Bio coming soon!
Our People
Jed Bernstein | Producing Director
For more than two decades, Jed Bernstein has been a leader in theatrical production, venue management, arts administration, and marketing and promotion. Most recently, he served as the ninth President and CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Prior to joining Lincoln Center, Jed was a Tony Award-winning independent Broadway producer through Above The Title Entertainment Productions.
In 2010, he partnered with the Bridge Street Foundation to purchase and renovate the historic Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The Playhouse had a celebratory reopening in 2012, and as Producing Director, Mr. Bernstein presented year-round theatrical seasons, returning this 75 year old playhouse to the forefront of regional theater.
From 1995 to 2006, Mr. Bernstein led The Broadway League, the industry trade association and co-producer of the Tony Awards telecast.
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Jed Bernstein
Jed Bernstein | Producing Director
For more than two decades, Jed Bernstein has been a leader in theatrical production, venue management, arts administration, and marketing and promotion. Most recently, he served as the ninth President and CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Prior to joining Lincoln Center, Jed was a Tony Award-winning independent Broadway producer through Above The Title Entertainment Productions.
In 2010, he partnered with the Bridge Street Foundation to purchase and renovate the historic Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The Playhouse had a celebratory reopening in 2012, and as Producing Director, Mr. Bernstein presented year-round theatrical seasons, returning this 75 year old playhouse to the forefront of regional theater.
From 1995 to 2006, Mr. Bernstein led The Broadway League, the industry trade association and co-producer of the Tony Awards telecast.
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Producing Director
Danielle Taylor | General Manager
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Danielle Taylor
Danielle Taylor | General Manager
Bio coming soon!
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General Manager
Graham Northrup | Director of Education
Graham Northrup is in his tenth year leading the education and training arm of Theatre Aspen. Graham received his MFA in Directing from Baylor University and serves as the administrator, lead teacher and director for both youth and adult theatrical training for Theatre Aspen School. He has taught classes from elementary to graduate school.
He has directed the teen Conservatory productions of Newsies, School of Rock, Spamalot, James and the Giant Peach, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Shrek, the Musical, Working, The Importance of Being Earnest, Romeo and Juliet – the Musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, Urinetown, Little Shop of Horrors and The Curious Savage, as well as The Phantom Tollbooth, Xanadu, Jr., Schoolhouse Rock, Live Jr., a musical version of The Hobbit and Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr. for Theatre Aspen School’s Spring Youth Production series.
He has coached, directed and associate-directed for other local companies including The Foreigner with Snowmass Chapel and Barrymore with the Hudson Reed Ensemble. As an actor Graham has been seen as Cogsworth in ACT’s production of Beauty and the Beast, FDR in Theatre Aspen’s reprise of Annie, John Adams in ACT’s production of 1776, Guy in the Fringe Festival staged reading of John Cariani’s Last Gas, Oliver Kilbourne in Theatre Master’s reading of The Pitmen Painters and more. He is also a voiceover artist and photographer, in addition to being a husband to a wonderful wife and father of five hard-working, beautiful daughters.
Graham’s approach to coaching and directing is to help actors explore their own creativity, encourage them to push through perceived barriers and take their performance to new levels of emotional honesty, physical expression and collaboration with their scene partners. He employs both physical and psychological/emotional techniques to help actors reach their most truthful and compelling performance.
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Graham Northrup
Graham Northrup | Director of Education
Graham Northrup is in his tenth year leading the education and training arm of Theatre Aspen. Graham received his MFA in Directing from Baylor University and serves as the administrator, lead teacher and director for both youth and adult theatrical training for Theatre Aspen School. He has taught classes from elementary to graduate school.
He has directed the teen Conservatory productions of Newsies, School of Rock, Spamalot, James and the Giant Peach, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Shrek, the Musical, Working, The Importance of Being Earnest, Romeo and Juliet – the Musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, Urinetown, Little Shop of Horrors and The Curious Savage, as well as The Phantom Tollbooth, Xanadu, Jr., Schoolhouse Rock, Live Jr., a musical version of The Hobbit and Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr. for Theatre Aspen School’s Spring Youth Production series.
He has coached, directed and associate-directed for other local companies including The Foreigner with Snowmass Chapel and Barrymore with the Hudson Reed Ensemble. As an actor Graham has been seen as Cogsworth in ACT’s production of Beauty and the Beast, FDR in Theatre Aspen’s reprise of Annie, John Adams in ACT’s production of 1776, Guy in the Fringe Festival staged reading of John Cariani’s Last Gas, Oliver Kilbourne in Theatre Master’s reading of The Pitmen Painters and more. He is also a voiceover artist and photographer, in addition to being a husband to a wonderful wife and father of five hard-working, beautiful daughters.
