Ellen Richard, Executive Director, comes to Laguna after serving as Executive Director of the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) in San Francisco. There she oversaw the purchase of the Strand Theatre, secured grants enabling ACT to offer no-cost rehearsal space to local artists and greatly expanded the company's education programming. Prior to that, she served as Executive Director of the Second Stage Theatre in New York City. There she oversaw the purchase of the historic Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway, and provided the initial home for the Broadway productions of Everyday Rapture, Next to Normal, and The Little Dog Laughed. Ellen also enjoyed a rich and varied career with Roundabout Theatre Company. When Ellen first joined the Roundabout, it was a small nonprofit theater company in bankruptcy. By the time she departed as Managing Director, Roundabout had become one of the country's largest and most successful theatre companies of its kind, with net assets in excess of $67 million dollars. Ellen produced more than 125 shows at Roundabout, and is the recipient of six Tony Awards as producer, for productions of Cabaret (1998), A View From the Bridge (1998), Side Man (1999), Nine (2003), Assassins (2004) and Glengarry Glen Ross (2005). She began her career working as a stagehand, sound designer and scenic artist assistant.

Ann E. Wareham, Artistic Director, joined Laguna Playhouse in 2010 as Associate Producer and assumed the role of Artistic Director in August 2011.  She worked for 27 years as a producing partner and Producing Associate to Gordon Davidson at Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, producing such plays as Ain’t Misbehavin’, Pippin, Spring Awakening, No Child…, Sweeney Todd, Distracted, Sleeping Beauty Wakes, Edward Scissorhands, In the Continuum, Pyrenees, The Black Rider, Without Walls, Stuff Happens, Like Jazz, The Talking Cure, A Perfect Wedding and Putting It Together. Ann was part of the producing team for Deaf West Theatre’s production of Spring Awakening at Inner City Arts and the Wallis Theatre in Los Angeles as well as for its critically acclaimed production on Broadway in 2015.  In 2010, she supported the Pasadena Playhouse as Associate Producer for the West Coast premiere of Dangerous Beauty. Her early producing career included productions at the CAST Theatre, the Met and Theatre Rapport in Los Angeles, and The Victory Theatre where she served on the board of directors.  

Jeremy Ancalade, Chief Financial Officer, joined the Laguna Playhouse after serving as Finance Director for Project Angel Food where he built a framework for organizational growth, financial sustainability, and foundation for a $5 million capital campaign. A Louisiana native, Jeremy started his career in New Orleans, freelancing as a stage manager in the Big Easy. After relocating to Southern California in 2005, Jeremy joined the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles as General Manager, working on the nationally recognized Will Power to Youth program and launching Veterans In Art, using theatre to reintegrate veterans into the workforce. As Vice President of Operations for The Trevor Project, Jeremy led national business operations, leading change during one of the most dynamic periods for the LGBTQ movement in American history, and ensuring that in their greatest hour of need, LGBTQ young people knew that they were not alone. Jeremy holds Master of Business Administration and a Master of Fine Art degrees from California State University, Long Beach, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University New Orleans.

Denys Baker, General Manager, recently joined the Playhouse following a six-year stint as the Administrative Project Manager at the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) where she is proud to have worked on the $34M conversion of the Strand Theater. Prior to her work at A.C.T., Denys spent 25 years in NYC managing Broadway productions including the Tony Award-winning production of CABARET at Studio 54. She holds an MFA in Performing Arts Management and first came to Southern California in 2010 as General Manager for threesixty Entertainment’s production of PETER PAN performed in a circus tent. Denys is thrilled to be in Laguna where she can pursue her love of open water swimming and continue training to climb Kilimanjaro in 2019.

Dee Dee Irwin, Director of Marketing and Communications, joined Laguna Playhouse in fall 2013. Under her direction, the Playhouse was named "Best in OC" in Live Theatre in 2018-2015 by the OC Register. She is part of the team that presents Puppet Up! at the historical Jim Henson Studios, and has served as part of the producing, marketing or box office team for a number of shows including Twist (Dir, Debbie Allen), Baby It’s You (pre-Broadway run), Eric Idle’s What About Dick, and John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown. She has extensive experience in large-scale multi-day music, television and film festivals, served as the ticketing and events manager for Visa’s Hospitality program at the 2000 and 2002 Olympics, and oversaw Los Angeles’ Coronet Theatre box office. She holds her BA in Theatre, her Masters in Humanities, and is a proud member of IATSE Local 857/ Treasurers and Ticket Sellers and Laguna Beach Arts Alliance (Chair 2019-present; Secretary 2017-2019), She lives in Laguna Niguel with the true love of her life, her dog Pickle.

