Team Spotlight
Jessica
Lanius
Artistic Director
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I am delighted you've discovered Theatre LILA as we re-emerge onto the Dane County "stage!" Theatre LILA was founded in New York City in 2004, moved ot Madison in 2014 and went dormant during the 2020 pandemic. We have spent the last five years working on building ART House 360, to be part of an artistic community much larger than one theatre company. This new vision and space is where LILA will finally have a new home lto experiment and make new work! You can learn more at www.ARThouse360.com.
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A bit about me - As a theatre maker at LILA, my work focuses on telling stories on stage that are multi-disciplinary inventions that inspire, surprise or engage audiences in unconventional ways. Here at the Theatre LILA Lab, we build new works in collaboration with musicians, writers, designers, poets, artists and performers of all kinds. As a director I seek to answer the question "What story does our community need to experience right now?" when diving into a project. As Artistic Director of Theatre LILA I have directed: Suitcase Dreams, No Child...by Nilaja Sun, TRASH: a Theatre LILA Invention, The Mojo and The Sayso by Aishah Rahman in collaboration with Bronzeville Arts Ensemble, Big Fish in collaboration with Four Seasons Theatre, The BED: a Theatre LILA Invention with Co-Director, James Devita, Firecracker and The Waltz of Elementary Particles in NYC as well as adaptations of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Directing works include: Children’s Theatre of Madison Anne of Green Gables and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Four Seasons Theatre Company Assassins, UW-Madison Peter and the Starcatcher and UW-Stevens Point Spring Awakening. Choreography and movement work includes American Players Theatre Oedipus, Cyrano de Bergerac, Mary's Wedding, Edward Albee's Seascape, Merry Wives of Windsor, Born Yesterday, An Ideal Husband, Macbeth, She Stoops to Conquer, Twelfth Night, A Doll’s House and Book of Will. CTM, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Milwaukee’s Next Act A Small Fire, UW-Stevens Point Big Love by Charles Mee.
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I've been a professional actor in NYC, Chicago, LA and a member of SAG and AEA/AFTRA for the past 20 years. I bring my experience working on stage and screen alongside my directing work to my classrooms. My classes and workshops use movement and physicality in ways that allow the participant to free their creative impulses, become more articulate and expressive in their bodies, and engage their imagination through a sense of play with more abandon. My training with renowned Meisner acting teachers William Esper and Maggie Flanigan along with physical theatre training with Lenard Petit, Anne Bogart, Loyd Williamson and Andy Arden Reese have given me a layered and rich toolbox from which to draw from as a teacher. I currently teach in the Theatre & Drama Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison I hold an MFA in Acting, Rutgers University & BFA in Acting, UW-Stevens Point.
Gina
Cornejo
Writer's LAB Director​
Multidisciplinary artist Gina Cornejo (she/they) is an Americana Peruana, Milwaukee born, and Queer identifying
creative. Aiming for a pinnacle of honesty to be revealed by curating intimate autobiographical theatrical performances
for our collective healing, the mediums they specialize in are writing, immersive solo performance, and storytelling. They are excited to experiment and explore launching the Theatre LILA Writer's LAB this year with new retreats, performances and open mic poetry slams!
For 17 years, claiming Chicago as her artistic home, Cornejo contributed writing, choreography, and theatrical concepts to
Teatro Luna, a multiple Jeff Award winning Latinx/WOC company. Navigating the art scene in Asheville, North Carolina,
she was chosen for the First Draft Residency (Revolve, 2021), obtained a one month artist residency at Wortham PAC
alongside Stewart/Owen Dance (2022), and was the premier LGBTQ+/BIPOC artist selected for the Story/Arts
Residency (Story Parlor, 2022). “Dirty Laundry,” Cornejo’s ambitious writing/film/performance project has been featured
at the Asheville Fringe Festival, The Martin (Chicago), and will be a pop-up mounted at Muze Church (TBA, Milwaukee).
Recently, their original writing and performance-based Artist-In-Residence at Tooth and Nail Gallery, titled,
“SCREWBALL” was wild and well attended! She is currently in collaboration with Art Start (Lead Teaching Artist) and Art
House 360 & Theatre LILA (Artist-In-Residence), and their writing, creative process, and performance has been featured within
podcasts, local newspapers, performed live on festival and theater stages, Audible, Blue Ridge Public Radio, Creative
Mornings (AVL), and more.
The desire to amplify and champion emerging artists is a personal quest for Cornejo as they strive for a platform in their hometown of Milwaukee, that will amplify their own variation of performance and writing. Recently, her original work was accepted for the Green Bay Fringe Festival and she made her Assistant DIrecting debut, under Brenda DeVita, at American Players Theatre with PICNIC.
Lauren
Robertson
Graphic & Web Design​​
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Lauren Robertson is a faculty member in the Design & Visual Communication program, where she combines her professional expertise with a passion for community-centered design. With extensive experience as a freelance designer and former graphic and web designer at Dynamic Agency, Lauren has worked with notable clients including Bemis, Sargento, Hayat, and Craft Beverage Warehouse.
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Lauren is committed to applying her design skills to community-oriented projects. One of her key contributions was to the Center for 21st Century Studies' "Teach a Kid to Vote Challenge", where she collaborated with kindergartners, the League of Women Voters, and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation to create an educational booklet. She later brought this initiative into her Typography II class, where students designed promotional materials for the project. These materials were eventually shared with Milwaukee’s mayor, Cavalier Johnson, further amplifying the project's impact.
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In her ongoing work, Lauren continues to prioritize projects that connect design to community engagement. Currently, she is developing marketing materials for ART House 360 and Theatre LILA in Madison, reinforcing her commitment to socially conscious design. Through her teaching and professional work, Lauren strives to foster meaningful collaborations between students, clients, and the broader community.
Brad
Kose
Education Director
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Brad Kose, Ph.D., a seasoned educator with nearly 30 years of experience spanning teaching, administration, professional development, and higher education, is eager to build a thriving theatre education program at the new Theatre LILA. Having witnessed the transformative power of theatre in K-12 education, Brad understands how acting cultivates essential life skills—from confidence and collaboration to empathy, creativity, and the discovery of one’s authentic voice. He believes deeply in its ability to empower individuals, build community, and broaden perspectives.
Megan
Tennessen
Acting Instructor & Admin Support
Megan Tennessen (she/they) is a graduate from UW-Madison with a BSE in Communication Sciences and Disorders and Theatre and Drama, with a specialty in acting. She currently works as a research assistant at Research in Developmental Disabilities and Language Lab at the Waisman Center and a Standardized Patient at UW Madison’s School for Medicine and Public Health. They are working towards their masters in Speech-Language Pathology. Megan has noticed important connections between speech-language and pathology and theatre, which she hopes to explore further.
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By taking University courses with Jessica Lanius, Megan grew a passion for movement performance and using movement as a primary acting tool. Megan is particularly interested in storytelling through movement and creating an inclusive, accessible theatrical experience for performers and audience members. Creating a strong community through theatre and using art as a vessel for change, expression, and resistance is very important to her. Her recent acting projects include A Valentines Affair with Madison Shakespeare Company and Tennessee Williams's A House Not Meant to Stand with Madison Public Theatre. Although she is primarily a stage actor, she plans to continue to explore film acting and teaching theatre.
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Casem
AbuLughod
Improv & Acting Instructor​​
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Casem AbuLughod (www.rhymeswithawesome.com) is a Madison based performer and human. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Madison, he holds a Master of Arts in Applied Theatre from the City University of New York. He is an improv performer and instructor with the Monkey Business Institute, an actor and teaching artist with Whoopensocker, and a member of Forward Theater's Advisory Company. Casem is excited to launch IMPROV! classes for kids, adults and families at the new LILA studio.