Our People

Theatre Aspen Staff

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.

jed@theatreaspen.org

Jed Bernstein

Jed Bernstein | Producing Director

Prior to joining Lincoln Center, Jed was a Tony Award-winning independent Broadway producer through Above The Title Entertainment Productions.

From 1995 to 2006, Mr. Bernstein led The Broadway League, the industry trade association and co-producer of the Tony Awards telecast.

jed@theatreaspen.org

Producing Director

Michael Rader | Acting General Manager

Michael Rader, Acting General Manager, most recently served as the Producing Artistic Director for the Cape Playhouse, where he was celebrated for leading the organization through a significant renaissance. His diverse career in the arts has afforded him positions such as an Artistic Director for Cirque du Soleil, Broadway Liaison and Arts Education Consultant to the New York City Department of Education and Director of Entertainment for Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.

During Rader’s tenure with The Cape Playhouse, the organization flourished through a remarkable period of growth and advancement, culminating in the launch of a significant master plan initiative and capital campaign. The Cape Playhouse exists today as one of the great surviving icons of the American summer theater.

Select additional highlights as a director, producer or associate include: A Christmas Story; The Musical (National Tour), Stalking The Bogeyman (NYTimes Critics Pick, Outer Critics Circle Nomination), Varekai (Cirque Du Soleil), The Testament of Mary, A Christmas Carol (National Tour), Mandela! with Norm Lewis, You are Not Alone with Betty Buckley and Lea DeLaria, and productions with Sacramento Music Circus, The ZACH Theatre, The York Theatre Company, The Actors Studio Repertory Theatre, The Human Race Theatre, The Dramatist Guild, The Huron Playhouse, The Forestburgh Playhouse, Joe’s Pub and the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway benefit production of William Finn’s Elegies: A Song Cycle.

Rader is a graduate of Wright State University, the Actors Studio MFA Directing Program, an alumnus of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab and a proud member of SDC.

Michael Rader

Michael Rader | Acting General Manager

Michael Rader, Acting General Manager, most recently served as the Producing Artistic Director for the Cape Playhouse, where he was celebrated for leading the organization through a significant renaissance. His diverse career in the arts has afforded him positions such as an Artistic Director for Cirque du Soleil, Broadway Liaison and Arts Education Consultant to the New York City Department of Education and Director of Entertainment for Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.

During Rader’s tenure with The Cape Playhouse, the organization flourished through a remarkable period of growth and advancement, culminating in the launch of a significant master plan initiative and capital campaign. The Cape Playhouse exists today as one of the great surviving icons of the American summer theater.

Select additional highlights as a director, producer or associate include: A Christmas Story; The Musical (National Tour), Stalking The Bogeyman (NYTimes Critics Pick, Outer Critics Circle Nomination), Varekai (Cirque Du Soleil), The Testament of Mary, A Christmas Carol (National Tour), Mandela! with Norm Lewis, You are Not Alone with Betty Buckley and Lea DeLaria, and productions with Sacramento Music Circus, The ZACH Theatre, The York Theatre Company, The Actors Studio Repertory Theatre, The Human Race Theatre, The Dramatist Guild, The Huron Playhouse, The Forestburgh Playhouse, Joe’s Pub and the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway benefit production of William Finn’s Elegies: A Song Cycle.

Rader is a graduate of Wright State University, the Actors Studio MFA Directing Program, an alumnus of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab and a proud member of SDC.

Acting General 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.

jptacek@theatreaspen.org

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 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.

jptacek@theatreaspen.org

Business Manager

Britt Marden | Director of Artistic Planning

Britt joins Theatre Aspen as Director of Artistic Planning after having worked on several special projects including the inaugural Solo Flights festival and South Pacific In Concert. Over the past several years she has produced events for Bloomberg Philanthropies, the YMCA, UNCF and more. She is also a producer at non-profit music organization, Guitar Mash.

Britt began her career at the Broadway League where for over 10 years she served as Manager of Events and Programs, producing and executing all of the League’s major industry-wide events including Broadway on Broadway, Kids’ Night on Broadway, Broadway Under The Stars, Stars in the Alley, and more. She was associate producer on several television specials including The Visa Tony Award Preview Concert for which she earned a NY Emmy nomination.

