performance & agent contact

AGENT INFO:  Please visit www.PaonessaTalent.com to view my acting resume, as well as for any theatrical, on-camera, voice over, or live event bookings.

My acting career began at the age of 3 as a fidgety Christmas pageant angel in my hometown of Elgin, IL. Since then, I have appeared in hundreds of productions, eventually earning my Bachelor's in Theatre from Roosevelt University and a Post Graduate Award in Teaching Shakespeare from The University of Warwick, in conjunction with The Royal Shakespeare Company, in Coventry, England. I also worked for many years as a plus size model in Chicago, NYC and LA. Currently, I am part of the faculty at Acting Studio Chicago, teaching the Shurtleff Technique through scene study, as well as a member of the adjunct faculty at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts.I I also work as a private audition and monologue coach, and as a freelance director. I am a proud member of SAG-AFTRA.

I have appeared in several feature and independent films, industrials, national TV shows, and commercials. My voice has been heard on podcasts, corporate videos, cartoons, and live event demonstrations. My image has been in national magazines and runways as a plus and commercial print model.  And I have had the privilege of performing in the Chicago theatre community for most of my life.

RECENT WORK!

Played 'Lord Capulet' in Lakeside Shakespeare's 2024 Romeo and Juliet

The Feature Film "Let's Start A Cult, released in Theatres 10/25/24! Streaming 11/12!

Summer '24 played Lord Capulet in Lakeside Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Understudied Beatrice in the Jeff Award winning, "A View From The Bridge", for Shattered Globe Theatre

Featured role in the feature film "My Grown Up Christmas Wish', starring Mario Lopez

]Nurse/Lady Cap cover for Chicago Shakespeare Theatre's Romeo and Juliet

Look out for the upcoming podcast "Big Sandy", where I play a number of different characters telling the story of one woman's life growing up in Appalachia. I can also be seen in a supporting role in the BET+ feature, "North of The 10", which premiered February 2022. Recent TV work includes a co-star on a fun Holiday episode on Season 10 of NBC's "Chicago Fire". I can also be seen in commercials for AR Lotto and John Deere, both shot in Fall 2020.