RENTALS
BOARD MEMBERS
SUSAN DAWN
Board President • She/Her/Hers
Born and raised in Chicago, my parents instilled in their children a sense of wonder and appreciation by starting us travelling when we were very young. By learning new cultures, religions and customs, we do not fear what seems different, enjoy adventure and trying new things, and learned patience and respect. Professionally, I am a practicing attorney who enjoys time with friends and family, travel, live artistic performances of all kind, and feeding my curiosity.
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FAVORITE SCI-FI OR FANTASY BOOK?
The Hobbit. Nothing stokes the imagination like a fantasy book. I also loved the Andromeda Strain if that is sci fi because any medical fiction before its time seems to come true.
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FAVORITE OTHERWORLD SHOW
The Rogue Aviator
BRIAN SEBBY
Board Member • Secretary • He/Him/His
Brian Sebby is an IT professional by day, an improviser by night, and a lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy. He was introduced to Otherworld Theatre through a staged reading that the company performed at the Capricon Convention, and was blown away by that performance, as well as the next few Otherworld stage productions. He was thrilled to be able to join the Board of Directors and help to support the amazing work that Otherworld produces. When he’s not working on computers or enjoying science fiction, Brian is an improviser, and performs regularly with The Unwritten Works of William Shakespeare at Westside Improv Studio in Wheaton, IL.
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FAVORITE SCI-FI OR FANTASY BOOK?
It seems like cheating to list a classic like "Dune" or "The Lord of the Rings", but in the past few years, one of my favorite books has been "The Rook" by Daniel O'Malley. It's a debut novel that does a fantastic job of worldbuilding around The Checquy, an organization in the UK that deals with supernatural threats to the country. It's also very funny, and the best way I can describe it is that it's like "The X-Files" crossed with "The Office".
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FAVORITE OTHERWORLD SHOW
I have loved every Otherworld show that I have been to, but my favorite is probably still "Gone Dark". I was blown away how the production used the site and moved the audience from room to room. It was such a clever and novel way of producing theatre that made me realize that I wanted to do more to support the company, and reached out about joining the Board.
LIGY J. PULLAPPALLY
Board Member • She/Her/Hers
Ligy J. Pullappally is a writer, filmmaker and lawyer based in Chicago, and born in India. She served as a judge at the Chicago International Film Festival, and at the McKnight Screenwriters Fellowship. She has been a mentor to junior filmmakers, including through the Compton Foundation. Her feature film, Sancharram (“The Journey”), won 7 awards worldwide, including the Chicago Award for Best Film at the Chicago International Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Turin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and India’s Best Debut Director at the Lankesh Awards, Bangalore.
Ligy has served as the Vice President of the Indian American Bar Association of Chicago, and as an Executive Board Member of the social service agency, Apna Ghar. She is a recipient of an award and grant through the Sunshine Lady Foundation for her work in women’s issues, a grant from the Frameline Film Completion Fund, and an award from the Columbia College Young Playwrights Festival. She currently serves on the boards of the Village Club, and Otherworld Theatre Company. Ligy is passionate about science fiction, fantasy, and all storytelling that sets the imagination free.
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RYAN BOND
Board Member • He/Him/His
Ryan Bond is a life long geek who is very active in Chicago's genre-based performance and experience community. In the past has served in leadership positions for Wildclaw Theatre, EDGE of Orion Theatre, Hartlife & Our Fair City. Ryan has helped to create Guardians of History (a family friendly voice-activated immersive educational game for Alexa/Google enabled speakers & screens), leads as a Cub Scout Master and Eagle Scout, been an SxSW panelist, appears on podcasts as a gaming/geek expert, an infrequent theater performer, a 3x NaNoWriMo winner, a marketing director for a Firefly-based board game and even opened a geek-themed bar!
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FAVORITE SCI-FI OR FANTASY BOOK?
The Lord of the Rings (and other Tolkien novels) were some of the earliest novels that I read and the only books that I have re-read. The world building, lore and history made the books so incredibly lived in. The archetypal characters worked well to understand a complex culture and made immersion easy. After this - basically anything by Brandon Sanderson.
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FAVORITE OTHERWORLD SHOW
Queen Amarantha
JAMES MARTINEAU
Board Member • Business Manager • He/Him/His
James recently became Business Manager and is a Board Member at Otherworld Theatre. During the pandemic, James directed Of Dice & Men, which premiered virtually. He was also in a few parodies: I Have the High Ground, A Taste of Man Flesh, and Moon Prism Power right here at Otherworld! He is also currently hosting Theater of Ted, an open mic night at Otherworld. James recently discovered his love of LARP and was in Albion: School of Sorcery by Moonrise Games. He has worked throughout Chicago and has been seen in productions by Birch House Immersive, Collaboration, and Redmoon Theatre. Before that, James performed at Walt Disney World. He studied Directing at Illinois State University where he met his Wife-to-be, Gaby. Together, they now get to help create nerdy theatre and raise two crazy cats.
