National Council for the American Theatre (NCAT)

Comprised of leading trustees from member theatres from across the country, the National Council for the American Theatre guides TCG’s programs on governance and board development and serves as a “brain trust” for the organization. Members are nominated by the artistic or managing leadership of their theatres, and must make a financial commitment to TCG (a minimum of $5,000 annually) without compromising their giving to their home theatre. The Council meets twice yearly, including an annual meeting with TCG’s board of directors in New York. Members are invited to participate in TCG committees, grant selection panels and or/advisory groups, and host a trustee breakfast at the annual National Conference. Members are invited to all TCG events, workshops and conferences. The chair of the National Council is Judy Rubin, trustee at Playwrights Horizons and former TCG board member. For information on joining the National Council, please contact Martha Neighbors, Director of Advancement.

*Judith O. Rubin, CHAIR, New York, NY

*Eve Alvord, Seattle, WA
Ralph Bryan, La Jolla, CA
Patricia Cox, Chicago, IL
Lynn Deering, Baltimore, MD
Nancy L. Donahue, Lowell, MA
Diane Durgin, Atlanta, GA
Jane Epstein, New York, NY
Lisa Naparstek Green, Chicago, IL
Judy Hansen, Milwaukee, WI
Bruce E. H. Johnson, Seattle, WA
Carole Krumland, Berkeley, CA
Rob Manegold, Milwaukee, WI

Elisabeth Morten, Westport, CT
*Eleanor Cook Nolan, Seattle, WA
Judy Lynn Prince, Washington, DC
*Toni Rembe, San Francisco, CA
Theodore Rogers, New York, NY
Deedie Rose, Dallas, TX
Theodore Rosky, Louisville, KY
Jim Steinberg, Denver, CO
Jean Z. Strunsky, San Francisco, CA
Moya Vazquez, Seattle, WA
Elaine Weinberg, Costa Mesa, CA
*Jaan Whitehead, New York, NY

*Founding Member

BIOGRAPHIES

Judith O. Rubin, (Playwrights Horizons) of New York City, is chairman of the board of Playwrights Horizons and a member of the Tony Awards administration committee. For eight years she served on the NEA's National Council on the Arts, and for six on the board of TCG. Since 1989, she has been a member of the New York State Council on the Arts. She serves on the Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission of New York City, the University's Council Committee on Theatre at Yale, and the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) Board of Overseers. Rubin was a member of the Board of Regents of New York State, representing Manhattan. She is a trustee of Mount Sinai Medical Center, a former trustee of Public Radio International and of the Center for Arts and Culture, a think tank in Washington, D.C. She served as president of the 92nd Y from 1984 to 1988 and was Commissioner for Protocol during the administration of New York City Mayor David Dinkins.

Eve Alvord, (Seattle Children's Theatre) of Seattle, serves on the board of trustees of the Seattle Children's Theatre, where one of its two theatres is named for her. Alvord also serves on the board of trustees of the Seattle Art Museum and Cornish College of the Arts. She is on the advisory boards of Treehouse, a support organization for foster children and families, and the Pratt Fine Arts Center. Alvord is a founding member of Crescendo, a support group for the Seattle Symphony, and the Washington Women's Foundation.

Ralph Bryan, (La Jolla Playhouse) has served as La Jolla Playhouse board chairman since 2006 and has been a trustee since 2000. He has served on, or chaired committees for, a $42 million capital campaign, finance, fundraising, long range planning and recently chaired a national search for an Artistic Director. He also serves on the Obama National Arts Policy Committee. Ralph is a managing director in an asset management group at Wachovia Securities focusing on endowment, foundation and high net worth portfolio management. His group manages over $500 million and is in the top 1% at Wachovia Securities for assets under management. Ralph’s production group, Latitude link, has produced numerous Broadway shows. Recent productions include Cry-Baby (Tony Nomination), Farnsworth Invention, and Jersey Boys (Tony Award).

