The Team

Executive Producer
Eric Keen-Louie

Eric Keen-Louie (he/him/his) joined the Playhouse in September, 2018, after seven years at The Old Globe, where he started as Associate Producer and later became Associate Artistic Director. At the Globe, he helped guide nearly fifty productions, including the pre-Broadway productions of Bright Star, Allegiance and the Tony Award-winning A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. He co-created the theater’s new play development initiative The Powers New Voices Festival and helped launch the arts engagement programs Community Voices and Globe for All. Keen-Louie spent three years at The Public Theater as the Assistant to the Associate Producer and then Director of Special Projects, working on world premieres by Richard Nelson, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Stephen Sondheim, as well as the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Hair and the creation of The Mobile Unit. Independently, he produced Kingdom and the GLAAD Media Award-winning when last we flew. He also assisted Broadway producer Margo Lion on Hairspray and Caroline, or Change. He is a recipient of The Edward & Sally Van Lier Arts Fellowship for Producing and an alumnus of American Express’ Leadership Academy. He serves as Secretary for the National Alliance of Musical Theatre’s Board of Directors and chairs the organization’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Committee and New Works Committee. He graduated with a B.A. in Dramatic Literature from New York University and an M.F.A. in Theatre Management and Producing from Columbia University, where he received a Dean’s fellowship. He shares his commute to La Jolla with his husband Anthony Keen-Louie, an administrator in student affairs at UC San Diego. He is a proud third-generation Chinese-American.

Director of Artistic Development
Gabriel Greene

Gabriel Greene joined La Jolla Playhouse’s artistic staff in 2007. In addition to curating and producing the annual DNA New Work Series, he has dramaturged over two dozen new plays and musicals for the Playhouse, including The Squirrels, Wild Goose Dreams, At the Old Place, Escape to Margaritaville, Miss You Like Hell, JUNK, The Last Tiger in Haiti, Blueprints to Freedom, Up Here, The Darrell Hammond Project, The Who & The What, Milk Like Sugar (also off-Broadway) and Memphis (also Broadway and London; four Tony Awards). With Alex Levy, he wrote Safe at Home, a site-specific show which was developed through the DNA Series and received its world premiere at Mixed Blood Theatre in 2017 (Ivey Award). Goosebumps Alive, his immersive adaptation of R.L. Stine’s best-selling novels (co-written and directed by Tom Salamon) received its world premiere at The Vaults (London) in 2016. He is a graduate of University of Michigan and Trinity College, Dublin.

Director of Experiences and Activations
Mia Fiorella

Mia Fiorella joined the marketing team at Jolla Playhouse in 2011 and has worked on many hit shows like Come From Away, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Blueprints to Freedom, Junk and Miss You Like Hell – and all Without Walls projects. Her passion is bringing audiences and artists together to share stories, culture and experiences. Mia previously worked as the Audience Development Manager at The Old Globe, and in Chicago as a Publicist with John Iltis & Cheryl Lewin Associates (a film and theatre PR firm) and as the Marketing & Publicity Director for The Noble Fool Theatre and Trinity Irish Dance Company. She is a proud graduate of the Theatre Management program at DePaul University in Chicago. Mia spent the last twenty years playing women’s ice hockey until recently, when she discovered rowing on Mission Bay. Before all of these many journeys, she danced for the Delia Stewart Dance company in Houston, TX (now the Houston Metropolitan Dance Center) and studied modern and jazz dance in New York City.
 

Director of Arts Engagement/In-House Casting
Jacole Kitchen

Jacole Kitchen is the Director of Arts Engagement and In-House Casting at La Jolla Playhouse, spearheading numerous community-based programs. In addition, she teaches acting, improv and professional development for actors through UCSD Extension. Directing credits include the Playhouse’s Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour production of Light Years Away, Cardboard Piano (Diversionary Theatre), An Iliad (New Village Arts), among others. She was recently named Executive Director of the San Diego Performing Arts League.
 

