IG: freerosie

Rose Freeman is an award-winning stage director, teacher, writer, and producer of theatre and opera. Freeman's direction has been lauded as "virtually flawless" (Chicago Classical Review) and Operatic stage direction credits include Sonheim's Sweeney Todd at Opera Idaho, the 2023 revival of Spears' Jason and the Argonauts for Lyric Opera of Chicago, Puccini's La Boheme with LOON, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and Elisir d'amore at Gulfshore Opera, (Johann) Strauss' Fledermaus with Opera Mississippi, Mozart's Magic Flute with Harrower Opera, Viardot's Cendrillon with City Lyric Opera, (Richard) Strauss' Die Liebe Der Danae at Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Hildegarde's Ordo with Chicago City Opera, Fizz and Ginger at Chicago Fringe Opera, Stravinsky's L'Historie Du Soldat at Temple University, and Weber's Der Freischütz.

Zie co-founded Third Eye Theatre Ensemble, which the Chicago Tribune called "one of the greats." At Third Eye, direction credits include Han Lash's Beowulf, Kamala Sankaram's The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace, Juliet Palmer's Stitch, Daniel Crozier's With Blood With Ink, Nico Muhly's Dark Sisters, Mohammed Fairouz's Sumeida's Song, as well as Gian Carlo Menotti's The Medium and The Consul. A Wolftrap Opera Directing Fellow 2020-2022, Freeman had the honor of working on Floyd's Susannah, Verdi's Traviata, Bologne de Saint-George's L'Amant Anonyme and Holst's Savitri and Viardot's Cendrillon while also directing the studio artist scenes program in 2020. World premieres include Four Lost Santas with Opera Orlando (of which zie is co-librettist), Elisabeth Rudolph's Petticoats and Sliderules, Alexandra Enyart's Witness, Evan Kassof's Ganymede 5, and Eric McDonnell's Cosmic Ray and the Amazing Chris.

Freeman has spoken on panels and led seminars for Opera America, the National Opera Association, and the Chicago Theatre Symposium, and has participated in the 2012 DirectorsLabChicago and the 2017 La MaMa Umbria Intl. Symposium for Directors. Freeman's production of Stitch was named Best New Opera Production, and Third Eye Theatre Ensemble was nominated for Best Opera Company by The Chicago Reader in 2019. The Medium (2014) and Sumeida's Song (2015) were both named top 5 operas by NewCity. Zie is a recipient of the National Opera Association's 2024 First Place Opera Competition (Temple University, Producer) and 2020 JoElyn Wakefield-Wright Stage Director Fellowship and the city of Philadelphia's 2022 Illuminate the Arts Grant.

Freeman received an MFA in Directing at Temple University through the inaugural Music Theatre Collaboration program, where zie collaborated with Spicer Carr to write the musical, Chance the Snapper. Four Lost Santas, was hailed by the Orlando Sentinel as deserving to become "a festive new holiday tradition." Freeman's poem, Bad Sailor Poetry was featured at WHYY's Collective's MIXT: A Living Gallery in Spring 2025.

Freeman brings great innovation and a diverse artistic background to their work, having created national fine art shows for M Gallery of Fine Art, served as managing producing director for Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, worked as a stage manager for 10 years, and production managed a national tour for Feld Entertainment's Monster Jam Monster Truck Show. Zie regularly tours Italy performing with Teatro di Viti's production of Eva.

Zie has directed many plays, space-generated theatrical events, burlesque events, nationally touring hip-hop concerts, and workshops of new musicals and operas. A passionate advocate for the shepherding of new musicals, Freeman has had the honor of working on the directorial staff for Polyphone New Musical Festival for five seasons, working on Crimson Lit, TL;DR: Thelma and Louise Dyke Remix, and Marie in Tomorrow Land, among others.

Freeman is currently the Program Director of Opera and Assistant Professor at Roosevelt University CCPA and was previously on faculty at Temple University, having previously served as the Interim Head of Opera Production. Academic directing and teaching work includes Mannes School of Music, Southern California University, Columbia College Chicago, and the University of the Arts. Zie is a Member Emeritus for the DirectorsLabChicago Steering Committee and a Mercury Store Lead Artist. Freeman is a Marvel Artist. www.rosefreeman.org

Honey Marie is a Portland based artist moving through the world in grief, mess, beauty, and joy. Honey's work will pull at your heartstrings and encourage a collective curiosity. Honey's movement exists in the space between the world we're in and the world we deserve. Honey studied movement and choreography at Columbia College and has performed with various artists, including Peter Carpenter, David Rousseve, Kendall Loyer, and Amanda Timm. She is the producer and founder of Pink Hanky Productions, founded in 2014 in Portland, OR, bringing queer, Black, POC, and disabled artists to the stage. Honey is always working to take her space while making space for others in a world that demands smallness and silence. In this world, our most powerful weapons are creativity and bodies; let's use them!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/honeymariepdx/

Episode 5: Yvette Baltazar aka Millie May

Named after her beloved grandmother but powered by pure chaos, Millie May has been shaking her shimmy all over Chicago since 2010.Taking campy bump-and-grind to a full comedic frenzy, she puts the oooh in buffoonery. With high-energy tassel twirling, fearless physical comedy, and a sparkly stage presence that refuses to behave, Millie May has become an iconic Chicago staple and a beloved multifaceted force of fabulous nonsense. Whether she's putting you in a trance with her tassel twirling or stealing hearts (and occasionally diginity), Millie May guarantees an experience that will leave you wanting for more!

