Anthony Peeples is currently a Chicago based actor and artist educator who has worked with Raven Theatre Chicago for the past three years. At Raven Anthony works as an artist educator in the Chicago Public Schools conducting theatre workshops and residencies over various grade levels. Anthony is one of many teachers for Raven Theatre’s Saturday Series Youth Artist Training classes. He also serves as director for Raven’s summer camp theatre youth program having just directed the 2009 Summer Camp production of “Isabella e La Bestia” a Commedia Dell’Arte Beauty and the Beast. His Chicago acting credits include eta Creative Arts Foundation, Next Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Victory Gardens, Studio One Dance Theatre, EMPAACT, Raven Theatre and First Folio Shakespeare. Regional acting credits include The Cleveland Play House, The Phoenix Theatre Circle for Children, CATCO, Actors’ Theatre, The Red Herring Ensemble, and The St. Louis Black Rep. were he preformed numerous school matinees and post show seminars for several St. Louis Public School students. Anthony holds a B.A. in Theatre and Spanish from The Ohio State University were he studied movement, acting and directing with Marcel Marceau, Anne Bogart and members of The SITI Company. Anthony has also taught, toured, performed, choreographed and directed as a staff member for The Ohio State University: Department of Theatre, The Phoenix Theatre for Children in Columbus, Ohio and the Cleveland Play House also in his native Ohio.
Teaching Artists
Raven’s team of Teaching Artists work in conjunction with the classroom teachers at our Partner Schools to teach theatre in the classroom. This dedicated group of theatre professionals are managed by Raven’s Educational Outreach Director, Kelli Strickland.
Current Teaching Artists
Anthony Peoples
Rebekah Scallet
Rebekah Scallet is a freelance director, dramaturg, and teacher. Most recently she directed The Tempest for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival,Anne Frank & Me for the College of Lake County, and served as the assistant director for Twelfth Night at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Other directing credits include Top Girls at Eureka College and The Philadelphia Story, Twelfth Night, One Flea Spare, andOleanna at Illinois State University, where she received her MFA in Directing. She has been an ensemble member with Rivendell since 2002, and has served as dramaturg and assistant director on several productions including SELF DEFENSE, Silence, Be Aggressive, and Knowing Cairo. She has taught classes for young actors through Northlight Theatre, the Northwestern Cherubs program, After School Matters, and the Park District of Highland Park.
Jennifer Avery
Jennifer Avery, a professional actor in Chicago for the past fifteen years, has performed at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Victory Gardens Theater, Writers Theater, American Theater Company, The Next Theatre, About Face Theatre, Roadworks Productions, and Strawdog Theatre Company where she is an ensemble member. She studied at the New Actors Workshop with Mike Nichols, Paul Sills, and George Morrison and has trained in a variety of techniques including Spolin games, Linklater, Stanislavsky, Viewpoints, and Meisner. Avery uses theatre games and writing exercises to teach the art of storytelling. She teaches students to value the stories they read as well as understand the importance of their own stories. She has also focused much of her teaching on Shakespeare, improvisation, original writing and performance as well as performance poetry. Along with Raven Theatre, Jennifer teachers through After School Matters, Writers Theatre, Urban Gateways and Timeline Theatre Co.
Mechelle Moe
Mechelle Moe is a founding member of The Hypocrites, and has appeared on many stages throughout Chicago. She most recently appeared in TimeLine's Jeff nominated production of Not Enough Air as well as their productions of Children's Hour and Paradise Lost. In 2003, Mechelle was awarded a Joseph Jefferson Citation and After Dark Award for her performance in Sophie Treadwell's Machinal. She also works as a teaching artist for Lookingglass, Court, Raven and Lifeline theaters.
