Upcoming Game Jam Teachers

Meet Cassandra!!

Cassandra Quinn (she/her/hers)
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Cassandra is a co-founder and executive director of Compass Creative Dramatics. Originally from Bedford, IN, she graduated from Huntington University with a BA in Theatre Performance and Sociology. Chicago credits include Space Wars: the Panto! at Piccolo Theatre, Devour with 20% Theatre and As You Like It with Spectralia Theatre. She has served as an actor, director, and educator for numerous educational theatres including Montana Shakespeare in the Schools, GreatWorks Touring Theatre Company, Imagination Theater, and CLIMB Theatre. Cassandra is currently serving as the Co-Chair of the Theatre for Young Audience Division of the Board of Directors for the Illinois Theatre Association and is a proud member of International Performing Arts for Youth.

Past Game Jam Teachers

Miquela A. Cruz (she/her/hers) is a native Chicagoan who has been fighting the good fight through the arts for over 20 years. She has performed with Steppenwolf's X-Town Teen Ensemble, as Marcus Brutus in Stone Soup Shakespeare's 2017 Tour of Julius Caesar and as Motormouth Mabel in Hairspray with UPS for Downs. She has taught theater and improv at the historical Harand Theater Camp, EDGE of Orion NFP and the Constellation Project. Her theatrical directing credits include performances with Corn Productions, A Reasonable Facsimile Theatre Co. (ARFTCo) and Harand Theatre Camp. Future goals include producing her sci-fi parody serial show, making a lasagna in her Instant Pot and learning how to ride a bicycle. She is super excited to bring her quirky yet accessible brand of theatre and improv games and exercises to Compass Creative Dramatics Game Jam.

Martha Tyler (she/her/hers) has been a nanny and teaching artist in the Chicago area for over seven years. She loves working with children and is both grateful and excited to blend her love of theater and education into her day job. Martha has her Masters in Education from the University of Tennessee, and, after a brief stint in formal education, discovered nannying young children to be her passion! She loves finding new activities and adventures to engage children as they develop and is excited to share these activities with you! She's now back in grad school at Northeastern Illinois University getting her Masters in Family Counseling. Martha can't wait to play some fun games with you all!

Jamie Macpherson (she/her/hers) is the Education Manager at Adventure Stage Chicago. A theater maker and educator originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, she has over ten years of experience teaching theater to young people in both English . Jamie was an Invited Artist at the Lawrence Arts Center in 2018 and has taught workshops and classes all over the U.S., including Arizona, Wisconsin, and New York. In addition, Jamie is a freelance fight director, who specializes in working with young performers. She has presented her research on theater pedagogy at conferences in New York and Minneapolis. Jamie holds an MFA in Theater for Youth from Arizona State University, and is a member of the Society for American Fight Directors.

Jill Stuck (she/her/hers) is a theater educator and artist based in Chicago, IL.  She is the founder and director of Storytown, a fully improvised, interactive adventure for kids.  Through Storytown, she works to culivate creativity and arts appreciation while audiences to story structure and problem solving.  Jill is an Improv Professor of Merriment with The Laughing Academy and a Theater Teaching Artist with Dream Big Performing Arts Workshop.  She has traveled with Compass Creative Dramatics teaching students across the country a play in a week.  Jill has served as the Chicago Director for Funny Bones Improv bringing the healing power of laughter through improvisation to children in Chicago area hospitals and their caretakers.  Jill Stuck graduated from Towson University with BA in Theater Arts.  She is a graduate of the iO and Second City Conservatory improv programs.  She has performed around Chicago with iO, Second City's Skybox Theater,  Moving Dock Theater Company, Redtwist Theatre, and WNEP with Seven Deadly Plays and 365 Sketches.