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Dennis Mae > Biographical Sketch

Born on a fruit farm in Douglas, Michigan, Dennis Mae has been a creative force in the Chicago theater community for over 35 years. He has directed and/or designed hundreds of shows ranging from original plays and musicals to grand opera and television commercials. Dennis began as a very young dancer at the Ruth Page Company in the annual Nutcracker Suite production at Chicago's McCormick Place Theater. He was also a boy soprano at the Holy Name Cathedral. Music, dance and art have been part of Dennis' life since he was a toddler. His fondest childhood memory is seeing the D'Oily Carte Company perform many Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. So began his love for musical theater. Dennis is a specialist in American musical comedy from the early 1900s to the 1950s. As an author he has created showcases of the works of Gilbert & Sullivan, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Rodgers & Hart, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman and others. He has also written music, lyrics and books for several musicals and operas. Dennis' love for teaching began at Whitney Young High School and the American Conservatory of Music. He is currently the Resident Designer and Technical Director at Lake Forest College where he also served as Director of Theater from 1999 to 2007. He is constantly challenged and renewed by his exceptional students.