2nd Story: Storytellers: B

Ian Bacchus

Ian Bacchus has been writing short stories all his life, but only about five people in the world know about it. He’s done promo work for a notorious network based in Hollywood and a script for a very short film. He grew up in California, spent a few years in the UK, and has followed his MBA-bound girlfriend to Chicago. He loves the pizza, hates the lake effect, and is very excited to be part of 2nd Story.

Alan Barinholtz

Alan Barinholtz has performed regularly in front of audiences of twelve plus various judges and courtroom personnel for the last 28 years. He co-produced Pine Box Theater’s production of “This is Our Youth” which was selected as Chicago’s Theater on the Lake production. In addition to working with the Annoyance Theater and Serendipity Theater Collective, he has made numerous toasts at weddings, bar mitzvahs and brisses. He holds a BFA in Theater from The Ohio State University and a J.D. from Loyola of Chicago Law School.

Andy Bayiates

Andy Bayiates is a playwright, Neo-Futurist almnus and the former astrology columnist for Time Out Chicago. He’s read stories at Essay Fiesta, The Paper Machete and The Encyclopedia Show. He is beyond excited to make his Second Story debut. Andy’s plays include “44 Plays for 44 Presidents” (Playscripts, Inc.), ”A History of Human Stupidity,” and “A 60-Minute History of Humankind.” He is currently pouring his blood and guts into his first musical (which has nothing to do with history) with composer Jonathan Mastro. He lives in Evanston with his bride, Genevra, and their daughter, Ariana.

Adam Belcuore

Adam Belcuore is an original founding member of Serendipity Theatre Collective where he directed Alcatraz, by Albert Letizia, Delores Dogan, by Courtney Shaughnessy, and created the 2nd Story Festival back in 2002 . Adam is currently an emeritus company member and serves on the Board of Directors. He is entering his sixth season as casting director for Chicago’s Tony Award winning Goodman Theatre. Chicago casting highlights include: Arthur Miller’s Finishing The Picture, Robert Fall’s 20th Anniversary production of King Lear starring Stacy Keach, Luis Alfaro’s Electricidad and Rebecca Gilman’s Dollhouse. Adam is also looking forward to this year’s Collaboraction Sketchbook, where he will direct Jose Rivera’s new short play Yellow.

John Berger

John Berger is a writer, film maker and pizza maker from west Cook County. After graduating Columbia College's film program and some time in LA as a grip/electrician, he returned to run his family's neighborhood pizza shop and makes films whenever he can. Some short titles he's made include, WHERE I'M FROM featuring Kyle Kinane and Tony Sancho, and CONSOLIDATED featuring Tim Kazurinsky. He's performed at RUI and Uptown Writer's Space. He is very thankful to work with 2nd Story.

Kathie Bergquist

Kathie Bergquist is the author of some books and a regular contributor to The Chicago Reader. She teaches part-time at Columbia College, in both the Fiction and English departments, curates Women & Children First's monthly Sappho's Salon, and reads her stuff around town, pretty much whenever she gets invited to. She's very excited to be reading with 2nd Story.

Bryce Berkowitz

Bryce Berkowitz is pursuing a BA in Fiction Writing from Columbia College. He’s often mistaken for a city kid, but he’s far from it. Pretty soon he will apply to MFA programs, and live outside of Illinois for the first time in his life. His writing has won the JALC prize and has appeared in the Chicago Sun Times, Pif Magazine, Thieves Jargon, Fiction at Work, THE2NDHAND.COM, the Columbia Story Week Reader, and others.

David Blatt

David Blatt is an actor/writer/musician/voice-guy from Denver, CO. You might have spotted him performing around town (most recently with Collaboraction and Remy Bumppo), or singing to himself on his bicycle, or tutoring and leading workshops for 826CHI. He is honored to be a part of this ridiculously talented bunch, and encourages them all to move to San Francisco with him. Seriously.

Bobby Biedrzycki

Curator and Story Development Team // Bobby Biedrzycki is a writer and performer who came to Chicago from St. Paul, Minnesota via The Bronx, New York. Bobby's writing has appeared in The Black Bear Review, Hair Trigger 28 & 29, The Banana King, Ghost Factory and Ante:thesis Volumes I & II. He has worked as a book reviewer for both Time Out Chicago and Punk Planet Magazine and his stories have been produced Off Broadway. Bobby is an adjunct faculty member of the Fiction Writing Department at Columbia College Chicago where he teaches classes in both fiction writing. He also teaches creative writing for teens through the After School Matters program. Along with being a company member of The Serendipity Collective and performing monthly with 2nd Story, Bobby is currently at work on his first novel, Driving Back to Normal.

