Meet the Cast and Crew
Nicole Bindra
(she/they)
See-Threepio
Nicole is a freshman who loves writing, drawing, and her plants. Her favorite things to do include drawing characters from shows and movies, writing short stories, and making questionable decisions for the sheer entertainment factor. She loves works of science fiction like Star Wars and Transformers. Nicole’s favorite part of the Star Wars universe is how diverse the technology is. She loves the droids, the battleships, the lightsabers, and all the other neat bits of sci-fi tech.
Griffin Bonnin Jones
(he/him)
Yoda
Tarrin
Griffin was involved in stage crew for last year's ill-fated production of Lord of the Flies. He has some experience being in middle school plays and was cast in a student-led production of The Glass Menagerie that was called off due to COVID-19, but he has never acted in a Payton Players performance before. He divides much of his free time between writing and procrastinating on writing, and has recently authored an absurdist play that he hopes to produce some time after the pandemic has ended. Griffin loves how the grandiose stakes of the Star Wars films mesh with the deeply personal stories of the characters.
Atiya Chiphe
(she/her)
Commander Narra
Wedge Antilles
Ensemble
Atiya has always loved performing and has been doing it since she was 3 years old. Although this is her first vocal performance role, she couldn’t be more excited for you all to listen! She hopes you enjoy the radio drama and she looks forward to all that Payton Players has to offer in the future. Atiya’s favorite thing about Star Wars is the cultural impact it has had. In what other series could someone be recognized by the way they breathe, or a simple line? Only Star Wars!
Graeme Christensen
(he/him)
Chewbacca
Admiral Ozzel
Ensemble
Graeme is a senior at Walter Payton College Prep. You can often find him drawing, playing too many video games, or reading comic books in his free time. Graeme has never been in a Payton Players production previously and is very excited to end his high school career with a bang. Graeme was first introduced to Star Wars at the tender age of 0 by his father. Since then, Star Wars has been a big part of his life, from Star Wars Celebration to The Mandalorian. Graeme most enjoys the vast, complex world (or worlds) of the Star Wars universe; a universe that feels alive and beautiful and one you are able to get lost in.
Michelle Escobedo
(she/her)
Head of Costume Crew
Props Crew
Marketing Crew
Michelle has been a Payton Player for 4 years, all spent working in Costumes. She plans on studying costume design in college. She is an elder in the Latin American Coalition's Primos program. Michelle can normally be found reading tarot or rewatching Legally Blonde. Michelle's favorite thing about Star Wars is, not surprisingly, the costumes. She also loves the Ewoks and just Carrie Fisher in general.
Charlie Johnson
(he/him)
Han Solo
Charlie is a junior who joined Payton Players last year when he played Simon in Lord of the Flies. He loves baseball and the Chicago Cubs, as well as films and theatre. For as long as he can remember, Charlie and his whole family have been obsessed with Star Wars . He thinks that Star Wars combines a universally enjoyable story and characters with a universe that can fit anything in anyone's imagination, and can mean something different for every person who enjoys it.
Maya Khurana
(she/her)
Zev Senesca/Rogue Two
Ensemble
Maya is a current senior and has been a Payton Player for the past 4 years. As someone who has grown up loving the Star Wars movies--and even named her dog Leia--she is incredibly excited to be involved in this project. Outside of Payton Players, Maya is involved in clubs such as Math Team, PoP, and Mathematigals. Maya's favorite part of Star Wars is the idea of found family that is consistently shown throughout the movies and shows.
Jorje Lara
(he/him)
Deck Officer
"Hobbie"
Ensemble
Jorje is a freshman who enjoys admiring architecture, in particular the Gothic and Art Deco styles. In his spare time, he takes pleasure in playing the piano and working towards learning new languages, including French and Italian. He runs on Payton's cross country team and plans on running track in the spring. One of the things Jorje loves most about Star Wars is the expansiveness of the universe, with so many different creatures, planets, and spacecraft that add that much more detail to the story that is being told.
Catherine La Riviere
(she/her)
Stage Manager
Catherine has been a Payton Player during her whole time at Payton, working on crew both in costumes and stage management. She has spent all of quarantine knitting and baking, and is slowly morphing into a grandma. Catherine loves that Star Wars is unabashedly itself, with all it's weird quirks and pieces of world building, which is what makes it so joyous.
Kate Lavin
(she/her)
Captain Piett
Janson
Ensemble
Kate is a sophomore at Payton and has been performing in school and for family for as long as she can remember. Outside of Payton Players, she is involved with the school's newspaper, the Paw Print, and lacrosse. Kate is a writer and singer, R2D2 enthusiast, and wishes she could talk in a British accent all the time. What Kate loves most about Star Wars is that it provides a way for her to connect with family and friends. She also appreciates the numerous and very quotable "Yoda-isms."
