DASH Consultants 2018-2019
EMACT's DASH consultant pool is composed of experienced community theater directors and professional educators with backgrounds in theater arts, art education, and/or hands-on experience.
What does it take to be a DASH consultant?
If you are interested in becoming a DASH Consultant, please submit a complete theatrical resume to the EMACT DASH Coordinators at: dash@emact.org
2018-2019 DASH Consultants:
Lis Adams holds B.A. in Theatre Arts from Brandeis University, and studied under Herbert Berghof and Carol Hall at HB Studio in New York City. As a teen she learned acting and stagecraft from the professional company and crew at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and has since been both onstage and backstage in three countries, performing and designing for community and professional theater, while serving on theater boards and committees in various capacities. She is a member of the Actors-in-Residence (AiR) program for Playwrights’ Platform at Lasell College and Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, and has performed and directed for their annual Festival of Plays. She has taught acting and Shakespeare classes at Concord Youth Theatre and for after-school programs. Lis is a current board member for Phi Beta Kappa Boston, and serves as Director of Education at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House in Concord.
Sandy Armstrong
J. Mark Baumhardt served as the EMACT DASH Co-Coordinator from 2013 thru 2017. Mark has directed a total of 18 productions for various groups, including The Quannapowitt Players, The Concord Players, Vokes Players, Arlington Friends of the Drama, Acme Theater, Hovey Players, and Needham Community Theater. He has also appeared on stage in over 20 productions dating back to 1994. Mark also loves to design sound and has close to ten credits under his belt. He has also produced, served on theater boards, and lugged his fair share of set pieces for EMACT Theater Festival and the Quannapowitt Players.
Monica Bruno has been a DASH consultant since 2010. She started out as a dancer and choreographer and then moved backstage to stage management. Over the last 20 years she has worked with multiple groups including Wakefield Repertory Theatre, The Footlight Club, Hovey Players, Burlington Players, Quannapowitt Players and The Concord Players. During the day, she works as the Office Manager for KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate. She has served on the Board of Wakefield Repertory Theater for 10 years and is the proud parent of two young thespians.
Liz Chirico
Celia Couture is an award-winning director with an MFA from Emerson College. Celia has represented EMACT directing three productions at the National AACT Festival, including Burlington Players’ production of Radium Girls, which won the National
Festival for Best Production. She has directed multiple shows which have earned DASH nominations and awards for Best Production, as well as the NETC Moss Hart Award and an IRNE award. She has directed for Vokes Players, Concord Players, Gloucester Stage Company, Wellesley Players, and many other local theatre groups. Celia was a founder and artistic director of the Woburn Repertory Theatre, and serves at the Vice President of the Wellesley Players. Celia is currently the president of EMACT, and has also served as the Vice President of Festivals, successfully running both the State and Regional Festival.
Meg Quin Dussault is a graduate of the Trinity Rep Conservatory where she earned her M.F.A in Acting. Meg enjoyed a career in NYC, but ultimately decided she wanted to settle down in Massachusetts and raise a family. Though she still is very active in the evenings as an actor and director, during the day Meg is the Director of Community Education for the Sharon Public Schools, and a student at Northeastern University where she is enrolled in the Ed.D. program.
Kevin Groppe
Robert Hallisey
Faye Harrington has been active in theater since high school. At the University of Minnesota, she was an English major but spent most of her time in the Drama department learning about every aspect of stage production. Faye was instrumental in the formation of the TCAN Players in Natick. In addition to producing, directing, designing and acting in many of the TCAN Players’ shows, she has also worked with other local companies such as the Hovey Players, Medway Players and Sudbury Savoyards. She has been a DASH Consultant since 2012 and recently became a Co-coordinator of the DASH program.
Susan Harrington
Kristin Hughes
Sheila Kelleher joined EMACT as a DASH consultant in 2017. She has been involved in community theatre for nearly 20 years, performing and directing for many theatre groups on the South Shore including Bay Players, Curtain Call Theatre, Nemasket River Productions, MMAS, Hull Performing Arts, Hat Trick Theatre and Plymouth Community Theatre, where she is currently serving as President. She holds a master’s degree from Emerson College in Theatre Education where she developed an Acting Workshop for Senior Citizens. She teaches Adult Acting at The Company Theatre in Norwell.
Michael McGarty has been active in community, regional, and professional theaters in the New York/New England area for over 45 years. He served as the Harvard Community Theater’s Artistic Director for 34 years, directing over 125 plays including four New England premieres of composer Jenny Giering’s work: Show, Crossing Brooklyn, Still Life and The Mistress Cycle. He was named Best Director at the 2012 EMACT festival for Crossing Brooklyn, and for both the latter productions at the New England Regional Festivals. In 2002, his production of ‘night Mother won the EMACT Best Production Award. As a lighting designer, Michael has won EMACT’s Best Lighting Design award for HCT’s entries of Crossing Brooklyn, The Mistress Cycle, No Exit, and Morning, Noon and Night in Central Park. Currently, Michael works as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild.