In addition to these large scale productions she was the point person for the League’s cornerstone sponsors and partners to coordinate VIP and hospitality programming for clients around the country. From 2004-2010, Britt was the marketing manager for the Tony Award marketing and sponsorship team that developed and implemented marketing advertising and promotional strategies to create awareness and increase tune-in for the CBS broadcast. Britt went on to market shows on Broadway including Driving Miss Daisy starring James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave and in 2012 became the Director of Marketing at the historic Bucks County Playhouse followed by producing fundraising events at New York’s famed Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

britt@theatreaspen.org

Britt Marden

Britt Marden | Director of Artistic Planning

Director of Artistic Planning

Toni Ann Case | Marketing Director

Bio Coming Soon

toni@theatreaspen.org

Toni Ann Case

Toni Ann Case | Marketing Director

Bio Coming Soon toni@theatreaspen.org

Marketing Director

Natalie Travers | Director of Advancement

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.

natalie@theatreaspen.org

Natalie Travers

Natalie Travers | Director of Advancement

natalie@theatreaspen.org

Director of Advancement

Lexi Minchow | Events and Rentals Manager

Lexi grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska where she completed her undergraduate degree in history and sociology. Days after graduation she moved abroad and completed graduate school in Australia for education where she taught high school in Sydney for a number of years before moving to and teaching in Japan, and most recently in Dubai. Highlights of Dubai were being a founding teacher and primary spokesperson of a successful international school opening. Working in Dubai also allowed for the opportunity to become involved in global relocations; assisting families and corporations with every aspect that arises when relocating internationally. Along with her international teaching positions, Lexi has also spent several months volunteer teaching students with limited access to education in Malaysia and in Guatemala.

After nearly 12 years abroad, the time was right to move back to the US, and Aspen was the perfect fit: skiing, hiking, biking and a thriving arts community. She is so excited to be a part of the Theatre Aspen team and settle into mountain life with her pup Yuki.

lexi@theatreaspen.org

Lexi Minchow

Lexi Minchow | Events and Rentals Manager

Lexi grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska where she completed her undergraduate degree in history and sociology. Days after graduation she moved abroad and completed graduate school in Australia for education where she taught high school in Sydney for a number of years before moving to and teaching in Japan, and most recently Dubai. In Dubai she was a founding teacher and primary spokesperson of a successful international school opening. Working in Dubai also allowed for the opportunity to become involved in global relocations; assisting families and corporations with every aspect that arises when relocating internationally. Along with her international teaching positions, Lexi has also spent several months volunteer teaching students with limited access to education in Malaysia and in Guatemala.

lexi@theatreaspen.org

Events and Rentals Manager

Vanessa Strahan | Director of Education

Vanessa Strahan arrives at Theatre Aspen from Chicago where she served as the Education Director for Mudlark Theater, a youth company where young people are taken seriously as artists and learn theater by making it. She worked in Chicago as a director, teaching artist, choreographer, playwright, and performer with companies such as Northlight Theatre, The Actor’s Gymnasium, Joel Hall Dancers & Company, Seesaw Theatre, and Lookingglass Theatre.

Vanessa is a proud founding member of Arts Ed Chi, an arts education advocacy and practice collective in Chicago. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she studied Theatre, Musical Theatre, Musical Theatre Choreography, and Political Science. Her theatre and dance pedagogy are grounded in inclusive and accessible community-based practices, curated risk taking, and resiliency.

By fostering agency, creative-decision making, self-advocacy, and play through the performing arts, she works to facilitate spaces where young people can become better communicators, collaborators, and community members.
vanessa@theatreaspen.org

Vanessa Strahan

Vanessa Strahan | Education Director

Education Director

Grant Strom | Apprentice and Board Coordinator

Recently pivoted arts administrator and strategist, Grant Strom joins Theatre Aspen this year as Apprentice & Board Coordinator. Most recently, he served as music supervisor and conductor for The J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company, leading their internship program and heading their off-Broadway revivals including Cy Coleman’s Seesaw, Richard Rodgers’ No Strings, A Class Act (First NY Revival), A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, and Stephen Schwartz’s The Baker’s Wife (Directed by Schwartz). He also served as Interim Music Supervisor for RWS Entertainment Group from 2018-2019, providing direction for their Holland America cruise line account.

