Niles North Theatre choreographer and alum Lauryn Schmelzer (class of 2014) was awarded a Jeff Award for her choreography work on the musical The Wild Party by the Blank Theatre Company. This was Schmelzer’s first time working as a head choreographer for a professional production. 

The Jeff Awards is an award ceremony that honors Chicago theatre, with both equity and non-equity categories. Schmelzer was nominated for best choreography for The Wild Party, a musical about a fighting couple at a party in the 1920s.

The Blank Theatre Company is a small storefront theatre in Chicago. The Wild Party takes place in a living room the whole time, which Schmelzer said was an interesting, yet challenging aspect of choreographing the show. “I think my favorite feedback that I got about the choreography was because the space was small, that it really did feel like everyone [in the audience] was in the living room of this couple attending the party,” Schmelzer said. “The dancers were almost right on top of you in the little space.”

Another challenge Schmelzer faced was choreographing actors that weren’t as experienced dancers. “Sometimes, even in contemporary musicals, dance isn’t always emphasized. So I really wanted to make dance a primary part of the show. We had a lot of actors who were incredibly talented singers, incredibly talented actors, and really good movers, but weren’t necessarily professional dancers,” Schmelzer said. “So you know, that was definitely a challenge for choreography. [What choreographing at] Niles North [Theatre] really helps me with is to come up with movement that is impressive and going to put on a good show. But it’s also attainable for a variety of levels.”

Since this was Schmelzer’s first professional production, she was shocked when she found out about the nomination and even more surprised when she was announced the winner. “I’ve been dreaming about something like this since I was a kid,” Schmelzer said. “So I had some talking points prepared, I had a little speech in mind. It was really cool to get up there. And very surreal. I mean the whole thing is a little disorienting, but it’s very cool and exciting.” 

Schmelzer, a Niles North alum (class of 2014), has been choreographing the musicals for Niles North’s theatre program for three years, calling it “the highlight of [her] year.” Schmelzer worked as assistant choreographer for Chicago (2019), and head choreographer for Matilda (2020) and School of Rock (2022). Schmelzer has been dancing since she was three years old, starting at Skokie’s Devonshire Cultural Center. She was heavily involved in theatre during her time as a student (usually as the student dance captain), as well being on the Auroris dance team.

Schmelzer attended Northwestern University as a dance major, before adding a poli-sci major to her plate at the end of her freshman year, sparked by the 2016 election. Now, she’s enrolled in law school. Schmelzer has traveled to Malawi, a country in Africa, for a project she’s working on. Her and her team are working to make sure women have wills written so if their spouse passes away, they can inherit their spouse’s property without complications from their in-laws. 

Schmelzer will continue to attend law school next year and is set to choreograph next year’s musical. When asked if she considered herself a “dancing lawyer” or a “lawyer that dances,” Schmelzer said she considers herself to be a little bit of both.

“I think there’s a lot of people at Niles North that have multifaceted talents. So I would just say that people shouldn’t be afraid to embrace all sides of themselves,” Schmelzer said. “And I think that’s a tough thing about being an adult. When you’re in high school, you get to do academics and art. But then the older you get the more you’re encouraged to narrow in on one thing– which, there are only so many hours in the day– but I would encourage people to feel like they don’t have to necessarily choose between art and other aspects of yourself.”