Ryan Blitstein

Ryan Blitstein is a Chicago writer and a contributing editor at the public policy magazine Miller-McCune. He has reported from locales as varied as Omaha and Jerusalem for publications including TIME Magazine, Chicago Tribune Magazine, and The Boston Globe. Ryan has been a Livingston Award finalist and Society of Professional Journalists award winner. He holds degrees from Stanford University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and has lectured at Stanford and San Jose State University. Ryan also blogs about Midwest and national affairs, business, and culture at RyanBlitstein.com.

Hank Boland

Hank is an ensemble member of Strawdog Theatre Company, for whom he penned The True Ballad of False Blessings and Strawdog Radio Theatre IV, and where he developed and oversees the Strawdog Ensemble Writing Initiative, The Hit Factory! He is the co-author of four musical comedies: Monky Business, Monky Business II: Back in the Sandals, Soup du Jour, and The Singin' Cowboy. He Executive Produces The Callback, a live theatre talk show and is an adjunct faculty member at Columbia College where he teaches in the Film and Video Department. He is happily married to the lovely and talented Elizabeth Dowling.

Alex Bonner

Alex was raised by Naval Officers in Chicago and North Carolina which makes his writing one part mayhem in urban decay and one part whimsical sarcasm from the backwoods. He recently graduated with a BA in Film and Video Production from Columbia College Chicago and quickly formed his own production company/ ontological terrorism unit: Bailout Pictures. His writing has appeared in Deadhorse, The Storyweek Reader, and Alex is currently a finalist in the All-City Championships for the Windy City Story Slam. He can regularly be found writing nonsense at the BuddhaLunchbox.com. He has loved 2nd Story since the first time he saw it, and is incredibly honored to read.

Julia Borcherts

Julia Borcherts is a co-founder of Reading Under the Influence and Nerds at Heart. In the past year, her stories have appeared in, on and at FreshYarn.com, “Sin: A Deadly Anthology,” The Parlor podcasts, “Cubbie Blues: 100 Years of Waiting for Next Year,” the Literary Gangs of Chicago reading series, Mercury Cafe’s R.A.W. Readings and the Windy City Story Slam. She is the recipient of a first-prize award from the Columbia (New York) Scholastic Press Association and teaches fiction workshops at Columbia College Chicago.

Margot Bordelon

Producer and Story Development Team // Margot Bordelon is a Chicago-based writer, director, and performer. She has worked for such companies as Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, Collaboraction, Timeline, Pavement Group, Live Bait, Around the Coyote, Bailiwick, Hell in a Handbag, and Appetite Theater. Margot is a founding member of Theatre Seven of Chicago for whom she has directed Lies and Liars; Yes, This Really Happened to Me; and Daniel MacIvor’s Never Swim Alone. For more info, visit: www.margotbordelon.com.

Bea Bosco

Guest Director // Beatrice Bosco was a guest director for the 2008 Festival and is a theater director, educator, and scholar. She is currently the Associate Director of Education at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and teaches at DePaul University. She is the former Director of the Chicago Arts Program and has a Ph.D. in theater from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In Chicago, she has directed at Stage Left, A Red Orchid, Scrap Mettle SOUL, Lakeside Shakespeare, Estrogen Fest, Rhino Fest. She is a Company Associate at Collaboraction, where she directed for Sketchbook 4, 6 and, this spring, she’ll direct Ken Urban’s Pseudoephedrine for Sketchbook 9.

Jen Bosworth

Jen Bosworth is a writer and performer from good old Evanston. She spent her 20's in Los Angeles working for a movie star, getting a Master's degree in Spiritual Psychology and performing her one woman show, "I AM NOT TRYING TO GET AN AGENT, THIS IS MY SCHOOL PROJECT." She is super duper excited to be performing with 2nd Story.

Cora Vander Broek

Cora Vander Broek has been an actor in Chicago for almost six years now. Her last project was Griffin Theatre's Dead End. Prior to that she was seen in Raven Theatre’s Book of Days for which she won an After Dark award for Outstanding Performance. Other companies she has worked with: Serendipity, The Hypocrites, Northlight and Lifeline. She is a proud graduate of Steppenwolf’s summer conservatory program.