Lorelei Wernecke - she/her/hers (Theatre Teacher/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 Our Town (Assistant Director) 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 begin her teaching career at her alma mater and continue working with the passionate young artists at Niles West!

​Charlotte Rathke - she/her/hers (Lighting Designer) has been blessed to work professionally as a Lighting Designer for over 35 years; including 20 years at Niles West HS teaching the next generation of theatre artists. Other Area credits include: over 20 years with the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire (120 productions), Studio 5 & Dance Center Evanston, The Miracle Center, Schaumburg Dance Ensemble, District 214 Summer Musical, Rolling Meadows HS, Woman's Club of Evanston, Harper College, Roosevelt University, Northwestern University Opera among many others. In 2016 she was honored to be Assist. LD to Diane Ferry Williams for the pre-Broadway run of "Born for This" in Atlanta. For fun, fulfillment, and renewal, she travels and helps build houses with Habitat for Humanity.
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Kate 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 independent storefront theater productions, as well as her long-running performance troupe, Improvised Jane Austen. Improvised Jane Austen 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) Rick 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.