Shakespeare's Associates Artistic Associates

Shakespeare’s Associates 2007-2008 Season

Artistic Associates

Matt Ballin
Rob Evans
Bryant Hoex
Hannah Knapp
Nikolai Lotkteff
Joanne Martin
Michael Wayne Rice
Russel Marcel
Deborah Munro
Neil Riley
Peggy Riley

Producers Circle

Judy Fenton
Don Meeker
Peta Grimes
Marsha Howard
Martie Muldoon
Donna Blevins

Artistic Associates are artists that are integral to the company’s growth in more ways than by the already considerable gift of their acting, directing or design work. These artists are active in the Greater Bay Area theater scene and keep an eye out in the theatrical community for artists to recommend to the company. They advise the producing artistic director Lisa Tromovitch on matters artistic, and pitch in as needed utilizing skills beyond what the public may see noted in the show program.

Producers Circle members are active in the Tri-Valley community who donate more time and skills than can be noted with one job title. They keep an eye out in the Tri-Valley for other like-minded citizens who can be recommended to the company as volunteers, artists, or future staff members. They advise the producing artistic director on community matters and act as liaisons to other community groups. They each take on volunteer staff positions for the year, and are ready to do whatever it takes to produce high quality theater here in the Tri-Valley.

Staff

	Lisa A. Tromovitch (Producing Artistic Director) is a founder of Shakespeare’s Associates/Livermore Shakespeare Festival, Valley Shakespeare Festival and Maine Shakespeare Festival, with 40 professional directing credits in six states. She is a Backstage West Garland Award and Indy Award winner for her direction of Amadeus at PCPA; an Arty Award nominee (best direction of a musical: Forever Plaid and Honk! at Suisun Harbor and Solano College) and a Bessie nominee (direction of Having Our Say at Lost Nation Theater in Vermont). Last year she directed ‘art’ and The Comedy of Errors for SA, and Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood for Pacific Theater at University of the Pacific, Stockton, where she is a full-time professor in Theatre Arts. She has 15 years of management experience in non-profit performing arts, and was founding chair of the Bangor Region Arts Council. She serves on the Theatre Services Committee of Theatre Bay Area and is Chair of the Training Committee of Shakespeare Theatre Association of America. MFA from Southern Methodist University; BA, magna cum laude, from Dartmouth College, member Phi Beta Kappa.
	Katie Marcel (Administrative Associate) treasurer of the board of directors for Shakespeare's Associates for the past three years, was recently hired as the company's first permanent employee. She was formerly employed by Livermore Downtown Inc. as the Assistant Director, spending the past six years assisting the downtown's renaissance. Marcel also served a term as one of the original members of the City of Livermore's Commission for the Arts. In addition to her non-profit experience, Marcel has a BA in Theater Arts from Santa Clara University and managed a bi-coastal talent management company in New York City. Long before her move into arts and non-profit management, Katie lived another life as a cabaret singer and actress in New York City. Katie now lives in downtown Livermore with her husband, Russ, and daughter, Zoe.
	Russell Marcel (Education Director) has worked as an actor and director in New York City, London, San Francisco and San Jose.He has a BA in Theatre from Santa Clara University and is a graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts classical acting program. He currently directs plays and teaches British Literature andShakespeare at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose. Russ happily lives with his wife (Katie), daughter (Zoe), and chocolate lab (Dakota).
	Jim Harrington (Technical Advisor) BSME & BSEE Wichita State University, MBA Rockhurst University. Engineering Director, West Coast, Edge Product Development.
	Laura Batti (Website/Logo/Program Designer) is a graphic designer and owner of Metier Marketing Communications, Inc. She has extensive experience in all forms of marketing, including graphic design, tradeshows, writing, web development, presentations/online demos, and project management. Laura has worked with Shakespeare's Associates since its inception, designing the website and Shakespeare Festival programs.
	James Koponen (Webmaster) With over ten years' experience designing and maintaining websites, he can help with any website in need. As well, if you're thinking of starting a website, contact him today!
	Cherie Jo Patenaude (Office Volunteer)

