ABOUT US
Leadership

Board of Directors
Michael Sciola—Chair
Director, Wesleyan University Career Resource Center

Elizabeth Bobrick—Vice-Chair
Writer, Editor, Visiting Professor, Wesleyan University

Cynthia Sanders—Secretary
Owner + CEO, The Sanders Solution

Noel Garrett
Dean for the Class of 2011, Wesleyan University

Rep. Matthew Lesser
State of CT Representative—100th District

Jane S. McMillan
Attorney, Howard + McMillan

Quentin W. Phipps
Assistant Vice-President + Branch Manager,
Guilford Savings Bank

Sylvia Rutkowska
Attorney with Dzialo, Pickett & Allen, P.C.

Melissa Schilke
Managing Director, Wesleyan Potters

Glenn A. Taylor
Assistant Vice President, Citizens Bank

Staff

Matthew J. Pugliese—Executive Director
Matthew Pugliese has a long history of working with Oddfellows, where he has been a director, playwright, teaching artist, and a leader of one of Oddfellows' Neighborhood Troupes. He directed Teen Repertory Company mainstage productions of The Grapes of Wrath, Nuevo California and The Dining Room. In 2010 his original play, The Hans Christian Andersen Day School presents 'Cinderunzelstilskin' was performed by the Junior Repertory Company. He also worked closely with the Maplewood Terrace and Chatham Court Senior Troupes on the mainstage production of Spoon River Anthology. Prior to joining Oddfellows, Matt spent several seasons as Production Manager and Director of Educational Programming at Ivoryton Playhouse (Ivoryton, CT), where he directed Moon over Buffalo, Julius Caesar and Shakespeare's R+J. During this time, the Ivoryton Playhouse received 6 nominations and 2 awards from the Connecticut Critics Circle. Matt holds a BA in Theatre Studies from the University of Connecticut and a Graduate Certificate in Non-profit Management. He is a founding member of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce Arts and Creative Industry Council.

Terri Benedict—Finance + Development Associate

Nat Holmes—After School Associate

Courtney Antonioli—Director of Development

Christopher "Kit" Webb—Administrative Associate

Pam Lang—Prop and Costume Stock Manager

Heather Tolley-Bauer—Marketing and Communications

Tate Burmeister—Production Manager/Technical Director

Shane Grant—Facilities Associate

Joanna Perricone—Program Coordinator

Artists

Tate R. Burmeister
Tate studied theatre at the University of Minnesota Duluth and then worked as the Resident Lighting Designer and Technical Director at Playhouse Merced in California. In addition to acting as the TD, Tate enjoys designing for the theatre. Past OP designs include The Crucible, To Kill a Mocking Bird, Pride & Prejudice, The Tempest, Nuevo California, The Threepenny Opera, Twelfth Night & The Oresteia.

Jamie Guite
Jamie loves having the ability to work with her theatrical creativity developing a new improve troupe, and as a member of Too Many Monkeys for 6 years. She has been trained at The Circle In the Square, Southern Connecticut State University, and is a graduate of the Upright Citizens Brigade. Jamie has been seen in such roles as Normal Jean in The Colored Museum, Sandy in The Dream's On Me, and the Queen in Cymbeline. She has been teaching theatre throughout CT for the last 12 years.

Peggy Gutmann (Lighting Designer)
Peggy holds an MFA in Technical Theater from Stanford University and has assisted in the Wesleyan Theater department. She has been resident lighting designer at OP, having designed over 50 shows. Peggy's lighting designs include Pride and Prejudice, Everything So Far, The Dining Room, The Hans Christian Andersen Day School presents 'Cinderunzelstilskin' & The Tempest.

David Schulz (Scenic Designer & Artist)
Following 10 years as a graphic designer, David has spent the past 20+ years as a freelance illustrator. Since 1987 David has designed over 40 Oddfellows' sets including last season's Around the World in 80 Days.

Dayna Renee Snell
a member of the performing ensemble, Nzinga's Daughters, has a master's degree in social work and is licensed by the State of CT as a clinical social worker. She developed the Personal Enrichment Program (PEP), a children's performing arts program that provides education and support for youth and their families based on the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Dayna also directs the Youth and Mass Choir at Redeemer's A.M.E. Zion Church.

Renee S. Soares (Arts Explorers)
Journey through the unique and creative world of Renee S. Soares. Born in Providence, Rhode Island of African American, Cape Verdean, Native American, and West Indian descent, this artist extraordinaire creates two-dimensional masks that reflect the cultural diversity of the world in which we live. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Theatre Arts, Speech, and Dance from Brown University and presently resides in Hartford, Connecticut where she makes her living as a visual artist, fine art curator, and visual and performance art educator. Working in the medium of polymer clay with glass beads and mixed media, Ms. Soares creates original, one of a kind pieces that range in size, color, and configuration. Her work has been exhibited at fine art galleries and private showings in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey. Many of her pieces are commissioned by private collectors and can be found in public venues throughout the City of Hartford including the Office of the State Treasurer, Denise Nappier.