Patricia Cox (Goodman Theatre) is Chair of the Goodman Theatre Board of Trustees. She has extensive experience in marketing, board development, and fundraising for nonprofit organizations. She started the St. Nicholas Theatre Company in Chicago with Pulitzer Prize winning playwright David Mamet, was the Executive Director of the Chicago Alliance for the Performing Arts, and was the Director of Marketing for the Manhattan Theatre Club and the Boston Ballet. As a consultant, she worked for the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Boston, and regional foundations like The Chicago Community Trust and The Cleveland Foundation. Patricia has been a trustee of Goodman Theatre for 20 years, serving in several leadership positions before becoming Chairman in the 2009/2010 Season. In addition to her work in the arts, she is a member of the Women's Board of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, where she also serves on the research and education committee of the Foundation Board. Ms. Cox is a member of the board of directors of HIGH JUMP, Chicago’s leading tuition free 2 ½ year academic enrichment program for talented and motivated middle school students with limited family income.

Lynn Deering, (CENTERSTAGE) of Baltimore, Md., is president of the board of CENTERSTAGE, and has served as a member of that board since 1986. She has been a member of the Maryland Citizens for the Arts since 1994, and has also served as chair of that board. Since 2002, she has served as a member of the board of the Baltimore Museum of Art and as a member of the National Advisory Board of the Berman Bioethics Institute at Johns Hopkins University. She has also served as a volunteer at the Joseph Richey Hospice since 1989.

Nancy L. Donahue, (Merrimack Repertory Theatre) of Lowell, Mass., co-founded that city's Merrimack Repertory Theatre and has served as one of its trustees for 27 years. Her credits also include her work as a trustee of the New England Quilt Museum, the American Textile History Museum, Lawrence Academy and Lasell College, and she serves on the advisory board of the Revolving Museum. She is a director of the Enterprise Bank & Trust Corporation.

Diane Durgin, (Actor’s Express) of Atlanta, Georgia is a retired corporate lawyer with over 35 years experience, including post as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Georgia-Pacific Corporation. She has a long history of being involved in the arts and women’s organizations. She currently serves on the advisory board of Actor’s Express and previously served on the boards and advisory boards of Georgian Chamber Players, Hambidge Arts Center, Alliance Theatre Company, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Atlanta Girls' School. As a lawyer she offers extensive experience in contract negotiation, commercial arbitration, and the resolution of contract disputes.

Jane Epstein, (Playwrights Horizons) of South Salem, N.Y., has served on the board of Playwrights Horizons for the last 12 years. She and her husband, Howard, split their time between South Salem, NY and Stratford-upon-Avon, England, where they enjoy the Royal Shakespeare Company's many productions and courses. Her academic background, both undergraduate and graduate, was in Drama-as-Literature. Gardening, knitting, needlepoint, antiquing and playing with grandchildren round out her non-theatre hours.

Lisa Naparstek Green, (Lookingglass Theatre) is a life-long theatre lover and has been a member of the Lookingglass Theatre Company Board since 2000 where she served as co-chair of their capital campaign, chaired the strategic planning effort and currently serves as chairman of the board. She trained as an attorney, and while in practice she specialized in real estate law. She has been engaged in not-for-profit and community work for twenty years, serving various arts and community organizations including Children’s Memorial Hospital. Lisa is married to Howard Green and has three children, all of whom love the theatre as well.

Judy Hansen, (Milwaukee Repertory Theater) of Milwaukee, Wis., is a trustee of Milwaukee Repertory Theater. She is a past trustee for the Milwaukee Art Museum as well as a past board member of the Chenequa Land Conservancy. She recently completed her studies as a special research fellow at the Yale School of Drama. She serves as a board member and executive committee member of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and served as a producer for The Jammer, which won a Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She served as an NEA panelist and is making her Broadway debut as a producer of Talk Radio.

