LEADERSHIP

Interim Artistic Director
Kelly Kitchens (she/her)
 

Kelly  is a Seattle-based theater artist and life-long lover of books. Though she has only recently joined the Book-It Repertory Theatre staff as the Interim Artistic Director, she has been a member of the Book-It community for about twenty years as an actor, adaptor, teaching artist, and director. Kelly has worked with many theater companies including Seattle Opera; Seattle Shakespeare Company; ACT Theater; Seattle Public Theater; Kentucky Opera; Theaterworks; and Kansas City Repertory Theater. As a director, some of her awards include being a two-time recipient of the Gregory Falls Award for Outstanding Director; winner of the Broadway World Critics’ Picks for Best Direction of a Play; and named Best Director by the Seattle Weekly Readers Poll. Under her leadership as Co-Artistic Director, Seattle Public Theater received Gregory Falls Awards for both Outstanding Production and Theater of the Year. Kelly is a guest instructor at the University of Washington in the School of Drama and the School of Music, a member of Actor’s Equity Association, and a member of The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. Kelly earned her B.A. from Vanderbilt University and her M.F.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Managing Director
Jeannine Clarke (she/her)
Ms. Clarke joined the Book-It staff as director of development in 2019, having to quickly adapt to a changing global landscape as she began this new role. Her deep experience and expertise in theatre fundraising and administration enabled her to raise almost $400,000 in response to the onset of the COVID crisis, ensuring that Book-It could remain operational, retain staff, and support the shift to producing audio dramas for the first time. Moreover, Jeannine brings a life-long love of theatre and 20 years of nonprofit arts experience to her new position with Book-It. She has previously worked with Jet City Improv, Northwest Girlchoir, and Village Theatre, where she oversaw $1.1 million in annual fund donations and fundraising events. She holds a BA in Drama from the University of Washington, from where she also received a Business Administration Certificate in 2020. Jeannine has also been a professional improviser for 15 years and is a current cast member at Unexpected Productions in Pike Place Market.

PRODUCTION

Production Manager
Dan Schuy (he/him)

Dan ascended into Book-It’s production manager position with the start of the 2016-17 season. However, his affiliation with Book-It began during the Westlake Avenue North days of 1997, providing the scenic elements for the production of Grendel. For the next decade, he was a frequent scenic designer and “host” for the annual productions of Owen Meany’s Christmas Pageant. He spent 23 years at North Seattle College, where he designed technical elements for over 85 productions, helped students in their course work and beginning careers, and served as the technical director and resident designer for the Theater Department/Stage One Theater. Dan also spent 13 years in many technical, artistic, and educational capacities with the Bellevue Youth Theatre. Currently, Dan is heading into his seventh year working as the technical theatre department/resident designer with the Titan Players at the Bellevue International School. In addition to Anna Karenina, Owen Meany’s Christmas Pageant, and Returning the Bones at Book-It, Dan’s designs have been seen at ArtsWest (BroadwayWorld.com Seattle’s 2010 public and critic’s choice for Best Scenic Design, Evil Dead—The Musical), the Hi-Liners, Sandbox Radio Collective, Seattle Public Theater, and SecondStory Repertory Theatre, among many others.


Technical Director/Master Sound Engineer
Benjamin Radin (he/him)

Ben is a Journeyman stagehand with IATSE Local#15 and is starting his 6th season with Book-It. Previously, he worked for five years as a scenic carpenter at Seattle Rep, and has also had the pleasure of working on-and-off at nearly every Seattle theatre venue. In addition to managing Book-It’s shop, he has recently been working as the Master Sound Engineer for Book-It’s audio productions and had the incredible opportunity to also serve as the sound designer for The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes.

Assistant Production & Company Manager
Max Koh (they/them)

Max is a Seattle-based director, sound designer, reluctant actor, lover of soup-based noodle dishes, and playwright. Max came into their love for Theatre at the age of 1 when they invalidated the purpose of Seattle Children’s Theatre’s beautiful quiet rooms by banging on the window during a production of The Red Balloon. They hold a BA in Theatre from Western Washington University, where they received multiple awards for their directing projects, a healthy love for kombucha, and a keen interest in tabletop roleplaying games. In 2019, Max was the recipient of the Mark Twain Award for Comedy from the National Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Recently, Max has decided to take on the task of reading all 1000 chapters of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece.

