Karen Pionke

I started my acting/theatre adventure in WI in the 1970s. Originally, I performed in musical and non-musical productions in Milwaukee, WI, along with print ad and radio work. Upon moving to IL in 1988, I took more of a behind the scenes approach to theatre. After 8 years in the private sector as the fine arts coordinator for Grayslake District 46 and on the Board of Children’s programming at The College of Lake County, plus 20 years teaching theater in public schools, I closed out my 28 year teaching career in 2022. I was a nominee for the Golden Apple in Teaching Award. While I directed the Viking Drama program in Gurnee, it was recognized twice nationally as one of the best middle school theater programs in the country. I served a four-year term as the first middle school teacher elected to the National Board of Directors for The Educational Theatre Association and served on the IL Thespian Board and EdTA Foundation Advisory until 2022. During my 20 years teaching, I directed and produced, 48 major productions and 79 minor productions among those were A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Little Women, The Secret Garden, Beauty and the Beast, Othello, 13, The Addams Family and Matilda. I also edited and contributed to the play Peter Pan and Wendy written by Doug Rand through Playscripts, Inc. in New York. I just completed a teachers' guide for the show Miley Chase with Broadway Licensing of New York and I am currently a Creative Consultant for CPA Theatricals, Chicago. I have learned a great deal about the film/television industry from my son William who has worked productions since 2010 in IL, LA and CA. The last seven years he has primarily been a Production Coordinator, currently he is with Dark Matter in Chicago. The only social media I still have is Facebook. I closed out Twitter with the change overc to X. I have discontinued my YouTube link and don't really use my Instagram. Since I am retired, social media hasn't been as necessary and with the currently political environment I find it depression, distracting and unnecessary. I do still occasionally use LinkedIn. Since I am fairly old of age (but not of heart and mind), I have attached a pretty lengthy resume of adult life education, achievements and experiences, focusing on theatre and teaching.