Stephen Pickering is a Chicagoland-area actor and director with nearly 40 years experience on stage, film, and television. From 2008 until 2023, he was the director of plays and musicals at Fox River Grove Middle School, working with students in grades 5 – 8. As a director, he has worked with Tesseract Theatre Ensemble and Elgin Theatre Company. As an actor, he has worked with several area companies, including Parker Players (Barrington), Fremont Street Theater Company (Palatine), Tesseract Theatre Ensemble (Palatine), Elgin Theatre Company (Elgin), WT Productions (St. Charles), and Theatre 121 (Woodstock). In 2022, Stephen was awarded the Lou Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Male Role (Play), and he has been nominated for several Broadway World – Chicago awards for acting. Stephen lives in Fox River Grove with his wife Amy and dog Simon, and is occasionally visited by his daughter Kyleen and son Will.