Bruce E. H. Johnson, (Seattle Repertory Theatre) of Seattle, has been a member of the Seattle Repertory Theatre board of trustees since 1992. A lawyer whose cases have involved defense of freedom of speech, freedom of press and other constitutional rights, he is a partner at the Seattle office of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and is the co-author of a major treatise on First Amendment protections for "commercial speech." Johnson has served as president of the Seattle Rep's board in 1999-2001, and as its chairman in 2004-2006.

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Carole Krumland, (Berkeley Repertory Theatre) of Orinda, Ca., has served on the board of Berkeley Rep for eleven years. She also serves on the board of San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Roundabout Theatre Company, and Project Second Chance (Adult Literacy) where she was also a tutor. As a docent at the Oakland Museum she chaired the Contemporary Art Committee for several years. She is also a director of the Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.

Rob Manegold, (Milwaukee Repertory Theater) believes passionately in the importance of theatre. He is the immediate past Board President of the Milwaukee REP and continues to serve on their Executive Board. Rob currently serves as an Overseer for Dartmouth College - Hopkins Center for the Arts. He is also on the Board of the Blood Center of WI and the Lake Country Fire Department. Additionally, he serves as VP and Treasurer of the Four-Four Foundation, Inc. Other previous non-profit experiences include numerous years on the University Lake School Board, including President, and as Commodore of the Pine Lake Yacht Club.

Elisabeth Morten, (President, Westport Country Playhouse Board of Trustees) is a theatrical producer (Tony-nominated Caroline, or Change, Is He Dead?), but started her professional life as a vocal soloist with operatic, Celtic and contemporary music ensembles. After receiving an MBA (finance/marketing/arts management) from UCLA, she earned a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and worked for many years as a securities analyst with Citibank and U.S. Steel Pension Fund in New York. From 1995-2001 she produced the Guildfest Concert Series in Southport, Connecticut. Other professional experience included Connecticut Grand Opera (teaching artist), San Francisco Ballet (public relations and development), and the Rice Council in Zurich, Switzerland (translation from French and German). Past and current volunteer and fundraising affiliations include ThinkQuest, the Connecticut Dance School, Choate Rosemary Hall, Columbia University, Skidmore College, and the New Jersey Junior Leagues.

Eleanor Cook Nolan, (Seattle Children's Theatre) of Seattle, is Past President of the board of Seattle Children's Theatre and a Trustee of SCT for 23 years. A Regent of George Washington's Fredericksburg Foundation, she is a trustee of the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture/the State Museum of Washington.

Judy Lynn Prince, (Arena Stage) of Washington, D.C. and New York City is an avid theatregoer, seeing 100 plus productions a year as well as being involved with a number of not-for-profit organizations. She has been on the Arena Stage Board of Trustees since 1994, where she now serves as secretary of the Executive Committee and chair of the Annual Fund. During Trustee's Week at the O'Neill Playwrights in Residency Program, she represented Arena. Several years ago, she was one of six jurors for the NEA/TCG Playwrights in Residency Program. For Arts Advocacy Day, she can be found lobbying Congress for more money for the arts. Before retiring, she was Executive TV Producer for Mobil Corporation. Judy Lynn is President of the Smithsonian Women’s Committee, the largest benefactor to the Smithsonian outside the individual development offices. She also is a trustee of the Smithsonian National Board, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, and the University of Florida Foundation.

Toni Rembe, (American Conservatory Theater) of San Francisco, is past president and a member of the board of trustees of the American Conservatory Theater. She is a senior advisor (former partner) with the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop LLP and president of a Bay Area foundation specializing in civil rights and social service issues. She currently serves on the boards of directors of AT&T Inc. and Aegon N.V., a multinational corporation headquartered in the Netherlands.

