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Theatre Alumni Advisory Board

The Illinois Theatre Alumni Advisory Board is comprised of alumni that represent the diversity, breadth of careers, and a variety of accomplishments of graduates from the Department of Theatre at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The overall mission of the board is to build and maintain a robust alumni engagement program that provides value for alumni, current students, the Department of Theatre, and the broader theatre community. The board serves in an advisory capacity offering input to the department head and the producer of Illinois Theatre. The board also mentors current students, generates human and material resources to help the department produce well-equipped theatre professionals, and advocates to keep Illinois Theatre and theatre arts at the forefront of the campus community and beyond.

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Rachel Price Cooper

PhD 2016, Theatre Studies

Rachel Price Cooper is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at the University of Southern Maine where she teaches courses in Dramatic Literature, Devising, Directing, and Theatre History. She also directs for the main stage. She holds a PhD in Theatre from the University of Illinois and an MA in Directing from the University College Dublin. Her research centers around the representation of motherhood onstage, specifically looking at postpartum bodies and maternal bereavement. Other research areas include contemporary adaptations of ancient Greek mythology and drama, as well as Irish Theatre from the late 19^th century forward.

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Annah Feinberg

BFA 2009, Theatre Studies

Annah Feinberg writes and draws, often at the very same time. Her comics and humor writing have been featured in The New Yorker’s Daily Shouts, McSweeney’s, Awry, The Hairpin, and the collection Notes from the Bathroom Line. She recently developed Multifarious Maris for Showtime; wrote and produced short film, The Workplace; and is currently developing multiple projects in the adult animation space. Formerly a playwright, dramaturg, and chronic assistant on shows such as I Love Dick, Arrested Development, and Veep, Annah has an MFA in Dramaturgy from Columbia University and was a founding member of theater activist group The Kilroys. Before that, she was a child who wrote and drew, often at the very same time.

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Keith Arthur Bolden

MFA 2001, Acting

Keith Arthur Bolden, a native of Los Angeles, California, earned his MFA in Acting from the University of Illinois and is currently an associate professor of Theatre and Performance at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. He considers himself a tri-coastal actor and it is demonstrated in his work, and in his ability to transform and embody a variety of characters based on his travels, life experiences and observation of the human condition.

Directing Credits include: Hands Up! (Alliance Theatre), The Colored Museum (American Stage), Pipeline (Horizon Theatre), Two Trains Running (Triad Stage), Topdog/Underdog (NC Black Rep), Hands Up (Hattiloo Theatre), Hoodoo Love, Seven Guitars, Saturday Night/Sunday Morning, The Piano Lesson (Spelman College)

Theatre Acting Credits include: Paradise Blue (True Colors Theatre), Fetch Clay Make Man (Dallas Theatre Center), Between Riverside and Crazy (True Colors Theatre), Dreamgirls (DOMA Theatre), Gem of the Ocean (The Fountain Theatre, Rubicon Theatre), A Raisin in the Sun (Kirk Douglas Theatre, Hartford Stage, Cape Fear Regional Theatre), CROWNS (Texas Southern University-Guest Artist), Neighbors (Matrix Theatre), Fences, Take Me Out (Human Race Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis), Ragtime (Penn State-Guest Artist), The Exonerated, among others

Recent Film/TV credits: TILL, Bel-Air (Peacock), The Great Lillian Hall (HBO opposite Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates), Clean Slate (Amazon, opposite Laverne Cox and George Wallace), Sacrifice (Season 2), Terror Lake Drive, Genius: Aretha Franklin (DISNEY), The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Games People Play (BET), The Ms. Pat Show (BET), Creepshow (AMC), American Soul (BET), Mile 22, Cobra Kai, (Netflix) ,The Haunting of Hill House (NETFLIX), Behind the Movement, Underground, Black Lightning (The CW), Being Mary Jane, Nashville, (ABC) Greenleaf, A Baby for Christmas, Swamp Murders, Containment, Your Worst Nightmare, Saints and Sinners, The Have and Have Nots, Goosebumps, Vampire Diaries, Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Road Chip.

Matthew Brooks

BFA 2017, Stage Management

Matthew Brooks (he/him) is honored to be on the alumni advisory board. Since graduating, Matthew has worked across North America on tours, with regional theatres, and at major events. National Tours: Life of Pi; Company; Jesus Christ Superstar; A Christmas Story; An Officer and a Gentleman; Xanadu; and Rosie Revere, Engineer and Friends. Regional: Asolo Repertory Theatre; New York Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Theatre; Connecticut Repertory Theatre; Colorado Shakespeare Festival; and the Dorset Theatre Festival. Proud AEA member. matthewibbrooks.com

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Mercedes White

BFA 2012, Acting

Mercedes White is a multi-talented artist who is making her mark in the entertainment industry as an actress, director, and award-winning writer. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a BFA in Acting in 2012, where she cultivated her passion for acting and storytelling. Her roots as a biracial child of both African American and Mexican descent in Chicago inspire her to tell stories of individuals whose voices are often unheard, specifically those of women and girls who look like her. Mercedes is known for her role in the hit show Somebody Somewhere on HBO, where she is currently a series regular. Her play Genesis: A prequel to a Raisin in the Sun is receiving its Off-Broadway World Premiere in February 2024. Her tv and film writing credits include The 30th Year(s), Mailroom, and Cupid’s Chokehold, which won Best Screenplay at the Gladiator Film Festival. She is currently working on a new play called Metaphor for a Tree, which addresses the Disparities in Maternal Mortality Rates for Black Women. Mercedes is based in Brooklyn, NY, where she serves as the Director of Theatre at The Harlem School of the Arts. She dedicates her work and future success to her late younger brother, Alvin White. P.S Bios make me anxious. I’m way cooler in real life.

Rob Hill

Lighting Design

Rob brings enthusiasm and his broad experience in theatre production and design to his theatre consulting work at Apeiro Design. His 20 years of theatre consulting experience includes a wide range of projects in the United States and Asia. Rob was named Principal of the firm in 2017 and leads many major projects from programming through construction as well as overseeing the management of the San Francisco Design Studio. During his tenure at Apeiro Design, Rob has led major projects including multiple permanent venues for Cirque du Soleil, the award winning SFJazz Center, and the immersive environment of the Haiku International Duty-Free City Interactive Atrium. Current projects include The Sun Group APEC Theater in Vietnam, CSU San Bernadino Performing Arts Center, and Los Angeles Community College Performing Arts Center.

Before moving exclusively into the theatre consulting profession, Rob spent more than 20 years as a lighting designer and production manager including work in regional theatre, dance, opera, theme parks, and television in the United States and internationally.