Contact
Contact Us
Paramount Theatre: 23 East Galena Boulevard, Aurora, IL 60506
Box Office: 630-896-6666. Open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
General Info, Questions or Staff: 630-896-7676
Show Questions: BoxOffice@paramountarts.com. A box office representative will respond to your message as soon as possible. If we receive your email outside of box office hours, we will contact you within 24 hours.
Donation Requests: MarlyndaP@paramountarts.com
Job Opportunities Weddings, Rentals & Events Press
Have a question not covered above? Drop us a note!
Leadership
LEADERSHIP
Tim Rater
President & Chief Executive Officer

Jim Corti ‡
Artistic Director
Paramount Theatre’s Artistic Director and 8-time Jeff Award winner
* indicates member of Actors’ Equity Association (AEA)
† indicates member of United Scenic Artists (USA)
‡ indicates member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC)
Development & Sponsorships
Development & Sponsorships
Education & Community Engagement
Education & Community Engagement

Shannon Cameron
Director of Education & Community Engagement
shannonc@paramountarts.comShannon 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
Education & Community Engagement Manager
matthews@paramountarts.comMatthew 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
Education Manager
jessicad@paramountarts.comJessica 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
Education & Community Engagement Coordinator
andreap@paramountarts.comAndrea 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.
Last March, Andrea was very excited to work towards and receive her official certification in WERQ. Having been a fan of the fast paced, cardio dance fitness class for years – taking her first classes from the founder of WERQ in Chicago – she can’t wait to bring this joyful class to Paramount School of the Arts.
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 Willard
Education Associate
whitneyw@paramountarts.comWhitney 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.
Marketing, Sales & Public Relations
MARKETING, SALES & PUBLIC RELATIONS
Liz Lauren
Broadway Photography
Mike Meyer, MeyerFilm Inc.
Video Production
Finance & Human Resources
Finance & Human Resources
Erika Miller
Vice President of Finance & Human Resources
Rentals & Special Events
Rentals & Special Events

Jennifer Hahn
Special Events Director
jenniferh@paramountarts.comJennifer 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
Rentals Manager
billp@paramountarts.comBill 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 Jackson
Event Coordinator
brianaj@paramountarts.comBriana 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 Dunfee
Event Coordinator
breanned@paramountarts.comBreanne joined the Paramount team in the fall of 2019. A graduate from Illinois State University, Breanne planned and executed several events during her years on the student programming board and has a passion for people & events! She enjoys helping clients’ prepare & plan their big day and loves to see the success of the event the day-of.

