Chad Eric Bergman has collaborated in theatre and film as a director, playwright, scholar, translator and designer. He earned his PhD in Theatre History and Criticism from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and for his research spent a year in Finland on a Fulbright Award examining the political implications of bilingual theatre. That bridge between two languages and how different cultural systems negotiate the liminal space between has inspired his work with Xunesis—seemingly different groups (scientists and artists) coming together to explore a wide range of scientific topics in new and exciting ways.

As an active member of the vibrant Chicago theatre scene, Bergman has worked with a wide range of theatres including: Stage Left Theatre, Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, Live Bait Theater and Meztli Cultural Center. As a playwright, his work has been performed at several venues in Illinois and universities across the nation. He has also been an artist in residence at the Ragdale Foundation. In addition to his professional production work, he is currently a professor at North Park University in Chicago teaching acting and directing.

Dr. Bergman's commitment to using the arts in primary and secondary education was fostered when he served as director for the Swedish Language program at the Concordia Language Villages. Now 13 languages strong, CLV is an internationally recognized and respected language and culture immersion program preparing young people for global citizenship since 1961. Most recently, he wrote and implemented a new curriculum for Concordia on how to creatively use digital video and the filmmaking process in language learning.