Assistant Technical Director
Andrew Long
Andrew is joining us after graduating from Cornish College of the Arts (Class of ‘21) and could not be more excited to jump in with this incredible team. His recent works include Tuck Everlasting (technical director 2020), The Spitfire Grill (technical director 2021), and Urinetown (technical director 2021). He was the technical director for the KIDSTAGE Summer Independent Program at Village Theatre in Issaquah and was the head stage carpenter for Village’s Beta Production of Eastbound. He also is currently teaching for Village Theatre KIDSTAGE, to inspire upcoming, young theatre makers! He is so excited to see where this endeavour leads and thanks everyone who has helped him in his journeys.

Scenic Charge Artist/Properties Storage Manager
Jessica Christensen (she/her)
This Pacific Northwest native didn’t know what was in store for her several decades ago when Book-It Repertory Theatre Arts Education visited her school and became her first theatrical experience. Her passion for both theater and painting led her to graduate from Cornish College of the Arts in 2013 with a BFA in Theatrical Scenic Design, with an emphasis in Scenic Painting. In 2012, she became the wardrobe manager and personal props builder for the Stalker Farms Field of Screams Haunted Attraction. In 2015, she became the stage properties and scenic paint supervisor for Cornish’s Production Department. In 2018, she became the scenic charge artist and properties storage manager for Book-It Repertory Theatre. She has been able to work on exciting projects on Book-It’s Mainstage, as well as being able to give back to the Arts Education Department that that started her love for theatre. Through Book-It, she has also had the opportunity to work with Seattle Shakespeare Company on both their Mainstage and Wooden-O shows. It is her belief that painting is the act of taking the abstract thought of one person and transforming it  into something that is accessible to everyone. What could be a more fulfilling job?

Costume Shop Manager
Marie Quinn Kramer (she/her)
A love of theater, costume, history, art, and sewing has propelled Ms. Kramer through her eccentric and varied career. She has taken part in over 80 productions of theater, musical, ballet, Circus, and more—holding just about every job title available in the realm of costume.

Sound Engineer
Conor Fortner (he/him)
Conor is a Seattle-based theater technician and proud recent graduate of the UW Undergraduate Drama: Design program. Over his course of study, Conor had the opportunity to take part in many productions, both as a technician and as a designer, including as the sound board operator for UW’s mainstage performance of Anything Goes, directed by Kelsey Thorgalsen, and as the OBS operator for Rosmersholm, directed by Andrew Coopman. Other notable credits include scenic designer and head scenic carpenter for The Drowsy Chaperone and technical director/master electrician for Company, both with Stage Notes (UW’s resident student musical theatre organization). Most recently, Conor had the honor to sound design for Hailey Henderson’s one-woman performance, Blackout, as well as to serve as the audio engineer for the kickoff leg of her porch tour.

Master Electrician
Danny Herter

ARTISTIC

Literary Manager
Annika Bennett (she/her)

Annika is delighted to be serving as Book-It’s Literary Manager! Annika holds an English & Theatre degree from Princeton University, where she concentrated her studies on literature and theatre of the Pacific Northwest. She went on to complete a season as the Literary Management & Dramaturgy Intern at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, where she worked on projects including the New Seasons Festival and the world-premiere adaptation of Roberto Bolaño’s 2666, and a season as the Artistic Literary Intern at Seattle Rep, where projects included The Other Season and the West Coast Premiere of Here Lies Love. She is a playwright, dramaturg, and avid reader whose current projects include co-writing the hit mystery thriller podcast What Happened in Skinner, named one of the Top Five Best New Fiction podcasts by Spotify in 2022. Annika is a member of LMDA (Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas) and the Dramatists Guild.

ADMINISTRATIVE

Finance & Operations Manager
Christine Riippi Campbell (she/her)

Christine is proud to be the finance & operations manager at Book-It Repertory Theatre, where she happily processes payments, runs reports, and creates Excel spreadsheets, among other things. Outside of Book-It, she and her husband, Andrew, own Campbell Tax Consulting LLC, a financial consulting business that provides tax, bookkeeping, and payroll services to small businesses and individuals. In addition to her finance and bookkeeping experience, Christine is a local actor and an improvisor with Unexpected Productions. She lives in West Seattle where she can be found walking her two frantic dogs, Gigi and Oskar, and playing with her adorable daughter, June.

