Administrative Staff
Sara Pearson, Executive Director
Beth Spotswood, Development Director
Amanda Dolan, Communications Director
Michael Vogel, Special Events Producer
Artistc
James Dunn, Artisitc Director
Debra Chambliss, Musical Director
Rick Wallace, Choreographer
Ken Rowland, Set Designer
Pat Polen, Costume Designer
Sara Pearson
Executive Director/Producer
Sara completed her 6-year service as a member of the Mountain Play Board of Directors in September 2006. She has worked for the past 20 years with a variety of non-profit organizations in the Bay Area including the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Marin Conservation Corps and Mother Jones Magazine. Her expertise is in non-profit fundraising and membership.
Beth Spotswood
Development Director/Associate Producer
A Mill Valley native, Beth has been involved in the Mountain Play for as long a she can remember. In addition to keeping Sara and Amanda laughing in the Mountain Play office, Beth loves writing her weekly blog for the San Francisco Chronicle, up every Wednesday and her column in the San Francisco Appeal, ‘See Spot Write.’ Her writing has also been featured in the Nob Hill Gazette and SFist. Beth is a writer and on-camera host for VidSF, covering local events, interviewing celebrities and filming a weekly segment for KOFY-TV called ‘Weekend What’s Up.’ Currently living in San Francisco, Beth loves singing in her car, watching reality television and cashing in her frequent flier miles for upgrades.
Amanda Dolan
Communications Director
2010 marks Amanda's final season with the Mountain Play before she continues on to pursue her MFA in Acting at Brown University/ Trinity Rep Consortium. Amanda came to the Mountain Play Association from the Tony-Award winning San Francisco Mime Troupe, having served as their production manager for summer 2007. In addition to managing the Mountain Play's marketing and ticket sales, Amanda is an actor and producer. After graduating from San Francisco State University in 2007, she co-founded her own theatre company, Beards Beards Beards: A Theatre Company. The company has since produced three original musicals in San Francisco. Amanda has also appeared onstage throughout the bay area with Ray of Light, Alameda Civic Light Opera and Theatre Rhino. When she's not doing something theater related, Amanda enjoys baking cake, playing Joni Mitchell covers on guitar, and reading Beth's blog.
Michael Vogel
Special Events Producer
Michael C. Vogel has been with the Mt. Play since 2000. He served as a member of the Board of Director for six years from 2000-2006, including a stint as the Vice-President. Michael became the Special Events Producer in 2007 focusing on booking the pre & post-show entertainment as well as coordinating the annual raffle. Michael is also involved with many of the "special effects" that are a unique part of each year's annual production. His favorite experience with the Mt. Play took place during the 2007 production of "The Wizard of Oz", in which at every performance he called the plane which flew over the audience, pulling a banner proclaiming, "Surrender Dorothy"! A member of the Mill Valley Art Commission, Michael’s theatrical career Children's Theatre Company, he moved on to spin records & emcee at a prominent NY disco, as well as sound engineer and emcee at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco (where he did sound for everyone from Janis Joplin to Flatt & Scruggs), tour managed the San Francisco Shakespeare Co. and worked as a stage manager for Royal Viking Lines. He also was a DJ for KBOO FM (Alternative Radio) in Oregon for 4 years, managed Commander Cody & his Lost Planet Airman, AB Skhy Blues Band & was a booking agent before coming to his present home with the Mt. Play Association.
John Cervetto
Volunteer Coordinator
2010 marks John's 2nd year as Volunteer Coordinator for the Mountain Play. John is a Marin County native who has attended the Mountain Play for much of his life. John's experience volunteering is extensive, ranging from Peace Corps Service in Kyrgyzstan from 2007-2009 to community outreach to home bound seniors. He currently resides as a house team leader at St. Vincent's school for boys in San Rafael.