As an art educator, Ms. Soares has conducted workshops for the Wadsworth Atheneum, the Connecticut Historical Society, the New Britain Museum of American Art, the City of Hartford's Department of Cultural Affairs, the Wheeler Clinic, Milford Public Schools, and New London Public Schools. She presently teaches creative arts and drama at Oddfellows Youth Playhouse in Middletown, CT and visual art at the Guilford Handcraft Center's Summer Art Camp in Guilford, CT.

Missy Burmeister (Director, An Enemy of the People)
Missy joined the Oddfellows team six years ago and has enjoyed contributing to the Playhouse as a teacher (CA I, Myths and Legends of Japan), director (Pride and Prejudice, The Laramie Project, Three Penny Opera) and designer (Holes-lighting, Nuevo CA-costumes). In addition to working at the Playhouse, Missy teaches at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts and serves as the Program Director for Project Broadway: A Summer Musical Theatre Program in Bridgeport. Before venturing out to the East Coast, Missy received her BFA in Theatre and Television from Texas Christian University and her MA in Directing from Texas State University.

Daniel Nischan (Scenic Designer, Instructor—Scenic Design)
Daniel's first experience with Oddfellows was in 2007 as set designer for the Junior Rep production of Bliss. Since then Daniel has become a troupe leader and regular member of the design team at Oddfellows. In addition to Oddfellows, Daniel works as a set designer for professional and community theaters in Connecticut. Daniel has over seventeen years of theater experience which includes acting, directing, set design, set construction, lighting design, and playwriting. Before joining Oddfellows, Daniel worked for two seasons as the Technical Director of the Ivoryton Playhouse in Ivoryton, Connecticut.

Heidi Kirchofer (Instructor, CT School of Circus Arts)
Heidi is a veteran teaching artist who has traveled Internationally performing and studying. Her primary foci are circus, movement and music. She is co-founder and managing director of the touring Matica Arts and can be found performing at many festivals and events. She is also faculty at the Hartford Conservatory, a frequent teacher at Oddfellows Playhouse, and at many schools and programs. Heidi is a mover, yogini, percussionist, fire artist, gardener, momma and all around fun and creative individual www.maticaarts.com.

Joel Melendez (Instructor, CT School of Circus Arts)
Co-founder of the touring duo Matica Arts, has traveled the Americas performing and learning. He is a gifted performer known for his unicycling, clowning, improvisational and acrobatic skills. Joel is a "physical artist" who loves exploring the vast capabilities of the human body. He is the director of the Advanced Circus Program in the Children's Circus of Middletown, teaches at Oddfellows Playhouse, Footlights Center for the Performing Arts as well as many schools and programs. Joel is also a musician, Capoerista and juggler. Joel sees the arts as a vehicle to inspire, connect and transport the audience and performer to a mystical world free of inhibitions where all is possible.

Emily Webster
A thirty-year veteran of the entertainment world, Emily Webster found her earliest success in front of the camera. As a child actress she appeared in over 200 commercials before being cast in the early FOX hit Small Wonder. A five year run on that series catapulted her career: leading to two Youth in Film Awards, five nominations, multiple guest appearances, starring roles in such films as Troop Beverly Hills and Caddie Woodlawn and the Emmy award winning series Christy. She also worked on the New York City stage at such esteemed houses as the WPA and with John Guare at Lincoln Center.

Kristen Palmer
Kristen is a playwright and arts educator. She has over 15 years experience developing and teaching theatre and creative arts programs in Atlanta, New York City, rural Kansas, Seattle, Washington DC, Minneapolis, England and Virginia. From 2005–2008 she was a full-time teacher at Brooklyn Free School, developing the elementary program there and leading a writing program for all students, and before that she worked as a Teaching-Artist and Program Manager with the Creative Arts Team in NYC. As a playwright she is a member of the Women's Project Lab (NYC), received a Jerome Fellowship, been a finalist for the O'Neill Festival and her plays have been produced in New York City, LA, Washington DC, Seattle and Poughkeepsie, NY.

She holds a MA from NYU where she studied Educational Theatre and a BA in Dramatic Arts from Bretton Hall College, in Yorkshire, England.

Ken O'Brien (Director, RUR)
is an educator, actor and director. He received his B.A. in theatre from the University of New Hampshire and his M.F.A. from UConn. Ken has worked with Connecticut Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf and Berkeley Rep. Locally, Ken is a member of ArtFarm and has performed a variety of roles as part of their Shakespeare in the Grove Series. Ken is also a member of Bated Breath Theatre and was a proud member of the world premiere of The Parkville Project. Ken is a Department Chair of Special Education at O.H. Platt High School in Meriden CT. It was there that he presented his own adaptation of The Trojan Women entitled Walking With a Ghost. Ken has always been a fan of Sci-Fi and is actively seeking his very own Tardis.

Dic Wheeler (Instructor, CT School of Circus Arts & The Traveling Circus Company)
Dic joined Oddfellows Playhouse in 1978 and was the Artistic Director from 1986-2005. A graduate of the Dell' Arte School of Physical Theater, he was the founder and 15 year director of the Children's Circus of Middletown. Since 1980 he has performed and taught throughout the United States and Europe, has three times been a guest artist of the Czech Republic, and directed over 70 plays. Dic is a co-founder of ARTFARM, an independent, non-profit organization, founded in 2001, dedicated to creating high quality theater with a commitment to simple living, environmental sustainability and social action. Dic most recently directed ARTFARM's As You Like It.