#Kristen van Ginhoven

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Photos of Jayne Atkinson during production/rehearsals/behind the scenes of  Noms de guerre

Credit: Kristen van Ginhoven’s Flickr account: Link

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WAM Theatre Seeks Applications for New Elder Ensemble LENOX, MA (February 11, 2019) — Artistic Director Kristen van Ginhoven, Associate Artistic Director Talya Kingston, and the…

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Art, faith and forgery at the heart of WAM Theatre's "Bakelite Masterpiece"

Art, faith and forgery at the heart of WAM Theatre’s “Bakelite Masterpiece”

David Adkins and Corinna May in WAM Theatre’s Bakelite Masterpiece. Photo by Emma K. Rothenberg-Ware. THE BAKELITE MASTERPIECE Theatre Review by Macey Levin Under what circumstances would a convicted art forger gain his freedom by forging another masterpiece? The current production of The Bakelite Masterpiece by Kate Cayley, jointly produced by WAM Theatre and Berkshire Theatre Group at the…

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WAM Theatre’s Announces 10th Anniversary Gala Line-Up

WAM Theatre’s Announces 10th Anniversary Gala Line-Up

Midsummer Cocktail Gala Heads to New Location for 10th Anniversary Season

  LENOX, MA (June 4, 2019) – The popular Stationery Factory in Dalton, MA, will welcome WAM Theatre’s 10th Anniversary Gala on Wednesday, July 24, at 5:30pm.

  “All of us at WAM are so excited to celebrate our first ten years with this anniversary gala! We look forward to spending time with the WAMily toasting our first…

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WAM Theatre Announces Auditions for "Pipeline" in Berkshires & Cambridge, MA

WAM Theatre Announces Auditions for “Pipeline” in Berkshires & Cambridge, MA

You are invited to submit a request to audition for the WAM Theatre/NORA co-production of PIPELINE by Dominique Morisseau, directed by Dawn M. Simmons

Deadline to submit: June 12. [Info on how to submit is at the end of this notice]

There will be two audition dates (one in the Berkshires and one in Cambridge).  You only need to attend one.  The Berkshires auditions will be held on Saturday June…

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Only In My Dreams Events Presents the 4th Annual Dance Party and Cabaret at the Colonial Theatre

Only In My Dreams Events Presents the 4th Annual Dance Party and Cabaret at the Colonial Theatre

South Egremont, MA – Celebrate Pride Month and the incredible diversity of LGBTQ culture in the Berkshires at the 4th Annual Dance Party and Cabareton Saturday, June 8 starting at 6:00 pm. This fabulous, friendly and fierce event will take place at the Colonial Theater in Pittsfield. VIP tickets (including reserved seating and a special entrance) are $50, general admission tickets are $35 and…

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Albany Berkshire Ballet Founder & Artistic Director Madeline Cantarella Culpo to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

Albany Berkshire Ballet Founder & Artistic Director Madeline Cantarella Culpo to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

Albany Berkshire Balletis proud to announce that Founder and Artistic Director Madeline Cantarella Culpo has been selected to receive the LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD at the 2nd Annual Berkshire Nonprofit Awards, on May 21 at Berkshire Hills Country Club in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. “This is a well-deserved honor for a teacher and artist who has so dramatically impacted thousands of young people,…

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LENOX, MA (March 7, 2019) — After the record breaking success of WAM Theatre’s fall 2018 production of ANN by Holland Taylor, WAM is thrilled to announce that Arena Stage in Washington, DC, and Dallas Theatre Center are presenting a new co-production of ANN in July and October of this year. WAM’s Artistic Director, Kristen van Ginhoven, will again direct the production, and Jayne Atkinson returns to star in the title role.

A one-woman tour-de-force, ANN is a hilarious and spirited portrait of Ann Richards, legendary Governor of Texas, that brings us face to face with Richards’ complex, colorful, and captivating character, with a personality bigger than the state she governed. Ticket sales for WAM’s 2018 co-production of ANN with Dorset Theatre Festival broke all box office records.

Jayne Atkinson will reprise her starring role as Texas Governor Ann Richards.

WAM Artistic Director Kristen van Ginhoven will direct once again at Arena Stage and Dallas Theatre Center.

“As a new citizen of this country, and as the Artistic Director of WAM, I cannot imagine a better way to contribute to the civic dialogue leading up to the 2020 election,” van Ginhoven said. “All of us at WAM are thrilled that our work at the intersection of arts and activism will have a life outside of the Berkshires where it will reach even larger audiences. And personally, I am delighted to be able to continue work on this play with Jayne at these two acclaimed regional theaters.”

