Samuel J Lewis II

Born in rural Tennessee and raised in St. Louis, Sam moved to Chicago to attend Columbia College in 1995. In 1999 Sam became a founding member and Director of the Elastic Arts Foundation (EAF.) Since that time, Sam has worked to enrich the tremendous arts scene in Chicago. His credits include AFTRA voice-work, acting in several theater productions, commercials, and films. He created and curates the Hip-Hop and Dark Matter Series at Elastic. He was a founder of the Logan Square Arts Festival and A Day In Avondale.
 

Sam has performed in several puppetry festivals, held workshops for Chicago Public School students, and worked as a Teaching Resident with Elastic and Redmoon Theater Company. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of Elastic Arts and I AM Logan Square and was a founder and board member of the Logan Square Chamber of Arts. Most recently, Sam was a cast member in Marvin Tate's adaptation of Langston Hughes' Ask Your Mama, which was commissioned by the Jazz Institute of Chicago and performed in late 2017 as part of their Jazz City series. Sam is also a 2018 Resident at Ragdale Foundation, focusing on creating new puppetry work.

Chicago