Leadership and Staff
Rick Lombardo, Artistic Director
Rick Lombardo most recently completed twelve seasons as
Producing Artistic Director of New Repertory Theatre, one of
Boston’s and the New England region’s leading mid-size regional
theatres. He is honored to be a two-time recipient of the Elliot
Norton Award for “Outstanding Director,” Boston’s “Tony,” from
the Boston Theatre Critics Association, for his productions of
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Sweeney Todd.
His production last season of The Clean House won the Elliot
Norton Award for “Outstanding Production,” along with his
staging last fall of A Streetcar Named Desire being honored with
two Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) awards for
“Best Director” and “Best Production of a Drama.” His summer
staging of the world premiere of According to Tip, a new play
about Tip O’Neill starring Ken Howard, is slated to reopen this
fall in a commercial transfer to the Stuart Street Playhouse in
downtown Boston. Recent season's productions include: Ragtime
(IRNE Awards-“Best Director of a Musical” and “Best Musical”); The Pillowman; Dessa Rose; The Wild Party; Bill W. and Dr. Bob (which he also subsequently directed Off Broadway); Romeo and Juliet; the multiple IRNE award-winning Into the Woods; Quills; and the world premiere of Approaching Moomtaj by Michael Weller.
He also directed Hamlet for Actors’ Shakespeare Project, La Vie Parisienne for Opera Boston, and Harold Pinter’s Ashes to Ashes and The Lover for Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre. Other memorable New Rep productions include: The Threepenny Opera; the world premiere of A Girl’s War; his new musical adaptation of Moliére’s Scapin; Waiting for Godot (IRNE award, “Best Drama”); the acclaimed production of Sweeney Todd (2004 Elliot Norton Award for “Outstanding Director,” IRNE award for “Best Director,” and Elliot Norton Award for “Outstanding Musical Production”); The Weir (IRNE Award, “Best Drama”); Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Elliot Norton Award, “Outstanding Director”); The Scarlet Letter; American Buffalo; A Moon for the Misbegotten; Twelfth Night; Beast on the Moon; Das Barbecü; Tartuffe; The Real Thing; and Moby Dick-An American Opera, among others.
Rick was previously the Artistic Director of the Players Guild in Ohio, as well as the Founding Artistic Director of the Stillwaters Theatre Company in New York City. He has taught at several universities, including Fordham University’s College at Lincoln Center, where he was also Co-Director of the theatre program. Rick is currently President of NEAT, the Association of New England Area Theatres, and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of both Arts Boston and StageSource. He is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. He is married to actress Rachel Harker, and has a daughter, Claudia, along with stepsons Michael and Stephen.
Nick Nichols, Managing Director
Nick Nichols has worked in professional theatre for over 30 years. He has worked professionally as a Stage Carpenter, Rigger, Stage Manager, Lighting and Set Designer, Technical Director, Director of Production and now Managing Director. Nichols was Technical Director for The American Musical Theatre of San Jose for 11 years, Production Manager for Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley for two years, Production Manager for Symphony San Jose Silicon Valley in their inaugural season and, in 2003, came to the San Jose Rep as Director of Production. He became Managing Director of the Rep in November 2006. He has worked and/or taught at The University of Nebraska, Santa Clara University, San Jose State University and the University of California Santa Cruz. Mr. Nichols has worked as a consultant for such clients as NASA/Ames, Princess Cruises, Holland-America Cruise Lines, The Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose, The Rosicrucian Museum and Univision. Nick holds a B.A. in theatre arts from Santa Clara University, an M.F.A. in technical production/lighting design from Temple University and has done post graduate work in Arts Management and Administration at Golden Gate University. He is a member of the Advancement Board for the Santa Clara University Center for the Performing Arts. He is co-chair of Rota-Arts, a committee of the Rotary Club of San Jose, which is working to bring music and arts appreciation and education to under-served grammar school students in San Jose.
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Monika Churchill, Director of Development
monikac@sjrep.com
Ms. Churchill has over 13 years of fundraising and communications experience. She came to the Rep after serving as Major Gifts Officer at Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills. Previously, she was Institutional Giving Manager for over six years at Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, where she managed the nation’s largest Holiday Food and Fund Drive, as well as six special events annually. She worked with corporate donors to secure more than twenty major cash and in-kind sponsorships each year, and managed over 1,800 corporate and community volunteers as they ran their Food and Fund Drives. Monika is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and is studying diligently for her upcoming CFRE exam.
Cecilia Clark, Director of Marketing
ceciliac@sjrep.com
Ms. Clark has spent the last 18 years working in the Bay Area in marketing, public relations, special events management and fundraising. The majority of that time has been spent working in the arts and cultural world as Communications Manager for Arts Council Silicon Valley, Director of Marketing and Communications for History San Jose and Membership Manager for Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose. Ms. Clark has consulted for WORKS/San Jose gallery and performance space, Palo Alto Youth Museum, and has also worked as a free-lance writer for local publications. A 2005 graduate of Leadership Morgan Hill and two-time board member of Morgan Hill Community Foundation, Ms. Clark actively volunteers for numerous organizations including Community Solutions, Leadership Morgan Hill and many others. She holds a B.A. in Public Relations/Journalism from San Jose State University. Ms. Clark joined the Rep in July 2006.
