Carl F. Gilmore is excited to bring his experience on stage, behind the scenes, and front of house to continue to build Playnfield Players community theatre as a founding board member. He is honored to be able to direct “The Dining Room” as our second summer production, after directing the first two versions of "A Christmas Carol" the last two Decembers and “Our Town” in July of 2025. He has been involved in the theatrical world in some way for over 35 years. From acting, singing and directing, to designing and constructing, to box office and house management, he's done it all. Performance highlights include Konstantin in "The Seagull," The Gentleman Caller in "The Glass Menagerie," Jack Worthington in "The Importance of Being Earnest," Andrew Rally in "I Hate Hamlet," and Pilate in "Jesus Christ, Superstar." Carl has been working in the higher ed world for over 20 years, currently in change management with Alchemy, partnering with institutions moving to Workday. He also serves as Board President of the Plainfield Area Public Library, who marked their 100th anniversary last year, and who are celebrating the completion of their recent renovation and expansion. Carl is thankful to his family for their support in all his endeavors, especially his wife Jennifer, whom he met doing theatre many moons ago.

Jax has had a long, if irregular career in theater. Back in college, he played such parts as Marshall George Herrick in "The Crucible", and Stanley in "The 1940's Radio Hour". He recently returned to the stage after a 31-year hiatus as Christmas Present in Playnfield Players' performance of "A Christmas Carol" last December. "Our Town" marks his (assistant) directorial debut! In what little off time he has, he enjoys running D&D games for kids at a local game store and making things by hand as a blacksmith in his home forge. Big thanks to his wife, Diane, and his kids, Evie and Ray for all their support and putting up with him being so busy these past couple of months!

Brian is the technical director for Playnfield Players; he helped to build the set and is controlling the sound board for Our Town. Brian would like to thank his family for their support of bringing theatre to Plainfield.

Deb has been designing theatrical sets since high school. Though retired now from teaching, she was set designer & tech director for 30 plus productions during her tenure as an art teacher at Plainfield Central. "Our Town" is Deb's 2nd show with the Playnfield Players. She is excited about being involved with the theatre again and she is looking forward to many more productions. This has been an ongoing dream for Deb since those high school days. Deb also wishes to thank Ed, her husband of 50 years, for his ongoing support in all her creative endeavors!

Kelley is excited to be a part of the Playnfield Players creative team! Costume design is an interesting and fulfilling way to be productive after 35 years of teaching elementary school. She started sewing when she was ten years old and has been involved in theater since 1972. Recently, she has combined her love of theater and sewing by creating costumes for “Cinderella”, “The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon” and “A Christmas Carol”! (twice) and "Our Town!" Helping an actor bring a part to life through costume is an awesome experience. "The Dining Room" cast’s dedication and enthusiasm is inspiring. It is wonderful to have a creative outlet and work with talented, dedicated people.

This is Krystyna’s fourth stint as stage manager for the Playnfield Players. Her first time in the role was with the debut Players’ performance of "A Christmas Carol" which she's now helmed a second time, and she served in the same role for last summer's "Our Town." Her theater credits include Co-Director of “[Brackets]” (One Act Play) at The Riverfront Playhouse and Assistant Stage Manager for “Between Riverside and Crazy” at The Riverfront Playhouse. Besides her work in theater, she enjoys traveling to see new parts of the world.

Emily is working towards a BFA in Stage Management at Michigan State University. She most recently served as Stage Manager at Plainfield North High School, where she graduated with the Class of 2025. Our Town marks her eighth theatrical production and her second with the Plainfield Players. In addition to backstage management, Emily also contributed to building the set for this production. She loves how the Plainfield Players always bring the whole town together with their productions, and Our Town is a wonderful show to continue that great work. She’s excited to be part of this heartfelt production and hopes everyone enjoys the performance as much as she has.

Jake Long is a sophomore at Plainfield North High School. He is a theater tech student at the Paramount School of the Arts. Jake designed and operated lights for "A Christmas Carol" and "Our Town" (Playnfield Players), "Shrek Jr." (Plainfield Children's Theatre), "Newsies, Jr." and "Lion King, Jr." (IJMS) and "Frozen Jr." (HGMS). Jake has also assisted with tech crew for "Mean Girls, Jr." and "The Lightning Thief" at Paramount School of the Arts. Jake also enjoys being on stage and has played the roles of Young Simba ("Lion King, Jr.") and Race ("Newsies, Jr.") at IJMS. Last summer, Jake played the role of Nigel in "Matilda" at The Fireside, a professional dinner theater in Wisconsin. Jake plays piano and trumpet and also loves baseball and farming.