TOKEN TEAM
DAVID RHEE
Artistic Director
David began his career as an actor after graduating from New York’s Circle in the Square Musical Theatre program. Since then he appeared on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning Thoroughly Modern Millie, worked at numerous theatres across America including Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Silk Road Rising, et el., and starred on televison’s Law and Order. David returned to school to earn his MFA at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in Dramatic Writing on full scholarship where he worked with Oskar Eustis at the Public Theater, Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks, Lucas Hnath, Eduardo Machado, and Kristoffer Diaz. David has also been a guest lecturer at Northwestern University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. David is the recipient of the 2021 3Arts/Reva & David Logan Foundation Award, the Tisch School of the Arts Departmental Fellowship, and the Rackham Merit Fellowship Award, and he is the Department Chair for Theatre and Dance at Phillips Exeter Academy.
david@tokentheatre.net
WAI YIM
Managing Director
Wai is an actor, director, choreographer, and playwright. He’s a proud member of Actors' Equity and SAG-AFTRA. Originally from Hong Kong, he immigrated to Omaha, NE and now resides in Chicago. He toured nationally with THE WHITE SNAKE, and THE NOTEBOOKS OF LEONARDO DA VINCI, both written and directed by Tony Award winner: Mary Zimmerman. In Chicago, he has worked with: Token Theatre, Goodman Theatre, A Red Orchid Theatre, TimeLine Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Victory Gardens Theater, and Silk Road Rising. Movie credits: North of the 10 and Fatal Influence: Like, Follow and Survive. TV credits: Work in Progress (Showtime), Power Book IV: Force (Stars), Chicago PD (NBC), neXt (Fox), Patriot (Amazon) and The Chi (Showtime). As a director; Wai directed THE CHINESE LADY, THE GREAT LEAP, and THE WILD PARTY at BLUEBARN Theatre, and he received The Omaha Entertainment and Arts Award for Best Director (THE CHINESE LADY, THE GREAT LEAP) and Best New Script for his play THE EMPEROR & THE FOOL.
Website: whyyim.com
Alka Nayyar
Communications Director
Karina Patel
Associate Producer
Karina Patel (she/her) is a devised theatre artist, director and dramaturg born in London, based in Chicago and raised everywhere else. She is so excited to be making work with Token! She is currently the New Works Manager at Jackalope Theatre Company and Assistant to the Creative Producer at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. She has developed new work as a director/dramaturg with The Understudy Chicago, APIDA Arts Festival, TimeLine Theatre Company, 24 Hour Plays, Pocket Theatre VR, Physical Festival, and Telling Humans Playwrights Studio. Karina has served as an assistant director at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Court Theatre, and was the Associate Director on Madhuri Shekar’s HOUSE OF JOY at the Repertory Theatre of St Louis. She has directed several youth circus-theatre productions at the Actor’s Gymnasium (and is finally starting to learn some circus herself!).
Nina Jayashankar
Social Media Manager
Nina is so excited to be a part of the Token team! She is an actor and a graduate of Northwestern University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with the Music Theatre Certificate, as well as another major in Mathematics.
Originally from San Jose, CA, Nina has worked on a variety of musicals, plays, and workshops in Chicago at a number of companies including TimeLine Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, CPA Theatricals, Music Theatre Works, and Haven Theatre. She is proud to be represented by Gray Talent Group.
Simran deokule
Assoicate Producer
