Carole Dibo has been in “the business” for over twenty five years.

After starting her career in the Washington D.C./Baltimore market as an actress, she moved to Chicago in 1985, where she has worked extensively in the film, television and industrial film markets. Carole is the Director and Founder of the Actors Training Center at the Wilmette Theatre, a professional training ground for young actors that wish to pursue acting as a career. Carole’s years of industry experience enables her to help students bridge the gap between the industry’s needs and young actors abilities. Carole also teaches at Northwestern University and in Los Angeles with L.A. Casting Director, Deborah Dion. She has also worked as a Casting Assistant for Tenner Paskal Rudnicke Casting and Steppenwolf Theatre Co. She continues to work on camera as well as teach and coach young actors. Carole lives in Wilmette with her husband of 30 years, David, and has three daughters, Whitney (25), Alayna (21) and Natalie (16).

Aside from co-owning The Wilmette Theatre, Sam is an agent for Film, Television and Theatre at Stewart Talent and established Stewart Talent in New York. Prior to the life as a theatre owner and an agent, Sam was an actor. He has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in National and International Tours and Regionally. He is the first recipient of the Young Alumni Award for Excellence in the Entertainment Industry from The University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music .Sam has lectured and taught at Northwestern University, Carnegie-Mellon University, The Hilberry Repertory at Wayne State University, Loyola University Chicago, Roosevelt University, DePaul University, The University of Cincinnati, The University of Massachusetts's and other Universities in the Chicago area.

He lives in Evanston with his lovely wife and his sweet little daughters!

Judy Samuelson, one of the 4 owners of the Wilmette Theatre,  started her career path as a musical theatre performer.  After years  of professional work in live theatre, commercials, and industrial films, Judy transitioned into the world of health and fitness. She was the owner of THE FIRM, a popular aerobics mega-studio on the North Shore, and in the 90’s she launched GreatAge Fitness, a Highland Park-based business offering fitness training to prime-time women.

Three years ago, Judy sold her exercise business to her teachers just in time to phase into her most recent role…that of part-owner of the Wilmette Theatre. Samuelson has recently developed  “GreatAge Series at the Mette”, senior adult programs that will entertain, educate and enlighten.  With the same spirit that informed her personal training business, “GreatAge Series at the Mette” will be fitness for the mind, soul and heart.

Judy Samuelson Kaiser is married, has 4 adult married children, and 11 grandchildren.
 

David is our strategic planner whose wit, wisdom and passion help make the mundane manageable. A native New Yorker, David grew up in a family of show business professionals (comedian –dad, Broadway dancer-mom) and has periodically segued from his life as a real estate, hotel, and banking executive to a theatrical entrepreneur. At the University of Pennsylvania where he received a Bachelor’s of Science degree at The Wharton School, he founded the ever popular annual art and music festival, Spring Fling with his college roommate. He later produced a well-received production of The Elephant Man in a dramatic, if unheated space at The Eastern Market, on Capitol Hill. David is proud to have been part of the team that saved and re-envisioned The Wilmette Theatre.
 

Chad has been in the theatrical exhibition industry for over fifteen years. Starting as an usher at the now extinct Evanston Theatre, Chad went on to run theatres and operations for Loews and AMC. In 2007, he joined the Wilmette Theatre as General Manager and Film Buyer as well as the producer of various live and special events such as the Yesteryear and Silent Film Series, Rocky Horror and Burlesque at the Mette. Chad also works as a technical consultant for the Actors Training Center and is the producer, head writer and host of the television show, World of the Weird Monster Show, which has been on the air in the Chicagoland area and other parts of the country for six years now.

Jenny is our most recent addition to the Wilmette Theatre team. A lifetime enthusiast of movies and live performance, she's been performing in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and other cult film fan shadowcast troupes for over a decade all over the country and currently serves on the executive board of the nonprofit Midnight Madness cast of Chicago. Jenny loved the Wilmette Theatre so much, she married the Director of Operations onstage in theater 2 -- only to get back to work minutes later! A longtime Chicago late night entertainment insider, Jenny has used her connections as a producer to create our critically acclaimed Comedy at the Mette Stand-up series with Chicago Underground Comedy, our Vaudeville at the Mette series and many more!

Born in Baghdad in 1984, his family left the country in 1999 and went to Jordan for eight months before relocating to travel Austria. The family lived in Austria for two years, finally arriving in United States in 2002. Lazar attended Amundsen High School in Chicago and while working part time. Lazar joined the Wilmette Theatre staff in 2007. His strengths in building maintenance and attention to detail make him a very valuable part of the Wilmette Theatre family.

Nili Yelin Wronksi’s special blend of experience, talent and skill-sets makes her uniquely qualified to be the Wilmette Theatre’s first Director of Marketing/PR. Nili graduated from Northwestern University with a Degree in Theatre, and spent the next 12 years working in New York City. She spent 5 years working for MTV, in the production department and on-camera on the MTV Half Hour Comedy Hour. In addition, Nili worked 9 seasons as a background performer on Saturday Night Live, and appeared in comedy clubs around the country. Nili is a popular professional children’s storyteller known as The Storybook Mom (www.storybookmom.com), and performs frequently in the Chicago area.

Now that she is the newly appointed Director of Marketing/PR at the Wilmette Theatre, Nili has made the theatre her home base. She’s even teaching a class, “Story Tellers”, at the Actor’sTraining Center, the theatre’s acting school. Contact Nili at nili@wilmettetheatre.com