There are just some of the guest artists who
have worked with us recently:
(We did this alphabetical by last name. Because even through we have our favorites, we don't want them to know that...)
Anne Acker
Anne Acker
Anne leads our Kids & Teens programs and has been teaching for over ten years. She majored in Musical Theatre, and Communication and Culture, at Indiana University prior to making Chicago her permanent home. As a theatre actor, Anne performed for several years on Chicago stages – mostly singing and dancing – before discovering The Green Room as a student. Since then, she has worked in TV, film, and dozens of commercials.
As a teacher and coach, Anne has worked with hundreds of students. She has helped those students find success in TV, film, voice over, and Broadway. To bring more perspective and behind the scenes knowledge into the classroom, she has worked as both an intern and session director at Paskal Rudnicke Casting.
Anne believes students come to The Green Room with a passion and a natural inclination for storytelling. She works to develop those passions and instincts into practical methods – leading to new professional opportunities. Anne resides in the city with her husband, young son, and their old dog.
Chris Agos
Chris Agos
In the past 25 years, Chris Agos has spent thousands of hours in front of cameras, microphones, crowds, and classes. Known for playing white-collar authority figures, television guest star credits include work on Chicago PD, House of Cards and For All Mankind, among others.
On-camera commercial work includes spots for dozens of companies across industries such as tech, automotive, aviation, and retail. Voice-over clients include multiple voice-of campaigns.
Chris is the author of The Voice Over Startup Guide: How to Land Your First VO Job, and Acting In Chicago: Making A Living Doing Commercials, Voice Over, TV/Film And More, guides for actors looking to start or grow careers. Check out complete-voiceover.com and actinginchicago.com to learn more.
Originally from Chicago, he currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and twin sons.
Dana N. Anderson
Dana N. Anderson
Dana Nicole Anderson is a multi-hyphenate actor, performing artist, writer, advocate, speaker, and entrepreneur.
From a young age, Dana has been passionate about storytelling and creating, starting with family room variety shows and tape-recording parodies of soap operas with her sister and cousins as kids.
Today, Dana has built a career off her imaginative childhood games: she’s voiced and appeared in national commercials as well as short films and tv shows, is a go-to hand model for popular consumer products, and performs on stage. Bucket list credit to date? Dancing in a Bollywood blockbuster.
There isn’t a single area of creativity which Dana hasn’t explored: she even wrote a book of poetry and recorded its spoken word companion album in the peak of the pandemic. All while parenting and running her own multicultural media relations agency, Concrete Runway.
Dana is passionate about her advocacy platform and mentorship as it sparks dialogue and raises the voices of her community. She’s as real as the stories she tells. It’s in her DNA. Connect with her at DanaNAnderson.com.
Sean Bradley
Sean Bradley
You'll see Sean around here a lot.
He spent years as a Casting Director at one of the busiest commercial casting offices in the country, O'Connor Casting Company in Chicago. He conducted well over 50,000 individual actor's auditions for commercial, film, television, print, and industrial projects and drank 3 or 4 Coca-Cola's a day. Since then he has stopped drinking soft drinks entirely.
Being based in Chicago has actually given him a wider scope than many other casting offices might. In LA, producers and directors tend to have their favorite casting office. In Chicago, you get to work with ALL the production companies and ad agencies in the country. And they come here in droves for the Chicago improv scene. So he's literally worked with every major national ad agency and production company out there.
He's since left casting and returned to his acting career making a very comfortable living with countless roles in TV shows, commercials and voice overs, and doing so by stealing every trick he ever saw in the casting room.
Sarah Charipar
Sarah Charipar
Sarah brings years of casting experience to the class room. You'll often run into her as a Session Director at Paskal Rudnicke Casting (and receive some of the finest directing in town!) She also knows the other side of the camera very well, plays a recurring role on Chicago Med, and has done many other major TV shows and films.
She did not write this bio - and I should probably call her up and find out what those are so I can brag about her in more detail. But I do know she's also spent time on Broadway. But that's New York... So whatever. She's freaking great at acting and directing.
