Weston Playhouse Theatre Company Announces Four New Board Members

Weston Playhouse Theatre Company has announced the addition of four new members to its Board of Trustees. Weston's Board now consists of eighteen committed, active members with strong ties to Weston and the Southern Vermont region.

"We are thrilled to welcome these four exceptional new members to our Board of Trustees," said Board Chair Michael Neff. "Michelle Lowes, Elizabeth Paxson, Michael Plaut, and Rene Welles each bring tremendous talent and insight to the organization. We welcome them to the Board and look forward to the contribution each will bring as we advance Weston's mission in the coming years."

Elizabeth Paxson (Dorset, VT), former Director of Retail for Etro, GianFranco Ferre, and Valentino, joined the Board in March 2020. Paxson has a long history of volunteer engagement focused on education and the arts in the US, England, and Nicaragua. "I knew that the Weston Theatre was a very special place the moment I saw the smile on our high school daughter's face after her first day at the summer TheatreLab workshop. There is something truly amazing about the people who choose theatre as their life's work. I love being around that passion and commitment, and enjoy contributing to their efforts in any way that I can," she says.

Catherine (Rene) Welles (South Londonderry, VT & Beverly, MA), who joined in May 2020, has a background in event planning for a variety of organizations and is the co-owner of American Rhino - a purpose-driven fashion business that supports Kenyan land and wildlife conservation and local communities. She has held various Board positions at Miss Porter's School, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, the Cricket Island Foundation, Myopia Hunt Club, and the Singing Beach Club. She has also Chaired several galas, auctions, and associations and actively feeds her love of theatre by attending shows in New York, at Weston, and at the A.R.T. in Cambridge, MA.

Michelle A. Lowes (Manchester, VT & New York, NY) joined in December 2020 and is an investigative dermatologist specializing in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). She has served as a researcher, physician, professor, and board member for a number of organizations in the field, as well as on numerous advisory and review boards. Says Lowes, "My children have enjoyed the shows at the Weston Playhouse Theatre since they were in pre-school. There was always such a great sense of excitement and anticipation every summer. I'm looking forward to helping a new generation enjoy this amazing theatre in Vermont."

Also in December, Michael Plaut (Weston, VT & Paris, France), a consulting and interim strategic business leader for early-stage companies in the US and France, joined the Board. Plaut brings a history of volunteerism with non-profits focused on cross-cultural and multilingual communication, passionately seeking opportunities in "furthering the work of an organization that boldly bridges cultures and seeks to unify, educate and entertain."

The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company builds on and enhances the unique assets of its Vermont village campus to produce a diverse, entertaining, and challenging season of live professional theatre and high impact events; enrich the theatergoing experience with education and outreach programs for all ages; and make significant contributions to the American theatre through training programs, play development, and retreats. It is a non-profit organization supported in part by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and an ever-growing family of individuals and organizations who believe in the impact the performing arts make on its community. Learn more at westonplayhouse.org.

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