Bios

	Matt Ballin holds a BFA in Theater from UC Santa Barbara and an MFA in Theater from Ohio State. He has been a certified Actor/Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) and has produced, acted, and directed throughout the Bay Area. Matt iscurrently teaching theater at Washington High School, in Fremont, and is an Associate Artist, Actor, and Fight Choreographer with the Livermore Shakespeare Festival.
	Rob Evans has performed a variety of roles in the theater, having designed sound for They're Playing Our Song, lighting for H.M.S. Pinafore, and stage managed Dial 'M' for Murder, as well as designing the lighting for the most recent two Shakespeare's Associates productions. He has played in the pit orchestras for over twenty musical, and currently plays saxophone with the rockabilly group The Sons of Emperor Norton and with the Rob Evans Quartet, a jazz ensemble playing standards in the Bay Area.
	Judy Fenton (Producing Associate) has performed with Children's Theater Workshop, Pleasanton Playhouse, and Civic Arts. She has assisted Shakespeare's Associates over the past four years in a variety of roles, including stage manager, volunteer coordinator, props master, house manager and most importantly as the one-and-only "Raffle Queen."
	Peta Grimes enlisted as a volunteer at VSF in the production of Wharton One Acts. This was her first theatre experience since high school, and it was so enjoyable that she re-enlisted to help future productions.
	Bryant Hoex is excited to return for his third summer at Retzlaff, having previously appeared in All's Well That Ends Well and As You Like It. He was last seen as Yvan in Art at the Bothwell Arts Center, and has also worked with Calaveras Repertory Theatre, where favorite roles include Octave in Scapin and Lt. Ralph Clarke in Our Country's Good. Since attending SCU on an acting scholarship and graduating with honors as a Theatre Arts/English double major, Bryant has been teaching and directing all around the Bay Area for the past 14 years. He has also taught summer drama programs from Los Gatos to Pleasanton, working with all age levels from K-12. Bryant currently directs three shows a year--including an annual Shakespearean revue--at Wells Middle School in Dublin, and starting in August will split time as the Drama director of both Wells and Dublin High School.
	Marsha Howard returned to the Livermore Shakespeare Festival for her second Shakespearean experience as Luce in The Comedy of Errors. Last year, she played Marianna in All’s Well That Ends Well and Alice Lethbury in The Wharton One-Acts with other members of Shakespeare’s Associates. Previously, she appear in Bye Bye Birdie (Mrs MacAfee), My Fair Lady (Mrs Higgins) and Oklahoma, all with Pleasanton Playhouse.
	Hannah Knapp recent projects include Ophelia in Hamlet (Impact Theatre), Della in The Gifts of the Magi (also with VSF) and Contours: A Shakespeare Project (Crowded Fire Theater Company Matchbox Production). A voiceover artist as well as a theater actor and jazz vocalist, Hannah holds a BA in French and Theater Theory and Performance from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts.
	Nikolai Lokteff This is Nikolai’s third appearance on stage with other artists of Livermore Shakespeare Festival. In 2005, he acted in As You Like It and co-produced The Gifts of the Magi, and in 2006 he played Julian in The Mission of Jane. Nikolai has worked with companies throughout the bay area including The Willows, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Shakespeare at Stinson, Pacific Alliance Stage Co., Marin Shakespeare Co., and others. When not on stage, Nikolai is a teacher, a voiceover artist, and a graphic designer, which includes designing graphics for Livermore Shakespeare Festival.
	Joanne Martin is our Costume Designer and a Lecturer in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Santa Clara University and has most recently designed costumes for A Few Good Men at City Lights Theatre in San Jose and Execution of Justice at Santa Clara University. Joanne has also worked during the summer seasons at Santa Fe Opera, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, CalShakes, Idaho Repertory Theatre, Valley Shakespeare Festival, and designed costumes for SA's productions of Proof and Art.
	Don Meeker has a long term interest in the performing arts. Don is a retired Chemist from Sandia Laboratories and currently Curator of the Livermore History Center. Over the past four years Don has served as Box Office Manager on the Bothwell Series and Shakespeare Festival shows, and helped build, paint and strike sets, in addition to an assortment of other duties.
	Martie Muldoon is a frequent singer, actor and musician with local groups such as Shakespeare's Associates, Pleasanton Playhouse, Livermore Valley Opera, Livermore Amador Symphony, San Ramon Community Theater and Asbury Players. She was seen as the Widow in All's Well That Ends Well, and has coordinated the pre-show music for the past two summers. When not on stage herself, Martie is a music teacher in the Pleasanton schools, directs Pleasanton Playhouse's Youth Chorus and Summer Camp programs, and is an instructor for Cantabella Children's Chorus.
	Deborah Munro returned to SA as The Complete Works... Stage Manager, and Twelfth Night Front-of-House manager for LSF '08 after stage managing All's Well that Ends Well and As You Like It, and interning in Cymbeline. She is a recent graduate of University of Chicago, where she participated in over fifteen productions as a manager, director, actor, and technician. This fall, she will join American Conservatory Theater as an arts management intern.
	Michael Wayne Rice holds a BA in theatre from California State University Northridge and an MFA from the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC). Michael has worked in New York, Kansas City, Los Angeles and San Francisco. While at UMKC he was fortunate enough to work with the Dell ‘Arte School of Physical Theatre. Michael has worked on shows such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Flute), Great Expectations (Pumble and Wemmick), The Glass Menagerie (Tom), Enemy of the People (Dr. Stockman), Boesman and Lena (Boesman), Angels in America (Belize), The Miser (The Officer), Elephant Man (The Doctor), Slaughter City (Tuck) and A Christmas Carol. He’s also worked with VSF as an actor in Cymbeline (Cloten), and As You Like It (Jaques) and directed VSF's The Promise, part of The Wharton One Acts.
	Neil Riley (photographer) has retired from the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory to the arts! He is the photographer and lobby display designer for both Livermore Shakespeare's Associates and Las Positas College Theater.
	Peggy Riley recently retired after teaching English at Las Positas College for over 20 years, including studies in Shakespeare. She holds an MA in English from UC Berkeley and an MA in history from Montana State University. She is delighted to return to her first love, theatre, as dramaturge for the Las Positas College Theater Arts Department and now for Livermore Shakespeare Festival.
	Elissa Beth Stebbins (Administrative Associate) has appeared with Shakespeare's Associates as Viola in Twelfth Night, Diana in As You Like It, Phebe in All's Well that Ends Well, and Willy Porter in The Gifts of the Magi. She has also worked with Eastenders Repertory Company, TheatreWorks and Word for Word. Elissa earned a B.A. in Theatre Arts and English from Santa Clara University, and enjoys teaching theatre whenever possible.
	Donna Blevins performed in the Edith Wharton One-Acts and has worked behind the scenes on several SA productions. She has appeared with local theater, Livermore Valley Opera chorus, and will be seen in 2 films with the CA Indie Film Festival.