Jennifer Cudahy
Jennifer Cudahy
When Jen decided to take on camera classes at The Green Room over a decade ago, who knew that all these years later, she'd be teaching voiceover here? We did.
Jen has over 15 years of professional voiceover experience. You've heard her on your radio & TV, seen her in loads of commercials, and maybe even when they let her play in a burning vehicle on Chicago Fire or practice her oncology nursing skills on Chicago Med. The last few years, she's even gotten back on stage.
Is there anything she can't do? Absolutely. But, this is her bio so we try to keep it positive. Check out her stuff at www.jennifercudahy.com or just sign up for voiceover class!
Steven Ivcich
Steven Ivcich
Steven Ivcich is a writer/director/actor/teacher with 35 years of professional stage, film and commercial experience. Working with actors has been central to the arc of his career.
His understanding of the actor’s creative needs led him to develop his cross training process, a process that affords actors the very best possible learning and working environment. And of course- yet one more of the guests of The Green Room that has experience behind the camera in a casting room at O'Connor Casting!
Brian King
Brian King
Brian King was born and raised in Chicago. After graduating from Columbia College he went on to work as a copywriter in the Chicago advertising community for 10 years while also pursuing his acting career.
We are thrilled that, with Brian, students get a chance to hear the writer's perspective when it comes to auditions. He left his writing job in 2010 to act full-time starring in over 40 commercials from Budweiser to KFC while landing roles on TV shows such as a major recurring role on the SHOWTIME hit THE CHI, as well as PRISON BREAK, LEVERAGE, DETROIT 187, MOB DOCTOR, CRISIS, CHICAGO FIRE and EMPIRE. He also played the recurring role of "Chuck" on the STARZ series BOSS starring Kelsey Grammar. Film work includes WIDOWS, MAN OF STEEL, and A LIGHT BENEATH THEIR FEET as well as smaller independent movies. He has also starred in three shows at Chicago's acclaimed STEPPENWOLF THEATRE.
Oh, and ask Brian if he owns a boat.
AJ Links
AJ Links
AJ Links is a Casting Director at Paskal Rudnicke Casting. She's very, very good at it and super, super cool. You should meet her (if you are comfortable around people with a far better fashion sense than you). She joins us as a guest teacher on some evenings of the advanced levels of our regular On Camera Training Program, as well as our kids classes. She also likes to pose for pictures as a beautiful delicate flower.
Rosie Moan
Rosie Moan
Rosie is freaking funny. Seriously. I mean, she's good at the drama stuff too... but dang she can tear up the improv stage, rock the commercials, and make you laugh. She's got the best sketch comedy Mitch McConnell impersonation you've ever seen. (Or maybe that was a dramatic piece...). Anyhow- wanna figure out how to make it work on screen? Talk to Rosie.
In addition to being "freaking funny," Rosie has a BFA in Acting from Emerson College, has completed the training programs, and is now faculty at The Second City, and The Annoyance Theater. Her TV credits include Chicago Med (NBC), The Exorcist (Fox), and Utopia (Amazon Prime). Rosie has been teaching at The Green Room since 2015 and freakin' loves coaching and getting her actors the best auditions possible. You can follow her updates at www.rosiemoan.com.
Robyn Moler
Robyn Moler
As a young child Robyn dreamt of an adulthood where she did nothing but talk into a microphone for a living. Now she does nothing but talk into a microphone for a living.
You've heard her voice on countless national radio and tv campaigns and have purchased way more products than you care to realize because of them. We talked her into sharing her knowledge with you because she also has the rare, rare ability to actually EXPLAIN how to do what she does.
You might not realize that she hails from Wisconsin, because usually when you are from Wisconsin you don't want people to realize that. But she is. She also understands that this is the type of bio you get when you do not write your own bio. So check back for updates.
Alexandria Moorman
Alexandria Moorman
is a Chicago-based actor, writer, improviser, poet and teaching artist. She’s passionate about advocating for equity with NFP Chicago Artist Guide who is building an online platform to diversify Chicago theatre, learn more @chicagoartistguide.org. Selected Chicago credits: What To Send Up When It Goes Down (Lookingglass), cullud wattah* (Victory Gardens), What To Send Up WhenIt Goes Down (Congo Square-Chicago premiere), Mother of The Dark Water (MPAACT), The Walls of Harrow House (Rough House Theatre Co.).
