John Rooney is at home in the theater; it's just his current gig at Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a change from his normal role as director or producer.
He is a script supervisor at Steppenwolf, hired on a show-by-show basis, and recently has been working on Three Sisters, which runs through Aug. 19.
Rooney's role involves working with the stage manager and the playwright, processing all changes and updates.
"I enjoy [the job]; it's a change of pace from what I'm normally doing, which is directing," Rooney said. "In this case, I'm specifically working with the playwright and the stage managers on a more managerial level to make sure that everything is up to date, everyone has what they need.
"What I enjoy the most is, I get to be a part of the Steppenwolf process. Most of the time when I'm freelancing, I'm working with store-front theatres and while it's more hands-on, it is not always of the same caliber that nationally recognized Steppenwolf is. I get to work with amazing artists [at Steppenwolf.]"
Rooney said his role as associate artistic director for Red Tape Theatre is more of an administrative position, pushing forward for the artistic vision of the company rather than an individual project.
Three Sisters is Rooney's fourth show that he's been involved with at Steppenwolf. Each is a little different, he said, "but it's a fantastic opportunity and a great insight to original theatre."
Rooney got connected with Steppenwolf while in college, when he was the stage manager for The Twins Would Like To Say.
"Things are going really well for me, and hopefully there are opportunities for other work at Steppenwolf in the future," said Rooney, who also serves as the interim executive assistant to the dean at DePaul's theater school.
"The exciting part of being a freelancer is that I get to work with all of these companies and get to meet all of these people," Rooney said. "It may not be as steady as some other jobs, but it provides me with great connections and insights into theatres of different sizes."
THE STATS
Age: 24
Relationship status: Single
Job title: Associate artistic director, Red Tape Theatre in Chicago
Hobbies: Movies
Favorite movie: Love Actually and Hotel Rwanda
Favorite TV show: Dr. Who
Favorite local bar: Bad Apple in North Center
Little-known fact: Minored in American Sign Language at DePaul University