SHOWCASE 2026
PHOTOS pending…
CAST
Stephanie Boyd (she/her) is thrilled to perform with New Musicals Chicago Showcase! Chicago credits include: Twihard! @ The Apollo Theatre (Chicago Reader Best of nom. for Best Musical), The Drowsy Chaperone (The Drowsy Chaperone) at Surging F&T (Jeff Nom. – Best Production), Assassins at Theo (Jeff Award – Best Ensemble), Urinetown: The Musical (Hope Cladwell) at Surging F&T (Jeff Nom. – Ensemble), The Ballad of Lefty and Crabbe at Underscore (Jeff Nom. – Ensemble). TV/Film: “88” (Best TV/Web Series – NY Movie Awards 2023). Regional: National WWII Museum’s Stage Door Canteen. Training: Second City, Vagabond. Centenary College of Louisiana & University of Central Oklahoma alumna. Insta: @stepherieboyd. Much love to her amazing friends, fam & spoiled chi-corgi Chloe!
Megan Cook (soprano) is a Chicago-based vocalist and performer. Raised by two music educators, she developed an early passion for the arts and went on to perform in numerous community musicals and tour nationally with a world-class drum and bugle corps. Recent appearances include with Vox Venti (section leader/soloist), VOX 3 Collective (company member), Magical Keys (company member), and New Moon Opera. Favorite roles include Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), and the Countessa (Le Nozze di Figaro). Concert highlights include appearances with the Lumina Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Illinois Philharmonic, and a featured recital with Fourth Presbyterian’s Noonday Concert Series. Ms. Cook holds degrees from Viterbo University (B.M. Music Education/Musical Theatre), Roosevelt University (M.M. Vocal Performance), and DePaul University (Artist Diploma).
Mike Idalski (He/They) is an avid lover of new works, and is excited to be back here again with friends old and new!! Previous credits include: The Scarlet Pimpernel, Jesus Christ Superstar (TBCP), Carrie 2 (Underscore Theatre), Stabbed in the Heart (Factory Theater). Follow him on (most) social medias – @singingski
Nick Pardo (@pardonickpardo) is a Colombian-American actor-director from North Bergen, NJ and raised in Charlotte, NC who now calls Chicago, IL home. Some of his Chicago credits include: Chorus 2 u/s in INANIMATE (Theater Wit)* Two-Bit in THE OUTSIDERS (Athenaeum Theatre), Seth in ADVENTURERS! (Underscore Theatre Company), Leor in HERSHEL AND THE HANUKKAH GOBLINS (Strawdog Theatre), and). A couple of his Charlotte credits include Conrad Birdie in BYE BYE BIRDIE (Belmont Abbey Theater) and Oscar in GRAND CONCOURSE (Three Bone Theatre). Additionally, you may have seen him perform as frontman of alt-rock band Frogmouth (@frgmth) at local venues such as Cubby Bear, Montrose Dock, and Cary’s Lounge. Offstage, he currently serves as Artistic Director for Chicago Writer’s Bloc. He thanks you for making the active commitment to support live performance.
Maxwell Peters is excited to work with the team at New Musicals Chicago again! Recent credits include Twihard! @ The Apollo Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakes, AstonRep(Jeff Award Nominee), and The Impostors (Jeff Award Nominee). Broadway: The King and I, Les Misérables. National Tour: Hadestown, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Regional: The Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts (Ovation Award Winner), Casa0101 (BroadwayWorld & NAACP Theatre Award Winner), and The Rockwell. TV/Film: “Smash”, “Grease: Live”. Writing: To All The Boys… Parts 2 & 3 (Netflix), Pen15 (Hulu, Emmy Nominated – Outstanding Writing for Comedy), The Summer I Turned Pretty (People’s Choice Award Winner – Amazon). He is currently the Director of Visual and Performing Arts for Intrinsic Schools. Emerson College Alumnus. British American Drama Academy Midsummer in Oxford Cohort 41. Much love to my family & friends. @MaxwellPeters
Britain Shutters is thrilled to participate in this reading! Chicago credits include Bessica Feltcher in Murder ReWrote with Hell in a Handbag (Jeff Award Nomination-Principal Performer), Sister Mary in Disaster! (Big Noise, CTW), Ragtime (ensemble/US Mother) with Highland Park Players, Into the Woods & Head Over Heels (Kokandy Productions), Sue Snell in The Rage: Carrie 2 (Underscore Theater & 54 Below), Queenie in Lippa’s The Wild Party, High Fidelity, Cabaret, and Rent. Next up: The Real Housewives of the North Pole with Hell in a Handbag. Proudly represented by BMG Talent.
