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Paramount Theatre’s Artistic Director and 8-time Jeff Award winner

Shannon is a passionate arts educator who has enjoyed working with students of all ages throughout her career. She is thrilled to be a part of the Paramount family and working with her remarkable team to start the new Paramount School of the Arts. Originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, Shannon moved to St. Louis to study Musical Theater at Webster Conservatory and completed her undergraduate degree in Theater Education at Emerson College in Boston. She went on to teach, direct and manage non-profits all over the country, including Belvoir Terrace in Lenox, MA; Madison Youth Choirs, Madison, WI; Doane College, Crete, NE; and Boston Arts Academy, Boston, MA, Central Community College in Hastings, NE, and several high schools in Nebraska. Read more

Matthew Silar joined the team at Paramount in July of 2018. He has spent a decade watching arts education change the lives of students from all over the country including Chicagoland, Denver and Dallas. He’s worked as an educator, private audition coach and educational theater director, as well as a professional actor, director and stage manager. Matthew proudly holds a BFA in Theater from ACU in Abilene, TX. He loves Twitter and chocolate chip cookies.

Jessica M. Duplessis holds a bachelors degree in Theatre, Dance, and Flim Education (TADF) from Keene State College. She is most known for her contemporary and lyrical choreography but prides herself in her ability to teach all styles to all levels. Her work can be seen across the Midwest and East Coast, as she travels teaching technique classes as well as choreographs for numerous studios and companies in those areas.  She owns her own dance company in Madison, WI called Raw Inspirations Dance Company (RIDC), a place where dancers 8 and up can train and nurture their love for dance. 

Andrea Pikscher is thrilled to be a part of Paramount School of the Arts. She earned her BFA in Musical Theater from Millikin University and has worked as both a performer and theater educator in the Chicago area, as well as many other areas of the United States.

Andrea also has experience in the start up world, where she worked to create companies that specialized in making the arts accessible to all. She is thrilled to bring that expertise to Paramount Theatre and Paramount School of the Arts when working on creating community engagement events for both the theatre and school.

Whitney attended Western Illinois University where she studied Musical Theatre. There Whitney was able to study various styles of acting, singing and dance. Her favorite performing credits include Jane Eyre in Jane Eyre, Gussie in Merrily We Roll Along and Jan in Grease. Whitney has since been a Tour Actor/Director on two national tours with Missoula Children’s Theatre. She has worked with over 2,000 children all over the country (Arizona, Nevada, Illinois, California, Alabama, Texas, Colorado and Iowa) directing shows, conducting workshops and mentoring children in theater and dance.

Jennifer Hahn became part of the Paramount team in 2010 as a part-time Event Coordinator. She is now the Special Events Director and oversees all rentals in our various unique venues. Jennifer really enjoys working with clients and helping them to see their vision evolve from conception to completion. She is thrilled to constantly assist clients the day of their event and watch guests enjoy and celebrate the special occasion.

Bill Pope has been a member of the Paramount family for over 16 years. He began in 2002 as a Group Sales Manager and transitioned to the Rentals Manager in November of 2005. Bill has spent his entire career in the theatre and the entertainment business, and has worked for nearly every major player in Chicago.

Briana joined the Paramount family in the spring of 2017. She studied Mass Media Management at Illinois State University where her love for events blossomed. Briana joined the Rentals department with experience in customer service and event planning. She enjoys watching clients see their event come together, and loves assisting them with whatever they need in that process!

Breanne is the newest member of the Special Events team, joining us in 2019.  A May 2019 graduate from Illinois State University, Breanne planned and executed several events during her 4 years on the University Program Board, and she loves to see people having a great time at events. She is very excited to be a member of the team and bring her event planning skills to our clients’ events.

Sam joined the Paramount team in the winter of 2020. She graduated from Northern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Administration and Dance Performance. Sam loves working with clients throughout their planning process and seeing them through their big day!