Danny Ahlfeld was lucky enough to be invited into The Gift Ensemble after he played Tape Mouth Man in " Orestes 2.0" directed by Michael Patrick Thornton. Most recently Danny played " Scotty " in Summer People written by ensemble member Jenny Connell and Directed by Ensemble Memeber Paul D'Addario.  Other Gift credits include " County Fair" and " A Young Man in Pieces" both written by Co-Founder William Nedved, The Clearing Directed by Ensemble Member Brendan Donaldson, 6, Language of Angels(us 6 shows) and The Last Day's of Judas Iscartiot( 5 shows).   Danny Directed " The Executioners Daughter" for Gift in 365 plays in 365 days,  and " Streamers" for The Gift.  He has worked at or with Second CIty,  Profiles Theater, Chicago Dramatist, Clock Productions, Center Theater and The Elevated Theatre Co.  Danny has studied acting since 1987 at Esper Studios N.Y.C., Second City, Players workshop,  The Acting Studio, The Training Center, The Actors Center and with our own Mary Ann Thebus and is signed to Gray Talent Groupl.  Danny is also a Chicago Firefighter assigned to Engine 83/ Truck 22 in Chicago's Uptown.   He is now working on his solo show's which is currently called "1060 W. Addision"

Maggie Andersen is a Chicago native and a founding ensemble member of The Gift.  Favorite roles with The Gift include Allison in Language of Angels and Molly in A Young Man In Pieces. She holds an MFA (Creative Writing) from Western Michigan University and is currently working on her PhD at the University of Illinois-Chicago, where she teaches Creative Writing and Literature. She was recently published in the New Delta Review and the Southern California Review. She loves records and red wine.

Hillary Clemens is a Kansas City native who has made Chicago her home since 2000.  Her Gift work includes Hurlyburly (in which she had a tickle fight with Paul D'Addario), Blithe Spirit (in which she was covered in white makeup), Three Sisters (in which she played an imaginary game of solitaire), and Talk Radio (in which she carried a clipboard with great authority).  Outside the Gift, she has worked with Court Theatre, Steppenwolf, Writers' Theatre, American Players Theatre, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, and Kansas City Repertory Theatre.  She spends most of her money on books and Dr Pepper.

Jenny Connell has been an ensemble member since 2001.  Favorite roles with The Gift include Effie Ruskin in The Countess, Olga in Three Sisters, and author of Summer People.  She received her MFA in playwriting at UT Austin, where she performed in Red Light Winter (displaced theatre), Foodstuff, I've Never Been So Happy (Rude Mechs), and countless workshops of new work.  She's also trained and performed at Court Theatre and Steppenwolf in Chicago.  She now lives, writes and teaches in Brooklyn, NY, where she is a member of Ars Nova's Play Group.

John Kelly Connolly became a Gift ensemble member somewhere at the start, it's kind of fuzzy there was a blood pact involved. Most recently he has directed One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which brought more joy to him then he ever thought possible. Loved being Martin in The Ruby Sunrise, loved being Martin in White People and would some day like to play Martin in a production of Marty. You will always know he is in a show when you think; "that big headed guy is really loud". Hurlyburly was a high experience, Last Days of Judas Iscariotwas heavenly and Three Sisters was estrogen-y...okay. John's writing, but he always says that. He loves comic books, the Cubs, Yes, Lost/Evangaline Lilly, Dr Pepper and Joe's Pizza. Please put Ron Santo in the Hall of Fame.

Paul D’Addario became a Gift ensemble member on September 28th, 2003.  Favorite roles with The Gift include Randall P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Eddie in Hurlyburly (Non-Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Leading Role directed by Michael Patrick Thornton) and Seth in Language of Angels.  Born and raised in Queens he is a lifetime New York Yankee fan.  Thankfully, he doesn’t suffer the plight of being a Cubs fan with many of his ensemble members.  However, he roots for the Philadelphia Eagles, which would be a complete disaster if not for his fondness for bourbon.

Mary Fons remembers when The Gift was Will Nedved, herself, and a mutual friend doing Gratowski (sorta) in a dirty building on Lincoln Avenue with Mike. A proud ensemble member seen in Boys’ Life, Orestes 2.0, Language of Angels, and Hurlyburly, The Gift will always be Mary's first Chicago home. A nationally ranked slam poet, full-time freelance writer, co-host of PBS's "Love of Quilting" show, and Neo-Futurist to the death, Mary graduated with a B.A. in Theatre Arts from the University of Iowa in 2001. (That's where she met Mike and Will, by the way.) Mary has toured the country performing her solo work, including poetry, plays, and even a few songs, for something like 8 years now. She's a Green Mill slam champion, author the popular blog, “PaperGirl”, an occasional poetry workshop leader in Illinois high schools, and all this put together makes it possible for her to purchase her own health insurance, so hey-o. Mary writes, directs, and performs approximately 30 weeks a year in Chicago’s longest-running late-night performance art extravaganza, “Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind.” And she met her husband Steve doing Hurlyburly, so there are lots of gifts. Visit Mary at maryfons.com.

