Meet Our Faculty
Christine Cummings
(Citadel Director of Education)

Christine has been a professional theatre artist for over 10 years, performing, directing and teaching in Chicago and Central Illinois, since graduating with her BA in Acting from CSU, Fullerton and an MFA in Acting from Illinois State University. Originally from sunny Southern California, Christine has performed in and directed over 50 plays. Most recently she performed the roles of Shelby in Steel Magnolias with The Guild Theatre and Maria Merelli in Lend Me A Tenor here at Citadel. Other Chicago credits include performing at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, Blue Heron Theatre, The Athenaeum, Viaduct Theatre and Theatre Building Chicago. Christine teaches Acting, Dramatic Literature and Voice & Diction at Aurora University, Elmhurst College, Illinois Wesleyan University and Dominican University. Since teaching and assistant directing for the Into The Woods Jr. Summer Camp in 2008, she knew The Academy at Citadel Theatre was something special for the residents of Lake County and is so proud of the talent, work and dedication of our Academy instructors and students.


Jessica Lauren Fisher

Jessica has been teaching and directing since graduating from Barat college of Depaul University in 2004. She has taught at Dancenter North, Improv Playhouse, and the Northbrook Theatre. She is also an accomplished actor and has performed with Citadel Theatre, Chamber Opera Chicago, City Lit, Theatre at the Center, Illinois Theatre Center, The Bailiwick, Theatre Building Chicago, and Light Opera Works.
Quincey Krull

Quincey was born and raised in the great state of Nebraska with a loving family who taught her to dream big! They really had no idea what they were encouraging…in 2006 she moved to California, joined The Young Americans as a singer and dancer, performing and teaching children and young adults all over the world including Japan, England, Ireland, and Scotland. She now resides in Chicago where she studies acting at the University of Illinois at Chicago and will graduate in 2013 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Besides her work at the university, she has also performed in the city with the new Just Passing By Theater company, Piccolo Theater, and starred in The Last Hug, a short film with Chicago Talkies Limited.
Denice Mahler

Denice is brand new to Chicago hailing from California. A former faculty member at West Virginia University, Denice has been an actor and teacher with The American Shakespeare Center for the past 3 years specializing in movement for actors and text coaching Shakespeare (in original practices). With experience in Early Childhood Education and college courses, she loves teaching ages 9- 99. She is currently working at the Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre in their production of Alice in Wonderland and will be appearing in Caligula with the Organic Theatre this summer. She has a BA in Theatre Arts from California State University, Chico and an MFA in Theatre Arts from West Virginia University.
Andrew J. Pond

Andrew is originally from just outside of Milwaukee, WI, but came to Chicago via Miami, FL, where he studied at the Burt Reynolds Institute for Theatre Training, spent 7 years performing professionally, and taught at several theatre camps. Since moving to Chicago from Miami in 2002 (for the weather!) Andrew has performed at various theatres around the Chicagoland area and continued his love of both performing for, and teaching children. Recent acting credits: Hugh (That Face, Redtwist Theatre) Harry (Jeff Award-winning Man From Nebraska. Redtwist Theatre) Colonel Gillweather (Something’s Afoot, Citadel Theatre) Arnold Wiggins (The Boys Next Door, Metropolis Theatre) Justice Tappercoom (The Lady’s Not for Burning, Theo Ubique) He has worked extensively as an actor, director, and playwright with several children’s theatres, including Boom Troupe, AlphaBet Soup, GreatWorks, Child’s Play Touring Theatre, and Caton Enterprises. In what passes for spare time, Andrew is an Elvis impersonator, juggler, balloon artist, does various impersonations of both Muppets and non-Muppets, and has a degree in philosophy.
Michael Sherman

Mike is an actor, singer, piano player, and music director. He graduated from Loyola University Chicago and hails from Cincinnati, OH. He has performed with Pegasus Players, Circle Theatre, Cincinnati Opera House, Black Ensemble Theatre, Theatre Building Chicago, and others. He has acted and music directed with the Renegade Garage Players in Cincinnati, a theatre company dedicated to working with people with physical and mental disabilities. He has been the leading comedic baritone with Chicago’s Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company for the last 5 years, playing such roles as Ko-Ko in “The Mikado” and John Wellington Wells in “The Sorcerer.” He is a successful singer/piano player, playing solos shows and dueling pianos shows all over Chicago. He can probably play your favorite song. He recently won a national casting contest held by the Broadway Musical “Million Dollar Quartet” for his rendition of Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire.” He also teaches private voice and piano lessons.
Genesee Spridco

Genesee is a professional mask maker, director, designer and performer recently transplanted to the Chicago scene. She has an MFA in Ensemble Based Physical Theatre from Dell’Arte International School for Physical Theatre in Blue Lake, California and undergrad degrees in BS: Theatre Education and BFA: Directing. In addition to co-founding Suitcase Shakespeare, she has also worked with Fifth House Ensemble, Chicago Opera Theatre, Six Flags Great America, CLIMB Theatre and other more independent projects across the country and around the world.
David Robert Weber

David is a proud member of the first Atlanta Shakespeare Apprentice Company studying under the direction of artistic director Jeffrey Watkins. He became part of their company as an Artistic Associate from 2002 until 2007 where he played many roles, including Orlando in As You Like It, Marc Antony in Julius Caesar, and Posthumus in Cymbeline. David was also a Senior Education Artist helping direct full term residencies along with Shakespeare for Teen workshops for literally thousands of high school students thanks to the NEA Grant, Shakespeare for a new Generation, at Georgia Public and Private High Schools. He has worked professional in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta. He is on the teaching staff with Emerald City Theater in Chicago since 2010 and currently is finishing his pre-graduate credentials under the direction of Yasen Peyankov at UIC.
Scott Phelps (Citadel Artistic Director)

Scott is in his 10th year as the Artistic Director at Citadel, where he most recently starred in “Wait Until Dark” and “Sirens”. He directed Citadel productions of “The Boarding House”, “And Neither Have I Wings To Fly”, “A Nervous Smile”, “Picasso at the Lapin Agile”, “All in the Timing”, and the inaugural Citadel production of “3 Scoops” in 2002. He has directed in NYC, and in his home state of California. Trained as an actor, Scott, did a 2 year internship at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, California, received his BFA from the University of Utah and met his wife, Ellen at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. After 2 years in New York, where he got his Equity card working with Circle Repertory Theatre (and having his first of 4 children) he returned to continue working in the Chicago theater arena. For 18 years Scott worked for a Promotional company in Racine WI, paying the mortgage and raising his family in the Northern Suburbs of Chicago. In 2002 he got this crazy idea to bring “Chicago Style” theatre to Lake Forest.
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