Eva Murillo
(she/her)
Director
Eva Murillo is a junior at Walter Payton who has never fully gotten over the early termination of Payton Players' Lord of the Flies last year (in which she played Jack). She has acted in Payton Players productions since freshman year, when she played "Smee" in Peter and the Starcatcher. Star Wars is Eva's first time on the directing side of things. Other than Payton Players, Eva is also a member of Payton's Model UN team and co-leads Payton's Sunrise Hub, a branch of the Chicago chapter of the Sunrise Movement (where Eva also volunteers as the High School Actions Lead). After the pandemic is over--though she will miss baking, reading, binging Grey's Anatomy and mindlessly playing Stardew Valley--Eva is excited to get back to all of these activities in person, particularly theater. Eva love that you can never get bored with Star Wars when there is so much to explore. The in depth world-building-- every creature, planet, conflict, etc. is wildly detailed! She hopes you enjoy Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back as much as she does!
Lauren Pfetcher
(she/her)
Too-Onebee
Dak Ralter
Boba Fett
Ensemble
Lauren is a sophomore and is thrilled to be a part of the Star Wars Radio Drama experience. She started her theatre experience in elementary school and hasn't stopped since. Last year, she was a cast member in Payton's musical revue, Broadway Gems. Lauren is very grateful that her dog, Percy, didn't make too much noise in the background while recording. While the original Star Wars films were never something she quite got into (her first viewing of them was in a strep-throat-induced haze several years ago), Lauren loves the intricate world-building that takes place in the Star Wars universe. Interplanetary politics would be a fun class to take in school--or maybe she's just a nerd.
Efren Ponce
(he/him)
Darth Vader
Efren enjoys watching movies, viewing films, and experiencing cinema. His weekends are spent laying around his house, feeling like a piece of bubble wrap with no more bubbles left to pop. Just a piece of plastic ready to be disposed of. On the bright side, he feels fortunate to be a healthy homo sapien living a good life. Efren loves the character designs and music, particularly "Jedi Rocks" from Return of the Jedi.
Andrew Ruger
(he/him)
Luke Skywalker
Andrew is a junior who enjoys acting, eating tacos, and editing videos. He has spent the past year playing Minecraft and arguing with his three siblings. He looks forward to breaking the world record for the fastest time to travel the entire CTA train system once the pandemic is over. Andrew loves the world-building of Star Wars. It isn't just a story of a few big heroes and villains having lightsaber battles, it's a story of countless whole solar systems, each one filled with planets that have their own unique terrain and creatures and ships.
Vera Soberg
Costume Crew
Vera is a sophomore and crewed for last year's production of Lord of the Flies. V enjoys theater, writing, rock climbing, and has recently taken up embroidery. Vera is also in Payton's Queer Student Alliance and Sophomore Coalition of Identity Leaders. Vera does not like Star Wars, but has enjoyed helping with this production.
Francesca Turrinelli
(she/her)
Producer
Crew Head
Francesca has been participating in stage crew for six years, including four years with Payton Players as head of lighting and marketing crews. She is excited to work on this Star Wars Radio Drama both because of the amazing cast and crew involved, and because of the interesting challenges provided by the radio format. Outside of Payton Players, Francesca participates in numerous clubs such as Underwater Robotics and Graphic Design Club. Francesca loves the world-building throughout the Star Wars saga. From desert to ice planets, or from adorable ewoks to man-eating monsters, Francesca finds that the worlds and the people in them feel immersive and entertaining.
Wendy Walter
(she/her)
Princess Leia Organa
Wendy is a senior who, as either a cast or crew member, has participated in every mainstage show but one since her freshman year. Wendy is thrilled to round out her time at Payton with the incredible role of Princess Leia (thus marking the second time she has played space royalty during her time with Payton Players). When Wendy is not doing schoolwork (and, occasionally, when she should be), she can be found drawing, entertaining her cat, and consuming various forms of media, most recently Wandavision, Hades, The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth, and Witch Hat Atelier. While Wendy certainly loves the adventure, character, and worlds of Star Wars, what she probably loves most about Star Wars is its role in renewing popular interest in science fiction as a genre, facilitating a new wave of sci-fi TV shows and blockbusters. Wendy also loves the rich variety of inspirations from which Star Wars draws, ranging from pulp fiction, to Jack Kirby, to Shinto mythology.
Kevin Wasielewski
(he/him)
Director
Ben Kenobi
Emperor Palpatine
Kevin teaches English and Drama at Payton and absolutely loves working with Payton's incredibly creative and talented students. As the faculty sponsor of Payton Players, Kevin has been directing and producing theatre at Payton for the better part of a decade. While he laments not being able to produce live theatre this year, Kevin is beyond excited to collaborate with the ever-resourceful and talented Payton Players to produce The Empire Strikes Back as a radio drama. As a life-long Star Wars fan, working on this project has made each and every one of his sci-fi/fantasy geek dreams come true! He could not be any prouder of the cast and crew as they bring to life such an iconic story. When not catching up on The Mandalorian or reading Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire trilogy, you can find Kevin wandering Lincoln Park's South Pond with his wife, daughter, and two dogs.
Jada Wordlaw
(she/her)
Captain Needa
Ensemble
Jada is a new member of Payton Players, having joined at the beginning of the school year. She has been grateful for the opportunity to do something she loves while getting to know fellow cast and crewmates. The sense of community helps her take inspiration and feel comfortable around them. Jada has also enjoyed performing on the stage in dance since she was 5. What Jada loves most about Star Wars is its innovative storytelling, which inspired many and changed the standard for future sci fi films by including various themes related to the human experience.