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FAVORITE SCI-FI OR FANTASY BOOK?
Star Wars: Thrawn Trilogy is such a great journey! A must for Star Wars Fans! It expends the Universe so much more! I love the audio books!
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FAVORITE OTHERWORLD SHOW
I think my heart will always stay with I Have The High Ground: A Revenge Of The Sith Parody! It was so much fun and it was such a great crew! But Man Flesh is a close Second!
CHRIS TERRY
Board Member • He/Him/His
Chris is a Product Owner/business analyst, actor, writer, director and video producer. He currently performs nerdy sketch comedy and improvised action serials with the Stuntmen (occasionally puppies join them on stage to benefit PAWS). He was a writer/ensemble member for more than six years with musical comedy group Clown Car to Sicily, where proposed and was a lead writer for the group’s first sketch show with a storyline, Nerds of Future Past. He also produced their first music video, I am a Nerd. Other performances include Nick in The Night Before the Night Before Christmas (James Downing Theatre), Detective Little in Feathers: The Musical (MCL) and Mr. Buttle in A (Very Zombie) Christmas Carol (Otherworld Theatre Paragon short play festival).
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FAVORITE SCI-FI OR FANTASY BOOK?
Re-reading Jim Butcher’s “the Skin Game” which is great because he’s a an imperfect heroic character and the ensemble of characters have really developed over the series and don’t just go along with Harry Dresden. Excited to read “Binti” by Nnedi Okorafor after that.
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FAVORITE OTHERWORLD SHOW
Countess Dracula
MALEK SAMMAN
Board Member • He/Him/His
A whiz with numbers and a fantasy fanatic, Malek started in life in Dubai before moving to Chicago. He has a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences from Northwestern, which he uses in his full-time work as a data analyst in corporate finance. In his spare time, he loves playing as a game master in tabletop roleplaying games, video gaming with his friends, and reading Arabian fantasy and history. He dreams of a world where Arab media is celebrated; until he can help make that vision a reality, he’ll help Chicago’s thriving sci-fi/fantasy theatre scene grow!
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FAVORITE SCI-FI OR FANTASY BOOK?
The City of Brass; a tale of politics, sword fights, and magic set in the Middle East! I ask for little else.
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FAVORITE OTHERWORLD SHOW
Out On A Whim's Improvised D&D
GIL MATAR
Board Member • He/Him/His
A one paragraph bio? Where does a 54 year old -- who happens to be a financial advisor, father, husband, BBQ pitmaster, Philadelphia Eagles fan, Ordained Dudeist Priest, whiskey enthusiast, former president of both a homeless shelter and a chamber of commerce -- start? Should I start with the fact that I grew up watching the original Trek with my father, and that I had nightmares about the Salt Monster in the Man Trap? How many times I've read all 6 Dune novels or the Foundation Trilogy? That I've seen every episode of every series of Trek? That I go to midnight shows of Total Recall, Alien, 2001, the Shining, etc... That I loved taking my daughter to Klingon Christmas Carol -- multiple times. How many times I've watched Excalibur, Galaxy Quest, and even that horrible Disney sci-fi failure The Black Hole? That I was excited when I won a copy of the script to Altered States? And don't get me started on the Alien series. Shall I go on?
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FAVORITE SCI-FI OR FANTASY BOOK?
Dune -- I saw the movie when it came out and realized that the story behind it was pretty cool, even though the movie itself was very flawed. I read the book in just a few days and then went to see the movie again. Over the next few months I read the rest of the Dune books that were already out, and waited impatiently for the series to conclude. I was totally hooked.
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FAVORITE OTHERWORLD SHOW
Medusa Undone -- After my wife and I saw this show I decided that I wanted to get more involved in the theater. The production was moving, creative and beautifully executed by all involved.
ALEXANDER WAYNE
Board Member • He/Him/His
Al is the owner of Alexander J Wayne & Associates, Inc. an insurance firm he founded 32 years ago located in Lincoln Park. He is a life long hard sci-fi fan who also happens to love live theater. Otherworld Theatre checks all the boxes in Al's world and what luck it's right in his own back yard.
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FAVORITE SCI-FI OR FANTASY BOOK?
Pivot in Time - Doug Richards - Near future plausible science and tech, good story and profound message
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FAVORITE OTHERWORLD SHOW
The Cabal