The Players
Our Founders and Trustees
When our founders heard that the campus at 5 N Water Street might become condos, they assembled a team to look at preserving the property for the island arts community. They launched a new non-profit, The Nantucket Performing Arts Center (NPAC), that will be the home of an equity theater company and be a center of new work, stage high quality productions through the summer and fall, and offer exceptional educational programming featuring shared experiences with professional actors. The NPAC will also enhance and support the island’s vibrant cultural community by partnering with other Nantucket arts organizations to provide a dedicated year-round campus for the performing arts. The Nantucket Performing Arts Center will be a hub of life and community in town throughout the year. We are in discussions with other prospective board members and will begin building out the full board. If you feel that you would like to join our board, please email nantucketperformingarts@gmail.com.
CHRIS BIERLY
President
ROBERT DORAN
JAMES MALONE
VP, Treasurer
Artists Advisory Board
We’ve assembled an impressive array of seasoned professionals on our artistic advisory board, their collective commitment to leveraging their connections and talents provides a powerful catalyst for propelling the organization forward.
CELIA KEENAN-BOLGER won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Scout Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird” (2018). She has also received Tony nominations for her roles in “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” (2005), “Peter and the Starcatcher” (2012), “The Glass Menagerie” (2014), and “Mother Play” (2024). Her other theater credits include “A Parallelogram,” “Bachelorette,” “Little Fish,” “The Oldest Boy,” “Merrily We Roll Along,” and “A Small Fire.” Her film and television credits include appearances on “The Gilded Age,” “Bull,” “Louie,” “The Good Wife,” “Nurse Jackie,” and “Good Behavior.” Celia has won both an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Drama Desk Award. She has performed in several shows on Nantucket and cherishes her time on the island.
CAROLYN CANTOR is a New York-based director specializing in new work. Her New York credits include productions at Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, and Vineyard Theatre. She has directed regionally at Pasadena Playhouse, Geffen Playhouse, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. Carolyn developed work at O’Neill Playwrights Conference and Sundance Theater Lab. Awarded the Joe Callaway, Boris Sagal and Drama League Fellowships, she holds a Dartmouth degree and an NYU MSW, balancing directing with psychotherapy, focusing on arts and social justice. She is a graduate of
Dartmouth College and is the mother of two daughters. Her family has a home on Nantucket.
AMANDA CHARLTON is a NYC-based producer and director known for her leadership in nurturing new plays. She spent a decade at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, where she served as Artistic Associate and Artistic Director of the Professional Training Program, working alongside influential leaders like Roger Rees and Jenny Gersten. Some of the places she’s directed include the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Atlantic Theatre Company and The Geffen Playhouse. Amanda developed new work at Juilliard, NYU
Grad, Manhattan Theatre Club and The Kennedy Center, and she has collaborated on several plays with Molly Smith Metzler. Amanda spends her summers with her husband and daughter on Nantucket.
She also served on the board of SPACE on Ryder Farm, a residency program supporting playwrights and artists.
ELIUD GARCIAS is a NYC-based actor with theater credits including “72 Miles” at Roundabout and “The Night of the Iguana” at Signature Theatre. His TV appearances include “Law & Order SVU” and
“Boardwalk Empire,” and he features in films like “Hands of Stone” with Robert De Niro. A Princeton graduate, Eliud began acting after a successful advertising career. Born in Monterrey, Mexico, Eliud
has twins, a son and a daughter, with his husband of more than 20 years. His family has deep roots and love for the magical place that is Nantucket, having owned a home on the island since the 1980s. He
is currently in pre-production for two feature films.
NINA HELLMAN is an Obie-winning actress best known for her work off Broadway in productions like “Greater Clements” at Lincoln Center Theater and “Trouble in Paradise,” for which she received an Obie Award. She also received a Lortel nomination for “The Internationalist” at the Vineyard Theatre. Her television credits include roles on “The Blacklist,” “New Amsterdam,” and “Nurse Jackie,” and
she appeared in the film “Wet Hot American Summer.” With a BFA in Theatre from NYU, Nina is an associate artist with The Civilians and serves on the board of Clubbed Thumb. Nina has performed in many
productions on Nantucket and she and her husband, Jeremy Shamos, are summer residents in Sconset.