Director of Philanthropy
Julia B. Foster

A native New Yorker, Julia B. Foster has dedicated the majority of her career to the non-profit arts, in both performance and administration. After earning a B.A. in dance at Washington University in St. Louis, she pursued a professional career in modern dance, musical theater, singing and acting, including six years as a soloist with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company. Later transitioning to arts administration, Foster most recently worked at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California, as Vice President of Development, overseeing their successful annual fund campaign that raised a record $10.5 million goal in FY18, and leading the Center’s annual Candlelight Concert gala to its highest net profit finish in its 44 year history. While at the Center, she previously served as the Director of the Capital Campaign, where she oversaw the Center’s $73 million Next Act Capital Campaign, and planned and implemented successful campaign events, including the groundbreaking and opening celebrations for the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza. Past positions at Segerstrom Center include Director of Major Gifts and Director of the Annual Fund. She also co-chaired the Orange County Association of Fundraising Professionals’ National Philanthropy Day fundraiser luncheon. Prior to the Segerstrom Center, Foster held the post of Chief Development Officer at both Project Access and at Irvine Barclay Theatre and served as the Cultural Development Manager for the Vail Valley Foundation in Colorado.

Director of Public Relations
Becky Biegelsen

Becky joined the La Jolla Playhouse staff in 2009. During her tenure, she has garnered major national coverage in such publications as The New York Times, Time Magazine, American Theatre, LA Times, Huffington Post and NPR for the Playhouse’s numerous world-premiere, Broadway-bound productions, including Come From Away, Lempicka, Indecent, Diana, Hands on a Hardbody, as well as the Playhouse’s acclaimed Without Walls (WOW) Festivals. Prior to working at the Playhouse, she served Public Relations Director at The Old Globe and has held communications positions at UC San Diego, Boston’s Citi Performing Arts Center and New York City Opera. She is a graduate of Carleton College and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy.

Director of Sales & Marketing
Stephanie Zappala

Stephanie is thrilled to join La Jolla Playhouse in 2022. A native Australian, she has enjoyed a career in arts and non-profit marketing in Australia, the UK and USA. She has held leadership positions at premiere organizations including Miami City Ballet, Sydney Theatre Company, Opera Australia, The Royal Academy of Dance and The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne. At Miami City Ballet, she developed and implemented some of the most successful campaigns in the company’s history, notably attracting over 64% new audiences to The Nutcracker. At Sydney Theatre Company, she spearheaded an innovative loyalty program for 20,000~ subscribers, and created campaigns for over 80 theatre works including Muriel’s Wedding the Musical, The Present starring Cate Blanchett, numerous classics and new works. Stephanie is passionate about making extraordinary artistic experiences available to everyone.

Director of Learning
Bridget Cavaiola Stone

Bridget has been with La Jolla Playhouse since 2017, first as a Teaching Artist, and now as the Director of Learning. She is a San Diego based educator, improviser, and facilitator and has been performing and teaching improv theater and communication strategies to adults and children since 2005. She has been a Master Teaching Artist with Arts for Learning, San Diego, La Jolla Playhouse, and San Diego Junior Theatre and is a performer and teacher with Finest City Improv. She is the former Education Director for the Baltimore Improv Group as well as a former Teaching Artist for Young Audiences of Maryland. She was a Baltimore County Public Schools High School (MD) English and theater teacher for seven years. Bridget is a graduate of the Young Audience of Maryland Teaching Artist Institute and has extensive training in inclusion, professional development, and arts integration. She holds a masters degree in Communicating in Contemporary Cultures and teaches adjunct at the college level. She has performed improv in Baltimore, DC, New York, Chicago, Austin, Philadelphia, London, and San Diego.

General Manager
Ryan Meisheid

Ryan joined the Playhouse in October 2018. Most Recently Ryan was the Associate Managing Director at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company. Prior to the Denver Center, Ryan was in the General Management departments at New York’s Public Theatre and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and worked with Off-Broadway’s Second Stage Theatre and Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company. He graduated from the Theatre School, DePaul University in Chicago with a B.F.A. in Theatre Management, and was part of the 2015 artEquity Facilitator Training Cohort. He is a Trustee of the San Diego Theatrical Health and Pension Funds.

Director of Operations
Ned Collins

Chief Financial Officer
Laura Killmer

Senior Production Manager
Benjamin Seibert

Ben Seibert (he/him/his) joined the Production Management team at La Jolla Playhouse in 2014. During his time with the Playhouse, he has overseen production activities for dozens of Playhouse-born plays and musicals including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Darrel Hammond Project, Come From Away, JUNK, The Last Tiger in Haiti, Blueprints to Freedom, Escape to Margaritaville, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, Diana and Fly. He began his career as a technician in the Chicago area after graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts from Barat College in Lake Forest, IL. Ben has toured nationally as a technical director and technician and worked in theaters across the country of all sizes. He has worked prominently in the past with The Colorado Shakespeare Festival (Production Manager) and the University of San Diego (Production Manager/Technical Director).

