Maria Boundas Bakalis

Combining both strong academic credentials and professional theatre experience, Dr. Bakalis brings to Curtain Up Classroom a commitment to creativity in learning. As a Communications and Theatre professor, Dr. Bakalis has coached students both in communication skills and acting techniques.

Among her professional acting credits are performances at the Next Theatre, Stage Left Theatre and Bailiwick Repertory Theatre. Her improvisational and comedic talents were showcased in Chicago’s “Tony ‘n’ Tina’s Wedding.” One of her proudest theatrical achievements is her original one-woman play, “The Life and Loves of Maria Callas,” performed for the Lyric Opera Guild in Chicago, the Italian Cultural Institute, The Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center, and the Skironio Museum in Athens, Greece.

Dr. Bakalis is Director of Greek Theatre and recently adapted “The Halsted Street Play” for the Hull House and The Hellenic Museums.

Dr. Bakalis has presented a paper on the importance of “arts in education” at the Oxford Round Table conference at Oxford University. The presentation highlighted the critical role that theatre and acting can play in education. With a strong commitment to the critical importance of the arts in learning, Dr. Bakalis incorporates acting and theatre techniques in her business and continuing-education seminars and workshops.

Bakalis holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Theatre from DePaul University, a Masters in Communication from Northeastern Illinois University, and a Doctorate of Education from Northern Illinois University. Her continued professional training includes certificates in acting from London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Athens Centre in Greece. Dr. Bakalis is dedicated to tapping into the creative artist in all of us.