Vineyard Theatre Appoints New Members to Board of Directors

Vineyard Theatre has revealed a new member of the 2023-2024 Vineyard Board of Directors, and new Board leadership. Veteran talk show host and actress Rolonda Watts will join as an Artistic Board Member. Annette Stover, long time Vineyard Board member, has been elected to serve as Board Chair. Sue Marks, an entrepreneur and investor who joined the Vineyard Board in 2020, has been elected Board President. 
 
“These fearless women are stepping into leadership roles at the Vineyard during a pivotal transformation in our field. It's an exhilarating time,” says Appel. “Their dedication to supporting our team and board, while driving the evolution of our organizational strategies, is invaluable. Their unique perspectives and mentorship are the cornerstone of my inspiration, fueling our team's adaptability to the evolving needs of our communities and artists.”
 
As the newest member of the Vineyard Board, Watts shares, “I am beyond honored and elated to have been asked to serve on the esteemed board of directors for the Vineyard Theatre, a bastion of creativity, inclusion, and tireless dedication to nurturing diverse voices in the theatrical world. This extraordinary theatre has not only been a platform for my own off-Broadway debut, but has also championed countless artists, amplifying their stories and advocating for their rightful place in the spotlight. Vineyard Theatre is a beacon of hope, embracing the power of storytelling to break down barriers. I am humbled and grateful to join the passionate team behind the scenes and contribute to their invaluable mission that resonates so deeply within my heart."
 
Additional members of Vineyard Theatre’s Board of Directors include:

Mark Lerner, Vice President/Secretary - Attorney/Partner, Duane Morris
John Barrie, Treasurer - Partner, McLaughlin & Stern
Kathryn Erbe, At-Large Executive Committee Member -Actor
Bobby Freeman, At-Large Executive Committee Member - CEO, Tower Park Management Corporation
Douglas Aibel - Artistic Director, Vineyard Theatre
Suzanne Appel - Managing Director, Vineyard Theatre
John Coles - Director, Talking Wall Pictures
Brandon Victor Dixon - Writer/Actor
Christopher W.D. Gould - Publisher, Broadway Play Publishing
Ken Greiner - Broadway investor, retired CEO, Dalton, Greiner, Hartman, Maher & Co
Nancy Heller - Attorney, Peck & Heller
Sally Horchow - Theatre Producer, Lifestyle Expert
Judy Kuhn - Actor
Cody Lassen - Principal, Cody Lassen & Associates
Jaimie Mayer - Chair, Nathan Cummings Foundation
Joe Morton - Actor/Activist
Steve Ralbovsky - Founder, Canvasback Music
David Schwartz - Of Counsel, Debevoise & Plimpton
 
Currently playing at the Vineyard until December 17 is Scene Partners by John J. Caswell Jr., directed by Rachel Chavkin and starring Dianne Wiest. 
 
BIOGRAPHIES
 

Annette Stover, Board Chair

Annette is a Partner at The Brandtech Group, handling group operations since its founding in 2015 with the mission to help brands do their marketing better, faster and cheaper using technology. Today, it is the largest global digital content partner for many of the world's biggest brands and companies. Annette joined the Vineyard board in 2008 and volunteers with several Greenwich Village non-profits. 
 

Sue Marks, Board President

Sue Marks is a serial entrepreneur, board member, and angel investor. She is the Founder of Cielo Talent, the market-leading Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) firm. She is also the Founder and Board Member of The Broadway Exchange and is a producer on the upcoming Broadway adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s classic novel The Outsiders. Her visionary and innovative thinking has marked her impressive career, partnerships, and projects to come. 
 

Rolonda Watts, Artist Board Member

For four decades, her name, face, and distinctive voice have been known by audiences everywhere, thanks to her many award-winning works in television, radio, film, theatre, digital media, stand up comedy, motivational speaking and author of DESTINY LINGERS, her award-winning romance suspense novel, endorsed by Dr. Maya Angelou. 

Most know her by one name, Rolonda, under which she launched her own internationally syndicated talk show (1994-1998), produced by King World Productions and her Watts Works Productions. Ro returns to daytime TV as the Announcer for “Sherri.”

Years before her talk show, Rolonda was an Emmy nominated investigative news reporter, anchorwoman and producer for “Inside Edition,” “WABC-TV Eyewitness News,” “ WNBC, New Jersey Nightly News,” and “WFMY-TV.” Ro also Co-Hosted the talk show “Attitudes” on Lifetime TV. 

From News to Talk to Hollywood to Stage, Rolonda, forever The Reinventionist, made her Off-Broadway debut in sandblasted at Vineyard Theatre in NYC. She also played nine different roles in The Till Trilogy at the Mosaic Theater in Washington, DC. 

Ro’s deep, rich, and raspy voice is one of the most recognized in the Voice-Over business; commercials, animation, and show announcing. Rolonda also teaches a Voice Acting Master Class. 
 

About Vineyard Theatre

Under the artistic leadership of Sarah Stern and Douglas Aibel, Vineyard Theatre develops and produces new plays and musicals that push the boundaries of what theatre can be and do. For over 40 years, The Vineyard has nurtured a community of fearless theatre makers whose work has expanded the form, the field, and the larger culture. Vineyard Theatre has transferred eleven shows to Broadway, seven directly after their acclaimed Vineyard premieres: Lucas Hnath’s Dana H. and Tina Satter’s Is This A Room (both New York Times Best Theatre of 2021); Paula Vogel’s Indecent; Nicky Silver’s The Lyons; Kander, Ebb and Thompson’s The Scottsboro Boys; Bell and Bowen’s [title of show]; and Avenue Q by Marx, Lopez and Whitty (Tony Award, Best Musical). In recent years, four additional shows launched at The Vineyard have been revived in their first Broadway productions: Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning How I Learned to Drive; Lanie Robertson’s Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar And Grill; Becky Mode’s Fully Committed; and Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Three Tall Women.
 
From our home in NYC’s Union Square, The Vineyard develops and premieres new plays and musicals which go on to be seen around the country and the world. Recently, Jeremy O. Harris’ play “Daddy” (2019) received its London premiere at the Almeida; Ngozi Anyanwu’s Good Grief (2018) and David Cale’s Harry Clarke (2017) were recorded by Audible; Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Gloria (2014), a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, transferred to Chicago’s Goodman Theatre; Paula Vogel’s Tony Award-winning Indecent (2016) aired on PBS’s “Great Performances” and was one of the most-produced plays nationwide in 2019; and Colman Domingo’s Dot (2016) is being adapted into an AMC series. The Vineyard’s first major digital work, Lessons in Survival, was named one of the top theatrical experiences of 2020 by the New York Timesand has been viewed by audiences in more than 40 countries.
 
The Vineyard’s Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, Susan Stroman Directing Award, and Colman Domingo Award provide residencies to early-career artists and our education programs serve over 700 New York City public high school students annually, culminating in Developing Artists’ REBEL VERSES Youth Arts Festival. The Roth-Vogel New Play Commission is awarded annually to a mid- to late-career playwright to create and develop a new play with The Vineyard. Our work and artists have been honored with numerous awards including Pulitzer Prizes and Tony Awards, and the company is proud to be the recipient of special Drama Desk, Obie, and Lucille Lortel Awards for artistic excellence and support of artists.
 
Vineyard Theatre’s leadership includes Artistic Directors Sarah Stern and Douglas Aibel (on sabbatical 23-24) and Managing Director Suzanne Appel.

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