the musicals at Storm and her high school and taking other various styles classes to increase her versatility. While training at Storm, Bailey also had the fortunate opportunity to assist experienced teachers and teach on her own while training. In 2017, she graduated from Storm and continued her training at Illinois State University, where she got simultaneous bachelors degrees in Dance Performance and Political Science. While in school, Bailey had the joy to perform and choreograph for multiple productions in the School of Theatre and Dance. Since graduating college in 2022, Bailey has had the privilege of working at numerous studios and schools in the Chicagoland area. Bailey is also a four year member of the part time professional company, Meraki Dance Company under the direction of Kristen Barron.

NOT PICTURED
Tom McNelis - he/him/his (Technical Director)
Robert Noia - he/him/his (Costume and Props Assistant)
John Zilewicz (Scenic Artist)
Dave Gonzalez (Fight Director)