Who we are
Johanna Pfaelzer
Artistic Director
Johanna joined Berkeley Rep in the 2019/20 season as its fourth artistic director. Prior to her arrival at Berkeley Rep, she served for 12 years as the artistic director of New York Stage and Film (NYSAF), a New York City-based organization dedicated to the development of new works for theatre, film, and television. Notable works that were developed under Johanna’s leadership at NYSAF include the Tony Award-winning Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda, The Humans by Stephen Karam, Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell, The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe, Junk and The Invisible Hand by Ayad Akhtar, A 24-Decade History of Popular Music by Taylor Mac, The Homecoming Queen by Ngozi Anyanwu, The Great Leap by Lauren Yee, John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer- and Tony Award–winning Doubt, The Fortress of Solitude by Michael Friedman and Itamar Moses, The Jacksonian by Beth Henley, and Green Day’s American Idiot. In addition, Johanna is proud to have developed the work of many notable writers, both established and early-career, including Jocelyn Bioh, Zach Helm, Halley Feiffer, Billy Porter, Lucy Thurber, Duncan Sheik, V (formerly Eve Ensler), Steven Sater, Jaclyn Backhaus, Patricia Wettig, and Marcus Gardley. She was formerly a producing director of Zena Group, and served for five years as the associate artistic director of American Conservatory Theater. Johanna is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the Actors Theatre of Louisville Apprentice Program, and has taught in the MFA Theatre Program at Columbia University School of the Arts. She lives in Berkeley with her husband, Russell Champa, and their son, Jasper.
Susie Medak
Managing Director
Susie has served as Berkeley Rep’s managing director since 1990, leading the administration and operations of the Theatre. She has served as president of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and treasurer of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), organizations that represent the interests of nonprofit theatres across the nation. Susie has served on the Yale School of Drama’s Editorial board, since its inception. She chaired panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Arts Council and has also served on program panels for Arts Midwest and the Joyce Foundation. Closer to home, Susie served on the board of the Downtown Berkeley Association (DBA) and currently sits on the Labor Commission for the City of Berkeley. She is the founding chair of the Berkeley Arts in Education Steering Committee for Berkeley Unified School District and the Berkeley Cultural Trust. Susie taught at the Yale School of Drama for over fifteen years during which time she mentored many of the managers leading theatres across the country. She is an Assistant Lecturer at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and teaches with the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute. She is a member of the International Women’s Forum and the Mont Blanc Ladies’ Literary Guild and Trekking Society. She was awarded the 2012 Benjamin Ide Wheeler Medal by the Berkeley Community Fund and the 2017 Visionary Leadership Award by TCG. During her time in Berkeley, Susie has been instrumental in the construction of the Roda Theatre, the Nevo Education Center, the renovation of the Peet’s Theatre, and in the acquisition of the Harrison Street campus. She also worked with three consecutive mayors to help create Berkeley’s Downtown Arts District.
Artistic
Director, The Ground Floor / Resident Dramaturg
Madeleine Oldham
Artistic Associate
Katie Craddock
Artists Under Commission
Todd Almond
Christina Anderson
Rafael Casal
Daveed Diggs
Dipika Guha
Richard Montoya
Nico Muhly
Lisa Peterson
Sarah Ruhl
Tori Sampson
Jack Thorne
Joe Waechter
Production and Company Management
Director of Production
Audrey Hoo
Associate Production Manager
Kali Grau
Company Manager
Peter Orkiszewski
Stage Operations
Stage Supervisor
Julia Englehorn
Staff Stage Crew
James McGregor
Properties
Properties Supervisor
Jillian A. Green
Associate Properties Supervisor
Amelia Burke-Holt
Scene Shop
Co-Technical Directors
Jim Smith
Matt Rohner
Head Carpenter
Read Tuddenham
Scene Shop Supervisor
Patrick Keene
Scenic Carpenter
Lisa Fong
Scenic Art
Charge Scenic Artist
Lisa Lázár
Scenic Artist
Lassen Hines
Costumes
Costume Director
Maggi Yule
Draper
Star Rabinowitz
Wardrobe Supervisor
Barbara Blair
Resident Design Associate