IT Support
Tom Wahl

 

ARTS EDUCATION

Arts Education Programs & Booking Manager
Celeste Staples (she/her)

Celeste’s background has been both diverse and flavorful! There are hints of education and curriculum curating, hints of advocacy and communication-centered work, and a few pinches of time spent partnering with marginalized groups! Celeste has a heart for advocacy and for the normalization of mental health conversations. Prior to joining the Book-It Team, she spent her days in early childhood education and worked with play-based, imagination-forward, and social-emotional learning to help raise up a generation of people who are well-rounded and well-equipped to move healthily through the world. She is passionate about meeting people where they are and intentionally making room for humanness in places it is often overlooked. Here at Book-It, one of Celeste’s goals is to help to redefine the way we think about art and re-imagine what role it can and does play in our world. She wants to emphasize the importance of it in our schools, in our conversations, and in our society. She wants to make art more accessible and partner with you to bring it into the spaces most important to you.

 

DEVELOPMENT

Development Director
Lisa Sanman (she/her)
Prior to joining Book-It, Lisa spent most of her career (18 years) at Portland Center Stage (PCS), a $10M+ regional NW theater, where she played many roles—including development director, their first human resource director, associate managing director, co-chair of the DEI Committee, board liaison, and artistic and development assistant. To date, a career highlight was the privilege of partnering with the PCS and Armory Theater Boards to manage a $38.6M capital campaign to purchase an historic building as a home for PCS, while the demolition plans were being drafted. The Armory was saved and repurposed as a Platinum LEED certified building and a two-stage performance/community space. Prior to her career at PCS, Lisa was the first executive director of the Audrey Skirball-Kenis (ASK) Theater, a private foundation, whose sole purpose was to invest in new voices and new work with programs at the Mark Taper Forum, Lincoln Center, and The Royal Court in London. Lisa is a graduate of UCLA with a degree in theater arts.

Development Associate
Marjel van Dijk (she/her)
Marjel grew up in the Netherlands with a love for the English language, which led her to study English literature and linguistics in the Netherlands and Scotland. The Fringe Festival in Edinburgh and Shakespeare plays in London were some of the highlights of her time spent in the UK and Marjel is excited to be part of the Book-It team to see great literature come to life on stage. Since Marjel arrived in the United States in 2010, she’s worked for nonprofits in Seattle and Portland that supported immigration rights, celebrated cultural diversity, and created global connections. In her spare time, she and her family enjoy biking through the neighborhoods of Seattle.

Grants Coordinator
Annika Bennett (she/her)

Annika has served as Book-It’s primary grantwriter since 2018, and holds a Certificate in Grantwriting for Careers & Service in the Nonprofit Sector from Spark the Fire Grantwriting. She is passionate about sharing Book-It’s story far and wide and galvanizing community support around its incredible mission.

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Marketing & Communications Director
Brandon Jepson (he/him)

Brandon has come to Book-It after 15 years at Jet City Improv as Production Director, where he produced over 100 shows, performed in a handful of long-form improvised plays, and performed in flagship short-form show over 600 times. He also directed a number of long-form improvised plays, including Clues, Over and Through, World’s Fair, and The Monster Hunters. He also stage managed, did graphic design, some set design, and taught numerous quarters of Improv 101. He was also the Executive Producer of the Seattle Festival of Improv Theater for over 10 years (over the years welcoming about 200 improv groups and performing for a collective total of 35,000 audience members). He has also been seen on such Seattle stages as Open Circle (Madness Out of Time: The Case of Charles Dexter Ward), West of Lenin (The Call of Cthulhu), Union Garage/Theatre Babylon (Jesus Christ Superstar), Theater Schmeater (Money & Run), the Give-Inn, The Phoenix Theatre, and 14/48. He has lived in Seattle all his life and hold a BA in Drama from the University of Washington. He currently resides in the Bitter Lake neighborhood with his wife, son, and their tortoise Gilda. He enjoys cryptozoology, the Muppets, and keeping his cabinets organized.

Patron Services Manager
Alejandra Guzmán-Dyrseth (she/they)

Alejandra is Book-It’s patron services manager and has been in our box office since 2016. She is a queer, Chicana, lifelong Seattleite with a passion for classic horror, roller derby, and social activism.

Front of House Manager
Annie Jankovic (she/her)

Annie is excited to be the new front of house manager for Book It! She also works as an actor, director, and disability theatre consultant in the Seattle area. She loves the work that comes from managing the front of house and is pleased she gets to engage in that with in-person performances once again. Annie is very passionate about disability and accessibility in theatre and is happy to get to use that experience for patron services and enhancing the theatre-going experience for disabled audiences. She is currently also the accessibility coordinator at Sound Theatre Company.

Services

Graphic Design
Tyrell Waiters (he/him): 2022-23 season
Jake Fruend (he/him): 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons