A longtime Chicago stage actor and an Evanston Township High School graduate (‘89), James Vincent Meredith takes on an important role in Chicago’s version of the Tony Award-winning musical, “The Book of Mormon,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

“Avenue Q” composer Robert Lopez and “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone jointly created the Broadway musical, which tells the tale of two Mormon missionaries trying to connect with a remote village in Northern Uganda. Meredith plays the spiritual leader of the village, Mafala Hatimbi.

Meredith grew up in Evanston, where his parents still live. He studied acting at the Piven Theatre Workshop based in Evanston, according to the Sun-Times, where he attended five years of drama instruction taught by Byrne and Joyce Piven. He is also currently a member of the Steppenwolf ensemble, a local Chicago theater company.

— Ina Yang