Kirsten Brandt, Associate Artistic Director
kirstenb@sjrep.com
Kirsten Brandt is an award winning director and playwright. She has been with the Rep since the start of the 2006/2007 season and directed Rabbit Hole. Prior to joining the Rep, Ms. Brandt was the Artistic Director of Sledgehammer Theatre from 1999-2005 where she produced 23 productions, including nine world premieres and five west coast premieres. During her tenure, she directed 15 shows including: When the World Was Green, A Dream Play, Macbeth, A Knife in the Heart (KPBS Patté Award), The Universal Monster Show, Richard III, the rock opera Alice in Modernland, Furious Blood (KPBS Patté Award), and Sweet Charity (Backstage West Garland Award). Her acclaimed production of Kelly Stuart’s Demonology was adapted for radio broadcast on KPBS-FM. She wrote and directed The Frankenstein Project (KPBS Patté Award) and NU: Part I & III. Her play Berzerkergäng received a KPBS Patté Award for “Outstanding Production” and a Playbill Award for “Best New Play”. She received a San Diego Critic’s Circle Award for her direction of The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow for the Old Globe. Other directing credits include: The Old Globe, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, San Diego REP, La Jolla Playhouse, Show N’ Tale Production in Vancouver BC, Sierra Repertory Theatre, Diversionary Theatre, UCSD’s MFA program, UCSC, The Fritz, Playwrights Project, New Dramatists, NYU Tisch School of Drama, and A.S.K. Theatre Projects in Los Angeles. Brandt studied playwriting at the University of Birmingham, England and directing at UCSD and has trained with the SITI Company. She is the recipient of the San Diego Critic’s Circle Award for “Creative Achievement” in 2003. Brandt is a lecturer at UC Santa Cruz.
Bruce Elsperger, Artistic Associate/Casting Director
brucee@sjrep.com
Bruce Elsperger is in his 15th season as Casting Director as San Jose Repertory Theatre. He has stage managed the Rep’s productions of Mary’s Wedding, The Wind Cries Mary, Aliens in America, Love in the Title, Communicating Doors, Old Wicked Songs, The Lady’s Not for Burning, Holiday, Mirandolina, Blithe Spirit, Later Life, Sylvia, Banjo Dancing, Beehive and Redwood Curtain. Elsperger stage managed for eight seasons with American Conservatory Theatre, where his credits include Home, Oleanna, The Duchess of Malfi, Nothing Sacred, Golden Boy, Right Mind, A Christmas Carol, Cyrano de Bergerac, Learned Ladies, and Hecuba. Mr Elsperger was Production Stage Manager with Seattle’s Intiman Theatre, the Bathhouse Theatre and for a western U.S. tour of The Big Broadcast, as well as at PCPA Theaterfest. He has also appeared onstage at the Rep in Anna Christie and Desire Under the Elms. Elsperger’s directing credits include The Dying Gaul, A Breeze From the Gulf, Bag Lady, and A Streetcar Named Desire. He was resident casting director at NCTC in San Francisco for five seasons and has been engaged to cast several independent productions in the Bay Area.
Karen Altree Piemme, Director of Outreach
karenp@sjrep.com
Karen Piemme was invited to the Rep in 1993 to help develop and expand its Red Ladder Theatre Company for which she is Associate Director. Ms. Piemme additionally develops and implements the Rep’s many education and outreach programs, including internships, job shadowing, classroom study guides, acting classes, artists-in-schools, and the Creative Playshop Series—a unique program for children and families that has been replicated by other regional theatres. As an active Bay Area theatre staff member and community leader, Ms. Piemme is a community mentor, often appears as a guest speaker, and serves as a member of the Theatre Services Committee for Theatre Bay Area. Ms. Piemme is an accomplished director, actor and acting instructor specializing in youth and community access. She received her degree in Acting and Directing from Syracuse University and also trained in England at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Christa Stiner, Director of Finance
christas@sjrep.com
Ms. Stiner has worked in performing arts administration and production since 1991. Her background includes marketing, patron services, production management and accounting in both for profit and nonprofit theater. From 1999 until 2003 she was the Director of Finance and Administration for Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley. She comes to The San Jose Rep after a year as the Director of Operations at Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks. She has served on a number of nonprofit boards, and is currently the President of the Shakespeare Santa Cruz Board.
Christopher Morris, Production Manager
christopherm@sjrep.com
Mr. Morris has been working for with San Jose Repertory Theatre since the start of the 2003/04 season. He has over 12 years of production experience from prominent theatres such as Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, and The Old Globe Theatre. Mr. Morris earned his BFA in Theatre Design from Millikin University, and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama in Technical Design and Production.