About
Tin Drum
Theatre
Company
Tin Drum Theatre Company exists to disrupt complacency and reassert theatre’s civic purpose. We create theatre that asks something of its audience, moving beyond comfort to provoke conversation and critical engagement. We believe community begins where audiences and ideas collide, and where dramatic disturbances are created.
Steve Needham
He/Him
Co-Artistic Director, Creative Producer, and Board Member
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Steve is a founding member of Convergence-Continuum, which is still producing provocative black box theatre 25 years later.
In Chicago, Steve has previously worked in various capacities at The Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, About Face Theatre, and Pride Films & Plays. He holds a B.A. in Theater from Kent State University, a Master’s degree from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from Cleveland State University.
At Tin Drum Theatre, Steve wrote the company’s inaugural play, Winter Garden about Edwin and John Wilkes Booth, and directed The Unseen by Craig Wright. Steve will be directing A Dark Wood by Eric Coble in October 2026.
Outside of his artistic pursuits, Steve is an attorney with a litigation firm located in the River North neighborhood.
Jason Palmer
He/Him
Co-Artistic Director and Production Manager, and Board Member
Hailing from the scenic coal region of north central Pennsylvania, Jason has pursued the theatrical spotlight from coast to coast. Taking a jack-of-all-trades approach to theatre, he’s done everything from acting to directing, from stage management to house management, and from lighting to set construction and all stops in between.
Jason also has numerous film and several TV credits to his name – again, both on-camera and off. Theatre has been a love that has stayed with him across several career changes and several long-distance moves. He is excited to be back in Chicago, his favourite city, playing loving dog dad with his wonderful partner Josh to their plucky Welsh Terrier, Bryn, and doing what he loves best.
Jason is honored to be a founding member of Tin Drum Theatre Company, having also directed its inaugural production of Winter Garden by Steve Needham, and the Chicago premieres of Incognito by Nick Payne, and Southern Rapture by Eric Coble.
Teddy Boone
He/Him
Founding Member
Teddy has lived through several eras here in Chicago spanning nearly two decades, and has collaborated with many different theater houses as a freelance casting director, actor, and producer. He is a proud graduate of both the Bachelor’s and Master’s programs at The Theatre School at DePaul University.
Teddy is a founding member of the itinerant theatre company The Arc Theatre. During his tenure as Casting Director and Producer, he helped curate over 20 productions including their resident outdoor Shakespeare series of Evanston, an annual short play festival of new works, and many contemporary and original plays. Offstage, Teddy works for the Illinois Housing Development Authority helping to further their mission of creating and preserving affordable housing throughout the State.
Teddy previously played Edwin Booth in Tin Drum’s inaugural production of Winter Garden, was part of the acting ensemble of Incognito, and appeared as Mayor Paxton in Southern Rapture.
Elliott Fredland
He/Him
Board Member
An actor, artistic director, and theatre board member and officer in Chicago since 2002. Elliott brings extensive storefront governance experience: he served on the board of Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, was a longtime board member and later Interim Artistic Director of Quest Theatre Ensemble (2017), and is a founding company member and former General Manager of The Side Project.
His Chicago roles include The Elephant Man and Galileo (The Side Project); Frankenstein and Treasure Island (Theater Hikes); Peoples’ History of the United States (Quest Theatre Ensemble); Amadeus (Beverly Arts Center); Dangerous (Bailiwick Repertory); The Mousetrap (North Lakeside Cultural Center); The Importance of Being Earnest (Rogue); Love Story (Jedlicka Performing Arts Center); The Crucible (Infamous Commonwealth); Shadowlands (Provision Theatre); and Lady Windermere’s Fan (Dead Writers’).
He has appeared in independent films, television commercials, and videos for The Onion News Network. In a previous millennium in a distant land, he worked — however briefly — as a radio and television newscaster. He holds BA and MA degrees in Mathematics.
Jacob Coggshall
He/Him
Artistic Associate
As an actor, photographer, artist, and filmmaker, Jacob brings a unique perspective to his work. He is a proud graduate of the 2024 BFA Acting program at The Theatre School at DePaul University.
Jacob’s work with Tin Drum Theatre includes originating the role of John Wilkes Booth in the world premiere of Winter Garden and as the prison guard “Smash” in The Unseen. Jacob also served as Assistant Director for Incognito. In 2026 he appeared in the world premiere of keerah at Definition Theatre.
Jacob is the Founder and Executive Director of Opalite Films, a Chicago-based Filmmaking Collective.
Shannon Leigh Webber
She/Her
Artistic Associate
Shannon Leigh Webber is thrilled to find an artistic home with Tin Drum where she has appeared in Southern Rapture and Incognito. Other Chicago theatre credits include Prick with Proboscis Theatre, Bottle Fly and Babel at Red Twist Theatre, Harrow House with Rough House Theatre, Blue Island in the Red Sea with Collaboraction and Perfect Arrangement at Pride Arts.
Outside of Chicago, Shannon has appeared at Theatre Squared in Fayetteville, AR and The Warehouse Theatre in Greenville, SC. Shannon is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with an MFA in Acting.
When not on stage, Shannon can be found teaching Drama to kiddos, learning new vegan recipes, doing yoga, tending to her many houseplants or snuggling with her pigeon, Pidgey. A special shout out to her partner, Esteban for always being her satellite.
Kasey Wolfgang
She/Her
Artistic Associate
Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Kasey is a costume designer based in the Chicagoland Area. She holds an undergraduate degree in Costume Design from Western Michigan University and a Masters in Costume Design from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her first show with Tin Drum Theatre (and her Chicago Debut) was Incognito in July of 2025. In Chicago she has also worked on Southern Rapture and The Unseen (Tin Drum Theatre), Company (Madkap Productions), The Mark (Babes with Blades) and The 8th Dwarf (Ghostlight Theater Ensemble). Before moving back to the Midwest, Kasey worked in DC assisting and designing shows, including The Snow Maiden (Synetic Theater), Senior Class (Olney Theater Company), Disney’s Frozen (Olney Theater Company), and the Helen Hayes award winning The Nance (1st Stage). When not designing, she works as the costume crafts artisan for First Stage Children’s Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Read more about Kasey at kccostumedesign.com.
Michael Stejskal
He/Him
Artistic Associate
With Tin Drum, Michael appeared in Southern Rapture. Other recent credits include Warren, Four Places (4 Chairs Theatre), Leontes, The Winter’s Tale (Invictus Theatre), and originating the role of David Lewis in Gods & Monsters (Frame of Reference Productions).
Michael can next be seen in Advance Man: Part One of the Honeycomb Trilogy at Strawdog Theater.
Off stage he can be found cutting hair at his barbershop The Public Barber, and lounging on the sofa with his two pugs.
Support Us
We are so grateful for our patrons and donors who make Tin Drum Theatre productions possible
Your generosity is more than a gift; it’s a spark. It’s an echo of belief that live theatre still matters — that it still has the power to shape the world, one performance at a time.
Give what you can.
Help us keep the drum beating.
Donations by check. Please send to:
Tin Drum Theatre Company
1811 West Winnemac Ave., Unit L
Chicago, IL 60640