Graham’s approach to coaching and directing is to help actors explore their own creativity, encourage them to push through perceived barriers and take their performance to new levels of emotional honesty, physical expression and collaboration with their scene partners. He employs both physical and psychological/emotional techniques to help actors reach their most truthful and compelling performance.
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Director of Education
Craig Moxon | Director of Production
Craig comes to Theatre Aspen after having served four years as Director of Lighting and Sound at the Omaha Theater Company, otherwise known as the Rose Theater for Children and Families, in Omaha Nebraska. While at the Rose he was responsible for designing lighting and sound for all the mainstage productions while leading apprentices in their individual design efforts, and introduction to working in the world of theatre. Some of his favorite designs while at the Rose include: Matilda, Wonderland- Alice’s Rock & Roll Adventure, Van Gogh and Me (world premiere), Return to Niobara (world premiere), Newsies, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Elf: The Musical, Shrek The Musical, The Little Mermaid, and Prancer (world premier).
Previous to his time at the Rose Craig dedicated himself to the education of the up and coming designers and artisans of theatre by serving as Assistant Professor and Head of Design at University of Minnesota, Morris; Technical Director/Production Manager and Instructor of Lighting Design at Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas: and Head of Design and Production at Bismarck State College, Bismarck, North Dakota. Some of his favorite designs during his time in academia include: The Normal Heart & A Midnight Dreary (UMM), The Rocky Horror Show, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (ESU), Urinetown, Nickel & Dimed, & Man of LaMancha (BSC).
While attending graduate school at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale he spent a summer as Sound Designer for McLeod Summer Playhouse, then found himself in Colorado as lighting and sound designer for Creede Repertory Theatre, Colorado, for three seasons, then as Lighting Director for A Christmas Carol Tour with the Nebraska Theatre Caravan (Omaha Community Playhouse).
Craig looks forward to ushering in the new group of young designers and technicians through the TAAP program and delivering on Theatre Aspen’s promise of providing world class theatre to Aspen, its surrounding communities and beyond.
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Craig Moxon
Craig Moxon | Director of Production
Craig comes to Theatre Aspen after having served four years as Director of Lighting and Sound at the Omaha Theater Company, otherwise known as the Rose Theater for Children and Families, in Omaha Nebraska. While at the Rose he was responsible for designing lighting and sound for all the mainstage productions while leading apprentices in their individual design efforts, and introduction to working in the world of theatre. Some of his favorite designs while at the Rose include: Matilda, Wonderland- Alice’s Rock & Roll Adventure, Van Gogh and Me (world premiere), Return to Niobara (world premiere), Newsies, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Elf: The Musical, Shrek The Musical, The Little Mermaid, and Prancer (world premier).
Previous to his time at the Rose Craig dedicated himself to the education of the up and coming designers and artisans of theatre by serving as Assistant Professor and Head of Design at University of Minnesota, Morris; Technical Director/Production Manager and Instructor of Lighting Design at Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas: and Head of Design and Production at Bismarck State College, Bismarck, North Dakota. Some of his favorite designs during his time in academia include: The Normal Heart & A Midnight Dreary (UMM), The Rocky Horror Show, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (ESU), Urinetown, Nickel & Dimed, & Man of LaMancha (BSC).
While attending graduate school at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale he spent a summer as Sound Designer for McLeod Summer Playhouse, then found himself in Colorado as lighting and sound designer for Creede Repertory Theatre, Colorado, for three seasons, then as Lighting Director for A Christmas Carol Tour with the Nebraska Theatre Caravan (Omaha Community Playhouse).
Craig looks forward to ushering in the new group of young designers and technicians through the TAAP program and delivering on Theatre Aspen’s promise of providing world class theatre to Aspen, its surrounding communities and beyond.
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Director of Production
Britt Marden | Director of Artistic Planning
Bio Coming Soon!
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Britt Marden
Britt Marden | Director of Artistic Planning
Bio Coming Soon!
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Director of Artistic Planning
Natalie Travers | Development Consultant
Natalie Travers believes in the power of art to illuminate our collective joy and pain, realize our shared humanity, and transform our thinking. She has spent her career collaborating with Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, Grammy-award winning musicians, artists and leaders across industries to leverage this power through storytelling and design.