“I am thrilled and proud to be continuing the journey – joining with Kristen to take ANN on the road and share the brilliance and humor of Ann Richards,” Atkinson added.

Molly Smith, Artistic Director of Arena Stage in Washington DC

Kevin Moriarty, Enloe/Rose Artistic Director of Dallas Theater Center

“ANN is a whip-smart play, perfect for the times we’re living in. Governor Ann Richards was so far ahead of her time, she was a rocket!” Molly Smith, Artistic Director of Arena Stage enthused. “We at Arena are excited about this co-production and bringing Jayne Atkinson’s fantastic portrayal of Governor Richards, along with Kristen van Ginhoven’s wonderful direction, to Washington DC.  There really is no better place for a play about a strong woman politician. We’re tossing rocks at that glass ceiling! And reminding our audiences of those who went before.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Kristen van Ginhoven to Dallas to direct ANN,” said Kevin Moriarty, Enloe/Rose Artistic Director of Dallas Theater Center. “Under Kristen’s leadership, and with Jayne Atkinson in the title role, audiences will love this inspiring and hilarious play that brings us face to face with the complex, colorful and captivating character of Ann Richards.”

The original design team will also return to design the co-production. WAM Associate Artist Juliana von Haubrich returns as scenic designer, Andi Lyons as lighting designer, M. L. Dogg as sound designer, Jess Goldstein as costume designer and Paul Huntley as wig designer.

The production will run July 11-August 11 at Arena Stage and in Dallas from October 15-November 10. Tickets and information can be found on those companies’ Websites: arenastage.org and dallastheatercenter.org

Back in the Berkshires, WAM is launching its 10th anniversary season this year.  There will be two Mainstage productions – the world premiere of Lady Randy by Anne Undeland, running April 18-May 5, and Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau, running October 25-November 9, presented in partnership with Multicultural BRIDGE. Two Fresh Takes Play Readings – Native Gardens by Karen Zacarías (May 4) and Paradise by Laura Maria Censabella (November 2) –  will correlate directly to each Mainstage production; and an expanded Education program will include a new Elder Ensemble for women 65 and older, along with the successful, established Teen Ensemble, both of which will debut their original devised theatre pieces at the WAM Gala in July.

For more information about WAM Theatre and the 2019 season, visit: https://www.wamtheatre.com/2019-season/

ABOUT ARENA STAGE

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie, is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. Arena Stage produces plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Arena Stage is committed to commissioning and developing new plays and impacts the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement. Now in its seventh decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000. Arenastage.org

ABOUT THE DALLAS THEATER CENTER

One of the leading regional theaters in the country, Dallas Theater Center (DTC) performs to an audience of more than 90,000 North Texas residents annually. Founded in 1959, DTC is now a resident company of the AT&T Performing Arts Center and presents its mainstage season at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre in the Dallas Arts District. DTC also presents at its original home, the Kalita Humphreys Theater, the only freestanding theater designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright. DTC engages, entertains and inspires a diverse community by creating experiences that stimulate new ways of thinking and living by consistently producing plays, educational programs and community initiatives that are of the highest quality and reach the broadest possible constituency. Dallastheatercenter.org

WAM 10th Anniversary Sponsors

Our 2019 sponsors include Adams Community Bank, Annie Selke, Berkshire Gas, Berkshire Hand to Shoulder Center, Berkshire Magazine, Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing, Blue Q, Blue Spark Financial, Brabson Library & Educational Foundation, Canyon Ranch, Chez Nous, Custom Business Solutions, Dr, Jay Wise, DDS and Dr. Casey Jones, DMD, The Dylandale Foundation, Frankie’s Ristorante Italiano, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Guido’s Fresh Marketplace, Haven Cafe and Bakery, Health Professional Coaching, Heller & Robbins, Interprint, J.H. Maxymillian, Inc., Lee Bank, Maggie Barry, NEPR, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Only in My Dreams Events, Onyx Specialty Papers, OUTPOST, RB Design Co., The Rogovoy Report, The Rookwood Inn, Salisbury Bank, T Square Design Studio, Toole Insurance, and a. von schlegell & co.

WAM Theatre is also supported in part by grants from the Alford-Egremont Cultural Council, Cultural Council of Northern Berkshires, Hinsdale-Peru Cultural Council, Lenox Cultural Council, New Marlborough Cultural Council, Otis Cultural Council, Richmond Cultural Council, Sandisfield Cultural Council, Sheffield Cultural Council, West Stockbridge Cultural Council– local agencies that are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

LADY RANDY is sponsored in part by an anonymous donor and PIPELINE is sponsored in part by Carolyn Butler.