James Dunn
Artistic Director
James celebrates his twenty-seventh season as director of the Mountain Play. He is deeply committed to the theatre on both a local and a national level, and has been directing Shakespeare, Musical Theatre, and contemporary works for over forty years. Co-founder and Director of the California Shakespeare Theatre in the 1960’s and Artistic Director of the California Actors’ Theatre in the 1970’s, James also founded the College of Marin Drama Department and served as its Chairman from 1964 to 2003. As a guest director he has worked with such established local companies as ACT, Marin Theatre Company, the Monterey Shakespeare Festival and the Marin Shakespeare Company. On the national level he has guest directed at the Julliard School in New York, The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, and the Denver Center Theatre Company. His directing work has been honored in the theatre community with several “Best Direction” awards from the Bay Area Theater Critics’ Circle, several Dean Goodman Choice Awards for “Best Directing,” and a Mill Valley Milley Award for achievement in theatre.
Debra Chambliss
Music Director
Debra Chambliss is a vocalist, pianist and Music Director who has worked in the Bay Area for 24 years. This is her 4th year as Musical Director for the Mt Play, but she has been playing the keyboard in the orchestra for 20 years. She has worked as an accompanist and director at dozens of theaters, including The Willows, Contra Costa Musical Theater, and Woodminster. Debra has taught vocal technique at ACT for their Summer Training Congress and teaches music at two local elementary schools. She also has an established private studio where she teaches voice and piano. Deb served as Co-Artistic Director of KD Musical Theater for several years, and has directed many performance workshops and summer training programs at places such as Vector Conservatory and Marin Theatre Company. She cantors and plays for churches throughout Marin County, and is the music instructor at St. Anselm & St. Rita schools. Recently, she played keyboard at the Post Street Theatre for the national tour of The 20th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and at the Orpheum Theatre for Edward Scissorhands.
Rick Wallace
Choreographer
This is Rick’s sixteenth year as Choreographer of the Mountain Play. He was formerly a member of Massenkoff Russian Folk Festival and Khadra International Folk Ballet and was a founding member and choreographer of the Neva Russian Dance Ensemble. He toured with the National Touring Company of Fiddler on the Roof starring the late Herschel Bernardi. His other stage credits include numerous roles in both dramatic and musical theater productions. He also performed and directed with the Colorado Children’s Theater Company, the Chautauqua Touring Arts Festival and Contemporary Opera Marin. He managed the Caravan Tour featuring Bread and Puppet Theater and Mabou Mines. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, in Dramatic Arts.
Ken Rowland
Technical Director
As set designer for several Bay Area theatre companies, including the Mountain Play and the Ross Valley Players, Ken Rowland displays his keen understanding of space with clever, imaginative and detailed sets and always meets the challenges of the complex demands of each venue. It isn’t uncommon for audiences to break into applause after set changes designed by Rowland, a testament to Rowland’s vision and his complete understanding and high expectation for theatrical presentation. For the outdoor setting of The Mountain Play, Rowland has designed large sets featuring turn-around transformations and rollout platforms for scene changes. In the black box setting at Ross Valley Players’ Barn Theatre, Rowland’s sets defy the space restrictions with scene transformations that keep the story moving smoothly and leaving the audience asking, “how did they do that?” Rowland has designed over 200 sets for Bay Area theatre companies including Berkeley Opera, North Bay Opera, Marin Civic Light Opera, Marin Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare at Stinson, Lamplighters, Marin Theatre Company, Theatre Artists of Marin and The Belrose Theatre. He has designed over 100 sets for the Ross Valley Players and 2010 marks his 24th consecutive year as scenic designer for The Mountain Play. The Bay Area Critics Circle and Dean Goodman Choice Awards have recognized Rowland repeatedly for his stage designs.
Pat Polen
Costume Designer
Patricia is returning to the Mountain Play for her seventeenth season She has been designing and building costumes professionally since the mid-1970’s, with over eighty shows to her credit. In addition, Patricia is a professional make-up artist, having worked in that capacity with the San Francisco Opera for thirty years and as head of Wigs and Make-up for the Portland Opera. Pat recently received a Dean Goodman Choice Award for her costume designs for the Mountain Play’s 2004 production of My Fair Lady. Her costuming work has also been recognized with four Bay Area Critics Circle awards, most recently for the Mountain Play’s 2003 production of Annie.