What the Constitution Means to Me

Stacy Stoltz is an actor-director in Chicago and she recently directed My Heart Says Go and Silent Sky at the South Bend Civic Theatre. She created and performed her solo show Walk a Mile with Erasing The Distance. She directed Fefu and her Friends at The University of Notre Dame and during the pandemic she directed a virtual production of Fefu to raise funds for Season of Concern. Stacy has been seen acting on Chicago stages in Hatfield and McCoy (The House Theatre), Marjorie Prime (Writers Theatre) Stupid Fucking Bird (Victory Gardens) and Our Town (The Hypocrites). She has also worked with Route 66, Strawdog, The Michigan Shakespeare Festival and Court Theatre. She performed Off-Broadway at 59E59 Theatre and was nominated for Jeff Awards for her work in Assisted Living at Profiles Theatre and A Streetcar Named Desire at Writers Theatre. Her television credits include The Chicago Code, Chicago Fire and Chicago PD. Stacy is a proud member of Actor’s Equity and SAG-AFTRA. Thanks to all who helped guide and share this production.  

Paul Fagen (Legionnaire) is a Chicago-based actor and screenwriter. He was most recently seen in Verboten with The House Theatre. Select theatre credits include: The Attempters and The Nutcracker (House Theatre), Southern Gothic (Windy City Playhouse), The Temperamentals (About Face Theatre), The Metal Children (Next Theatre), The Language Archive (Piven Theatre), Late Company (Cor Theatre), The Crucible, A Bright Room Called Day and Caucasian Chalk Circle (Speaking Ring Theatre), Company and The Burnt Part Boys (Griffin Theatre), and Once in a Lifetime, Big Love, Quiz Show, Petrified Forrest, The Good Soul of Szechuan, Red Noses and The Duchess of Malfi (Strawdog Theatre). Film and Television credits include Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Princess Cyd, Making the Bed, and various others with The Onion. His award-winning screenplay, Peter, Peter is currently in the early stages of pre-production. Paul is a proud union member of Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA and is represented by Big Mouth Talent. 

Nicola Bailey is a young actor and writer based in Santa Barbara. She has appeared in numerous productions in Santa Barbara and is currently a junior at Dos Pueblos High School. Some of her most recent roles include Fiona in Shrek: The Musical, Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Edith in The Plot, Like Gravy, Thickens, and Purity in Anything Goes! She is also a passionate writer and has won both national Gold and Silver medals in the prestigious Scholastic Art and Writing awards. Additionally, she was awarded the National New York Life Award and the California State New York Life Award for her personal essay in 2023. In her free time, she is an editor for Dos Pueblos High School’s online newspaper called the Charger Account and served as a student photographer for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s directors panel, which was honoring Martin Scorcese and Justin Triet for their outstanding works that year. Nicola has also studied debate with Justin Sweitzer in Los Angeles, California. Nicola is so thrilled to be in this production with Ensemble Theatre Company!

GRACE WILSON is a young actor and an aspiring writer and director. A Santa Barbara High School graduate, she is now a theatre arts major at SBCC, having participated in several productions with The Theatre Group: most recently as Rachel Parsons in The Outsider in the spring and Harriet in Emma in the fall. She was recently featured in two award-winning films that premiered at the SBIFF 10-10-10 in February 2024. She is also President and founder of the SBCC Theatre Arts Club, and was granted the SBCC Theatre Arts Department Outstanding Student of the Year Award. She is extremely passionate about and involved in activism surrounding youth safety in her community, garnering over 11,000 signatures for a petition on Cliff Bluff Safety she created that led to the passing of an 8-point plan voted on by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. She gave speeches at numerous city council and board meetings on behalf of her peers and her community of concerned youth. She is passionate about theatre arts, dramatic literature, poetry, activism, mental health awareness, and fighting for her beliefs. She is so grateful for the opportunity to work with the incredible team at Ensemble Theatre!

Matt Hawkins is a Chicago-based writer, director, actor and fight  choreographer. Most recent works include fight choreography for Paradise Square (Broadway),  directing Little Shop Of Horrors (Penobscot Theatre) and directing/producing My Heart Says Go (studio cast recording distributed by Broadway Records). He has also worked with The Kennedy  Center, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Steppenwolf, Goodman, Lookingglass, The Clarice  Smith Performing Arts Center, Victory Gardens, and his TV/Film Credits include Happily After  (Glass City Films) and Chicago Fire (NBC). He has served as the director for the Chicago Public  Schools’ annual production at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, which was the recipient of the  National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, presented by Michelle Obama in 2014. He  was named one of the top five “Most Prolific Artists Of The Decade” by Time Out Chicago, and  his production of Red Noses at Strawdog Theatre was named one of the Top Ten Shows of  2009 by Time Out Chicago. He is currently an associate professor at the University of Notre  Dame, where he serves as creative producer of the New Works Lab and director of theatre and musical theatre for the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre.