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

Emily Zeck | Managing Director

Emily is thrilled to rejoin Theatre Aspen as its Managing Director. Her theatre management career began in New York producing Off-Off Broadway, and soon led her to Colorado. From 2009-2013, during her first tenure as Theatre Aspen’s Managing Director, she worked to bring financial stability to the organization, complete a capital campaign, and construct the Hurst Theatre. She has subsequently held positions at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, a Broadway general management company, and New York Stage and Film, where she deepened her passion for supporting artists and facilitating new work. She hails most recently from Philadelphia, where she served as Philadelphia Theatre Company’s Managing Director, and also taught at the University of the Arts. Emily holds an MA and an MBA from Southern Methodist University.

ezeck@theatreaspen.org

Emily Zeck

Emily Zeck | Managing Director

ezeck@theatreaspen.org

Managing Director

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

Administration

Katelyn Tyk

Katelyn originally hails from the northwest suburbs of Chicago, IL where her family still resides. Animals, Art, Disney, Music, and Theater have always been her passions. By the end of high school, she played 11 instruments, and graduated from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale as a double major in Drawing and Painting. Over the last 10 years living in Florida, she has worked in several capacities, including at Walt Disney World at Kilimanjaro Safaris at Animal Kingdom as a trainer and coordinator, and at Tri-Circle D Ranch taking care of the Disney horses, taking guests on trail rides, riding in parades and working weddings.

Working at Disney led her back into theater as a Scenic Painter, where she met her wonderful husband, Matt, during the Central Florida Regional Premier of Rock of Ages at Theatreworks FL. Moving to South Florida, she quickly found herself backstage again in multiple capacities, as Deck Chief for Paint Your Wagon, and as Stage Manager for several shows, including: Young Frankenstein, Sister Act, and Gypsy, at the Lake Worth Playhouse, as a Production Assistant for Palm Beach Dramaworks, and eventually an Equity ASM for Gypsy, Sh-boom! Life Could Be a Dream, andBreaking Up is Hard to Do, starring Christine Pedi and Barry Pearl, at The Wick Theatre.

Since being here at Theatre Aspen with her husband and their four-legged kids – Ferry and Rein, not only has she had the amazing opportunity to be the Company Manager for the 2022 summer season, but also got to help in scenic painting capacities for Gypsy, played four instruments in the band for Jersey Boys, and Stage Managed a show for Solo Flights. All loves in one place coming together in “the most beautiful place in the world to make art.”

ktyk@theatreaspen.org

Katelyn Tyk

Ginger grew up here in Aspen. She was a local Radio DJ for 25 years at KSPN FM. For the last 10 years, she has been working at the Box Office for Theaters moving mountains and putting people in seats. You can find her hiking with her dogs on the trails around town or enjoying ALL the live music whenever and wherever possible.

Associate General Manager

Ginger Kennington | House and Box Office Manager

Ginger Kennington

Ginger Kennington | House and Box Office Manager

House and Box Office Manager

Carrie DeGraw | Management and Board Coordinator; Apprentice Program Coordinator

Carrie joins Theatre Aspen as the Apprentice Program & Board Coordinator after spending the summer of 2022 as the Development Apprentice! She has previously worked as an Administrative Intern at Jermyn Street Theatre, a Casting Associate for Syracuse University’s Department of Drama, and as a Production Assistant at Syracuse Stage.

Carrie is from the Finger Lakes Region in New York and is a member of Syracuse University’s Class of 2023, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Drama/Theatre Management.

carried@theatreaspen.org

Carrie DeGraw

Carrie DeGraw | Management and Board Coordinator; Apprentice Program Coordinator

Carrie is from the Finger Lakes Region in New York and is a member of Syracuse University’s Class of 2023, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Drama/Theatre Management.

carried@theatreaspen.org

Management and Board Coordinator | Apprentice and Board Manager

Development and Marketing

Toni Ann Case | Marketing Director

TONI CASE (Director of Marketing)

Has been a resident of Aspen for fourteen years and is excited to be part of Theatre Aspen having joined the team in 2022. She has worked in the marketing field for 20+ years, ten of them in Aspen, and has held marketing positions at City of Aspen and the Aspen Chamber Resort Association. Prior to moving to Aspen, Toni worked at HBO in Affiliate Marketing in New York City (her hometown) on award-winning campaigns for The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Entourage and ROME.

Toni is passionate about travel, the evolving tech landscape, and antiquing. In her spare time, Toni enjoys all that Aspen has to offer with her family and her little dog, Duke.

toni@theatreaspen.org

Toni Ann Case

Toni Ann Case | Marketing Director

TONI CASE (Director of Marketing)

Has been a resident of Aspen for fourteen years and is excited to be part of Theatre Aspen having joined the team in 2022. She has worked in the marketing field for 20+ years, ten of them in Aspen, and has held marketing positions at City of Aspen and the Aspen Chamber Resort Association. Prior to moving to Aspen, Toni
worked at HBO in Affiliate Marketing in New York City (her hometown) on award-winning campaigns for The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Entourage and ROME.