From 2016-2018, Strom had served as associate and pianist for acclaimed music director and conductor Andy Einhorn, performing with him on such Broadway shows including Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn, Jerry Herman’s Hello, Dolly!, and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel. Strom has also assisted Tony-winning composer Jeanine Tesori as a pianist for Steven Spielberg’s upcoming West Side Story film adaptation, set to be released December 2021. His tour work includes the current touring production of The Sound of Music.

As a vocal coach and pianist, Strom has worked with and played for many lauded stars including Lindsay Mendez, Jessie Mueller, Renée Fleming, Donna Murphy, Bernadette Peters, Beanie Feldstein, Ansel Elgort, and Kathleen Turner. Strom has worked at George Street Playhouse for Last Days of Summer (Music by Jason Howland), Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, and Theatre Row, among others.

Education credits include Broadway Artists Alliance, Broadway Evolved (with Betsy Wolfe), The College Light Opera Company, The College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, St. Cloud State University, Sartell High School, and volunteer work through the MusicLink Foundation.

Grant Strom is an honors graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and he recently completed a certification in Strategy Execution from Harvard Business School as well as an internship in producing and general management from Aaron Grant Theatrical.

grant@theatreaspen.org

Grant Strom

Grant Strom | Apprentice and Board Coordinator

grant@theatreaspen.org

Apprentice and Board Coordinator

Yoeli Gutiérrez Romero | Development Associate

Coming Soon

Yoeli Gutiérrez Romero

Yoeli Gutiérrez Romero | Development Associate

Coming Soon

Development Associate

Ginger Kennington | House and Box Office Manager

Bio Coming Soon

Ginger Kennington

Ginger Kennington | House and Box Office Manager

Bio Coming Soon

House and Box Office Manager

Duncan | Office Doggo

Duncan joins the Theatre Aspen team after spending his last two years as Office Doggo for Des Moines Metro Opera.

Duncan is well versed in the duties of an Office Doggo and can be found greeting guests, scavenging for crumbs, and napping in corners. When he is not occupied by his Office Doggo duties he enjoys hiking and exploring his new home of Colorado.

Treats and pets always welcome.

@dapperduncandog

Duncan

Duncan | Office Doggo

Duncan joins the Theatre Aspen team after spending his last two years as Office Doggo for Des Moines Metro Opera.

Treats and pets always welcome.

@dapperduncandog

Office Doggo

Yuki | Office Doggo

Yuki is thrilled to join the Theatre Aspen doggo team. He loves to spend his time roaming the office on the hunt for peanut butter.

Before his move to Colorado, Yuki was the classroom dog of his mom’s kindergarten class in Dubai. He loved this job as 5 year old’s are a bit messy when they eat; there were infinite amounts of “treats” to be found while on duty at the school. Beyond snacking (which does take up a vast majority of his day) Yuki also enjoys SUP, hiking and napping on his mumma.

Insta: @yukibeartravalier

Yuki

Yuki | Office Doggo

Yuki is thrilled to join the Theatre Aspen doggo team. He loves to spend his time roaming the office on the hunt for peanut butter.

Insta: @yukibeartravalier

Office Doggo

Lily | Ballet Doggo

Lily is a ballerina just like her mom Jeni. She tries to get Duncan and Yuki to be her dance partners but they are too easily distracted by food. When she is not in the office with her mom, Lily loves to snuggle by the fire, paddleboard, and ride in her special basket on Mom’s motorcycle!

Lily

Lily | Ballet Doggo

Ballet Doggo

Duke | Office Doggo

Duke

Duke | Office Doggo

Office Doggo

The Theatre Aspen Alumni Association

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 date 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 Grant Strom at grant@theatreaspen.org.