Theodore Rogers, (Theatre for a New Audience) of New York City, is chairman emeritus and a board member of the New York City Ballet, chairman of Theatre for a New Audience and vice chairman of St. John’s College Board. He also serves as a trustee of City Center for Music and Drama, Poets and Writers, Ballet Review and the Achilles Track Club, an organization he helped found that assists people with disabilities who wish to participate in long-distance running. Rogers co-founded the investment firm American Industrial Partners and serves as its chairman. He serves as non-executive Chairman of BI International a NASDAQ listed public company.

Deedie Rose, (Dallas Theater Center) of Dallas, is a past chair and life trustee of the board of the Dallas Theater Center. The past president of the board of the Dallas Museum of Art, she serves as trustee for numerous other not-for-profit organizations, including Public Radio International. She is a founding board member of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. She is a former member of the NEA's National Council on the Arts and a current member of the board of the National Park Foundation.

Theodore Rosky, (Actors Theatre of Louisville) has served on the Actor's Theatre of Louisville board since 1995. Active in many of the arts, he also has served on the board leaderships of the Louisville Orchestra, Kentucky Opera, Louisville Fund for the Arts, and New Performing Arts, as well as on numerous other boards. Now retired, he spent his career in two large financial services concerns in a variety of line and staff positions. His wife and daughter both are professional musicians (viola and violin, respectively) who play in various ensembles and teach. He and his wife are avid collectors of outdoor sculpture.

Jim Steinberg, (Denver Center Theatre Company) of Steamboat Springs, has served on the board of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts since 2000. He sits on the finance, development and strategic planning committees and recently led the board search for the theatre’s new artistic director. For 11 years he was a board member of the Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School (1991-2002), serving as treasurer, president and capital campaign chair. He currently is co-chair of their New Works Program. He is also a consultant to Thirteenth Night Theatre Company in New York and Curious Theatre in Denver. He is one of only two honorary members of the American Theatre Critics Association. He holds a bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin (1971) and a masters (1974) and doctorate (1975) from the University of Oregon in English. He is a trustee of the Helen G. Bonfils Foundation and vice-chair of the Lowell Whiteman School, a director of the Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust and Treasurer of the Mimi & Harold Steinberg Foundation. He is a board member of The Public Theatre and a graduate of the Commercial Theatre Institute. The Rotary International Foundation recently honored him for his leadership efforts in helping victims of Hurricane Rita. For the past 32 years his work as a professional photographer has garnered numerous national and international awards and in 2006 he was named one of the decade's 100 most important nature photographers. He is president of Portfolio Publications.

Jean Z. Strunsky, (Berkeley Repertory Theatre) of San Francisco, is vice president of administration for the Ira and Leonore Gershwin Trusts, which promotes the music and legacy of Ira Gershwin. Jean is a member of the Board of Trustees of Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where she has co-chaired the Narsai Toast Gala for the past eight years. She serves on the board of the Jewish Vocational Service and is an active member of their Strictly Business Committee.

Moya Vazquez, (Intiman Theatre) of Seattle, had a 16-year career as a marketing executive in the biopharmaceutical industry. She retired from Immunex Corporation (now Amgen Inc.) in 2002. She is president of the board of the Intiman Theatre.

Elaine Weinberg, (South Coast Repertory) of Newport Beach, Calif., is an attorney who has served on many boards, including those of the Orange County Trial Lawyers, the U.N. World Hunger Project and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County. She serves on the dean's advisory council for the School of Humanities, UCI. She has served as a trustee of South Coast Repertory for nine years

Jaan Whitehead, (The SITI Company) of New York City, currently chairs the board of the SITI Company, and has also served on the boards of The Acting Company, Arena Stage, Living Stage, Whole Theatre, the National Cultural Alliance and TCG. She is also a founding member of the National Council for the American Theatre, and has been executive director of Theatre for a New Audience and development director for CENTERSTAGE. A former teacher of political philosophy at Georgetown University, she is the co-editor, with Nancy Roche, of The Art of Governance: Boards in the Performing Arts, that was published in the spring of 2005 by TCG, and also writes essays on art and culture.