Theatre
I am a theatrical administrator and a producing theatrical artist, with an emphasis on directing, scenic design and costuming.
Theatre was my gateway to all areas of the creative process. The experience of producing art for live audiences has served me even when my path diverged from the original plan. Whether producing or reviewing, I always find my way back.
Since receiving my BA in Technical Theatre, I have participated in over 30 productions in the Metro DC area and Upstate New York.
In 2005, I founded OutOftheBlackBox Theatre Company, a 501(c)(3) non-profit theatre organization devoted to “meta-theatre” (theatre about theatre). Since founding the company, I’ve revised and written scripts, directed original works, designed sets, costumes, lighting and sound. As artistic director, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the finest talent in the Metro DC region.
In 2009, I became General Manager of the Greenbelt Arts Center, where I worked hard to improve all aspects of the non-profit organization’s administrative and production standards, from transitioning patron and donor tracking to online management through Arts People, to working toward improving production areas, spearheading the creation of a dedicated scenic shop, standardizing scheduling process and updating marketing materials for events throughout the full twelve-month season.
In 2014, I took on the role of Director of Guest Services for the Puppet Co., which for over thirty years has provided children’s puppet theater in and around the DC region, located in Glen Echo Park (a part of The George Washington Memorial Parkway, which the National Park Service manages). I handle all aspects of Box Office management, patron ticket and group sales purchases and more. As a theatre administrator, I work with some of the most talented puppeteers in the country, and serve as hostess to as many as 600 patrons a day.
My parents, native New Yorkers, met and connected over a love of theatre. My father wanted to be a theatrical photographer and my mother was intensely interested in costume and the arts. In 1974 I saw my first Broadway production, Doug Henning’s The Magic Show. It was only a matter of time before I found my own way into production, though I’m most often found backstage.
I was lucky to be at SUNY New Paltz at a time when the theatre program was fresh and the department welcoming to students who were outside the official program. As a pre-Anthropology major, my first backstage experience (a production of Kander and Ebb’s Cabaret) was so inspiring that before the semester ended I’d changed my major to theatre, a change I’ve regretted only occasionally.