Area Business And Arts Leaders Join National Foundation Board

The Educational Theatre Foundation (ETF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Sean Cercone, Coty Forno, and Jason Goldstein to a term on the National Board from 2020 to 2023. The ETF National Board of Trustees is composed of prominent leaders across a diverse range of industries, including entertainment, finance, hospitality, law, education, and nonprofit theatre, all with a common passion for theatre education. ETF also enjoys the support of an Honorary Board and an Advisory Board.

Sean Cercone, President, Broadway Licensing, New York

Prior to launching Broadway Licensing, Cercone served as Chief Business Officer and Senior Vice President of Professional and International Licensing for Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW), building its portfolio and achieving productions in 69 different countries.

Cercone is also a writer, collaborating with David Abbinati on an adaptation of Saturday Night Fever that has been seen on three continents. He is a member of the Broadway League, has served on the board of the National Alliance of Musical Theaters, co-chaired their New Musical Theatre Festival, and served as Board President of the Cleveland Theatre Collective. Named to Crain's Business Top 40 Under 40, Cercone holds an MFA in Theatre from West Virginia University, and is an avid Ironman.

Coty Forno, Founder, Mountain City Center for the Arts, Frostburg, Maryland

Forno is the founder and Executive Director of the Mountain City Center for the Arts (MCCA) which is developing a unique program in a largely rural area of Appalachia and is a regional partner for ETF's JumpStart Theatre Program. She is a passionate advocate for the arts, partnering with local organizations to bring arts education to public schools and the community.

She is an educator, director, and choreographer who is active throughout the region working with theatre and dance companies, conservatories, and universities. In 2016 she was selected as one of Maryland's Leading Women for her work in arts education. In 2019, Forno was awarded a Freddie G. Fellowship by Music Theatre International and a Distinguished Young Alumni Achievement award from Frostburg State University.

Jason Goldstein, Founder and Co-owner, BookTix, New Jersey

Goldstein has been an active performing arts and entertainment producer and entrepreneur for more than 25 years. He is dedicated to interweaving creativity with technology and business. His company BookTix, which he started to help theater programs increase ticket sales, demonstrates his passion for education, technology, and the arts.

He is a sought-after consultant on theatrical marketing for the performing arts and he lectures on musical theater history, theater appreciation, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Goldstein holds an individualized BA in theatrical business and communication with a minor in music, and an MBA in entrepreneurship and marketing from Rutgers University. He is the recipient of the 2014 New Jersey Governor's Award in Arts Education for Distinguished Service to Theatre Education.

ETF Board members are looking forward to the fifth annual Broadway Back to School gala to support theatre programs for schools in need, on Sunday, September 22nd in the Edison Ballroom in New York City. The unique evening pairs Tony Award-winning stars with student Thespians and includes a tribute to Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman as winners of the Broadway Back to School award recognizing their impact as key leaders in the theatrical industry and in building access and excellence in school theatre.

ETF provides essential financial support to enhance excellence in theatre education and to expand access to school theatre programs for every child, putting them on a more positive life path. ETF is the philanthropic arm of the Educational Theatre Association, which is the home of the International Thespian Society, an honorary organization active at more than 5,000 schools, that has inducted more than 2.4 million theatre students since its founding in 1929.

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