Brendan Donaldson

Upcoming projects:
"The Servant" by Robin Maugham with Horizon Theatre Rep

Last five projects:
A Reading of "Prophecy" at the Public; Moving to New York; "Streamers" with The Gift; The short film "Audience Award Winner" by Storyboard Productions; "Three Sisters" with The Gift

Three favorite projects:
"Hurly Burly" with The Gift; "The Wooden Breeks" with Lookingglass Theatre; "The Violet Hour" with Steppenwolf Theatre

Recent Books:
"Brendan Behan's New York" with drawings by Paul Hogarth, "Audition" by Michael Shurtleff, "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville, "Dreams From My Father" by Barack Obama, "A Moveable Feast" by Hemingway, Currently: "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and "Yeager" by Chuck Yeager and Leo Janos

Training:
The School at Steppenwolf; Meisner with Mary Ann Thebus; Improv at IO; Indiana University; Trinity High School

Special Thanks:
Lauren, Brian and Gerry, Ellen and Carl, Nora, RPG3, Tha Gift. 

John Gawlik-- John has appeared with or helmed productions for many Chicago companies. John became a member of The Gift in 2005. Some of his favorite Gift projects include: directing The Ruby Sunrise which was named one of the Top Ten shows of 2009 by TimeOut Chicago Magazine. Additional directing credits include W;t, Blithe Spirit, The Good Thief and The Pavilion. As an actor, some of John's favorite productions include Beauty Queen of Lennane with the Gift Theatre, A Skull in Connemara at Northlight (After Dark Award, Ensemble), The Great Society with Famous Door,  and The Life and Times of Tulsa Lovechild with Collaboraction (Jeff Award for Ensemble),  Additional directing credits include A Christmas Story for Noble Fool Theatricals, Dated: A Cautionary Tale for Facebook Users for Collaboraction’s Sketchbook Festival (Festival Best Director),  Sylvia at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center,  Glen Berger's Underneath the Lintel for Noble Fool Theatricals, the Midwest premier of Every Christmas Story Ever Told, The Complete History of America: Abridged, Western Civilization The Complete Musical: Abridged and Vikings! A Musical in Two Axe for Noble Fool. John also created and directed Kerouac Jack about the creation of "On the Road”. John is the Artistic Director of Noble Fool Theatricals.

Alexandra Main is a Great Lakes denizen having lived on the shores of Lakes Huron (MI), Erie (OH), Superior (MN), and Michigan (IL) at one time or another.  (Never got around to Ontario except on vacation.)  She began to trot on the boards with The Gift in the summer of 2002 and joined the ensemble in 2003.  Her work with The Gift has ranged from good witch to bad witch to bad, bad witch with roles such as Mary Tyrone in Long Day’s Journey Into Night; Vivian Bearing in W;t (Jeff Award Nomination – Actress in a Leading Role); and Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.  The Gift adheres strongly to the commitment of casting against type.  Hmmmmm . . . Well, okay, other Gift shows include The Clearing, Blithe Spirit, and The Ruby Sunrise among others.  She holds an MA in performance studies from Northwestern University.  “Special kudos to David, my long-suffering husband and, coincidentally, technical director of The Gift.”

Benjamin Montague is a proud founding ensemble member of The Gift.  Some of his favorite roles include John Ruskin in The Countess,  Robert Preston in The Clearing, El-Fayoumy in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and the lead producer of The Pavilion.  Though his heart belongs to Chicago, Ben has also lived in Puerto Rico and London, England for extended periods of time.  He's currently residing in Los Angeles seeing what what it feels like to never have to wear a huge winter coat.  So far, so good.

Kenny Mihlfried has been a member of The Gift since its very first production.  Starting out humbly as one of the company’s photographers, Kenny soon began to appear onstage in supporting roles (Phrygian – Orestes 2.0, Crawley – The Countess, Tommy/Michael – Language of Angels).  Working closely with his brother, Bob—a.k.a. AudioBob—Kenny designed sound and composed original scores for eleven consecutive Gift productions (Language of Angels through Beauty Queen of Leenane).  During that time and shortly thereafter, Kenny continued to perform onstage, tackling roles that were somewhat larger than before (Sir Charles Sturman – The Clearing, Tuzenbach – Three Sisters, Freud/St Thomas – The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Dr Jason Posner – Wit, Richie – Streamers, Dr Spivey – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest).  Currently the co-artistic director of giftFILM, Kenny wants nothing more than to realize in moving pictures the qualities that have made and continue to make The Gift what it is.