Toni is passionate about travel, the evolving tech landscape, and antiquing. In her spare time, Toni enjoys all that Aspen has to offer with her family and her little dog, Duke. toni@theatreaspen.org

Director of Marketing

Lexi Minchow | Director of Events

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 Secondary 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 for 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 international teaching positions, Lexi has also spent several months volunteer teaching children 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. Lexi and Yuki have called Aspen home since 2020 and enjoy paddleboarding and hiking in the summer, and snowboarding in the winter.

lexi@theatreaspen.org

Lexi Minchow

Lexi Minchow | Director of Events

lexi@theatreaspen.org

Director of Events

Jessica Elkins

Jess is originally from Virginia and graduated from the University of Mary Washington where she focused in directing and arts administration. She has worked several summer seasons with the Williamstown Theatre Festival in a variety of roles, most recently as the Audience Engagement Manager. For the past two years, Jess has lived in Madrid, Spain working as a language and culture teacher in a secondary school. Though the adventure was incredible, she is looking forward to being back in theatre full-time, especially with such an incredible organization like Theatre Aspen.

Jessica Elkins

Associate Director of Development

Ray Dumont | Director of Development

Ray Dumont

Ray Dumont | Director of Development

Director of Development

Education

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 | Director of Education

Director of Education

James Early | Education Coordinator

James comes to Theatre Aspen from Missoula MT, where he graduated from the University of Montana and worked for the Missoula Children’s Theatre in many capacities. His time with MCT was spent both touring multiple shows throughout the U.S. as well as in Missoula where he taught, performed, and directed. He helped pioneer and shape touring during the pandemic as well as with a world premiere production.

James holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Education as well as a certificate from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy with a focus in Musical Theatre. His training and education included musical theatre and acting styles, directing and dramaturgy. His education philosophy is one based out of diversity, communication, and imagination. He hopes to continue fostering a productive and open space for students to explore, take risks, and find their own voice.

jearly@theatreaspen.org

James Early

James Early | Education Coordinator

Education Coordinator

Joseph Grosso | Associate Director of Education

Joseph M Grosso was bit by the theatre bug while watching Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl at the age of eight. Ever since then he has devoted his life to the performing arts as both an actor and educator. Joseph is a proud musical theatre graduate of both Florida School of the Arts as a Hall of Fame recipient and Manhattan School of Music as a JMP scholarship recipient.

Mr. Grosso has appeared in a number of professional plays and musicals, most notably as Perchik in Fiddler on the Roof, Bobby in the world-wide premiere of a new version of Cabaret and has worked with such illustrious artists as Kristen Chenoweth, Nathan Lane, and Joanna Gleason among others.

A recent Florida transplant, Mr. Grosso was most recently the theatre director and FAME Coordinator at River Ridge Middle School in New Port Richey, FL where he was elected Teacher of the Year. He was also a teaching artist at the Off-Broadway Theatre Company TADA! in New York City and has directed, choreographed, and vocally coached a plethora of productions with students kindergarten through college. One of his favorite productions includes Adventures of a Comic Book Artist with Lakewood Ranch High School, which was invited to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.

JGrosso@theatreaspen.or

Joseph Grosso

Joseph Grosso | Associate Director of Education

JGrosso@theatreaspen.org

Associate Director of Education

Alicia Millerson | Education Manager

Alicia Millerson is proud to join the Theatre Aspen education team. She is a member of the inaugural BFA Musical Theatre class at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Upon graduation, they then toured with Missoula Children’s Theatre, introducing the performing arts to young people across the US and Canada. Alicia has continued to work with students in Colorado at the Arvada Center, Seriesfest, Youth on Record, and Denver Center for the Performing Arts. She is a co-founder of Queen City Sketch; her work has been featured in Westword and Denver Fringe.

Alicia centers the idea that theatre sparks empathy, and empathy changes the world! They are passionate about creating environments where students fall in love with the performing arts and feel empowered to explore their unique, creative voice. amillerson@theatreaspen.org

Alicia Millerson

Alicia Millerson | Education Manager

Education Manager

Production

Matthew Braun | Technical Director

Matt is originally from the Westbrook, Maine where he started his professional career at Portland Stage Company as an intern. He has worked for many different venues in the New England area for the next 20 years. Most recently down in Southern Florida he has been carpenter and technical director for Theatre Winter Haven, Lakeland Community Theater, Lake Worth Playhouse, and a carpenter for Palm Beach Dramaworks.

Matt is happy to be making Aspen his home with his wife Katelyn, and there four legged children, Ferry and Rein. A much more favorable climate for this New Englander, than Florida.

Matthew Brann

Matthew Brann | Technical Director

Matt is happy to be making Aspen his home with his wife Katelyn, and there four legged children, Ferry and Rein. A much more favorable climate for this New Englander, than Florida.

Technical Director

Theatre Aspen Office Doggos

Yuki | Chief of Treat Investigation

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 | Chief of Treat Investigation

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

Chief of Treat Investigation

Roland | Accounts Retrievable

Roland

Roland | Accounts Retrievable

Accounts Retrievable

Duke | Director of Barketing

Duke

Duke | Director of Barketing

Director of Barketing

Emmet | Producing Director's Taste Tester

Emmet

Emmet | Producing Director's Taste Tester

Producing Director’s Taste Tester

Ferry | Chief Pillow Officer

Ferry

Ferry | Chief Pillow Officer

Chief Pillow Officer

Nellie | Princess of Security

Nellie

Nellie | Princess of Security

Princess of Security

Rein | Accounts Playable

Rein

Rein | Accounts Playable

Accounts Playable

Mojo | Instructor at Good Boy Institute

Mojo

Mojo | Instructor at Good Boy Institute

Instructor at Good Boy Institute

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 Board Coordinator Carrie DeGraw at carried@theatreaspen.org.