Randall L. Clark
Chair

Sheri L. Jamieson
First Vice-Chair

Michael Flaster
Second Vice-Chair

Denise Bevers
Secretary

Scott M. Stanton
Treasurer

1947 Founders
Mel Ferrer
Dorothy McGuire
Gregory Peck

Trustees
Christopher Ashley
Michael Bartell
Ralph Bryan*
Debby Buchholz
Randy Camp
Robert Caplan
Mary Coleman
Doug Dawson
Edward A. Dennis, Ph.D.
Brian Dovey
Susan Dubé
Hal Dunning
Emily Einhorn
Annie Ellis
Teri Evons
Judy Garrett
Susan Gembrowski
Hanna Gleiberman
Lynn E. Gorguze
Luke Gulley
Kay Gurtin
Clark Guy
Dwight Hare
Osborn Hurston
Debby Jacobs
Joan Jacobs
Pradeep K. Khosla, Ph.D.
Bena Leslie
Lynelle Lynch*
Margret McBride*
Lorne Polger
Karen A. Quiñones
Jeffrey Ressler*
David I. Reynoso
Becky Robbins
Tim Scott
Shane Shelley
Karen Silberman
Delicia Turner Sonnenberg
Suzi Sterner
Andy Thomas
Erin Trenda
Mary Walshok, Ph.D.

Honorary Trustees
Peter Cowhey, Ph.D.
Ivan Gayler
John Goodman
Joel Holliday*
Jeanne Jones
Julie Potiker
Steven M. Strauss*
Geri Ann Warnke*
Gary Wollberg*
Robert Wright, Esq.

Emeritus Trustees
David Copley (1952-2012)
Ted Cranston (1940-2012)
Milton Fredman (1920-2005)
Ewart W. Goodwin, Jr.* (1938-2019)
Joel Holliday* (1939-2022)
Hughes Potiker (1925-2005)
Roger Revelle (1909-1991)
Willard P. VanderLaan, M.D.* (1917-2012)
Arthur Wagner, Ph.D. (1923-2015)
Mandell Weiss (1891-1993)

Emerita Trustees
Rita Bronowski (1917-2010)
Marian Jones Longstreth (1906-1997)
Sheila Potiker (1930-2011)
Ellen Revelle (1910-2009)

*Past Chair of the Board

As of July 31, 2022

Executive Producer
Eric Keen-Louie

Director of Artistic Development
Gabriel Greene

Director of Experiences and Activations
Mia Fiorella

Associate Producer
Amy Ashton

Executive Assistant to Christopher Ashley
Rick VanNoy

Director Emeritus
Des McAnuff

Artists Currently Under Commission
Todd Almond, Jeff Augustin, Daniel Beaty, Keith Bunin, Guillermo Calderón, Fernanda Coppel, Kara Lee Corthron, Steph Del Rosso, Kristoffer Diaz, Noah Diaz, Ava Geyer, Idris Goodwin, Kirsten Greenidge, Joe Iconis, Hansol Jung, Mike Lew, Rehana Lew Mirza, Martyna Majok, Mona Mansour, Gregory S. Moss, Lisa Peterson, Theresa Rebeck, Claudia Shear, Christopher Shinn, Mat Smart, Octavio Solis, Benjamin Velez, Keith Wallace, Cheryl L. West, Lauren Yee

Learning and Engagement

Director of Learning
Bridget Cavaiola Stone

Director of Arts Engagement and In-House Casting
Jacole Kitchen

Learning and Engagement Manager
Hannah Reinert

Learning and Engagement Assistant
Luis Martinez

Teaching Artists
Julie Benitez, Lex Bezdeka, Desireé Clarke, Leticia De Anda, Farah Dinga, Shairi Engle, Kristen Fogle, Melissa Glasgow, Kirsten Giard, Jeffrey Ingman, Justin Lang, Grace Lehman, Wilfred Paloma, Vanessa Reibel, Kimberly Ross, Lorena Santana, Mike Sears, Gill Sotu, Emily Stamets, Marjorie Treger, Bex Walker

Contact Learning and Engagement: [email protected]

General Manager
Ryan Meisheid

Assistant General Manager
Erica Martin

COMPANY MANAGEMENT

Company Manager
Rosalee Barrientos

Assistant Company Manager
Mia Apalategui

Company Management Assistant
Grace Lehman

LEGAL COUNSEL

Corporate/Legal Counsel
Robert C. Wright, Wright & L’Estrange

Theatre/Legal Counsel
F. Richard Pappas, Esq.

