About Us
The goal of FORTs is to foster community and creativity at The Theatre School. We aim to provide students with both structured projects as well as open opportunities for creative expression. All work will be presented virtually over the course of the Fall quarter.
Why are we building FORTs?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of DePaul University and all Theatre School classes are being conducted remotely. While keeping themselves, their friends and family, and their neighbors safe, The Theatre School students are still finding ways to collaborate with their peers and make theatre in a virtual environment. The walls of our artistic home at Fullerton and Racine in the heart of Lincoln Park, Chicago have been extended to the homes and apartments of Theatre School students all across the nation. We can't wait to share what we're creating!
How are we building FORTs?
FORTs is a student-driven and curated festival of remote theatre spanning the entire Fall quarter. From Labor Day to Thanksgiving, DePaul students will be working together on a variety of projects as a part of FORTs. The student-led FORTs curating and management teams are working together to plan structured online theatre projects as well as virtual events to showcase student creativity and work. Our in-person community thrives off of supporting each other in artistic endeavors in class and on stage, and FORTs is a great opportunity for students to stay connected and continue celebrating the work of their peers.
Meet the FORTs Team
This group of MFA and undergraduate students have come together to give their TTS peers a space to create and collaborate with each other virtually while navigating a global pandemic.
Meredith Maiorana is a BFA4 Theatre Management major. She is hoping to pursue a career in Broadway general management after she graduates. Meredith has previously interned with Victory Gardens Theater, Allied Touring, Goodman Theatre, and was the producing coordinator for Wrights of Spring 2020.
Stephanie (MFA3 Directing) is a director, choreographer, producer and artist administrator. At the Theatre School, she's directed Boxed In, Come Back, Little Sheba, Polaroid Stories, Mud, and will direct Small Mouth Sounds and Dance Nation this year. Prior to moving to Chicago for graduate school, she worked in Boston, and freelanced as a new play director and teaching artist around the city. This fall she is working and creating virtually from Williamsburg, Virginia.
An Atlanta-based Artistic Director, Director, Playwright, and Actor who relocated to Chicago to study at The Theatre School for his Masters in Directing. He is the Executive Artistic Director of Marietta’s Theatre in the Square. Recent directing credits include Tarell Alvin McCraney’s In the Red and Brown, Carmen Rivera’s La Gringa and Nambi E. Kelley’s Native Son where he was awarded Broadway World’s Atlanta Best Director and Play. Follow him on Instagram @Partnerstheplay or @nemilthomas
Meredith Maiorana is a BFA4 Theatre Management major. She is hoping to pursue a career in Broadway general management after she graduates. Meredith has previously interned with Victory Gardens Theater, Allied Touring, Goodman Theatre, and was the producing coordinator for Wrights of Spring 2020.