Ms. Maxey holds a BA in Theatre Arts and is a theatrical director, acting coach, composer, singer, dancer, and choreographer. She has directed youth drama classes and is founder of Back River Drama in Duxbury, MA. Heather has coached numerous young performers in acting,  singing and dancing techniques. She has overseen the production and direction of five summer musicals in Duxbury including High School Musical, Oklahoma, Sound of Music, Shrek, and The Lion King. Ms. Maxey portrayed Olivia in Twelfth Night, and Flo in Come and Go. In 1988 she won the Kirk Douglas Best Actress Award at St. Lawrence University. In 2023 Heather produced an original musical Sounds Like Essex, as well as the 2nd Annual ETC’s Talent Show. She also produced Sounds Like Us in 2024.

Ms. Burke is a senior executive with over 25 years of experience in the computer software industry. She is a graduate of Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where she earned an MBA and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Communications. In her early career she was Publicity Director of the Oklahoma Shakespeare Festival, an annual event that attracts thousands of people and features a variety of Shakespeare’s plays, as well as workshops and educational programs. Ms. Burke and her partner are currently renovating the former Cabins by the Lake into the newly established Lady on the Lake in downtown Essex. They want to welcome people to Essex with a beautiful environment where they can enjoy all that the community has to offer. Christine is a passionate advocate for animals and education. She is also a strong supporter of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Ms. Poppino is a summer resident in Essex, NY. During the winter she resides in Schenectady, NY, where she serves on the Board of Trustees for the First United Methodist Church and is President of the Thursday Musical Club. She has directed/designed several plays and two musicals for Essex Theatre Company. Her most recent plays are Almost, Maine by John Cariani in 2022 and Be Here Now by Deborah Zoe Laufer in 2023. She has served on the Board of Trustees of ETC in one capacity or another since 1993 when the Company was formed. She holds a BA in English from Oberlin College and a MA in Teaching from SUNY Albany and has completed post-graduate studies in theater at SUNY/Albany.

Mr. Stephan is a professional engineer and licensed attorney in the state of New York. Prior to retirement, he worked for 44 years in public works construction, where he served as a Project Manager on multiple multi-billion-dollar projects from Boston to New York City. For the last 30 years, he has worked for a consulting firm, where, as an Executive Director, he founded and managed offices on both the east and west coasts. Bruce has served on the Vestry of St. John’s Church, as well as the Champlain Valley Film Society and Old Adirondack Furniture Company boards. He has performed in three ETC and several Essex Initiatives productions.

Aside from serving on the board of ETC, Ms. Lawrencee also serves as a Vestry member of St. John’s Episcopal Church, as well as a board member of the Champlain Valley Chapter of Sweet Adelines in Plattsburgh. She made her acting debut with ETC in 2003 in the play Private Lives and has acted in several ETC productions since then, including The Prisoner of Second Avenue, My Favorite Year, Three Oranges, The Sunshine Boys and most recently The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. Ms. Lawrence also directed a staged reading of Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol with Jackie Wardell for local churches. She has sung in several church choirs and now sings with the Champlain Valley Chorus (Sweet Adelines) and the Cumberland Bay Chorus (Mixed Barbershop).

Mr. Wardell lives in Essex, NY, and is a retired computer consultant. He has been lighting/sound designer for many ETC productions and attends St. John’s in Essex.

In 1903, Ms. Allen’s grandmother came to Essex, and every generation since then has summered in Essex. Recently widowed, she and her husband made Essex an important part of their lives for almost 45 years. Until recently, she was a board member of CFES-Brilliant Pathways in Essex. Currently, she is a Trustee at the Adirondack Foundation. Ms. Allen received a Masters of Social Work from Boston University and a BA from Wells College. She worked for many years in private practice and as a School Counselor at a private day school in Weston, MA. She has served on many non-profit boards in the Boston area. For the past decade plus, she has been a Gallery Instructor at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

Mr. Clark is an actor, singer, and musician. From making home movies as a kid, singing and playing guitar in a punk band in high school, he has always enjoyed being onstage and working behind the scenes. Alex lives in Plattsburgh and works from home for a non-profit dedicated to reducing the early death and disease attributable to smoking by ensuring that people have access to legal, safer alternatives to cigarettes. For the past year, he has been practicing sculpture and collage.

Mr. Coleman was the Artistic Director of ETC at its inception. He taught drama and directed plays at the Spence School in NYC for many years. Currently, he enjoys playing his ukelele and singing at various open mic sessions. Mr. Coleman is interested in educational outreach in theater and increasing opportunities for community involvement in local theater activities. He offers possibilities for developing projects that would strengthen rehearsals and onstage performances, increasing skills of amateur talent, and creating variety in onstage performances.

Ms. Holzhauer is a Speech Language Pathologist with a MS in Communication Disorders, holds a BA in English, and is a NYS Certified Teacher, N-6. She is a permanent resident of Westport, NY, and has appeared in many ETC productions, beginning with Private Lives in 2003 to her most recent production of Bari in Be Here Now in 2023. She has always loved theater, becoming President of MSV Players while in college to performing in Off-Broadway productions with the Village Light Opera. Presently, she runs a small farm with her husband, who also trains Newfoundland Dogs to Water Rescue, Draft, and Compete in several trials throughout the year. She also edits her husband’s books, the most recent one Gunner’s Island released by Austin Macauley Publishers, London, in 2023.

Ms. Krenz is a musical director, singer, and songwriter. She was born and raised on the plains of North Dakota. While earning a degree in marketing from the University of North Dakota, Celeste was writing songs and working toward a music career that would span 25 years. With the release of 11 albums, Celeste established herself as a staple of the American music scene. Her first CD garnered national attention with her debut album, “The Edge of the Storm”. She has also garnered national attention with her second release, “Slow Burning Flame”, produced by Bluegrass legend Tim O’Brien. The album reached #11 on music trade magazine GAVIN’s Americana Chart and remained on the chart for 11 weeks in the Top 20.

Ms. Nadire is a seasoned performer, has sung in regional choirs and musicals since childhood. A Smith College and Trinity College alumna, she has also lived in Germany and performed in various choirs. Now based in Essex, NY, she balances her time between gardening, yoga, and performing.

Mr. Whitman is a recent University of Pittsburgh graduate and lives in Westport, NY. A choir enthusiast, his favorite performances include works by Hildegard von Bingen and Eriks Esenvalds. His ideal day involves fishing, hiking, and birdwatching, topped off with a cold beverage at Jambs.

Mr. Whicker is an actor and singer who has been heard throughout North America and Europe as a dramatic tenor, and (in his younger years) as a baritone. Musical theater roles include: Miles Gloriosus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Billy Bigelow in Carousel, and Curly in Oklahoma!. While singing as a Dramatic Tenor, he was represented by Dorothy Cone Artist Management, NYC. Rex currently produces and appears on the NY Sports Incomplete podcast. He is the host and producer of “Uncorked with Rex Whicker” on 4VS Community TV. Rex holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Rhode Island and a Master of Music from Stony Brook University.