ABOUT WAM THEATRE

Based in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, WAM Theatre is celebrating its 10th anniversary of being a place Where Arts and Activism Meet. The company was co-founded in 2010 by director, actor, educator, and producer Kristen van Ginhoven. WAM’s vision is to create opportunity for women and girls through the mission of theatre as philanthropy.

Inspired by the book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, WAM donates a portion of the proceeds from its theatrical events to organizations that benefit women and girls.

Since 2010, WAM Theatre has provided paid work to more than 200 theatre artists and donated more than $56,500 to fifteen local and global organizations taking action for women and girls in areas such as girls education, teen pregnancy prevention, sexual trafficking awareness, midwife training and more. In addition to the main stage productions and special events, WAM Theatre’s activities include a comprehensive educational outreach program and the Fresh Takes Play Reading Series. For more information, visit www.WAMTheatre.com

“ANN” Starring Jayne Atkinson to be Presented in Dallas & Washington, DC LENOX, MA (March 7, 2019) — After the record breaking success of WAM Theatre’s fall 2018 production of…

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WAM Theatre Announces EPA Auditions for 2019 Season

WAM Theatre Announces EPA Auditions for 2019 Season

LENOX, MA (February 11, 2019) — WAM Theatre will hold Equity Principal Auditions for our 2019 Season on March 1 and 2, 2019. Auditions will be hosted by Talya Kingston, Associate Artistic Director, and Artistic Director, Kristen van Ginhoven.

WAM Theatre’s 2019 Season includes two full productions (LADY RANDY in April-May, and PIPELINE in October-November) and two rehearsed play readings (NATIVE…

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WAM Theatre Makes Record Donation to Two Non-Profit Beneficiaries

WAM Theatre Makes Record Donation to Two Non-Profit Beneficiaries

LENOX, MA [October 30, 2017] — Every year, WAM Theatre donates a portion of the box office proceeds from their fall Main Stage production to agencies that benefit women and girls locally, nationally, or internationally. The success of ANN enabled the company to present their largest donation ever – $15,000 split evenly between its 14th and 15th beneficiaries, The Denise Kaley Fund and the Women’s…

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Jayne Atkinson Stars in Limited Run of “Ann” at the Dorset Theatre Festival (Dorset, VT– August 17, 2018) Dorset Theatre Festival, under the leadership of Artistic Director Dina Janis, Producing Director Will Rucker, and Executive Director Marissa Hutton, presents Holland Taylor’s…

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LENOX, MA (May 15, 2018) –  WAM Theatre is delighted to announce that tickets are now on sale for their fall main stage production of Ann by Holland Taylor, starring Jayne Atkinson (TV’s House of Cards, Madam Secretary), and directed by WAM’s Artistic Director, Kristen van Ginhoven. Tickets were originally slated to go on sale mid-summer, but due to anticipated demand for this limited engagement, WAM has decided to open up sales now.

A one woman tour-de-force, Ann is a hilarious and spirited portrait of Ann Richards, legendary Governor of Texas. Written by award-winning actress and writer Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men),  Ann is an inspiring play that brings us face to face with the complex, colorful, and captivating character,  with a personality bigger than the state she governed. In a year when so many women are running for office across all platforms, this play resonates deeply with our current climate.

Ann is a co-production with Dorset Theatre Festival, where the play will be performed from August 29-September 1, 2018.  WAM will present Ann in the Berkshires from October 19-28 at the Tina Packer Playhouse at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA. Tickets for the limited engagement in Dorset are going fast, and when they’re gone they will refer eager ticket-buyers to WAM’s seven-performance run in the Berkshires. Consequently, WAM is opening ticket sales earlier than ever.

Playwright Holland Taylor.

The late Ann Richards, Governor of Texas from 1991-1995

“Kristen van Ginhoven and WAM have long inspired me personally for the amazing work they do on behalf of women,” shared Dina Janis, Artistic Director of Dorset Theatre Festival. “With the Festival’s commitment to gender equity in theatre and to women’s voices in particular, this project seemed like a perfect opportunity for collaboration between our theaters. Jayne Atkinson is arguably one of our nations finest actors, and a play written by the terrific Holland Taylor that celebrates one of my favorite political rock stars – Ann Richards – feels like a true celebration of all that is possible.”