Ted Mitchell has over 30 years of experience in theater, both on the acting and directing front. For the past two years he has served as Artistic Director for Norton Singers and has directed musical theater productions for the group for almost 15 years. In 2017 he was honored with an EMACT DASH award for Best Direction of a Musical for Young Frankenstein; in 2016 he was nominated for Best Direction for Jekyll & Hyde. He is also the author of Pictures of You under the pen name T.J. Alexian, which was recognized with a BRAG designation.
John Murtaugh
Trudi Olivetti is a retired art librarian with an academic background in musicology, English literature and art history. While living in the Washington DC area, she was involved with several professional and community theaters as an actor, producer, director and dramaturg. Since moving to Massachusetts, Trudi has expended most of her dramatic energy with Marblehead Little Theater in various ways, but has also been involved with the Revels, Salem Theatre Company, and Quannapowitt Players. She has been a DASH consultant since 2016.
Sandy Philpott has served as the EMACT DASH Co-Coordinator since 2013, and as a consultant since 2016. She assisted in creating the DASH Plus program, and continues to work on adapting it to best suit our members’ needs. As well as being an on-stage performer, over the last 20 years she has designed and coordinated costumes for multiple groups, including the Burlington Players, Colonial Chorus Players, Quannapowitt Players, Hovey Players, and Voices of Hope. She served on the Executive Board of Colonial Chorus Players for 7 years. She currently serves as the seamstress and costumer for the Waltham High School Fine Arts Department.
Jennifer Rich
Mark Usher was first involved with the DASH program back in 2007 as a consultant, and then became the DASH Co-Coordinator for the next two seasons. Over those years he worked to develop the program and expanded the DASH gala format. Now, after a couple of years on hiatus, is thrilled to be back. Mark brings 25+ years experience as Director, Choreographer and occasional performer. Hailing originally from Ireland, Mark has lived in the Boston area since 2000 and worked with many groups in EMACT, including the Winthrop Playmakers, Needham Community Theatre, Hovey Players, Burlington Players and The Footlight Club. His work has been recognized with DASH and IRNE nominations and awards.
What does it take to be a DASH consultant?
- The DASH Consultant position is exciting, rewarding, educational, and challenging. Consultants need to be experienced and knowledgeable in multiple facets of theater, both artistic and technical; able to express themselves well and concisely in writing; able to be both tactful and constructive when offering criticism and suggestions; and able to critique productions with an open mind. We encourage our consultants to acknowledge weak areas and to work to strengthen them through collaboration, education, and experience.
- DASH consultants must pass an initial screening, then qualified candidates go through a training process which includes attending several productions with the DASH Coordinator, discussing them, and completing the ballot scoring process. All consultants attend a “test show” early in the season to calibrate scoring.
- DASH consultants are required to consult on a minimum of 8 productions over the course of the season. We hold several feedback meetings over the course of the season to discuss issues and ways to improve the DASH program, and may occasionally host adjudication workshops or other training sessions.
- Consultants receive a complimentary pair of tickets and a small stipend for each show they consult on, as well as one complimentary ticket to the annual DASH Gala.
If you are interested in becoming a DASH Consultant, please submit a complete theatrical resume to the EMACT DASH Coordinators at: dash@emact.org
2018-2019 DASH Consultants:
Lis Adams holds B.A. in Theatre Arts from Brandeis University, and studied under Herbert Berghof and Carol Hall at HB Studio in New York City. As a teen she learned acting and stagecraft from the professional company and crew at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and has since been both onstage and backstage in three countries, performing and designing for community and professional theater, while serving on theater boards and committees in various capacities. She is a member of the Actors-in-Residence (AiR) program for Playwrights’ Platform at Lasell College and Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, and has performed and directed for their annual Festival of Plays. She has taught acting and Shakespeare classes at Concord Youth Theatre and for after-school programs. Lis is a current board member for Phi Beta Kappa Boston, and serves as Director of Education at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House in Concord.
Sandy Armstrong
J. Mark Baumhardt served as the EMACT DASH Co-Coordinator from 2013 thru 2017. Mark has directed a total of 18 productions for various groups, including The Quannapowitt Players, The Concord Players, Vokes Players, Arlington Friends of the Drama, Acme Theater, Hovey Players, and Needham Community Theater. He has also appeared on stage in over 20 productions dating back to 1994. Mark also loves to design sound and has close to ten credits under his belt. He has also produced, served on theater boards, and lugged his fair share of set pieces for EMACT Theater Festival and the Quannapowitt Players.
Monica Bruno has been a DASH consultant since 2010. She started out as a dancer and choreographer and then moved backstage to stage management. Over the last 20 years she has worked with multiple groups including Wakefield Repertory Theatre, The Footlight Club, Hovey Players, Burlington Players, Quannapowitt Players and The Concord Players. During the day, she works as the Office Manager for KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate. She has served on the Board of Wakefield Repertory Theater for 10 years and is the proud parent of two young thespians.
