Staff + Board
Shawn LaCount |
Sarah Shampnois |
Mark Abby VanDerzee |
Summer L. Williams |
Mason Sand |
Alyssa McKeon |
Ilana M. Brownstein |
Sarah Cohan |
Greg Maraio |
Kate Shanahan |
Joseph Thomas |
Mike Best |
Karthik Subramanian |
George Luke |
Artistic Director: Shawn LaCount
Shawn is a co-founder of Company One, Theatre Company in Residence at the Boston Center for the Arts. He has been making theatre in Boston, his hometown, for more than a decade. Recent directorial credits include the Boston premiere of Annie Baker's THE ALIENS (Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director and Outstanding Production), the world premiere of GRIMM (IRNE Award nominee for Best New Play), the Boston premiere of THE OVERWHELMING by JT Rogers (Elliot Norton Award nominee for Outstanding Drama, Fringe); the Boston premiere of Haruki Murakami’s AFTER THE QUAKE (Elliot Norton Award nominee for Outstanding Drama, Fringe); Stephen Sondheim’s ASSASSINS (IRNE nomination for Best Director and Best Musical); the Boston premiere of Noah Haidle’s MR. MARMALADE (Elliot Norton Award nominee for Outstanding Director/Outstanding Drama); the Boston premiere of AFTER ASHLEY by Gina Gionfriddo; and Anthony Burgess’ A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (featuring The Dresden Dolls). At the University of Massachusetts, Shawn directed THE PILLOWMAN by Martin McDonagh and Shakespeare’s PERICLES. Shawn holds an MA Ed in theatre Education from Clark University and an MFA in Directing from The University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He has taught acting and drama at the Boston Arts Academy, Huntington Theatre Company, Tufts University, Stage One, and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Managing Director: Sarah Shampnois
Sarah is a founding member of Company One. She holds a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) in Nonprofit Management from the Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University and a BA from Clark University. Sarah has worked for several non-profit agencies including AmeriCorps, New Jersey Community Water Watch, MassPIRG and the President's Council on Sustainable Development under President Clinton. She also served as the Educational Team Leader for NJWW and has taught environmental education and the arts in the Camden, NJ and Worcester, MA school systems. She has received training and has extensive experience in Community Organizing, Private and Corporate Fund Raising, Internship Supervision, and Media Relations.
Educational Director: Mark Abby VanDerzee
Mark, a co-founder of Company One attended Clark University where he received his B.A. in Theatre Performance and dual certification in Elementary Education and K-12 Performing Arts, and recently received his MA Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix. Stage One: Theatrical Training, Company One’s Dramatic Education Program, is under Mark’s helm. He has developed the curriculum for several different branches of the program, including Stage One’s summer camp, a series of intensive after-school theatre courses, an educational tour of ARTiculation, and professional development for actors. a Stage One professional apprenticeship program. Most recently, Mark has launched a school day poetry/theater class in four Boston Public Schools and a new Saturday morning theater class for teens, as well as a professional apprenticeship program. Under Mark’s guidance, Company One’s Stage One program has now begun to educate people from the ages of 4 to 40 (and beyond) with quality artistic programming. Mark began his public school teaching career in the Worcester Public Schools, and currently teaches Technical Theater, Design for the Stage and Improv at Brookline High School. Proudly, Mark is also an educator for Stage One.
Director of Marketing: Summer L. Williams
Ms. Williams has been with Company One since its inception in 1998. An active member of the Board of Directors, Summer is a producer, director and educator for Company One. Her most recent professional directing credits include the controversial NEIGHBORS and the world premiere of GRIMM. In 2009, Ms. Williams won the Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director. Other regional credits include THE GOOD NEGRO, VOYEURS DE VENUS (Elliot Norton Award nominated), THE BLUEST EYE (IRNE and Elliot Norton Award nominated), THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT, SPELL #7 (IRNE nominated), JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN (2004 Elliot Norton Award for Best Fringe Production) TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992 (IRNE nominated). Ms. Williams has also directed for the BU Playwrights Theatre, Brandeis University, Clark University, The Theater Offensive and Huntington Theatre Company. She is also a teacher of drama and director at Brookline High School and holds a B.A. in Theatre and well as a MA. Ed. in Urban Education. Ms. Williams serves as a member of the Board of Directors of both Stage Source and The Coolidge Corner Theatre.
Director of Public Relations: Mason Sand
M.S. in Professional Communications from Clark University. With Company One, Mason, a co-founder of Company One, works as an artist, educator, administrator and producer. Other professional venues include the New Victory Theater in New York City where Mason worked closely with the Director of Education and other administrators to develop a written history of the New Victory Theatre. He has assistant directed David Ives' English Made Simple and Eric Bogosian's Bitter Sauce. His producing credits include Love's Fire, Triptych, WASP, Mr. Happiness, Geography of a Horse Dreamer, All in the Timing, Samuel Beckett's Come & Go, Out Cry and The Illusion.