William Nedved is the co-founder of The Gift Theatre Company.  Against the Grain, his first play, was part of the 1997 Young Playwrights, Inc. Summer Festival. His second play, The Saved, was a finalist for the Actors Theatre of Louisville Ten-Minute Play Festival. Fate, an original musical, was awarded the first-ever 1997 Leonard Bernstein 'Learning Through The Arts' Interdisciplinary Scholarship through Scholastic, Inc. Full-length works include Not Fade Away (L.A.'s Blank Theatre's Living Room Series), A Young Man in Pieces, County Fair (The Gift), The Three-Way (The Gift Sydney), The Two of You (The University of Iowa), and See Through You (Nuffield Theatre, England.) He also adapted Luigi Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author as '6' for The Gift Theatre Company. His short play Kid was awarded "Best Production" at Collaboraction's Sketchbook 2009. Nedved contributed the screenplay for the 8 Players short All Tomorrow's Parties (filmed in one, continuous tracking shot) that premiered at The ArtHouse Sydney and was screened at the 2002 Los Angeles Short Film Festival. He has served as dramaturg on shows as diverse as Marat/Sade, the Australian premiere of Spinning Into Butter, Orestes 2.0 (The Gift), and Bringing (Di)Visions To Life for the Mostar Youth Festival, Bosnia-Herz. He was a New Dramatists intern and twice a Rotary International Scholar. He was the recipient of a Ragdale Foundation residence, and a Community Arts Assistance grant from the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs.  Nedved holds a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Iowa, an MA in Theatre Studies from the University of New South Wales – Sydney, and an MFA in Film and Television Writing from the University of Southern California. 

Lynda Newton has appeared in The Gift productions of Boy‘s Life, Orestes 2.0., County Fair, Language of Angels, The Pavilion, Beauty Queen of Lenanne, 365 play in 365 days, Summer People. In Chicago, she also appeared at Griffin Theater in 5th of July, Understudy w/ performance “theatrical essays” at Steppenwolf, Glory of Living at Profiles. School of Steppenwolf alumni 2001.  Lynda is from Massachusetts.

Sheldon Patinkin

Chair of the Theater Department of Columbia College Chicago, Artistic Director of the Getz Theater of Columbia College Chicago, Artistic Consultant of The Second City and of Steppenwolf Theatre, and Co-Director of the Steppenwolf Theatre Summer Ensemble Workshops.  Among recent directing projects outside of the College have been the world premiere of Cormac McCarthy’s The Sunset Limited at the Steppenwolf Garage Theatre, which was then moved to a limited run at the 59E59 Theatre in New York, and to the Galway Arts Festival in Ireland; The Glass Menagerie and The Beauty Queen of Leenane for the Gift Theater Company; South Pacific at the Metropolis Art Center; Uncle Vanya at Steppenwolf; Long Day’s Journey into Night at the Irish Rep and at the Galway Arts Festival and "Krapp's Last Tape" for the Buckets of Beckett Festival, both starring John Mahoney; as well as concert stagings of opera scenes and excerpts for the Lyric Opera Center at the Grant Park and Ravinia Festival Concerts.  He received a Jeff Award for directing his Irving Berlin revue Puttin’ on the Ritz, and a special Jeff for his contribution to Chicago theater.   His translation of Brecht's The Good Person of Setzuan was directed by Frank Galati at the Goodman Theatre.  His book The Second City: Backstage at the World's Greatest Comedy Theater was published by SourceBooks in 2000, and No Legs, No Jokes, No Chance, his text book on the history of the American musical, was published by Northwestern University Press last summer.

Maureen Payne-Hahner, director/writer, has been an ensemble member since 2001. Her favorite Gift production remains "Boys' Life." Upcoming 2010 projects include directing "QED" at Northwestern University and "A Number" by Caryl Churchill in NYC. Other directing credits include The Gift's "The Countess" and "Talk Radio." Internationally she has directed plays by David Mamet and Michael Frayn's "Copenhagen" as seen in Munich, Vienna and Croatia. She attended The School at Steppenwolf in 2001 where she met Artistic Director, Michael Patrick Thornton. German is her second language, directing is her first love, and she lives happily with her wonderful husband, Christoph and precious daughter, Liv.

Michael Patrick Thornton (artistic director/co-founder) born & raised in Jefferson Park, Michael has directed and acted in a blizzard of plays at The Gift, most recently The Ruby Sunrise, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and The Good Thief(Joseph Jefferson Award--Solo Performance). Michael teaches at Columbia College, Second City, The School at Steppenwolf, and plays Dr. Gabriel Fife on ABC's "Private Practice." He lives in Jefferson Park and eats lots of pizza. In his spare time, he chills with his fiancé  Lindsey, reads, improvises, cooks, drinks wine and beer, and writes about himself in third person. He does not have a pet goat. He makes a mean New York strip. He has made a canary sing like a canary.