Friday, October 2, 2026
@ RAUE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Free Admission | Donations Welcome
Event Schedule
- 7:00 pm: Lobby open to the public
- 7:30 pm: Seating begins, general admission
- 8:00 pm: “Timepiece” (approx 8:40)
- 8:10 pm: “Follow Through” & Studio Trailer (approx 18:19 and 1:14)
- 8:30 pm: Intermission
- 8:45 pm: “Break Away” (approx 34:17)
- 9:20 pm: Q&A onstage with Break Away cast and creatives
- 10:00 pm: End of event
TIMEPIECE
Friday, October 2nd, 2026 @ 8:00 pm
After missing her bus, Sam has an interaction with a strange old man that ends up meaning a lot more to her.
CREATIVES:
Directors
Writer
Stars
FOLLOW THROUGH
Friday, October 2nd, 2026 @ 8:10 pm
A late-night encounter on a New York City street leads to a profound connection between a teen-in-need and a DeafBlind man.
CREATIVES:
- Director
- Writer
- Stars
Featured Selection
BREAK AWAY
Friday, October 2nd, 2026 @ 8:45 pm
Break Away begins with a classic underdog premise: Brandie, a 12-year-old girl from a trailer park, secretly enters an elite soccer tryout and forces everyone to notice her extraordinary speed. Yet the film’s central conflict extends beyond athletic ability. Brandie may be fast enough to earn the coaches’ attention, but entering a polished and fiercely competitive program means crossing social boundaries that talent alone cannot erase.
Winner of the 2026 “Indie Short Fest” Festival
Winner – 2026 “Indie Short Fest” Award of Excellence (Special Jury Mention)
Best Producer- Dan Minogue
Best Male Director- Michael McCracken
Best Editor – Samuel Means
Best Young Actress – Nora Close
BREAK AWAY Q&A Bios
Dan Minogue – Screenwriter & Producer
Dan Minogue (Screenwriter/Producer) Grew up in Crystal Lake, 30+ years as an Entrepreneur in the Chicagoland area. Dan has 2 children who also went to same Junior High (Lundahl) and High School (Crystal Lake South) as him! He helped to start The Red Twist Theater in Chicago with Michael Colucci. Break Away was the first venture into filmmaking. Break Away is currently being presented at film festivals and he hopes to have this made into a feature film soon!
Michael McCracken – Director
Michael McCracken (Director) has been in the professional entertainment industry for over 20 years. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of Vagabond School of the Arts, Chicago’s most comprehensive on-camera training program. Before founding Vagabond School he was a tv/film, commercial and theatrical talent agent (Grossman & Jack Talent, Shirley Hamilton Talent) in Chicago. As an acting teacher and coach, he brings his experience as a freelance casting session director (Simon Casting, The Cast Station, Nina Day Casting), SAG-AFTRA actor (Chicago MED, Hyundai, Lunchables), film director, film producer, and improviser. He has produced 5 short films in 3 years with his most recent short, Break Away, making the festival circuit across the country.
Paul Miceli – Assistant Producer
Paul Miceli ( Assistant Producer) Grew up in Barrington. Played 4 years varsity at Barrington High School. While there, succeeded in scoring record 105 goals. Additionally, two years all-state, 4 years all-conference, 4 years all-regional. Played for Santos of Brazil at the age of 16 from 1983-84. Drafted out of high school to the Chicago Sting in 1987. Coaching youth teams for 40 years in the Chicagoland area.
Nora Close – Brandie
Nora Close (Brandie) is a fifteen-year-old actor from Chicago. She is a dual citizen of Ireland and the United States, with a foot in Galway and a foot on Lake Michigan. She loves to ride horses, draw, and paint, and she reads the way other people snack. Her first leading role, in Break Away, directed by Michael McCracken, earned her a Best Young Actress nomination from Indie Short Fest in Los Angeles in August 2026.
She would like a role with a horse in it, if anyone is asking.
Katie Romanski – Ruby
Joshua Green – Coach Paul
Joshua L. Green (Coach Paul) is a Chicago-based stage/TV actor and is excited to be part of Break Away. Recent credits: TV: Paper Girls (Amazon), Chicago Fire (NBC), and Empire (Fox). Theater: South Pacific (Paramount Theater) Big White Fog (Court Theater) True West (Copley), Stokley: An Unfinished Revolution (Court Theater), A Streetcar Named Desire (Copley), Champion (Lyric Opera), Birthday Candles (Northlight), A Distinct Society (Writer’s Theatre), Dreamgirls (Paramount); Sweat (Copley). Training: University of California-Los Angeles (MFA), British Academy of Dramatic Arts (Oxford). Represented by Big Mouth Talent. SAG-AFTRA.
Meghan McDonough – Brandie’s Mom
Meghan Maureen McDonough has appeared in several films, television shows, and commercials. Films: ICE HARVEST, SOLUTIONS, BREAK AWAY, AMERICAN UNDERDOG, GREY AREA (an award-winning short), and THE BURGER (an award-winning short, which she wrote, directed, and produced) Television: DARK MATTER, SCANDAL, GREY’S ANATOMY, MOM, CHICAGO MED, CHICAGO PD, PROVEN INNOCENT, THE CHI, CRIMINAL MINDS, CSI: CYBER, MAJOR CRIMES, HENRY DANGER, 90210, and HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. Notable stage credits: Chicago: the Circle Theatre production of STRIPPED (Joseph Jefferson Citation Nomination for Best Actress), Berkshires: Anglie in the American Premiere of Big Big Sky at The Chester Theater Company. Los Angeles: Circle X Theatre production of BAD APPLES (LA Weekly Theatre Award Nomination for Female Musical Performance). Meghan is the author and creator of Magnetize Your Light. Meghan is represented proudly by Grossman Jack Talent.
Nate Faust – Johnny
Becca McCracken CSA – Casting Director
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tim Paul
Board President
John Jacobsen
Vice President
Jerry Trachsler
Treasurer
Luanne Flavin
Secretary
Paul Leech
City Liaison
Mike H. Johnson
Richard Kuranda
Stacey McInerney
Jack Minsley
Rich Naponelli
Michelle Nowland
Sandra Pierce
Steven Szalaj
Courtney Petrocci
John DaCosse
Regan Shepley
John Green
Bob Atkinson
Matt Turk
Meredith Flowers
RAUE CENTER STAFF
Richard Kuranda
Raue Center CEO & Founding Artistic Director of Williams Street Repertory
Justin Wellington
Managing Director
Jenna Klaproth
Operations Manager
Meredith Schaefer-Flowers
Director of Marketing &
Institutional Advancement
Michele V. Knight
Marketing Manager
James Knight
Economic Development Manager
Rob Scharlow
Raue Center School for the Arts
Director of Education
Maribeth Ling
Front of House Manager
Chris Tumblin
Raue Center Director of Production
Lisa Giebler
Technical Director
Ryan Meadow
Raue Center Production Manager
Box Office Associates
Naomi Unverzagt
Nick Eversman
About Raue Center For The Arts
Raue Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of all through the arts. For 20 years, they have provided quality programming – striving to make it pertinent, available, and affordable to all. As a painstakingly restored, 1920s regional showcase theatre named for its benefactor—Lucile Raue—Raue Center has attracted the finest stars, Broadway shows, musicians and artists. Named on the League of Historic American Theatres, Raue Center is one of the finest examples of restored art and decor in the nation. The 750-seat theatre, located in historic downtown Crystal Lake, Illinois, is a gathering place for our region’s citizens and has become a true destination.
For additional information follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or visit rauecenter.org.