Glenn Powell, Production Manager, joined the Playhouse in 1998 as the in-house Master Electrician and in 2010 became the Associate Production Manager. He served as the Assistant Production Manager and Lighting Director for the National Tour of Belle of Amherst, and as Production Manager and Lighting Director for the National Tour of Copenhagen. While at Laguna Playhouse, he supervised the installation of a lighting system and upgrade. Glenn has also designed the lighting for many of the Laguna Playhouse Youth Theatre productions, where he also teaches the students about lighting design and how to run the lights for a production. He has also served as the lighting designer for a number of local productions, including No Square’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and local productions of Metamorphoses and Thoroughly Modern Millie. When not at the theatre, Glenn can be found spending time with his lovely wife Rebecca and sons Dylan and Henry.

Veltria Roman, Director of Data Operations, joined the Laguna Playhouse team in fall 2014 as Box Office Manager, bringing with her almost 20 years experience working in performing arts and live events in every aspect of including stage management, artistic planning, theater management, human resources, event production, and ticketing operations. Prior to coming to Laguna Playhouse, Veltria spent 3 years working in New York at the Kaufman Music Center restructuring their venue rental and ticketing operations to increase sales in both areas. During this time she also expanded her event production experience working with DeVoe Signature events, the leader in Plus Size Fashion Events. She is responsible for all Ticketing Operations at the Laguna Playhouse and lends her 8+ years experience in the Tessitura ticketing software to assist in improved patron interaction and Customer Service.  Veltria holds a Bachelor's degree in English with a Theater Emphasis and was a panelist and conference planner for TLCC 2016.

Dylan Russell, Director of Education and Outreach, is a specialist in new play development and devised theatre. She has directed productions for the American Conservatory Theatre Conservatory (ACT), TheatreFirst, California Conservatory Theatre, Alchemy Works, New Conservatory Theatre Educational Programs, Cassandra’s Call, and Actors Lab Arizona. Her play Evanescence was workshopped at the Southampton Theatre Festival. She served as Assistant Director on productions with ACT and Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Favorite productions include – Future Me (TheatreFIRST), Cassandra (ACT), Persistent Vegetative State (Dog² Productions), Speed-the-Play (BRT), as well as adapting & directing two of Roald Dahl’s works, A Lashing of Malice…(Alchemy Works at JMCA) and the North American Premiere of Dahl’s hit children’s book, Matilda (NCTC). She served as Chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Jewish Community High School of the Bay, where she created the program and directed/produced over 45 productions. She was recognized as one of the top high school theatre programs in America by Stage Directions Magazine and performed in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Scotland. She has taught at California Shakespeare Theatre, Northwestern University's National High School Institute, Marin Theatre Company and New Conservatory Theatre Center. Currently, she is Artistic Director & Co-Founder of Dog² Productions. She has studied at SUNY Stonybrook Southampton, Vassar College, Lincoln Center Leadership Lab, Tectonic Moment Institute, A.C.T. and is a graduate of the University of Washington. She is a proud member of AEA, SDC, TYA/ASSITEJ, and TCG.

Doug Vogel, Director of Development, comes to the Playhouse from Community Action Partnership of Orange County where he oversaw a $1.8 million fundraising and branding campaign for the organization’s 50^th anniversary.  Prior to that, he served as Director of Major Giving for Catalina Island Conservancy during the initial stages of the $150 million Imagine Catalina Capital Campaign.  Doug has produced highly acclaimed fundraising events including East LA Meets Napa and OC AIDS Walk, which was named “Best Charity” by OC Weekly in 2007.  A native of Orange County, Doug is an alumni of the Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts, has sang in Carnegie Hall, and has professionally written and performed music.  He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from California State University, Fullerton and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science.

Glenn E. Gray
CEO, South County Bank
Board Chair

Paul Singarella
Partner, Latham & Watkins LLC
Immediate Past Chair

Lisa Hale
Partner, Parallax Capital Partners, LLC
Vice Chair

Melinda Masson
CEO, Masson Strategic Advisors LLC
Secretary

Jared K. Mathis
CEO, The Moulton Company
Treasurer

Toni Alexander
President and Creative Director, InterCommunicationsInc.

Timothy D. Carlyle
Partner, Songstad Randall Coffee & Humphrey, LLP

Roger Cregg
First Vice President, Morgan Stanley

Susan Gotschall Garcia
Principal, J.S. Pacific Properties

James Hale
Managing Partner, Parallax Capital Partners, LLC

Joe Hanauer
Principal, Combined Investments, LLC

Mo Honarkar
4-G Ventures

Dr. Gary Jenkins
Pediatrician

Barbara MacGillivray
Executive, MacGillivray Freeman Films

Greg MacGillivray
Chairman, MacGillivray Freeman Films

Jeff Meberg 
Environmental Recycling and Restoration 

James R. Mellor
Retired Chairman, CEO General Dynamics Corp.

Heidi Miller
Owner, Tight Assets, The World Newstand

Susan D. Morrison
Partner, Impact Giving

Justin Myers
Entrepreneur

Xiaohong Rose
Program Developer

Lisa Sparks, PHD
Dean, School of Communications, Chapman University

Terri Turner
Investment Advisor

Sandra Wirta

Ann E. Wareham
Artistic Director, Laguna Playhouse

Ellen Richard
Executive Director, Laguna Playhouse

Emeritus Trustees

Otis Healy
Sr Vice President and Western Regional Director, Smith Barney & Co (retired)

Ilona Martin
Artist

Ellen Richard, Executive Director
Ann E. Wareham, Artistic Director

Management
Denys Baker, General Manager
Rachel Garlington, Company Manager

Development
Doug Vogel, Director of Development
Teryll Sindell, Director of Major Giving
Erin O’Flaherty, Grants and Community Outreach Manager
Julian Leal, Development Manager

Finance
Jeremy Ancalade, Chief Financial Officer
Bonny Yee, Assistant Controller

Education
Dylan Russell, Director of Youth Theatre, Education
Bethanie Knieser, Associate Director, Education
Care'n Chato, Instructor
Erin Sawyer, Instructor
Christopher Smith, Instructor

Facilities Operations
Jamie McGraw, Director of Facilities Operations
LaRue Thompson, Facilities Maintenance Technician
Adam Villapando, Facilities Maintenance Technician

Front of House
Wally Ziegler, Artist & Audience Services Manager
Alex Lum, House Manager
Curtis Pebley, Parking Supervisor
Denise Hughes, Bartender
Troy Huyen, Bartender
Nigel Joslin, Assistant House Manager

Marketing and Communications
Dee Dee Irwin, Director of Marketing and Communications
Johnny Eberhardt, Marketing Assistant
David Elzer, DEMAND PR, Press Consultant
Nancy Pank, Nancy's Media Buys, Broadcast Consultant
Dana Holliday, Halogen Design Lab, Graphics
Melissa, Hughes, Halogen Design Lab, Graphics
Theatre Direct, Season Ticket Sales

Ticketing and Data Operations
Veltria Roman, Director of Data Operations
Jody Reeves, Patron Services Manager
Dominick DiGiacomo, Box Office Supervisor
Morgan Leal, Box Office Supervisor
Jadtec Computer Group, IT Services
Andrew Lombardi, Website Consultant

Production
Glenn Powell, Production Manager
Paul Rossi, Technical Director
Kate Wecker, Resident Sound Designer and Audio Engineer
Conni Joslin, Costume Shop Manager
Ben Morrow, Light Board Operator

Dogs-in-Residence
Bailey, Grants Coordinator
Charlie Brown, Community Outreach
Duke, Donor Liaison
Igi, Finance Department
Jack, Executive Department
Jax, Community Organizer
Marley, Bar Manager
Moe, Education Department
Morgan, Executive Department
Murphy, Artistic Department
Pickle, Head of Security & Actor
Sailor, Human Resources Counselor
Skipper, Development Department
Tamzen, Audience Service Manager