NICHOLAS HUSSONG is a talented designer with Broadway credits including “Skeleton Crew” (Tony Nomination). Off-Broadway, he worked on “Skeleton Crew” and “These Paper Bullets!” (Drama Desk
Nomination). He also contributed to productions like “Wet Brain” (Obie & Lucille Lortel award) and “On That Day in Amsterdam” (Drama Desk Nomination). Hussong’s diverse work spans the Atlanta
Opera, Nashville Symphony, and international locations. He studied Design at the Yale School of Drama, focusing on Projection Design
JUDITH IVEY is an acclaimed American actress and director with two Tony Awards for Best Featured Actress in “Steaming” (1981) and “Hurlyburly” (1984). Her notable film credits include “The Lonely Guy,”
“The Woman in Red,” and “Women Talking.” On TV, she starred in “Down Home” and “Designing Women.” Originally from Texas, Judith has a strong connection to the arts community on Nantucket, frequently involved with local theater initiatives on the island.
KEIRA NAUGHTON is a NYC-based actor known for her versatile performances. She has appeared on Broadway in productions like “The Rivals,” “Dance of Death,” and “Three Sisters,” and Off-Broadway in “These Paper Bullets!” and “Hunting and Gathering.” Regionally, she has worked at prominent theaters such as the Yale Repertory Theatre, Old Globe, McCarter. Her television/film credits include appearances on “Law & Order: SVU,” and “Blair Witch 2.” In addition to her acting career, Keira is an accomplished director, with credits including productions like “Curve of Departure” and “Cedars” at the Berkshire Theatre Group. She holds an MFA from the NYU Graduate Acting Program.
MARY SEIDEL - After graduating with a BFA in Acting from USC, Mary lived and worked in LA for ten years and was a member of Steppenwolf West. On island she worked as an actor for both White Heron and TWN. An assistant director for WHTC for six main stage shows as well as a Development associate and head of patron relations. Now a Boston based actress and an Assistant Creative Producer at Dwight Street Book Club. Mary and her husband (Island Native & restaurant owner) bought a home on Nantucket in 2020 and looks forward to raising their two girls on the island throughout the year.
JEREMY SHAMOS is a Tony Award-nominated actor celebrated for his standout performance in “Clybourne Park,” which also earned him Drama League Award and Lucille Lortel Award nominations. His Broadway credits include appearances in productions such as “Noises Off,” “The Assembled Parties,” and “Glengarry Glen Ross.” Off-Broadway, he has been recognized with an Obie Award for “Engaged” and a Drama Desk Award nomination for “Animals Out of Paper.” His television credits include recurring roles in “Better Call Saul” and “Nurse Jackie,” along with guest roles in series like “The Affair” and “Elementary.” In film, he’s known for roles in “Birdman,” “Magic in the Moonlight,” “ Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “The Big Sick.” Jeremy and his wife, Nina Hellman, are summer residents on Nantucket. His television credits include recurring roles in “Better Call Saul, ““Nurse Jackie,” “Only Murders in The Building,”“The Gilded Age” and “Succession” along with guest roles in series like “The Affair”, and “Elementary.”
LOUISA THOMPSON (set designer) NYC credits: Playwrights Horizons; Elevator Repair Service; Soho Repertory Theatre; The Play Company; Target Margin Theater; Clubbed Thumb; Rattlestick Playwrights Theater; Theatreworks USA; The Foundry Theater Company; MCC Theatre. Regional credits: Berkeley Repertory Theatre; Center Theatre Group; Arden Theatre; Bard Summerscape; The McCarter Theatre; The Papermill Playhouse; Shakespeare Santa Cruz; La Jolla Playhouse; The Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis; Philadelphia Theatre Company; Geva Theatre; Triad Stage; The Empty Space Theatre; Yale Repertory Theatre; The Juilliard School. M.F.A. from Yale School of Drama. Associate Professor at Hunter College New York.
MARK SHANAHAN is the artistic director of Westport Country Playhouse, having assumed the position in February 2024. Since 2018, Mark has curated the Playhouse’s Script In Hand series. Shanahan wrote and directed “A Sherlock Carol,” an Off-Broadway hit and New York Times Critics’ Pick, and directed “Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” at Alley Theatre. He is also the author of “A Merry Little Christmas Carol” “See Monsters of the Deep” and “The Dingdong.” Additional theaters Shanahan has worked include: Virginia Stage, Arkansas Rep, White Heron, Mile Square Theatre, and Orlando Shakespeare Festival. Additionally, he has appeared on and Off-Broadway as an actor.