New Upper School drama teacher Cassie Slater grew up with theater and has carried it with her all her life. She has a Bachelors of Fine Arts and Theater from Depaul University, and in addition to acting, she has always been a teacher, teaching after school programs or in school residencies. 

Slater also founded and teaches at her own program called Stomp and Shout, which primarily focuses on teaching early childhood music and theater to children between the ages of six months and eight years of age. In the past, she has also written and directed some productions for younger people, and she taught freshman acting for non-acting-majors at Roosevelt University last year. 

Slater was born in Sioux City, Iowa, where her parents owned a local theater called Lamb Arts Regional Theater.  The first rehearsal she ever attended was at only six weeks old. Being involved in the acting business itself, she realized over time that the job is much harder than it seems, and that she most definitely didn’t want to be an actress when she was older. She noticed that most of the business was very self-involved, with lots of focusing on your importance, and she didn’t want to be that way. 

Eventually, she realized that acting was, and still is, her passion, and she found her way back to the industry. “I’m a big believer in using theater and art as activism in a way, to use it to express our opinions about the world we live in,” Slater said. 

She started her acting career in Chicago but soon moved to New York where she performed in new musical theater and sang. Slater even originated a role in a production called See Rock City And Other Destinations. Also, alongside all of the acting jobs, she won a competition called Broadway Idol. 

After Slater decided she wanted children, she moved back to Chicago. She’s been acting and teaching in Chicago ever since. She has played Bea in “Something Rotten,” Rosie in “Mamma Mia!,” Dot in “Sunday in the Park with George,” and Sally in “Cabaret.” This is Slater’s first time teaching high school, “I really think that high school is such a cool age,” she said, “‘cause you’re already grown up.”

This year Slater hopes to make sure that students are comfortable in her class. “I hope to be a safe space for people to be able to communicate and debate, and have harder conversations and learn about themselves,” she said. Slater wants to get to know her students and the people that she will be teaching for years to come. 

“She was still able to show that she has great energy and is very kind and is willing to try new things even over Zoom,” Theater and Auditorium Manager Tom Moster said. “And in person, it came through even more clearly, her ability to have a really honest conversation.” Moster explained that even though there was a small group of students available to participate in her interview, she still made each and every one of them comfortable. 

“I appreciate that she’s a teacher who’s part of the community, who realizes that we’re all there for the students,” Department Chair Leslie Holland-Pryor said. “She demonstrated that in a way that was nuanced and very deep at the same time.”

Slater is motivated to evoke more excitement around the fall play and get more people involved. She thinks it could be a new experience for many people in the Upper School, and it’s a new way to dive into acting and to try new things within the community. “I’m very excited to get more people interested in what the meaning and purpose of the fall play even is,” she said. 

“I’m excited about the possibilities of where the department can grow with the addition of Ms. Slater,” Holland-Pryor said.