Prior to supporting the work of Theatre Aspen, Natalie served in a variety of roles at the Aspen Institute. She developed go-to-market strategies and subsidiary brands to expand the organizational reach and deepen its impact; launched and scaled the Aspen Challenge, a multi-million-dollar youth leadership initiative; and developed programs of Aspen Words across international boundaries. Inspired by the synthesis of mind, body, and spirit that defines the “Aspen Idea,” Natalie has lived in Aspen for nearly 14 years.
She has a BA in Studio Art from Macalester College and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. She is an avid skier, dedicated yogi, and artist. She loves playing in the high country with her husband and two-year-old daughter.
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Natalie Travers
Natalie Travers | Development Constultant
Natalie Travers believes in the power of art to illuminate our collective joy and pain, realize our shared humanity, and transform our thinking. She has spent her career collaborating with Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, Grammy-award winning musicians, artists and leaders across industries to leverage this power through storytelling and design.
Prior to supporting the work of Theatre Aspen, Natalie served in a variety of roles at the Aspen Institute. She developed go-to-market strategies and subsidiary brands to expand the organizational reach and deepen its impact; launched and scaled the Aspen Challenge, a multi-million-dollar youth leadership initiative; and developed programs of Aspen Words across international boundaries. Inspired by the synthesis of mind, body, and spirit that defines the “Aspen Idea,” Natalie has lived in Aspen for nearly 14 years.
She has a BA in Studio Art from Macalester College and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. She is an avid skier, dedicated yogi, and artist. She loves playing in the high country with her husband and two-year-old daughter.
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Development Consultant
Samantha Scott | Development Manager
Bio Coming Soon!
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Samantha Scott
Samantha Scott | Development Manager
Bio coming soon!
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Development Manager
Elissa Russell | Education Manager
A native Texan, Elissa comes to Aspen after spending two years as the Education Assistant at Midland Community Theatre, working for the same theatre education program where she received training throughout her childhood and teenage years. In this role, she taught classes for PreK-12th graders, directed multiple productions per year, assistant directed, and stage managed.
Elissa has also worked as teaching artist at professional theatres in Austin, Texas, and Richmond, Virginia. She holds a degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin with a specialization in Shakespeare. She also spent a year teaching English in Calais, France, and is fluent in French. Theatre has always been an essential part of Elissa’s life, and she is grateful to share her passion with students throughout the valley.
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Elissa Russell
Elissa Russell | Education Manager
A native of Midland, Texas, Elissa Russell has loved theatre ever since losing her first tooth during after-school classes at Midland Community Theatre.
After attending the University of Texas, where she studied English, Elissa remained in Austin, where she interned at the ZACH Theatre and reviewed theatre for the Austin Chronicle. She also spent two summers in a barn in the middle of nowhere as a member of Shakespeare at Winedale, an intensive Shakespeare study program through UT.
After her time in Austin, Elissa worked at Virginia Repertory Theatre in Richmond, where she coordinated in-school tours for their sexual abuse prevention play.
Most recently she served as the Education Assistant for Midland Community Theatre, where she was able to give back to the same education department that inspired her own passion for theatre and arts education.
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Education Manager
Jeni Ptacek | Business Manager
Jeni has been the owner of two local businesses including Crystal River Ballet School at the Launchpad in Carbondale.
She has managed all areas of administration, marketing, budgeting, and bookkeeping, customer service, sales, marketing, purchasing, inventory, and human resources as an Office Manager for a few local businesses and physicians office.
She has also served on the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce and was a volunteer advocate for Advocate Safehouse Project: a shelter and support center for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
As a dancer she had performed with Colorado Ballet, David Taylor Dance Theatre and Aspen Ballet. As a dance teacher she holds several certificates including from the Royal Academy of Dance and The International School of Dance, Rosella Hightower in Cannes, France.
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Jeni Ptacek
Jeni Ptacek | Business Manager
Jeni has been the owner of two local businesses including Crystal River Ballet School at the Launchpad in Carbondale.
She has managed all areas of administration, marketing, budgeting, and bookkeeping, customer service, sales, marketing, purchasing, inventory, and human resources as an Office Manager for a few local businesses and physicians office.
She has also served on the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce and was a volunteer advocate for Advocate Safehouse Project: a shelter and support center for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
As a dancer she had performed with Colorado Ballet, David Taylor Dance Theatre and Aspen Ballet. As a dance teacher she holds several certificates including from the Royal Academy of Dance and The International School of Dance, Rosella Hightower in Cannes, France.
