C a r l y  D .  W e c k s t e i n
A r t i s t i c  D i r e c t o r  &  F o u n d e r

Carly (she/her) launched The Illyrian Players in January 2011, to build a safe and inclusive home for a family of artists and bring new life and purpose to the stage by exploring issues around sexuality & gender through theatre. Her purpose was also to provide a place for her beloved actor friends to be able to grow as artists & humans outside the damaging limitations of superficial Hollywood type-casting. Carly has a B.A. in Theatre from UCLA, where she studied acting, explored directing, and read many delicious plays.  She is also a sex-educator, intimacy director (for stage and film), acting coach, painter, illustrator, art witch and healer.  Carly believes in continuing to create spaces for theatre to feed our human need for storytelling, ritual and community as tools to make sense of the world and expand our empathy and awareness.  Get involved or book her to work with you! Email: carlyw@illyrianplayers.com

Thaddeus Shafer
Producing Director

Tad (he/his) had his first experience in Illyria in 2013 when he played Clive/Cathy in 'Cloud 9,' and they haven't been able to get rid of him since. Currently serves as Producing Director of The Illyrian Players Theatre Company, where he created Kiss of Death and co-produced The Red Letter Project, Hot 'N' Throbbing, Two Girls One Bard, initiated the ongoing weekly teaching residency with Good Shepherd Women's Shelter, and fostered developmental workshops of the new plays Holiness and Father Valerie. Video content creator for More Than No, Cura, Makers United (Was it Rape Then?). As an LA stage actor, Shafer has also worked at Theatre at Boston Court, The Mark Taper Form, A Noise Within, The Vagrancy, and Four Clowns. He began his career in the artistic departments of The Seattle Repertory Theatre and LA's Center Theatre Group where he helped to cast the world premieres of Venice (with Leslie Odom Jr), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, 9 to 5, etc. Recent collaborations include HBO's Big Little Lies immersive activation with Play Collaborative, Night of 1,000 Devils with Drunken Devil, and E(levator) with ABC Project. Shafer also produced, starred in and wrote (w/ seven female playwrights) the one man show, at Hollywood Fringe and FringeNYC, Seven Seductions of Taylor Swift