Staff

Lisa Lang

Lisa Lang is the Founder and Artistic Director of Dream Big Performing Arts Workshop. Lisa has been performing since the age of five and for the past twelve years has been sharing her love of the theatre with children of all ages. After graduating with degrees in both Elementary Education and Theatre Arts from the University of Iowa, Lisa taught Music to grades K-5 at Lincoln School in Highland Park as well as Music and Drama to grades K-8 at the AUTEC School on Andros Island, Bahamas. She most recently taught the Music and Drama program at the Hyde Park Day School, a private, not-for-profit day school serving the needs of children in first through eighth grades with learning disabilities. Prior to that, Lisa taught at the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School for eight years where she specialized in early childhood as a Junior Kindergarten teacher and later became the Lower School Drama Integration Coordinator where she developed and taught their K-4 Drama Program. Lisa has performed all over Chicago with companies including Metropolis Performing Arts Center, Light Opera Works and Chicago Kids Company. She has also worked as a tutor and child wrangler for national tours including Addam's Family, Billy Elliot and, most recently, Dreamwork's production of Shrek the Musical. Dream Big Performing Arts Workshop is Lisa’s big dream where she works to provide students a safe environment to express themselves creatively through the performing arts while having lots of fun!

Kaycee Sewchok

Kaycee Sewchok, Dream Big's Associate Program Developer, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with a concentration in Musical Theatre from the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. She has been performing since she was a child and loves sharing her passion for the arts with children. Kaycee has worked with many different age levels teaching at performing arts companies and camps, and is currently teaching with Lookingglass Theatre Company here in Chicago. In addition to teaching, Kaycee has worked in the theatre as an actor and costume designer. She is so excited to be working with Dream Big Performing Arts Workshop!

Briana Bower

Briana Bower graduated from Northwestern University's School of Communications with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, and a focus in Theatre Education. She has spent time teaching drama and directing at schools around the Northern Suburbs of Chicago, where she has focused specifically on musical theatre, creative drama, and site specific devising with youth. Briana has worked with Light Opera Works, Carnegie Mellon University, School District 65, and Chicago Children's Theatre, specifically with the Red Kite Program, and has had the opportunity to work with students of all different ages, cultural backgrounds, and ability levels. Briana loves sharing her passion for the arts and the creative process with all of her students, and is thrilled to be continuing her work with the students at Dream Big Performing Arts Workshop!

Dani Bryant

Dani originally hails from Gatlinburg, TN, but has called Chicago home for four years. Dani studied acting at The University of North Carolina School of the Arts and received her BFA from The Hartt School of Theatre. Dani has worked as a teaching artist with The Center for Creative Youth, Adventure Stage Chicago, Chicago DanzeTheatre Ensemble & Dream Big. Dani is also the director of the Young Artist Program in Evanston. Creatively, Dani is a founding member of Cabaret Vagabond as well as an artistic ensemble member with Adventure Stage Chicago. She has performed her solo show, 'Binge' all around Chicago and her new show 'Kitchen' recently finished its run with Walkabout Theatre Company. Dani's favorite memories as a kid were at programs like Dream Big! Empowering students to tell stories through Drama, Movement and Dance is a gift she wishes we could give all children.

Elizabeth Dowling

Elizabeth has taught afterschool drama programs and in-school artist residencies throughout Chicago with Dream Big as well as Lifeline Theatre, Pegasus Players, and Tangerine Arts. She also serves as Co-Education Director for the Lakeside Shakespeare Theatre, giving Shakespeare workshops to students from ages 5 to 18 (and sometimes beyond). As an actor in Chicago, Elizabeth has worked with such companies as Lifeline Theatre, Drury Lane Water Tower, Lakeside Shakespeare, Chicago Kids Company, Metropolis Arts Center, Porchlight Theatre, Circle Theatre, and Collaboraction.

Kristyn Kate Hegner

Kristyn is thrilled to be teaching with Dream Big Performing Arts Workshop! A graduate of Indiana University, Kristyn has a degree in Theatre and minors in English and Psychology. Kristyn is also a graduate of Philadelphia's comprehensive Arden Professional Apprentice Program. In addition to working as a Dream Big teaching artist, Kristyn also teaches with Northlight Theatre and works as a freelance actor throughout the city. Kristyn has also assistant directed and choreographed multiple children’s productions, and lead several dance and movement intensive workshops.

Cortney Lowinski (McKenna)

Cortney Lowinski (McKenna) is a professional actress and a drama teacher. She has a BA in Theatre from Loyola University Chicago and an MA in Acting from the University of Essex East 15 Acting School in London. She has extensive training in acting techniques of various practitioners, voice, singing, dance, and movement. It was in London that her focus turned to physical theatre and the practices of Grotowski, Myerhold and Michael Chekov amongst others. Her desire for growth recently took her to Wroclaw, Poland to study with the Teatr Piesn Kozla Company, where she added their unique combination of ensemble unity, musicality of the body and physical approach to theatre to her repertoire. She continues to train here in Chicago in the techniques of Clown as well as Laban Movement. Cortney has performed with a number of local companies including Buffalo Theatre, Redmoon, Organic, Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, and Breadline Theatre. She is a current Ensemble Member of the esteemed Imagination Theater in Chicago. As an educator Cortney has taught and directed various classes and productions both in London and Chicago. Her repertoire includes undergraduate physical theatre workshops, youth drama programs, as well as workshops in musical theatre, acting, writing, and movement.

Lauren Romano

Lauren is excited to be a part of Dream Big Performing Arts Workshop! After graduating with a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Illinois Wesleyan University, Lauren went on the road with Missoula Children's Theatre- teaching, directing and performing with children all over the country. Since then she has worked as Music Director at Metropolis School of Performing Arts, lead teacher with Chicago DanzTheatre, and a performer/teacher for Chicago Children's Theatre's Red Kite Project- theatre for children with autism.

Kristen Smiley

Kristen Smiley Originally from Erie, Pennsylvania, Kristen moved to Chicago after spending two years teaching and performing with Lexington Children’s Theatre in Kentucky. Along with Dream Big, she teaches around the Chicago-land area through Hubbard Street Dance Education and Outreach, Skyline Studios Chicago, ATC’s Mosaic Project, and Lake Forest Children’s Theatre and has choreographed for Improv Playhouse's Northshore Traveling Troupe, Village Players Theatre and Emergency Theatre Company. She holds her BFA in Theatre Studies from Niagara University and has been seen in various performances in Chicago and elsewhere. And if you're looking hard enough, you can also find Kristen guiding chocoholics around the city as a Chicago Chocolate Tours tour guide!

Jacob Watson

Jacob Watson is a freelance director, designer, and teaching artist in Chicago, and has been teaching drama for over six years. Jacob recently graduated with a B.A. in Theatre from the School of Communication at Northwestern University, where he served as Artistic Director of the nationally-recognized Purple Crayon Players. As an interdisciplinary artist, he enjoys finding ways to combine his passion for the arts with his commitment to inspiring the imaginations of young people. In addition to his classes with Dream Big, Jacob
currently works with Creative Directions of Illinois, where he facilitates programs to integrate the arts into the classroom. Previously, he has taught with Redmoon, Goodman Theatre, and Underground Railway Theatre in Cambridge, MA.