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Business Manager
Cailin Doran | Marketing and Events Manager
Cailin Doran is a native Coloradan who has recently found her way back home. After attending undergraduate at the University of Colorado at Boulder (BFA Musical Theatre, BA Theatre History) she spent time as professional actor in New York and Denver, then attended The Boston Conservatory for her MFA in Musical Theatre.
In addition to her various production credits as an actor (The Huntington Theatre Company, The Arvada Center, The Curious Theatre Company) and director (MIT, Bridge Repertory Theatre) Doran has also worked as a teaching artist with The Colorado Shakespeare Festival, The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Voices Boston, and The Boston Conservatory.
As a director and educator, her theatrical voice is grounded in text and music analysis as a means of discovering and bringing nuanced choices to the stage through honoring the specificity of writers and composers. She is particularly drawn to ways classic musical theatre can be staged to reflect our modern world.
After completing her MFA, Doran worked for a robotics company in the fast-paced tech start up world of Boston, quickly growing into a management role and inevitably overseeing all outbound communication and messaging. She is grateful to be in a role that marries her innovative and holistic business acumen with theatrical pursuits. cdoran@theatreaspen.org
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Cailin Doran
Cailin Doran | Marketing and Events Manager
Cailin Doran is a native Coloradan who has recently found her way back home. After attending undergraduate at the University of Colorado at Boulder (BFA Musical Theatre, BA Theatre History) she spent time as professional actor in New York and Denver, then attended The Boston Conservatory for her MFA in Musical Theatre.
In addition to her various production credits as an actor (The Huntington Theatre Company, The Arvada Center, The Curious Theatre Company) and director (MIT, Bridge Repertory Theatre) Doran has also worked as a teaching artist with The Colorado Shakespeare Festival, The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, Voices Boston, and The Boston Conservatory.
As a director and educator, her theatrical voice is grounded in text and music analysis as a means of discovering and bringing nuanced choices to the stage through honoring the specificity of writers and composers. She is particularly drawn to ways classic musical theatre can be staged to reflect our modern world.
Since completing her MFA Doran worked for a robotics company in the fast-paced tech start up world of Boston – quickly growing into a management role and inevitably overseeing all outbound communication and messaging. She is grateful to be in a role that marries her innovative and holistic business acumen with theatrical pursuits. cdoran@theatreaspen.org
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Marketing and Events Manager
Kevin Bianchi | Apprentice and Special Projects Coordinator
Kevin Bianchi is a multi-hyphenate theatre professional based in New York City. A firm believer in the importance of sharing stories, Kevin has made it his mission to connect great theatre with eager audiences.
Prior to joining the ranks at Theatre Aspen, Kevin worked across several disciplines at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Roundabout Theatre Company, Scott Rudin Productions and The Mine Talent Agency. In 2017, Kevin was recognized as one of the theatre industry’s rising leaders by the TEDxBroadway Young Professionals Program.
Kevin is a proud alumnus of Point Park University with a degree in Theatre Arts from the school’s Conservatory of the Performing Arts.
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Kevin Bianchi
Kevin Bianchi | Apprentice and Special Projects Coordinator
Kevin Bianchi is a multi-hyphenate theatre professional based in New York City. A firm believer in the importance of sharing stories, Kevin has made it his mission to connect great theatre with eager audiences.
Prior to joining the ranks at Theatre Aspen, Kevin worked across several disciplines at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Roundabout Theatre Company, Scott Rudin Productions and The Mine Talent Agency. In 2017, Kevin was recognized as one of the theatre industry’s rising leaders by the TEDxBroadway Young Professionals Program.
Kevin is a proud alumnus of Point Park University with a degree in Theatre Arts from the school’s Conservatory of the Performing Arts.
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Apprentice and Special Projects Coordinator
The Theatre Aspen Alumni Association provides a community for current and former creative team and company members to connect, collaborate, and continue to build upon the Theatre Aspen legacy.
The purpose is to foster a long-lasting relationship between the theatre and the talented actors, designers, administrators & apprentices who have created work on the Theatre Aspen stage, while promoting the Theatre and remaining connected to the future of the organization.
Send us your news, get deals on tickets, receive exclusive invites and special benefits, and stay up to day with all things TA. Receive regular e-newsletters with fun and and important TA news and invitation to join fellow TA Alumni at yearly events in New York City and Aspen.
Interested in joining Theatre Aspen’s Alumni Association? Contact Kevin Bianchi at kevin@theatreaspen.org.