Kiara Montgomery
Electrics
Master Electrician
Frederick C. Geffken
Associate Master Electrician
Sarina Renteria
Production Electrician
Kenneth Coté
Production Electrician
Desiree Alcocer
Sound and Video
Sound and Video Supervisor
Lane Elms
Associate Sound and Video Supervisor
Chase Nichter
Sound Engineers
Angela Don
Michael Kelly
2021–22 Berkeley Rep Fellowships
Bret C. Harte Artistic Fellow
Des’ree Brown
Company Management Fellow
Naomi Schiller
Costumes Fellow
Rachel Mandelstam
Development Fellow
Maya Simon
Education Fellow
Elijah Punzal
Harry Weininger Sound Fellow
Akari Izumi
Lighting Fellow
Kiahana Toomer
Peter F. Sloss Artistic Fellow
Abigail Holland
Production Management Fellow
Emily Betts
Properties Fellow
Robin Maegawa-Goeser
Scenic Art Fellow
Jimmy Nguyen
Scenic Construction Fellow
Margret Wentworth
Stage Management Fellow
Olivia McQuerry
Administration
Interim General Manager
Sara Danielsen
Finance Director
Jared Hammond
Associate Managing Director
Sunshine Deffner
Associate General Manager
Amanda Williams O’Steen
Executive Assistant
Kate Horton
Associate Finance Director
Katie Riemann
Bookkeeper and Payroll Administrator
Jennifer Light
CRM Project Manager
Destiny Askin
Web and Database Specialist
Christina Cone
Director of Human Resources and Diversity
Modesta Tamayo
Development
Director of Development
Lynn Eve Komaromi
Associate Director of Development
Daria Hepps
Director of Individual Giving
Laura Fichtenberg
Institutional Grants Manager
Kelsey Scott
Special Events Manager
Elaina Guyett
Development Coordinator
Nicky Martinez
Marketing and Communications
Director of Marketing and Communications
Steve Tate
Associate Director of Marketing
Seth Macari
Director of Public Relations
Tim Etheridge
Communications and Digital Content Director
Karen McKevitt
Senior Videographer and Producer
Marianna Ellina
Video and Multimedia Content Creator
Calvin Ngu
Marketing Associate
Katherine Gunn
Operations
Facilities Director
Mark Morrisette
Facilities Manager
Adam Johnson
Building Engineers
Kevin Pan | Thomas Tran
Building Technician
Jesus Rodriguez
Facilities Assistants
Lemont Adams | Theresa Drumgoole | Sophie Li | Guy Nado
Patron Services
Director of Patron Experience
Brian Davis
Front of House Director
Kelly Kelley
Front of House Manager
Phoenyx Butts
Patron Experience Representatives
Lindsay Abbott | Jessica Bates | Alicia Battle | Megan Bedig | Matthew Canter | Jerry Chirip | Maggie Collette | Fillomena Franchina | Nina Gorham | Kimberly Haynie | Monica Herbert | Saguaro Hurtado | Claire Michael | Cassidy Milano | Rafael Moreno | Leigh Nelson | Tuesday Ray | Anna Riggin | Stephen Salmons | James Sant’Andrea | Alana Scott | Debra Selman | Lena Sibony
Subscription Manager
Laurie Barnes
Box Office Manager
Julie Gotsch
Box Office Agents
Alecia Baxter | Oliver Kampman | Mikee Loria | Dom Refuerzo | Gianna Francesca Vescio
Berkeley Rep School of Theatre
Director of the School of Theatre
Anthony Jackson
Associate Director
Dylan Russell
Director of Classes
MaryBeth Cavanaugh
Curriculum and Educational Programs Manager
Si Mon’ Emmett
Classes and Communications Administrator
Ashley Lim
Programs Administrator
Tate Lancaster
Board of trustees
Emily Shanks | President
Jill Fugaro | Vice President
Bruce Golden | Vice President
Stewart Owen | Vice President
Sudha Pennathur | Vice President
Henning Mathew | Treasurer
Leonard X Rosenberg | Secretary
Anne Nemer Dhanda | Chair, Governance Committee
Kerry L. Francis | Chair, Audit Committee
Past presidents
Helen C. Barber
A. George Battle
Carole B. Berg
Robert W. Burt
Shih-Tso Chen
Narsai M. David
Thalia Dorwick, PhD
Nicholas M. Graves
Richard F. Hoskins
Jean Knox
Robert M. Oliver
Stewart Owen
Marjorie Randolph
Harlan M. Richter
Richard A. Rubin
Edwin C. Shiver
Roger A. Strauch
Gail Wagner
Martin Zankel
Founding director
Michael W. Leibert
Producing Director, 1968–83
Board members
Edward D. Baker
Erica Brown
Susan Chamberlin
David Cox
Lauren Edgerton
Sandra Eggers
William T. Espey
Chuck Fanning
Steven Goldin
Scott Haber
Jonathan C. Logan
Sandra R. McCandless
Susie Medak
Juan Oldham
Johanna Pfaelzer
Chris Rupp
Sherry Smith
Roger A. Strauch
Gail Wagner
Brian Watt
Steven C. Wolan
Felicia Woytak
Sustaining advisors
Rena Bransten
Diana Cohen
Robin Edwards
William Falik
David Fleishhacker
Paul T. Friedman
Karen Galatz
David Hoffman
Richard F. Hoskins
Helen Meyer
Dugan Moore
Peter Pervere
Marjorie Randolph
Patricia Sakai
Jack Schafer
William Schaff
Richard M. Shapiro
Michael Steinberg
Jean Z. Strunsky
Michael S. Strunsky
Martin Zankel