Our People

Justin Oliver Lance

Justin Oliver Lance is the Artistic Director of Corn Productions. He has been with the company since 2011 and has performed in close to 100 shows here. He lives, breathes, and eats Corn. He even met his wife working here.

Robert Bouwman

Starting in 1992, Robert took the role Artistic Director and over 7 years brought the small itinerant theater to its current location, Cornservatory, where it has flourished since 1999  Along the way, he garnered the theater a Jeff Recommendation, After Dark Awards, and created long-running shows including Floss! (7-year run) as well as Nightmares on Lincoln Ave, Deathtoll, The Original Improv Gladiators and Happy Holly-daze, still staples in Corn's season today.    Mostly he spent his time with late nights building props, shopping for dresses to fit men, and cleaning toilets.  He is honored and proud to have worked with such a wide and vast variety of theater artists who have graced Corn's stage over the many many years!

Heather Meyer

Heather Meyer is Corn's best kept secret. Most recently she wrote and directed "Nightmares on Lincoln Avenue: Slasher High" and "Drink! The Musical". She was last seen on stage playing score keeper Bob during Corn's bi-annual improv competition "The Original Improv Gladiators." 

Deanna DeMay

Deanna DeMay has been a part of Corn since her first show in 2014, the classic "Death Toll: a drinking game performance". She's loved herself some Corn ever since. It's helped that she officially met her husband there. She stars as Rosie the Riveter in Corn's feminist musical-sketch show, "The Vagina Melodies". She's also ran around and jumped, kicked, used witchcraft all over the Corn stage. Outside of Corn, Deanna practices for the next circus to sweep her away by (barely) riding a unicycle, and is ever training for the impending zombie apocalypse/downfall of civilization by updating her axe throwing and archery skills. 

Michael Brook

Michael Brooks has been a Corn company member since 2001. He has designed and painted sets for many productions, including Bat-Hamlet, Spiderman the Musical (the Musical), and Bodily Functions: The Musical. MB is a contributing writer, sometimes an actor, and is often seen painting the sign in front of the building. His first Corn mainstage show was Drunk and Drunker in 2002.

Lyss Dutkanych

Lyss Dutkanych ( she, her, hers) is a native Chicago actor singer songwriter. She has studied at Second City, The Annoyance, Piven Theatre, and Vagabond. Lyss has been involved in many Corn shows including: Vagina Melodies: Here We Go Again, ReZoned, & Death Toll. Her love languages are coffee and words of affirmation.

Jamie Link

Jamie Link was most recently seen in "Death Toll: The Halloween Drinking Game Sketch Show" and was the winner of the most recent Corn Lip-Sync battle. She also directs Corn's annual show "The Vagina Melodies" and leads the marketing team.

Patrick Cullen Ryan

Patrick Cullen Ryan was most recently seen on Corn's stage hosting "Death Toll: The Halloween Drinking Game Sketch Show", "Drink! The Musical", and "Rezoned: Sketches from the Twilight." He is also a contributing writer.

Gus Thomas

Gus Thomas has been a company member since Spring 2019. Originally from a farm town in Oregon, Gus has worked as a bilingual actor, writer, and teaching artist in Seville, Spain as well as Chicago. He has trained as an actor at Whitman College, the American Conservatory Theater, Dos Lunas Teatro, and the iO Theater. At Corn he is an actor, director, and contributing writer.

Liza Torrence

Liza Torrence is currently directing Corn's 2019 production of "Happy Hollydaze: A Drinking Game Performance" which will open Thursday, December 5th. She most often directs and stage manages. 

Deana Velandra

Deana Velandra was most recently seen at Corn in "Death Toll: The Halloween Drinking Game Sketch Show", "Storefront Theater: The Musical", "Rezoned: Sketches from the Twilight", and "The Vagina Melodies." She is also a contributing writer.