Mr. Lorenzo Shawn Parnell, a tenor originally from Rochester, New York, is honored to participate in the New Musicals Chicago Showcase. Mr. Parnell was recently featured as the Iceberg in the Porchlight Music Theatre production of Titanique. His regional credits include the roles of “Macy’s Manager/Charlie” in Elf: The Musical (Drury Lane Theatre), “Lola” in Kinky Boots (Shea’s 710), “Mayor/Ja Keith” in Rock of Ages (Kavinoky Theatre), “Coalhouse Walker Jr” in Ragtime (Musicalfare), “Lt. Eddie Souther” in Sister Act: The Musical (Lancaster Opera House), and “Tom Robinson” in To Kill a Mockingbird (GEVA Theatre). Mr. Parnell is also scheduled to appear in the Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company’s production of The Gondoliers this spring
Caroline Shaul has been a vibrant performer since the early 2000s, spending much of her early career immersed in the professional opera scene. In 2011, she moved to Chicago and immediately fell in love with the city’s gritty, storefront theater culture. Since then, Caroline has embraced the bold and the experimental, with favorite highlights including site-specific, environmental theater like Punk Punk and Cornerstone with Nothing Without a Company, as well as the deliciously dark Evil Women at the Chicago Fringe Festival.
A versatile creator, she also wrote and produced her own one-woman show, The ShaulShank Redemption. From political theater and burlesque to collaborative cabarets, Caroline’s heart belongs to the Chicago stage, and she is absolutely delighted to be back under the lights with this review!
Nakia Steel is thrilled to be welcomed back to Chicago’s theatre scene with The NMOC Showcase. From appearances at The Goodman Theatre and Northlight Theatre, to featured cameos in pop music videos, Nakia is a singer, dancer, and actress with a foundation in musical theatre, ensemble work, and contemporary performance. A native Chicagoan, she obtained her Associates Degree in the Arts from Harry S. Truman
College in Fall 2025. Recent favorite projects of hers include: Anything Goes: A Living Newspaper (Truman College), Fear and Progress (The Goodman Theatre), Biff & Otis (Northlight Theatre), and A Beautiful Life music video. Nakia wants to thank her family, friends, and teachers for their constant anchoring, motivation, and skill.
Max Trotter is a Chicago based actor who has performed all across Chicago and the US. Regional credits: The Four C Notes residency at Florida Studio Theatre, The Story of My Life (Alvin) at The Towle Theatre. Select recent Chicago credits: Next to Normal (Gabe), A Little Night Music (Henrik; Lou Award for Best Musical), Head Over Heels (Musidorus), Something Rotten (Nigel), Sweeney Todd (Anthony), Hunchback of Notre Dame (St. Aphrodisius), and Joseph…Dreamcoat (Joseph). Thanks to Jamie and his family, friends, and coaches for their continued support.
PRODUCTION CREW
Isaac J Loomer (Director) is excited to be working with such a talented cast on 3 great new musicals. He graduated with a B.A. in theatre and dance from MNSU, Mankato, and was seen acting around Chicago after graduation. He pivoted to directing while working with Underscore Theatre, a company that focused on new works. He would like to thank his wonderful husband and puppies, all his chosen family, shout out to Rachel for bringing him back into theatre after Covid and to Musical Theatre as a whole for keeping his sanity intact, or at least reasonably intact.
Michael Oldham (Music Director/Performance Pianist) is a composer, pianist, artist, music director with the Second City’s national touring company, and he plays/writes for theaters, cabarets, and anything that comes his way. He went to Berklee! You can stream albums/EPs of his music on all platforms. For more: check out michaelroldham.com or @WhoaItsMichaelO on Instagram/socials.
Devonte E. Washington (Stage Tech) is excited to join this project. He is a Chicago native. Born and raised on the southside. He has been working in production for over 10 years. He has molded his skills by learning the aspects of designing and building shows from scratch. His Talents have been used with many events,venues and shows throughout the city. Getting better with every show he wants to continue to get better at what he does while continuously learning more and more.
Rachel Elise Meegan (Producer) is a producer, director, and performer. The former Executive Director of Underscore Theatre Company. Rachel was the Producer for the Chicago Musical Theater Festival and co-producer of the Tiny Storefront Concerts. Directing credits: co-directed The Last Five Years (JPAC) and Carrie 2: The Rage (Underscore) with Isaac Loomer. In her time in Chicago she acted in several plays and musicals throughout the Chicago-land area, including her roles as the Sour Kangaroo in Seussical (Big Noise Theater Company) and Diva in Priscilla Queen of the Desert (JPAC). Rachel lives in Chicago and is a math professor at Harry S Truman College and DePaul University.
WRITERS and COMPOSERS
Lawrence Adelson is an award-winning book and lyric writer. He studied anthropology with Marshall Sahlins at University of Michigan. Lawrence is a graduate of the Second City Training Center and learned musical theater writing from Cheryl Coons. Mr. Adelson co-wrote book and lyrics for Billy & the Potato-Powered Time Machine with Keith Gatchel. Billy & was performed at Chicago Musical Theatre Festival 2020. He wrote book and lyrics for the musical comedy Mother of the Bride, performed at Chicago Writer’s Bloc Fall Festival 2025.
Enchanted Universe is loosely based on the writing of Marshall Sahlins’s last book and is written with the assistance of Peter Sahlins and permission of Princeton University Press.
