Meet the cast: Maya Boudreau

Maya Boudreau plays Hannah, Miriam and Aaron’s older daughter in Hatboxes. She graduated with a BFA in Theatre with honors from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts in just three years.

Maya grew up in a small town in Illinois. It was here that Maya developed a strong sense of who she was. From a young age, Maya was involved in community and school theatrical productions.  At age fourteen, Maya and her parents moved to Chicago where she went to Walter Payton College Prep High School. 

While living in Chicago, Maya took advantage of every cultural experience that she could. Chicago became her home. Maya had the honor of studying and performing with such prestigious and innovative companies as Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Lookingglass Theatre, The Second City, American Theatre Company and Piven Theatre Workshop, among others. 

Meet the Hatboxes Cast: Fawzia Mirza

Fawzia Mirza plays Lena, Nadine's pal. 

You may have seen her around on stage or on screen.  She appeared recently at the Goodman Theater in Happiest Song. 

Her film work includes roles in features Jamie and Jessie Are Not Together, Promise Land, The Queen of My Dreams, and Silhouettes.

She’s produced documentaries (Fish out of Water, A Message from the East), and has done stand-up comedy.

She also admits to a past as a lawyer. But now you can see her regularly in web series like Easy Abby. She’s writer and producer as well as star of a satirical web series that follows Kameron, the fictional long-lost lesbian Kardashian sister who was cut off, kicked out, and left to fend for herself. And here’s a sample of Kam Kardashian.

Announcing Our Cast

We are delighted to announce the actors that have been cast for roles in HATBOXES.

Miriam will be played by Robyn Okrant, a veteran actor of Chicago theatre and indie film.  Miriam is an orthodox woman with three children trying to deal with her husband's abandonment of the family and of Orthodox Judaism.

Playing Nadine is Kat O'Connor, who studied acting both in the US and London, and has acted in theatre and film productions in Chicago.  Nadine is a secular Jewish lawyer who has been out as a lesbian for years but is trying to figure out what it is she's longing for.

The estranged husband of Miriam is Aaron, also a lawyer,  who will be played by Tom Hickey. He recently had a role in the pilot for Underemployed and has played many roles on the stage for companies like Straw Dog Theatre and Lakeside Shakespeare.

Nadine's friend Lena is a creative business woman, free spirited, energetic and witty. She will be played by Fawzia Mirza. She was in the new film Scrooge and Marley, that is currently in post production, and has appeared in many Chicago indie films.

Rounding out the cast is Maya Boudreau who plays Hannah, the 15 year-old (and oldest) daughter of Miriam and Aaron. Maya is a graduate of New York University. Locally she has performed with  companies such as Lookingglass Theatre and American Theatre Company.