About CAST

For over 35 years, the CAST performing arts program has taught, mentored and empowered District 97 Julian Middle School students in a creative and supportive environment. CAST offers children a place to learn new skills, take creative risks, make friends and have fun!

Under the guidance of professional artists, performance art is used to help students stretch their imaginations and discover their talents. CAST serves as a kind of laboratory for the arts. Student apprentices are not passive recipients of information. They learn by doing. Students make their own decisions and, with the assistance of professional mentors, they learn all that they need to create exciting works of performance art. In the process, they learn important communication, problem-solving and interpersonal skills that will last a lifetime.

Our Programs

CAST provides a range of options for students at Julian Middle School and its feeder schools:

Arts in Education

In addition to our after-school theater programs, we also provide a wide range of resources for District 97 including:

• Coaching Julian’s 1st place Speech Team.

• Creating after-school workshops that explore topics such as diversity, violence prevention and the media.

• Serving as an arts resource to Julian teachers in the classroom, helping to explore subjects such as the Civil War through songs and poetry or the skeletal system through rap songs.

Our Staff

Bill McGlynn, Program Director

Bill McGlynn has been at the helm of CAST since 1994. It is his artistic vision that has set the program’s high standard for innovation and excellence. Bill considers himself an educator first and foremost. Each year he creates an innovative season that is designed to teach and challenge middle schoolers and audiences alike. He has worked to make the program as inclusive as possible, including having a “no cut” policy, expanding the Crew program, creating the innovative DesignCORE program and working with the Henry E. Reid Memorial Scholarship Fund to ensure CAST is accessible for all.

Bill is a graduate of Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts, with a degree in History, Middle School Education and Theatre Arts. He completed his Masters with distinction at the prestigious joint program of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and Kings College in London, UK. His theatrical accomplishments include appearances at Nobel and Pulitizer Prize winner Derrick Walcott’s Playwright’s Theatre and the Boston University Dramatic Society, of which he was a co-founder. Bill is a proud alumnus of both Oak Park and River Forest High School, where he received the James Eitrheim Award for Excellence in the Dramatic Arts, and Julian Junior High School, where he was a participant in the first year of the the CAST program.

Cory Marshall, Program Manager

Cory Marshall worked at Julian Middle School for over 10 years before becoming CAST Program Manager in 2022. Cory’s high school and college theater experiences have made her an enthusiastic member of the CAST program. When not in the CAST Lab, she enjoys spending time with her dog Chelsea, kayaking, and hiking with friends and family. 

Artistic Associates

CAST Council

The volunteer CAST Council oversees fundraising and serves as ambassadors to the Oak Park community, including:

• Communicating and promoting the CAST program and activities within the Julian community.

• Designing and implementing fundraising activities.

• Providing advice and assistance to the CAST Program Director and Program Manager.

Current members are:  

Henry & Sherlynn Reid Memorial Scholarship Fund

Since 1993, the Henry & Sherlynn Reid Memorial Scholarship Fund has enabled all children, regardless of specific needs, to participate fully in CAST.

The Reid Fund is named after Henry Reid, who served for 17 years with Oak Park School District 97 as a social worker for Hatch, Holmes and Julian schools. In that time, Henry Reid touched many student's lives. One of the earliest supporters of the CAST program, Henry believed that CAST could positively affect children's lives regardless of the differences in their abilities.

Upon Henry's death in 1993, his wife, Sherlynn, and his 3 daughters—Mary, Dorothy and Lorie—honored his wish and established the fund. Since then, the Reid Fund has given thousands of dollars in scholarships to students who otherwise could not afford a quality performing arts experience. Reid Scholarships are available to help defray the cost of CASTJr. and CASTSummer.

Sherlynn Reid, an amazing woman in her own right, passed away in March 2021. Sherlynn was the head of Community Relations in Oak Park for over twenty years. She also served on the CAST Council for over twenty years, providing vast knowledge and support throughout her many years with us. After Sherlynn’s death, the name of the scholarship fund was changed to reflect the dedication and support CAST has received from both Henry and Sherlynn and is now called the Henry & Sherlynn Reid Memorial Scholarship Fund.

For more information, visit the Reid Scholarship Fund website.

For any questions regarding scholarships, please contact Cory Marshall.