In keeping with their double philanthropic mission, WAM Theatre will be donating 25% of the box office proceeds from Ann to a beneficiary to be named at the July 25 Gala at the Berkshire Equestrian Center in Richmond, MA. Since its founding in 2010, WAM Theatre has donated more than $41,500 to thirteen non-profit organizations. For more information on tickets to the Gala, please visit: http://www.wamtheatre.com/wam-gala-2018/

Performances of Ann the first weekend are Friday, October 19 at 7:30pm (preview),  Saturday, October 20 at 7:30pm (opening), and Sunday, October 21 at 2pm; and Friday, October 26 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, October 27 at 2pm & 7:30pm, and Sunday, October 28 at 2pm the second weekend. Tickets start at $30. Tickets for the low-priced Preview performance on Friday, October 19 at 7:30 pm are $25 & $30. All tickets are available through the Shakespeare & Company box office at 413-637-3353 or online at tickets.shakespeare.org.

The box office, located at 70 Kemble Street in Lenox, is open from 11 am-3 pm, plus 90 minutes prior to any performance. Closed Mondays.

For more information on WAM Theatre and Ann, visit: wamtheatre.com/ann

AT A GLANCE

October 19-28Annby Holland TaylorStarring Jayne Atkinson

Directed by Kristen van Ginhovenat the Tina Packer Playhouse at Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA

http://www.wamtheatre.com/ann/

A portion of box office proceeds will be donated to a beneficiary to be announced at the WAM Gala on July 25, 2018.Tickets start at $30.

Preview tickets to the October 19 performance at 7:30pm are $25 & $30.

Available through the Shakespeare & Company box office at 413-637-3353 or online at tickets.shakespeare.org.

No Berkshire, Senior, Teacher or Military Discount

Student tickets are available for $15 each and may be purchased over the phone at 413-637-3353 or in person at the Shakespeare & Company Box Office. Student tickets are not available for purchase online.

PERFORMANCES

Friday, October 19 at 7:30pm (Preview)

Saturday, October 20 at 7:30pm (Opening Night)

Sunday, October 21 at 2pm

Friday, October 26 at 7:30pm

Saturday October 27 at 2pm and 7:30pm

Sunday, October 28 at 2pm (Closing)

ABOUT JAYNE ATKINSON

Jayne Atkinson has enjoyed a long and varied career as an actress, director, and producer. A graduate of Northwestern University and Yale Drama School, she has appeared in regional theatre, off-Broadway, and Broadway.

Jayne made her Broadway debut in a revival production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons. Other Broadway credits include The Rainmaker (Tony nomination), Our Town with Paul Newman, Enchanted April (Tony nomination, Drama Desk nomination; Outer Critics Circle Award) and Blithe Spirit with the wonderful Angela Lansbury . She has also appeared off-Broadway in a number of productions, including The Art of Success (Drama Desk nomination) and The Skriker (Drama Desk nomination).

​Many may recognize Jayne from her film and television roles. Her feature film credits include Free Willy 1&2, The Village and Syriana. On television she is known for her guest appearances on the hit series The X-Files, Gossip Girl, Chicago Med and The Good Wife, among others. As a recurring character, she has played Karen Hayes on the award-winning 24, Erin Strauss on Criminal Minds, Secretary of State Catherine Durant on the popular Netflix Series House of Cards and most recently she can be seen opposite Tea Leoni as Vice President Teresa Hurst on Madam Secretary.Directing and producing credits include benefit productions of Motherhood Out Loud and Can You Hear Me, Baby?, for WAM Theatre and the Berkshire Festival of Women Writers. She also runs Jadana Productions, which specializes in entertainment development.  Her other areas of expertise include coaching and teaching. In her spare time, she promotes women’s causes, travels, participates in fundraisers.​ She is married to actor Michel Gill. Together they have one son.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR: Kristen van Ginhoven

(Director) WAM Theatre: The Bakelite Masterpiece, In Darfur (New England Premiere), Emilie (New England Premiere), The Old Mezzo (World Premiere), The Attic, The Pearls and Three Fine Girls and Melancholy Play Elsewhere: Disgraced, I and You (Chester Theatre), Waxworks (Williams College), The Whale (Adirondack Theatre Festival), 10 Minute Play Festival (Barrington Stage Company), Petticoats of Steel (Capital Repertory Theatre), Footloose (Cohoes Music Hall), Children’s Hour (Siena College), Vendetta Chrome(Emerson College). Selected assistant directing: The Physicists, 42nd Street(Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada), Two Men of Florence (Huntington Theatre) Sleuth, Absurd Person Singular (Barrington Stage Company). Training: Dalhousie University (BA), Queen’s University (BEd), Emerson College (MA). Et cetera: Kristen is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and a theatre artist for the International Schools Theatre Association. She was a member of the 2013 Lincoln Center Director’s Lab and is a member of the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction at the Stratford Festival of Canada. Kristen is the co-founder and Artistic Director of WAM Theatre. Website: www.WAMTheatre.com

