Once More With Feeling!

International Museum Theatre Alliance Workshop

September 25-27 2015

Missouri History Museum, Forest Park, St. Louis, MO

Presenter Bios

Heather Barnes is the Director of Guest Experiences at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois.  She directs the overall guest engagements and live science experiences for the museum’s 1.5 million visitors annually.  Heather has successfully led the transformation of the guest experience department, positioning MSI as a customer service industry leader.  She is nationally recognized for using improvisation as a tool to throughout the museum to help engage guests, build team relationships, and teach educational content.  As a graduate of the Second City program, Heather has directed, produced, and performed in several sketch comedy and improvisational shows throughout Chicago.  Currently Heather is a faculty member at the Second City Training Center.  

Judy Fort Brenneman, Greenfire Creative, LLC, is an award-winning author, essayist, and playwright as well as a popular writing workshop leader and writing coach who helps people, agencies, and organizations tell their stories. She is IMTAL Publications Officer, editor of Insights, andauthor of Creating Stories that Make a Difference

Tina Chapman DaCosta, Tina Chapman DaCosta worked for IBM as a Systems Engineer and Marketing Programs Manager before becoming a college professor and performance artist.  Tina was a professor in Computer Security at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) before earning her MFA in Film with a concentration in scriptwriting in 2014.  Tina has created and taught classes in acting, script writing, and museum theatre.  She helped curate the RIT exhibition Resistance, Rebellion and Renewal: Narratives of Progress and Poverty in Rochester and launched a new RIT performance program called Diversity Theatre.  Tina was appointed the Diversity Theatre Program Developer in 2015.  Tina founded Mended Wings, a media production company, and she has written, directed, and produced several short films and plays.  Tina is also an accomplished actor in film and theatre.

Douglas Coler is the Coordinator of Shows and Floor Programming at Discovery Place in Charlotte. He currently serves as Vice-President of the International Museum Theatre Alliance. At Discovery Place, he oversees the Actor/Presenters and the writing, production, and delivery of programming at The Stage, The Rain Forest Theatre, and on-floor interactive demonstrations, as well as support programming for traveling exhibitions and community events.

Kirk German is a Masterʼs candidate in Interdisciplinary Studies and Museum Studies at NYU-Gallatin exploring the intersection of theatres and museums as sites of storytelling and cultural identity. After working for 12 years as an educator and multidisciplinary theatre artist in Austin, he is now based in New York.

Dan Hopman began working at The Science Museum of Minnesota in 2011. He has performed in Science Live!, Real Pirates, and can be seen in the upcoming Race exhibit. He also works as a freelance stage, film, and commercial actor. He resides in Minneapolis.

Catherine Hughes, PhD is a hybrid theatre practitioner, museum professional, educator, and researcher. She is Director of Interpretation and Evaluation at Conner Prairie History Museum, overseeing daily operations of six interpretive areas. Last fall she also created and taught a new course on museum theatre for Butler’s Theatre Department. Previously, Catherine was Project Director for Meet the Past, a 3-year initiative to transform the visitor experience at the Atlanta History Center. She has also worked at the Museum of Science, Boston and the London Science Museum, and founded the International Museum Theatre Alliance. Catherine has consulted with a number of institutions, such as the National Museum of Australia, University of Manchester (UK), and the Center for Chemical Evolution at Emory University. Her book, Museum Theatre: Communicating with Visitors through Drama, was published by Heinemann. She has lectured and written widely on the use of theatre in museums.

Stephanie Long is the Director of Science Live Theatre at the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM). Over the past fourteen years, she has produced 70 live programs and 14 films for SMM and other institutions. Stephanie has led playwriting and science communication workshops for scientists, presented on museum theatre Nationally and Internationally and worked as a program developer for the Nanoscale Informal Science Education network. She is a former President of the International Museum Theatre Alliance-Americas. 

Outside of the museum field she is the President of the Board of Directors for Theatre In The Round Players and has been a mentor with Big Brothers and Big Sisters for ten years.

Todd D. Norris -- Director of Interpretation at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.  Prior to joining TCM, Norris spent more than 10 years at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and he has taught and directed at universities throughout the country. He is Membership Officer for IMTAL and is an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

Michael Ritchie – Actor, Science Live Theatre, Science Museum of Minnesota. Michael Ritchie is an actor, improviser, and director based in Minneapolis. He has been a company member of the Science Museum of Minnesota’s Science Live Theatre since 2009

Carla Thacker has been with the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago for over seven years and has held positions in program development, project coordination, and staff management. As Deputy Director of Guest Experiences, she is responsible for the management, training, and coaching of a staff of nearly 70 Facilitators that deliver science programs throughout the museum. Carla uses improvisation daily as a tool to build facilitation skills and team relationships. Along with reward and recognition and other positive management strategies, Carla finds improv to be an integral part of creating a fun, supportive work culture and having successful interactions with guests. Before coming to MSI, Carla studied geological sciences, graduating from Brown University with a Master’s of Science.

Mark Wehlage is Interpretation Manager at Conner Prairie Interactive History Park overseeing the daily operations for guests and interpreters in six different experience areas. He uses his 20+ years of experience as an actor, director, musician, and puppeteer to collaborate with schools, theaters, museums, and various civic organizations. Mark has traveled to more than 25 states and 5 countries to develop and train working puppet troupes in schools and churches. He has served as a guest lecturer at the University of Indianapolis, teaching on Extemporaneous Speech, and is working with the Broad Ripple High School for the Performing Arts to develop a class on Puppetry in The Theater.