She graduated from Emerson College with a BFA Acting and has completed the Improv Training program at iO. Her award-winning short films, How to Re-caulk your Tub dir. Sean Pierce and Mid 30s Martyr dir. Eliaz Rodriguez are both available to view on Youtube. In addition, she is a writer/cast member on season three of Hit Em’ On The Blackside, Congo Square’s sketch comedy web-series, see new episodes premiere on Youtube. Alexandria is reprising her role in the remount of What To Send Up When It Goes Down at Lookingglass. Later this year, she will be playing Kendra in American Son at Fleetwood Jourdain Theatre.
David Murphy
David Murphy
David Murphy also brings multiple areas of expertise to his teaching. He joined the staff at O'Connor Casting Company in early 2001, worked for years as a full time Casting Director, took a hiatus to focus on teaching, and has now returned full time to the casting session rooms with OCC. Around the casting office, there are two "David's" (David O'Connor is the owner), so this David is often known as "Murphy".
In another life, Murphy was a teacher for the Players' Workshop of the Second City in a stint that lasted over 16 years ... and that stint has now started up again with the relaunch of the studio!
Murphy has directed over a hundred shows ranging from improv reviews to children's shows. He has created several touring groups performing for such clients as GE and Novis. Murphy has worked as an artistic director for Bedlam Productions, has worked in casting for Toast productions and has been a consultant to several fledgling theatre companies.
Leah Raidt
Leah Raidt
Leah Raidt (she/her) is a Chicago-based creative leader proudly hailing from Louisville, Kentucky. Her work as an actor/teacher/producer advances and uplifts Queer, Feminist perspectives, and aims to push us out of a solitary headspace and into an embodied journey together. Theatre credits include Steppenwolf Theatre, The Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, American Theatre Company, and more. Her commercial list is even longer, and "available upon request." Leah has been teaching at The Green Room Studio for a decade, and particularly enjoys supporting students of all ages and experience to up-level their business, find and prep the perfect monologue, and experience more pride and agency in their work. Leah is Lead Producer (and actor) for the concept short film ROUGH RIVER LAKE, which is currently in post-production. She is a member of the Chicago Director’s Workshop at PROP Thtr., and training to be a Vedic meditation teacher. Leah holds a B.F.A in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University, and is an alum of The School at Steppenwolf. #BlackLivesMatter! Stay engaged at www.LeahRaidt.com.
Courtney Rioux
Courtney Rioux
A proud member of the actor's union SAG-AFTRA, Courtney has done everything from musical theatre to on-camera to voice over.
She has spent the past few seasons on Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago PD in her recurring role Paramedic Courtney
She's also worked for great theatres like Madison Rep, Drury Lane, Noble Fool, Apple Tree, Illinois Shakespeare and Theatre at the Center. For voice over, Courtney can be heard on regional, national, and even global commercials. She's been in independent films, pilots and commercials, (the one she did with her husband for AT&T holds a special place in her heart.) Your kids might have played with a Disney V-Tech toy that she voiced for Doc McStuffins or Frozen, or talked you into a McDonald's Happy Meal after hearing her voice. Most recently, Courtney has become a certified life coach and is on a mission to help actors improve their mindsets and create happy, fulfilling lives. You can check out her site at courtneyrioux.com
Kali Skatchke
Kali Skatchke
Kali Skatchke (she/her) is our Social Media Maven. Facebook and Instagram are her domain here at The Green Room, and have been since September 2021.
Born and raised in Chicago, Kali is a stage and screen actor and improviser. She graduated with a theatre degree—and business minor—from Northwestern University (go ‘Cats), and has completed the Improv Training Program at iO. She has appeared on stages and sets across the city, and still likes to tell people about the time she experienced a haunting in the bathroom at the Civic Opera House. Ask her about it.
Of her many interests, she especially enjoys finding great new places to eat, walking (everywhere), and telling people that their sun sign is SO them. (She is an Aquarius sun/Cancer moon/Libra rising, in case you were curious.) www.kaliskatchke.com