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT: Holland Taylor

Holland Taylor took Broadway by storm as writer and star of Ann, a one-woman show about the late Texas Governor Ann Richards, which resulted in rave reviews, a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress, and a filmed version of the 2016 production in which Holland starred at ZACH Theatre in Austin, Texas, bringing Governor Richards back home. The New Yorker has called Holland Taylor “the first vaudeville Gentile we ever saw.” Her New York stage performances include Bess in Breakfast with Les and Bess, as well as the original productions of Butley, opposite Alan Bates, and A.R. Gurney’s The Cocktail Hour. She still holds her head high after taking over for Eve Arden, opening the historic flop Moose Murders. In Los Angeles she has performed in Kindertransport, and played opposite Christopher Lloyd in Yasmina Reza’s The Unexpected Man at the Geffen. She has worked extensively in film and television, appearing in Romancing the Stone, Jewel of the Nile, To Die For, Next Stop Wonderland, One Fine Day, George of the Jungle, The Truman Show, Happy Accidents, Spy Kids (2 & 3), Keeping the Faith, Legally Blonde, and Baby Mama, with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. On television, Holland has been nominated for an Emmy seven times, winning Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for the sexually popular Judge Roberta Kittleson on The Practice. Among her numerous series starring roles: The Powers that Be, Norman Lear’s short-lived but highly acclaimed political satire; Bosom Buddies, with Tom Hanks; and, of course, the juggernaut, Two and a Half Men, with her dear boys: Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and number 3 son, Ashton Kutcher. She has performed narrations for the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Esa-Pekka Salonen and John Adams, and narrated the Harry Potter Suite for John Williams at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Following her Broadway run in Ann, Holland appeared in Kepler’s Dream, an inspiring film for a young audience, and in New York she played another character who never leaves the stage and talks a LOT in Pulitzer prize-winner David Lindsay-Abaire’s dark comedy Ripcord, at the Manhattan Theatre Club.

OUR SEASON SPONSORS

Our 2018 sponsors include Adams Community Bank, Baystate Financial, Berkshire Bank Foundation, Berkshire Magazine, Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing, Blue Q, Brabson Library & Educational Foundation, Canyon Ranch, The Charles H. Hall Foundation, CMW Retirement Plan Services LLC, Custom Business Solutions, The Dylandale Foundation, The Feigenbaum Foundation, Frankie’s Ristorante Italiano, the Garden Gables Inn, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Guido’s Fresh Marketplace, International Schools Theatre Association, Interprint, Lee Bank, Maggie Barry, Massachusetts Cultural Council, J.H. Maxymillian, Inc., Methuselah Bar and Lounge, Natracare, No. Six Depot Roastery and Café, Onyx Specialty Papers, Inc., RB Design Co., The Rookwood Inn, The Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation, The Rogovoy Report, Rouge Restaurant & Bistro, Salisbury Bank, T Square Design Studio, Toole Insurance, a. von schlegell & co.

WAM Theatre is also supported in part by grants from the Alford-Egremont Cultural Council, Lee Cultural Council, Lenox Cultural Council, New Marlborough Cultural Council, Pittsfield Cultural Council, Cultural Council of Northern Berkshires, Otis Cultural Council, Richmond Cultural Council, Sandisfield Cultural Council, and the Washington Cultural Council – local agencies that are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

ABOUT WAM THEATRE

Based in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, WAM Theatre is Where Arts and Activism Meet. The company was co-founded in 2010 by Canadian director, actor, educator, and producer Kristen van Ginhoven. WAM’s vision is to create opportunity for women and girls through the mission of theatre as philanthropy.

Inspired by the book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, WAM donates a portion of the proceeds from its theatrical events to organizations that benefit women and girls.

Since 2010, WAM Theatre has donated more than $41,500 to thirteen nonprofit organizations and provided paid work to more than 200 theatre artists. In addition to the main stage productions and special events, WAM Theatre’s activities include a comprehensive educational outreach program and the Fresh Takes Play Reading Series. For more information, visit www.WAMTheatre.com

  Tickets for WAM Fall MainStage Show “Ann” Now On Sale! LENOX, MA (May 15, 2018) -  WAM Theatre is delighted to announce that tickets are now on sale…

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WAM Theatre Announces Expansion of Theatre Leadership

New Hires and Board Members Join Award-Winning Theatre LEE, MA [January 25, 2018] — WAM Theatre embarks on its ninth season with the announcement of two new members of the WAM Leadership Team and three new members of its Board of Directors.  Talya Kingston has been named Associate Artistic Director, and Max Galdos-Shapiro will join WAM as General Manager. Together with Artistic Director Kristen…