Liz Chirico
Celia Couture is an award-winning director with an MFA from Emerson College. Celia has represented EMACT directing three productions at the National AACT Festival, including Burlington Players’ production of Radium Girls, which won the National
Festival for Best Production. She has directed multiple shows which have earned DASH nominations and awards for Best Production, as well as the NETC Moss Hart Award and an IRNE award. She has directed for Vokes Players, Concord Players, Gloucester Stage Company, Wellesley Players, and many other local theatre groups. Celia was a founder and artistic director of the Woburn Repertory Theatre, and serves at the Vice President of the Wellesley Players. Celia is currently the president of EMACT, and has also served as the Vice President of Festivals, successfully running both the State and Regional Festival.
Meg Quin Dussault is a graduate of the Trinity Rep Conservatory where she earned her M.F.A in Acting. Meg enjoyed a career in NYC, but ultimately decided she wanted to settle down in Massachusetts and raise a family. Though she still is very active in the evenings as an actor and director, during the day Meg is the Director of Community Education for the Sharon Public Schools, and a student at Northeastern University where she is enrolled in the Ed.D. program.
Kevin Groppe
Robert Hallisey
Faye Harrington has been active in theater since high school. At the University of Minnesota, she was an English major but spent most of her time in the Drama department learning about every aspect of stage production. Faye was instrumental in the formation of the TCAN Players in Natick. In addition to producing, directing, designing and acting in many of the TCAN Players’ shows, she has also worked with other local companies such as the Hovey Players, Medway Players and Sudbury Savoyards. She has been a DASH Consultant since 2012 and recently became a Co-coordinator of the DASH program.
Susan Harrington
Kristin Hughes
Sheila Kelleher joined EMACT as a DASH consultant in 2017. She has been involved in community theatre for nearly 20 years, performing and directing for many theatre groups on the South Shore including Bay Players, Curtain Call Theatre, Nemasket River Productions, MMAS, Hull Performing Arts, Hat Trick Theatre and Plymouth Community Theatre, where she is currently serving as President. She holds a master’s degree from Emerson College in Theatre Education where she developed an Acting Workshop for Senior Citizens. She teaches Adult Acting at The Company Theatre in Norwell.
Michael McGarty has been active in community, regional, and professional theaters in the New York/New England area for over 45 years. He served as the Harvard Community Theater’s Artistic Director for 34 years, directing over 125 plays including four New England premieres of composer Jenny Giering’s work: Show, Crossing Brooklyn, Still Life and The Mistress Cycle. He was named Best Director at the 2012 EMACT festival for Crossing Brooklyn, and for both the latter productions at the New England Regional Festivals. In 2002, his production of ‘night Mother won the EMACT Best Production Award. As a lighting designer, Michael has won EMACT’s Best Lighting Design award for HCT’s entries of Crossing Brooklyn, The Mistress Cycle, No Exit, and Morning, Noon and Night in Central Park. Currently, Michael works as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild.
Ted Mitchell has over 30 years of experience in theater, both on the acting and directing front. For the past two years he has served as Artistic Director for Norton Singers and has directed musical theater productions for the group for almost 15 years. In 2017 he was honored with an EMACT DASH award for Best Direction of a Musical for Young Frankenstein; in 2016 he was nominated for Best Direction for Jekyll & Hyde. He is also the author of Pictures of You under the pen name T.J. Alexian, which was recognized with a BRAG designation.
John Murtaugh
Trudi Olivetti is a retired art librarian with an academic background in musicology, English literature and art history. While living in the Washington DC area, she was involved with several professional and community theaters as an actor, producer, director and dramaturg. Since moving to Massachusetts, Trudi has expended most of her dramatic energy with Marblehead Little Theater in various ways, but has also been involved with the Revels, Salem Theatre Company, and Quannapowitt Players. She has been a DASH consultant since 2016.
Sandy Philpott has served as the EMACT DASH Co-Coordinator since 2013, and as a consultant since 2016. She assisted in creating the DASH Plus program, and continues to work on adapting it to best suit our members’ needs. As well as being an on-stage performer, over the last 20 years she has designed and coordinated costumes for multiple groups, including the Burlington Players, Colonial Chorus Players, Quannapowitt Players, Hovey Players, and Voices of Hope. She served on the Executive Board of Colonial Chorus Players for 7 years. She currently serves as the seamstress and costumer for the Waltham High School Fine Arts Department.
Jennifer Rich
Mark Usher was first involved with the DASH program back in 2007 as a consultant, and then became the DASH Co-Coordinator for the next two seasons. Over those years he worked to develop the program and expanded the DASH gala format. Now, after a couple of years on hiatus, is thrilled to be back. Mark brings 25+ years experience as Director, Choreographer and occasional performer. Hailing originally from Ireland, Mark has lived in the Boston area since 2000 and worked with many groups in EMACT, including the Winthrop Playmakers, Needham Community Theatre, Hovey Players, Burlington Players and The Footlight Club. His work has been recognized with DASH and IRNE nominations and awards.