New Jersey Theatre Alliance Announces Four New Board Members, President And Treasurer

New Jersey Theatre Alliance, one of the state's largest arts service organizations, is pleased to announce four new board members: Meredith Burns, Janeece Freeman Clark, Kelly Ryman and Paul Whelihan.

The Alliance also announces Marshall Jones, III, Associate Professor, Theater Mason Gross School of the Arts Rutgers, the State University of NJ as its new President and Michael Schnoering, FAIA, Partner with Mills + Schnoering Architects, LLC as the new Treasurer.

Since its inception, the vision of the Alliance has been to be the voice of professional theatre in New Jersey, while serving as a capacity builder, innovator, and developer of a wide range of resources to strengthen and advocate for the state's professional theatre community.

Board President, Marshall Jones, III, has over 35 years of producing theatre and live entertainment experience in a variety of key executive positions, "I'm honored to serve theatre colleagues throughout the state in the capacity of President for the Alliance. What the Alliance has accomplished over the years is a noteworthy national standard. Particularly during the pandemic as our industry faced several daunting challenges. I'm humbled by this opportunity and hope I can live up to our historic past as we celebrate our 40th anniversary."

Michael Schnoering stated, "I am thrilled to be joining the Executive Committee and taking on the role of Treasurer for the Alliance. It has been my absolute pleasure to serve the theatre community and I look forward to continuing to support NJ's performing arts institutions and the NJ Theatre Alliance during my tenure."

New Jersey City University Leadership Award Winner and Executive Artistic Director of Art House Productions, Meredith Burns has supported the Alliance from the beginning of her arts career, "I'm honored to be joining the board of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance. My first interaction with the Alliance was as an actor auditioning at the Combined Annual Auditions over a decade ago. I've since been impressed by the advocacy and services provided by the Alliance, and one of my first goals after taking the job at Art House was to join the Alliance. For the past several years we've benefited greatly from the community of support and guidance, especially as we navigate the ongoing pandemic. I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve New Jersey theatres and most especially represent Jersey City and Hudson County-based organizations and theatre artists."

Janeece Freeman Clark, Founding Artistic Director of Vanguard Theater Company has a multifaceted career and has won her many awards and critical acclaim, "The Alliance has taken such a strong position on diversity and accessibility in our NJ Theatre Community, and has been a true leader as we emerge from COVID. Their mission and Vanguard's are beautifully aligned and I am honored to have been asked to join the Alliance Board of Directors."

Kelly Ryman, Managing Director at George Street Playhouse where she is celebrating her 21st season, says, "The New Jersey Theatre Alliance has been such a helpful resource as we navigated the challenges of the past eighteen months -- and is now providing important leadership and assistance as theatres across the state prepare to return to in-person performances this fall. I'm honored and delighted to join the board at this time."

Since the start of the Alliance Paul Whelihan, Executive Artistic Director of Pushcart Players, has been involved with the Alliance and it's work. "With several theatres, I've participated in and benefitted from the excellent work of the Alliance. I'm grateful to be able to serve in this new capacity on the board, and look forward to making a meaningful contribution to the efforts."

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