Sam Gaul
Event Coordinator
samg@paramountarts.comSam 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!
Banquet Crew: Maegan Allsup, Rosilyn Caldwell, Timothy Davis, Toni De Luna, Andrew Ericson, Austin Fonseca, Marcos Gomez, Tatiana Hughes, Steven McReynolds, Jonathan Palazzolo
Production
Production
Rose Quealy
Vice President of Productions
Krystal Dawson
Production Associate
Alex Buholzer
Lighting, Sound & Media Supervisor
Jason Pikscher
Technical Director
Kelly Steimel
Assistant Technical Director
Phil Wooding
Assistant Technical Director
Matt Guthier
Costume Shop Manager
Christina Leinicke
Costume Shop & Design Associate
Katie Cordts
Wig, Hair & Makeup Manager
Jesse Gaffney
Properties Manager
Scenic & Properties Shops: Jonathan Berg-Einhorn (Properties Artisan), Michael Burke (Carpenter), Taylor H. Entwistle (Scenic Charge Artist), Liam Norris (Carpenter), Aimee Plant (Properties Artisan), Jacob Puralweski (Carpenter), Scott Robertson (Foreman), Martin Salgado (Carpenter)
Costume Shop: Anne Hauge (First Hand), Alex Kosbab (First Hand), D.J. Reed (Craft Specialist), Danielle Soldat (Draper)
Stage Crew: Chad Carlson, Jeremy Drechny, Gary Emmert, Ian Garrett, Karl Gfall, Arthur Karasek, Emily Kinasz, Jillian Luce, Joe McDonnell, Todd Nance, Ed Neidhart, Samantha Peroutka, Rachel Rathe, Susie Rodriguez, Dianne Sizemore, Henry Toohey, Phil Wooding
Operations & Facilities
Operations & Facilities
Dave Natchke
Director of Facilities Operations
Dan Scharlau
Facilities Project Manager
James Fusek
Facilities Operations Manager
Rick Franzen
Facilities Operations Assistant
Rene Garcia
Facilities Operations Assistant
Kathy Lorenz
Facilities Operations Administrative Assistant
Audience Services
Audience Services
Audience Services Lead Associates: Patricia Carley, Blake Malley, Ben Olson
Audience/Subscriber Services Associates: Johanna Arseneau, Jonathan Bee, Ricardo Bouyett, Bethany Capp, Alexsandra Contreras, Brendan Daly, Paige Dean, Antonio De Luna, Georgina Dirker, Aliaa Eldabli, Colleen Filipek, Renee Grimes, Mary Pat Griswold, Yair Guerrero, Nikki Harris, Josely Hernandez, Jan Hills, Andra Hu, Kelli Lawrence, DeAnn McKeown, Bridget Nameche, Lydia Oberg, Bailey O’Neil, Kathy Petersen, Ruth Poor, Tara Quade, Carolynn Ramey, Jazmine Robinson, Blythe Schwaller, Jaquelyn Shannon
Front of House
Front of House
Stephanie Pecharich
Assistant Front of House Manager
Elliot Samartano
Janitorial Manager
Melinda Ray
Merchandise Coordinator
Derek Robatzek
Front of House Operations Associate
Jane & Scott Glor, Valet Systems, Inc.
Valet Service
Front of House Lead Associates: Maegan Allsup, Mary Ann Kabara, Kayla Still
Front of House Associates: Matthew Carder, Nicole Chesley, Miranda Colin, Sara Davis, Amara Fata, Randi Fechner, Kara Gaffino, Kelly Hart, Anna Hayman, Bunmi Ishola, Emily Krasinski, Julie Martin, Rita Medina, Annie Parzygnat, Linda Podschweit, Jessica Skwarek, Deval Speer, Patty Vogel, Alma Zambrano
Front of House Staff: Ben Barnes, Joe Bastian, Jeff Brummel, Nathan Cotter, Wes DeGarmo, Meghan Deutsch, Anastasia Doherty, Ryan Drobnik, Tyler Fata, John Fayfar, Marcos Gomez, Naomi Gorden, Karen Hames, Mark Herbert, Tanya Jarvis, Meredith Johnson, Donnie Lemley, Francisco Martinez, Thomas McGrath, Scott McMeans, Jake Medearis, Christine Moravec, Arlene Morefield, James Morefield, Alyssa Perez, Emilee Price, Katelyn Sabel, Erica Sanchez, Monica Scharlau, Chris Smith, Dana Spencer, Jessica Stamper, Linda Weiland, Peter Witt, Peg Yatchman
Janitorial Crew: Jose Avila, Gregory Barrette, Vernita Butler, Arlando Coopwood, Chris Diaz, Marcella Fennell, Tsolmon Ganzorig, Emmanuel Garcia, Alejandro Herrera, Krista Langston, Jessica Long, Hidali Luna, Bobby Martin, Juan Martinez, Floriberta Pedroza, Cristian Prieto, Michael Smith, Donte Spraggins, Jocelyn Unzeta
ACCA Board & City of Aurora
AURORA CIVIC CENTER AUTHORITY BOARD
Aurora Civic Center Authority is the owner and operator of the Paramount Theatre & North Island Center.
Chairman
Jonathan Hylton
Vice Chairman
Gina Moga
Treasurer
John Savage
Secretary
Mike Baum
Members
Kevin Fitzpatrick, Hon. R. Peter Grometer, Tim Hoppa, Cynthia Latimer, Christine Goerlich Weber
Legal Counsel
Bruce Goldsmith
CITY OF AURORA
Paramount programming is partially funded by the City of Aurora.
MAYOR
Richard C. Irvin
ALDERMEN
1st Ward Emmanuel Llamas
2nd Ward Juany Garza
3rd Ward Ted Mesiacos
4th Ward Bill Donnell
5th Ward Carl Franco
6th Ward Michael B. Saville
7th Ward Scheketa Hart-Burns
8th Ward Patty Smith
9th Ward Edward Bugg
10th Ward Judd Lofchie
At Large Robert J. O’Connor
At Large Sherman Jenkins
MISSION STATEMENT
The Aurora Civic Center Authority is committed to being a defining catalyst for personal and community transformation by: making the performing arts accessible for every age and socio-economic background, introducing the magic of live theatre across generations to encourage expansive imaginations and broad views of people and the world, and contributing to the future stability and growth of Aurora’s downtown.