Production Manager: Alyssa McKeon
Alyssa joined Company One in the fall of 2008 as House Manager. Since then, she has continued to work with Company One as an Assistant Production Manager and Production Manager - joining the staff officially in winter of 2009. Alyssa holds her B.A. in Theatre from Westfield State University, where she concentrated in Lighting Design, with additional experience in Sound Design and Directing.
Director of New Play Development: Ilana M. Brownstein
Ilana M. Brownstein is a dramaturg and director who teaches on the
faculty of Boston University's School of Theatre. She is the former Literary Manager and dramaturg at the Huntington Theatre Company under Nicholas Martin. While there, she created and ran the Huntington Playwriting Fellows (HPF) program and the Breaking Ground Festival,
for which she won the 2008 Elliot Hayes Award, granted each year by Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas for excellence in dramaturgy.
Her dramaturgy credits include the Broadway and Huntington productions of "Mauritius" by Theresa Rebeck; the development and premiere of HPF plays including Melinda Lopez's "Sonia Flew," and Ronan Noone's "The
Atheist"; season productions at the Huntington 2003-2008; as well as productions at Boston Playwrights' Theatre, Company One, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Yale Rep, and Yale Cabaret, among others. Playwrights with whom she has developed
commissioned scripts include Mat Smart, Daniel Goldstein and Michael Friedman, Lydia Diamond, John Shea, and Naomi Iizuka. Ms. Brownstein has adjudicated dramaturgy and playwriting residencies
and awards for the Kennedy Center's American College Theatre Festival, Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA), the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights
Conference, and the New Play Institute at Arena Stage. Her articles have been published in "TheatreForum," "Theatre," "Slavic and East European Performance," and Oregon Shakespeare Festival's "Prologue"
and "Illuminations," among others. She is a former regional and executive vice president of LMDA, and serves as Arts Advisor to Jake Zimmerman, Missouri State Representative of the 83rd District. She holds an M.F.A. in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism from the Yale School of Drama, and a B.A. in Directing from The College of Wooster.
Production Associate: Sarah Cohan
Sarah holds a B.A. in Technical Theatre (Stage Management) from The University of Vermont. She joined Company One as a stage manager in 2004 for A Clockwork Orange, and continued her work with the company on 103 Within The Veil, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and After Ashley. She joined the full-time staff as production manager for the 2007 season (The Bluest Eye, The Gibson Girl, Assassins). In 2003, Sarah worked at St. Michael's Playhouse under SM Freda Farrell. Sarah began stage managing in 1996, and has additional experience in direction, performance, lighting design, and sound design.
Audience Services Manager: Kate Shanahan
Kate is excited to start her third year as a member of the C1 family. She served as House Manager for THE ALIENS, GRIMM, THE EMANCIPATION OF MANDY & MIZ ELLIE, and THE GOOD NEGRO. Kate holds a B.A. in Theatre and Film Studies from The George Washington University and was most recently seen on stage as Robin in THE HAT TRICK, a part of Holland Theatre Company's Inchworm Play Reading Series.
Associate Artistic Director: Joseph Thomas
Joseph joined Company One in 2010 as the assistant to the artistic director, transitioning to the associate artistic director in the fall of 2011. He has also served as a stage manager and a member of the production management team for a variety of Company One shows, including NEIGHBORS, THE BOOK OF GRACE, LEARN TO BE LATINA, and 1001. He holds a B.A. in Theatre/Speech/Dance and a B.A. in Sociology from the College of William & Mary, where he pursued a breadth of theatrical experiences in acting, design, directing, and management. He is currently working towards an M.A. in Theatre Education at Emerson college, and hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in the near future.
Assistant Technical Director: Mike Best
Mike has been with Company One since the summer of 2010 when he worked as the Assistant Stage Manager on GRIMM and became an official staff member in the summer of 2011 when he obtained the role of Assistant Technical Director. He holds a B.A. in Theatre and Environmental Policy from The Colorado College. He works as the Master Carpenter for the Stoneham Theatre and has served as Technical Director for a high school and several theater companies in Colorado, as well as companies such as the Harvard Early Music Society, Shakespeare Now!, and C1's very own Second Stage. Mike also serves as the Production Manager for the Off Broadway and touring versions of SWIMMING TO SPALDING. He is also works occasionally as a scenic designer.
Assistant Production Manager: Karthik Subramanian
Karthik joined Company One in the Spring of 2009 as an Assistant Stage Manager for THE EMANCIPATION OF MANDY AND MIZ ELLIE. Past credits have included THE ALIENS, NEIGHBORS, THE BOOK OF GRACE, 1001 (Asst. Production Manager), GRIMM (Production Assistant) & THE EMANCIPATION OF MANDY AND MIZ ELLIE (Asst. Stage Manager). Over the course of two seasons, he has moved on from being an Asst. Stage Manager to a Production Manager for Second Stage. Karthik also works as a lighting designer at the Dept. of Student Affairs at Northeastern University.
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