Chief Financial Officer
Laura Killmer

Controller
Jared Jackson

Accounts Payable Manager
Sharon Ratelle

Human Resources Manager
Jennifer Boaz

Payroll
Matthew Zapata

Director of Philanthropy
Julia B. Foster

Associate Director of Philanthropy
Keely Daximillion

Assistant Director of Philanthropy, Institutional Giving
Rebecca Pierce Goodman

Philanthropy Operations Manager
Tony Dixon

Individual Giving Manager
Madeleine McManus

Special Events Manager
Nil Noyan

Corporate Relations Manager
James Skeet

Philanthropy Coordinator
Melvina Bridges

Institutional Giving Coordinator
Lyla Iannaccone

Special Events Coordinator
Katie Wallace-Coppo

Stewardship Coordinator
Dominique Kaestner

Philanthropy Coordinator
Clara Bird

Director of Public Relations
Becky Biegelsen

Director of Sales & Marketing
Stephanie Zappala

Associate Director of Sales & Marketing
Sonia Diaz

Communications Manager
Grace Madamba

Senior Multimedia Designer
Nancy Showers

Multimedia Designer
Phyllis Sa

Marketing Database Analyst
Dani Meister

Marketing Coordinator
Phillip Magin

Patron Services Sales Specialist
Paul Preston

Sales Concierge
William Guiney

PATRON SERVICES

Associate Director of Ticketing Services
Pearl Hang

Senior Patron Services Manager
Travis Guss

Patron Services Assistant Manager/Group Sales Specialist
Bill Washington

Lead Patron Services Representative
Rachel Lasker

Lead Patron Services Representative
Claire Michael

Patron Services Representative
Devon Gonzales

Patron Services Representative
Kita Barrientos

Director of Operations
Ned Collins

Operations Manager
John Craft

Network Systems Specialist
Daryl “Scooter” Davis

Office Administrator
Amanda Casachahua

FRONT OF HOUSE

Interim House Manager
Alex Bezdeka

Senior Production Manager
Benjamin Seibert

Production Manager
Becca Duhaime

Assistant Production Manger
Dacia Samilo

Production Office Manager
Caren Heintzelman

SCENE SHOP

Scenery Supervisor
Jonathan Gilmer

Shop Foreman
David Weiner

Assistant Production Foreman
Christopher Chauvet

Lead Shop Carpenter
Matthew Clark

Carpenters
Michael Brodsky, Ryan Gordon, Nicholas Jackson, Eszter Julian, Nicholas Savage, Alex Torretti, Sheila Whitsett, Molly Whittaker

Charge Artist
Jennifer Imbler

Scenic Artists
Caroline Kvaas, Marie Mateo, Melissa Nalbach, Courtney Ware

PROPERTIES SHOP

Prop Supervisor
Deb Hatch

Props Design Associate
Zlatko Mitev

Props Lead Artisan
Rai Feltmann

Prop Carpenter
McKenzie Kiser

COSTUME SHOP

Costume Supervisor
Jennifer Ables

Resident Costume Design Assistant
Desiree Hatfield-Buckley

Costume Office Assistant
Rebecca Rankin

Draper
Faye Richards

First Hand
Keira McGee

Lead Crafts Artisan
Tess Mattraw

Stitchers
Stephanie Gift, Sonya Levin

Wardrobe Supervisor
Junior Bergman

Hair/Make Up Supervisor
Alberto “Albee” Alvarado

ELECTRICS

Production Electrician
Kristyn Kennedy

Light Board Programmer
Alex Cluff

Electricians
Michelle Aguilar, Jessica Dean, Xavier Luevano, Delaney McCowen, Jenner Price

SOUND/VIDEO

Sound/Video Supervisor
Timothy Riggs

Head of Sound Department
Daniel Silva

Sound/Video Technicians
Camille Houze, Nestor Huerta, Mae Le, Alfredo Madrigal