Gregory Becker (composer) is an award winning songwriter, composer and lyricist/librettist. His works have sold over 20 Million units worldwide and have been recorded by Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Leann Rimes, Alan Jackson, Meatloaf, Randy Bachman, Tim McGraw, Brett Eldredge, Billy Currington, Chris Cagle. Alex Williams, Zella Day, John Paul White and many others have been featured in major motion pictures including Flicka, New In Town and Country Strong. He won a CCMA for single of the year and he has contributed to multiple Grammy Nominated projects.
His most recent work WONDER WOMEN THE MUSICAL which tells the true unknown story of the women behind the creation of Wonder Woman, was an official selection for the Atlanta Musical Theater Festival and won 7 awards at the Chicago Musical Theater Festival including Best Score, Best Book and Best in Fest, It was also and a finalist for the NYMF festival and the Eugene O’Neill Musical Theater Conference and is currently being developed for Broadway.
Other projects and works in progress include: Kirby’s Dilemma (composer); Kabob! (;lyricist); Going Viral (lyricist); B.o.b.b.i. (Book, music, lyrics) and Cereal (Book. Music. Lyrics).
Gregory studied Lyric Writing, Composing and Arranging at Berklee College of Music and has been a staff songwriter for Sony ATV, BMG, CAA, Warner-Chappell, Famous Music, Southern Crossroads and is currently signed with Bluewater Music. He is represented by ASCAP, Bluewater Music, and is a proud member of the Dramatist Guild.
Chauncey Davis Mauney (composer) is a performing and devising artist specializing in theatre, music, songwriting, storytelling, and accessible programming. His work with children and young adults has spanned two decades, four states (not including tours), and includes credits with Chicago Children’s Theatre, The Red Kite Project, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Chauncey has a particular knack and affinity for working with people with disabilities, making access and inclusion cornerstones in his engagements. He has been on the Lane Arts Council’s roster of teaching artists since moving to Eugene in 2021; this has given him the opportunity to bring his skills and talents to scores of children and classrooms in the form of residencies, assemblies, camps, and professional development for teachers.
Originally from Mississippi, Chauncey grew up around “pickers and grinners” making music anytime there was a gathering. He happily sang and played along on the spoons until he started learning the guitar at about age 11. The sense of closeness and accessibility around those campfires, porches and living rooms is what Chauncey strives for when making music with others.
Peter Sahlins grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but also in France, Fiji, Hawaii, and Chicago. Trained at Harvard (1978) and Princeton (1986), he’s an historian of early modern France and Europe who taught for thirty years at the University of California, Berkeley. Peter’s published widely on a range of topics, including peasant revolts in nineteenth-century France; the making of the French-Spanish boundary in the Pyrenees; and immigration and nationality law in Old Regime and Revolutionary France. More recently, his 1668: The Year of the Animal in France (2017) examined animal-human relations at the court of Louis XIV, and his forthcoming book, Neanderthals Among Us: The Making of a Prehistoric Human (2026) treats the scientific and popular cultural history of Neanderthals since their discovery in 1856. He divides his time between Paris and ARcy-sur-Cure in Burgundy, where he also gives guided tours of its famous prehistoric caves.
Patrick Thomas is a Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, originally from Colleyville, Texas. A favorite and live finalist on the inaugural season of NBC’s The Voice (Team Blake), Patrick was noticed and signed by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Brett James and Cornman Music as a sophomore in college at Vanderbilt University.
As a sought-after vocalist and performer, Patrick has toured extensively singing classic country covers with dozens of major symphony orchestras across North America. He has been featured with the Dallas, Phoenix, Calgary, Utah, and Maryland symphonies, among others. Performing at the world-famous Ryman Auditorium in a tribute to the late Glen Campbell, Patrick received standing ovations for his renditions of “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Lady Like You.” In September of 2017 he released a self-titled EP produced by Grammy Award-winner Mark Bright (Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts) and Will Bowen. The album was followed by a Christmas record and a number of singles as an independent artist.
A gifted entertainer, Patrick composed and performed over twenty-five short songs, live on television, as part of CBS’s national coverage of the 2019 NFL draft. In addition to his career as a country artist, Patrick wrote the music and lyrics for the new musical, The Battle of Franklin, debuting to sell out crowds in Franklin, TN and breaking gross ticket sales records for the producing company, Studio Tenn. His newest musical, with lyricist Greg Becker and writer Jeffrey Yerkes, is currently under development. For more information please visit
www.PatrickThomasMusic.com
Jeffrey Yerkes is a writer living in Boston. He worked as a writer, producer, and production staffer in cable and network television for close to 15 years, including shows for A&E and the Discovery Science channel. In Los Angeles, his engagements included five seasons as a script coordinator on Seinfeld, learning at the right hand of Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld (Jerry’s left, actually). He also worked on NBC’s Saved by the Bell, and The Crow for Polygram Television. In recent years, he’s been focused on creating marketing content for clients while developing a number of other personal literary and television projects. His sole theatrical experience was serving as an assistant to the producer of Leonard Bernstein’s MASS at the Boston Opera House, but he hopes to have more.