IG: https://www.instagram.com/milliemayburlesque/

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Episode 4: Victoria LibertorePerformer, Actress, Writer, Improv Artist

"Victoria Libertore is one of the most original and subversive solo performers that I have ever met. She is the lovechild of Bert Williams and Marlene Dietrich."Rebecca Feldman, Creator & Tony Nominee, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee & writer for Transparent

"The world she creates is slightly askew, sometimes eerie, but always strangely real and profoundly funny."Scott Morfee, Off-Broadway Producer, Killer Joe, Bug

"I was utterly blown away by Victoria Libertore. She's inspiring as all hell."Holly Hughes, Obie-Award-Winning Performance Artist

BIO: Victoria Libertore's work includes nine theatrical solo shows, performance art, variety, burlesque, and improv. She has performed her work throughout NYC from Coney Island's boardwalk to Off-Broadway, including venues such as Barrow Street Theater, Carolines on Broadway, Joe's Pub, Joyce Soho, PS122 as well as in Boston, Chicago, Montreal, Philadelphia, Provincetown, Toronto and Washington D.C. Victoria emcees in theaters, comedy clubs and at events impersonating Liza Minnelli in which she utilizes her improvisational skills to make "people laugh so hard that their faces hurt."

Libertore is passionate about encouraging other artists to create their own work and has curated dozens of artists from performance, variety arts, burlesque, music, comedy, and dance, with a focus on LGBTQ+ and BIPOC artists. In addition to facilitating her own performance and writing workshops, she has taught at Otterbein University and Hastings College. She was a Humana Festival Finalist, has received a Young Alumni Award for Research and Creative Achievement from Otterbein University, and is a recipient of the Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award given by the NYC Innovative Theatre Awards. Victoria has received support through artist residencies, space grants, funding, and retreats from Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Dance New Amsterdam, Dixon Place, Earthdance, and New Dance Alliance.

She has a BFA in theater from Otterbein University and has studied various approaches to acting, including Grotowski, Chekov, Viewpoints, long-form improvisation, and Balinese mask. In Los Angeles, Victoria has performed her original work at The Victory Theater and at the LA LGBT Center and appeared in Flaming Match, a short film by Alan Natale. In Los Angeles, Victoria has performed in The Good Little Widow, The Prodigal Son, At the Wedding, and Great God Pan.

Episode 3: Elizabeth Hertiz Cortés

Elizabeth Herlitz Cortés is an opera singer, producer, and strategist known online as "Soprano Big Sister." With over 25 years in the arts and 15 years in fundraising and policy-adjacent work, she translates complex systems—power, money, and policy—into plain English for everyday audiences. Her work sits at the intersection of art and civic life, grounded in the belief that artists are not decoration, but essential interpreters of the human condition and guardians of the public sphere.

Where to Find Elizabeth

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sopranobigsister

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sopranobigsister

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sopranobigsister

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/sopranobigsister

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Episode 2: Ronit Bezalel

Ronit Bezalel is a writer, photographer, and filmmaker based in Chicago, Illinois. Her work focuses on the underdog, the marginalized, and those living outside the mainstream.

Bezalel began her career at the National Film Board of Canada, where she directed the documentary When Shirley Met Florence. After moving to Chicago in 1994 to study film at Columbia College Chicago, she embarked on a 20-year project documenting the demolition of the Cabrini-Green public housing development and the displacement of a Black community from the city's North Side. Her two award-winning films on this subject, Voices of Cabrini: Remaking Chicago's Public Housing and 70 Acres in Chicago, have screened worldwide and served as catalysts for discussion on affordable housing issues. For this work, she was named one of Newsweek magazine's "Top 10 Women of the 21st Century."

Ronit's photography has been featured in Modern Luxury Magazine, Block Club Chicago, Chicagoist, Gaper's Block, Hyde Park Herald, and Windy City Times. She has also exhibited at The Center for Photojournalism, Chicago Fine Arts Salon, Everybody's Coffee, R. Public House, and the PO Box Collective Gallery in Chicago.

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The Doyenne is a podcast by, for, and about women/trans/nonbinary/afab artists over 40.

Episode 1: Cristal Sabbagh

Bio: Cristal Sabbagh is a 54-year-old Chicago-based interdisciplinary performer, dancer, art educator, and mom. She is the founder and curator of Freedom From and Freedom To, an improvisational jam with dance and movement artists and live musicians paired by chance. She is also a member of Baltimore-based Move Move Collective.

Find Cristal online:

IG: cristalsabbagh, freedom_from_and_freedom_to

Web: https://www.ffftchicago.com/

Mentioned in the pod:

Butoh Artist Nicole Legette: https://www.3arts.org/artist/nicole-legette/

Butoh Artist Sharkey: https://www.3arts.org/artist/nicole-legette/

Butoh Master Diego Piñon: https://www.facebook.com/diegopinon.brm/

Move Move Collective Founder Peter Redgrave: https://www.peterredgraveperforms.com/

Nejla Yatkin: https://www.ny2dance.com/

Elastic Arts Foundation: https://elasticarts.org/

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