Meet Setting the Stage’s amazing team

Leslie Holliday

Leslie is co-founder of Setting the Stage, where her main focus is choreography. She also creates the sets and costumes. Her background includes studying English at University of Illinois and Interior Design at Harper College, eight years of ballet training along with a smattering of tap and jazz, and participation in many community theater productions. Leslie believes that true success is achieved when there is no distinction between work and play! She feels truly blessed to share her love of musical theater with so many talented young actors.

Cessie DeTogne

Cessie has studied voice for over twenty years, and has been a Director/Choreographer for almost the same amount of time. She graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2003 with a Bachelor’s Degree in VocalPerformance. In the years since then, she has taught private voice, primarily to high school students in the northwest suburbs. Her combination of study and experience makes her uniquely skilled in building confidence and explaining healthy singing practices to young beginners, including breathing, projection, musicianship, and artistry. Cessie is currently getting her masters degree in education.

Carly Stocking

Carly joined the STS family over twenty years ago when she starred as the "Hooverville Soloist" in Annie.  It was then that she caught the acting bug.  Carly received her BFA in Acting from Illinois Wesleyan University, with a focus on vocal performance, Shakespeare, and directing.  After college, she performed with several theatre companies throughout the US and joined the Actor's Equity Association while starring as Cinderella at the B Street Theatre in Sacramento, CA.  She spent five years in New York City working as an actress, director, and producer. Carly is a cabaret singer and producer at Hey Nonny in Arlington Heights and throughout the Chicagoland area. She is ecstatic to be working with the company that allowed her to flourish as a young actress, and she is honored to be a part of the artistic growth of these young performers.