Imagination Theater

Cosmo Coniglio

Cosmo Coniglio is extremely happy to be in the Imagination Theater Ensemble! Cosmo originally hails from the suburbs of Chicago, but he recently spent four years in central Illinois where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Art at Illinois College, Jacksonville. While attending college, he taught improv to children through the United Way’s Imagination Foundation (Jacksonville, IL) and was an Emcee at Green Pastures Performing Arts Camp (Meredosia, IL). He has also performed in multiple productions through Illinois College’s TheatreWorks (Jacksonville, IL) and New Salem’s Theatre in the Park (Petersburg, IL), but some of his most recent credits include “Joe” in Angels in America, “Eddie Ryan” in Do Black Patent Shoes Really Reflect Up, and “BB” in Terminal Cafe. Since moving to Chicago in 2017, he has enrolled in the Conservatory and Sketch Writing Program at Second City, the Professional School of Improvisation at CSz, and the improv program at iO.

Duane Deering

After moving to Chicago in 2013, Duane started his adventures in improv and comedy after working and playing in the theatre and music scenes in Dallas, Texas for many years. He has appeared in a variety of short films, commercials, and web series, and performed on Chicago stages at iO Theater, The Second City, Stage 773, Theatre Momentum, Profiles Theatre, and Collaboraction Theatre. Once he renews his busking license, you might catch Duane at a red line station providing the soundtrack for your commute to work.

August Forman

August Forman (They/Them) is an actor, playwright, and educator. They received their BFA in Acting from Minnesota State University of Mankato in 2014. Since moving to Chicago August has worked with several companies including Babes with Blades, Broken Nose Theatre, Oak Park Festival Theatre, (re)discover theatre, Midsommer Flight, 16^th Street Theater, Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, Idle Muse, and 20% Theatre Company. August is an Artistic Associate with Oak Park Festival Theatre, and an Artistic Affiliate with Babes with Blades Theatre Company. August’s plays have premiered throughout Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and California. August is represented by Big Mouth Talent.

Samantha Garcia

Samantha Garcia has lived, worked, and played all over the country. Since making Chicago her home, she’s done a lot of cool stuff with a lot of cool people, including, but not limited to American Immersion Theatre, Great Works Theatre Company, and Random Acts Chicago. She’s a big fan of cozy mysteries and spicy food.

Madison Hill

MADISON HILL (they/them) – (Ensemble) is pumped to start their first year with Imagination Theater, and they are excited to make a positive impact on our future generations! Madison is an Actor Combatant with the SAFD, and during the pandemic fell in love with writing and devising. You might recognize them from their work around Chicago with other companies such as: The Raven, The Plagiarists, Kerfuffle Theater for the Very Young, The Connecting Routes Project, and Theater Momentum. Madison would like to thank their friends, family, partner, and cats for supporting their career!

Samie Jo Johnson

Samie Jo Johnson (she/they) is thrilled to be part of the Imagination Theatre ensemble! She is a multi-hyphenate artist who is always eager to embrace an opportunity to play. Prior to landing in Chicago, Samie Jo lived and worked in Seattle, Denver, England, Southern Indiana, and the many highways in between. Performance highlights include being ready to perform any character in Hamlet (and checking the box for a few dream roles in the process) with Quicksilver Shakespeare in Chicago, dancing through the streets of Italy (literally) for a site-specific production of In. Sight. Out. with La Mama Umbria, and touring the midwest as a cowboy version of the good-guy, Lucentio, in Taming of the Shrew with Stone Soup Shakespeare. Samie Jo has trained in various theatre making techniques domestically & internationally and has a BFA in Theatre Performance from the University of Evansville.

Annalise Palatine

Annalise Palatine (They/Them) is a trans, non-binary actor and singer who is so excited to jumpstart their professional theatre career with Imagination Theatre! Credits that they are most excited about include Cinderella in Into The Woods, Malvolio in Twelfth Night, and Kaliope in She Kills Monsters. They are a major lover of Shakespeare and very much want to show you their new Ophelia tattoo! Coming into their gender identity during quarantine, they are now ecstatic to explore it more in dream roles such as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing. In their spare time they love to cuddle their handsome miniature goldendoodle, Ferdinand, and take lots of naps. Oh, they’re also a Pisces, if that means anything to you.

Gina Saglimbeni

Gina Saglimbeni (she/her/hers) is a recent BA Theatre graduate from Loyola University Chicago and is thrilled to be making her Chicago Theatre debut with Imagination Theatre. Originally from the Bay Area in California, Gina has always loved art in every way. Alongside performing, Gina finds herself making coffee, cooking, going on walks, looking for new directing opportunities, and writing poetry or plays inspired by the world around her. Her passion for social justice advocacy and using the stage to tell stories is truly what keeps her artistic spirit alive!

Cee Scallen

Cee Scallen (she/they) is an actor, movement artist, and voice artist harkening from the Twin Cities. They have a decade of performance experience and theatrical training from the Guthrie Theater, Carleton College, the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, the National Theatre Institute, and Moscow Art Theatre. Cee is also a yoga instructor and a deeply committed cat parent. They have a passion for inclusive, innovative, and intentional theatre that strives to make a social impact. She is so excited to be working with Imagination Theater to make that passion a reality! Check out more at www.colleenscallen.com.

Sean Sullivan

Sean Sullivan is thrilled to be working with Imagination Theater. An actor and writer originally from Rhode Island, Sean is in his second year with the company and has worked as a youth drama teacher in Providence, Boston, and Chicago. He performs with the CSz Theater in Chicago and Laugh Out Loud Theater, creates musical with the award-winning “Baby Wants Candy” and has performed with the Playground, iO, and ImprovBoston. Sean has been on two different forms of “Jeopardy!” and has won grand sums of prize money, and also loses his keys on a regular basis.

Ensemble