MaryJo
Alexander* (Co-Artistic Director and Costume Designer) For the
past 14 seasons she has experienced the thrill of working with the most
talented actors in Ohio. For Actors'
Summit, MaryJo has directed Some Enchanted Evening, Born Yesterday, Sleuth,
Private Lives, Crimes of the Heart, Don’t Hug Me, Quilters, A Child’s Christmas
in Wales and The All Night Strut, and others. She holds an MA from the University of New
Orleans where she was a member of the Resident Acting Company. MaryJo was the staff designer at Rockford
College, Rock Valley College, and Starlight Theater (all in Rockford, IL) and
also designed for the Fireside Theater (Janesville, WI). Ms. Alexander designed and constructed
costumes for all the shows at Actors’ Summit, in addition to designing sets and
props for many of their productions.
Additionally, MaryJo has designed costumes for Ensemble Theatre, Dobama
Theatre and Case Western Reserve University.
An Equity actress, she has performed with Ensemble Theatre, Porthouse
Theater, Weathervane Playhouse and Cain Park.
She enjoys teaching theater classes at Kent State University, when she
has the opportunity. MaryJo is the
make-up artist for the NFL and TNT and ESPN networks on location in Cleveland
and Canton. Her greatest
"production" to date has been "Mom" to her amazing and
gifted daughters Connie and Sasha, and her "art and life partner"
with her very favorite artist -- Neil.
A.
Neil Thackaberry* (Co-artistic Director & Founder of Actors’ Summit) Neil and
MaryJo founded Actors’ Summit in 1998 as a way of assuring that professional
actors in Northeast Ohio had an artistic home.
In addition to his work as an actor and director for Actors’ Summit, he
writes grants, supervises the administrative aspects of the theater, and
occasionally sweeps the stage. Neil has
served as General Manager of Cleveland Signstage Theatre and Executive Director
of Weathervane Community Playhouse.
Academic credentials include an MBA from Kent State University, and an
MA from the University of New Orleans.
He completed his doctoral work at Wayne State University as a member of
the Hilberry Theatre Company, and did post graduate work at the Yale School of
Drama. Neil is a member of Actors’
Equity, SAG/AFTRA. In addition to
his work onstage at Actors’ Summit, he has appeared locally at Ensemble Theatre
in Kentucky Cycle, the Cleveland Play House in Room Service and The
Importance of Being Earnest, at Great Lakes Theatre Festival in Richard
III and as the Stage
Manager in Oberlin Summer Theatre Festival’s production of Our Town.Constance
Thackaberry* (Senior
Artistic Associate) loves working with the artists, volunteers and patrons of
Actors’ Summit! Connie most recently
directed Becky’s New Car for Actors’ Summit. At Actors’ Summit, she has also directed Last
Train to Nibroc, Big Boys, Nixon’s Nixon and Rounding
Third, restaged Clarence Darrow for the Defense and assistant
directed Tremont, Macbeth, and Musical of Musicals, The
Musical! Connie was a co-creator of
two original pieces for the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, of which she is an
alum. She has appeared onstage at Actors’
Summit as Catherine in Proof, Meg in Crimes of the Heart, Karen
in For Better, June in Sanders Family Christmas, Natalya in The
Proposal/Russians in Love, Madge in Picnic, Kate in She Stoops to
Conquer and Polly in The Gingerbread Lady. Connie holds a BA in English from the Honors
College at Kent State University and received her MFA from The Actors Studio
Drama School at New School University.
Connie is a proud member of the company at Actors’ Summit and is very
excited about the 2011-2012 season! |
