CO-DIRECTOR

This is Jaimie’s fourth Variety Show. She has been a Cowboy, Red Lego, Dragon, Batgirl, Cat, the color “Pink”, and many more sparkly, fun, crazy characters on the Variety Show Stage. Last Variety Show, Jaimie was the night director for “Bye Bye Bye” and “Vacation House” along with the other co-directors, Katie and Kathy, which made them realize what a great team of women they are, and gave them the confidence to take on the role of directing the entire show this year.  Off the stage, she is the proud mom of Liam (8th grade), Emmett (4th grade) and Kaia (Kindergarten). She thanks her husband Dan for always holding down the fort at home, so she could participate in all the Variety Show fun! In addition to Variety Show Director, Jaimie’s other full-time job is working at Getty Images. In the Variety Show offseason, you can find Jaimie spending time with family and friends, watching reality tv (guilty pleasure), playing poker, and cheering on the Chicago sports teams (Cubs and Bulls)!  She will be forever grateful to the Variety Show for forcing her to dust off those Poms skills from high school, and rejuvenating her creative side!

CO-DIRECTOR

This is Kathy’s fourth Variety Show. She cannot hold a tune to save her life, but despite this significant talent gap, she has led three numbers as a Night Director and has played numerous roles on stage including a dragon, a blue lego, the color brown, superwoman, and a very enthusiastic jumping frog. Off stage, Kathy is an Assistant Public Defender in Cook County, where she feels lucky to have the opportunity to represent her inspiring teen clients in Juvenile Court. At home, Kathy is a proud parent to Annie (3rd grade), Charlie (Kindergarten), and Casey (2 years old), who are the delight of her life. Kathy would like to thank her husband Eddie Young for making this entire wild experience possible, while also advising everyone to look out for his slick dance moves on stage. Kathy loves sunshine, cries when summer ends, and then tries to travel as much as possible during the remainder of the year. She will forever be grateful to the Variety Show for helping to build this amazing McKenzie community where neighbors are friends. 

CO-DIRECTOR

This is Katie's third Variety Show. No stranger to the stage as a lifelong musician and performer, she has led two numbers as a Night Director, won Newbie of the Year in 2023, and has played numerous roles on stage including a pirate, Wonder Woman, a giant pair of glasses, and a bed. Off stage, Katie is a freelance copywriter and content strategist with occasional journalistic tendencies and sporadic viral essays at large digital outlets. At home, Katie is a proud parent to James (4th grade) and Archie (1st grade), who are her most creative collaborators. Katie would like to thank her mom Patricia Sack for being the best grandma to her boys and holding down the fort during Variety Show season. Katie loves coffee, the beach, bad puns, oxford commas, and laughing loudly. She is honored to help keep the Variety Show tradition alive 30 years after last experiencing it as a McKenzie student member of the audience, and dearly loves every single one of you. Yes, you!

CO-PRODUCER

This is Ariel’s fourth Variety Show! As a cast member and backstage manager, she’s embraced the fun and chaos that make the show unforgettable. Offstage, she’s the proud mom of Eleanor (7th grade) and Calvin (3rd grade) and a consultant who thrives on wrangling teams and driving projects toward success. Balancing creativity with organization, she loves bringing the Variety Show magic to life. When not working or planning, you’ll likely find her cycling through the neighborhood with her kiddos or befriending every dog she meets.

CO-PRODUCER

This is Lora’s SIXTH Variety Show! Yes - she definitely feels like the dinosaur in the group but this amount of shows has given her a chance to try a plethora of roles: cast member, night director, social committee, webmaster (ongoing) and this will be her second time officially producing the show. Her favorite number was when she directed La Clase de Español, where she got to fulfill her dreams of being in a 90’s music video by using a cheese grater as a disco background (you can see what she means by clicking here and going to the 31 min mark). That show was during Covid so instead of a live show, we had to film and edit our numbers and had a drive-in premier. It was hilarious.

Off stage, Lora is a graphic and website designer, avid reader & mom to two amazing kiddos. She is also always involved in the PTA (will be PTA pres next year!) and loves being part of the McK community :)