Gillian Hemme

Gillian Hemme is a performer, writer, and director. She has studied at Grinnell College, Pacifica Graduate Institute, the National Theatre Institute, and Piven Theatre Workshop. Most recently, she received her MA in Theatre and Performative Practices from University College Cork in Ireland, where she looked at the function of performance in the study of transgenerational carceral trauma. 

Gillian has appeared on stage with Piven, The Moth, tenx9 Chicago, Literate Ape’s Bughouse, Something Marvelous, Prop Theatre, Jubilee Theatre Collective, Prologue, the Chicago Fringe Festival, and the International Theatre Festival in Taiwan.  Her on-camera credits include Chicago Fire, Mind Games, and The Onion, and she is represented by Big Mouth Talent.

At Piven, she teaches PEEP (Piven Empowerment through Enrichment Program) classes for adults with developmental disabilities, directs for Performance Project, and teaches story theatre for Conservatory. She and Beth Voitik helped start the EPIC ensemble at Cook County Jail, where she and an outstanding team of teachers develop original performances with an incredible group of women.