WHAT IS THE THEATRE CONSORTIUM OF SILVER SPRING?

 

MISSION:

The mission of the Theatre Consortium of Silver Spring is to provide innovative management of the Silver Spring Black Box Theatre for the culturally diverse resident companies and other artists and organizations for the enrichment of the community in and around the Silver Spring Arts and Entertainment District.

 

ADDITIONAL PURPOSE:

The Theatre Consortium of Silver Spring will provide performance space for the resident companies and other artists and organizations, as the rental calendar allows.  The Theatre Consortium will present high quality, diverse, and reasonably priced performance art across disciplines.

 

 

WHO MAKES UP THE THEATRE CONSORTIUM OF SILVER SPRING?

 

 

LUMINA STUDIO THEATRE:

Lumina Studio Theatre’s mission is to provide unique opportunities for young actors of any level of experience who seek to perform Shakespeare, other plays of the classical repertory theatre, and modern plays that focus on the beauty of language.

Lumina provides a disciplined and rigorous professional setting where actors are trained in a comprehensive performance focused program including: in-depth vocal and character coaching, improvisation, and stage combat training, detailed costumes, live music, choreography and occasionally special elements such as masks to support the shows. The results are exhilarating and thoughtful productions that demand more of our aspiring actors, and benefit them for life, whether they pursue acting professionally or become informed and astute patrons of the arts.

FLYING V:

Flying V is a performing arts organization that creates intersectional, niche-based art to provide spaces of belonging to artists and audiences. We share and interpret modern mythologies that affirm individuals’ unique identities and their relationship to the world. Our work and how we create it is rooted in care for, and accountability to, those same individuals.

LIVE GARRA THEATRE:

The Live Garra Theatre offers enormous opportunities; endeavoring to illuminate all facets of a multicultural society; fostering cross-cultural understanding of the many ethnic voices in the community and to address universal social-life issues. The Theatre Company features full-length productions, play readings, acting seminars, internships, workshops, lectures, and Q&A discussions.

Race is a compelling subject; the dearth of African-American Theatre in Montgomery County, Maryland and the Washington, DC metropolitan area is real; the demand and need is great. Live Garra Theatre is dedicated to increasing awareness, preserving the unique legacy of the African-American heritage; contributing to the survival of Black Theatre. Why Black Lives Matter…

ARTSTREAM: 

Through collaborative performance and lifelong learning opportunities, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities gain the skills and confidence to engage with the world.

We believe that when people make their own choices and are engaged, stimulated, challenged and inspired, they surpass both their own and others’ expectations. ArtStream strives to build an inclusive world where everyone can perform their art out.

 

THE MANAGING DIRECTOR:

Bio: Jonathan Ezra Rubin is a theatre administrator with over a dozen years of experience in the field. He began his current path as the Assistant to the General Manager at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, focusing on facility and financial management, then took over most duties of the Operations Manager when the position was vacant, including managing the Rentals department. Following that, he took the theatre he’d co-founded up to New York and spearheaded its inaugural Development campaign and launch until returning to the Washington, DC region the following year. Upon returning in September 2011, he joined Flying V, a Montgomery County-based nonprofit performing arts company, as the Development and then Managing Director, and returned to Woolly Mammoth Theatre, where he worked his way up in the Box Office, Concessions, and Rental Management departments, taking over supervisory roles in each. Jonathan also served as Woolly Mammoth’s Interim Business Development Manager in 2013. Jonathan has been with the Theatre Consortium as its sole Full Time employee since December 2014, working with the Consortium Members, Montgomery County representatives, and outside rental clients to facilitate the smooth operation and management of the Silver Spring Black Box and Theatre Consortium of Silver Spring. Outside of his role as the Theatre Consortium’s Managing Director, Jonathan served as the Managing Director and then Associate Artistic Director for Flying V from December 2011 until June 2020 when he transitioned to their Advisory Board. In September 2021 Jonathan became the Co-Chair of the Development Department for the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD), the world’s largest stage combat education organization, and has been serving on the SAFD’s Board of Directors as Treasurer since January 2023. Additionally, Jonathan freelances as a Fight & Intimacy Director and is an Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), a national theatrical union.

Contact Info: 

THE THEATRE MANAGER:

Bio: Caitlyn Fitzgerald is a theatre manager with over a decade of professional experience in production and arts administration. She has experience working with large-scale touring venues and smaller theatre companies alike. She began her career as a Stagehand at Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, VA helping to load-in touring productions such as The Lion King and Joshua Bell. This led her to an opportunity to be the Production Assistant with the Virginia Arts Festival where she helped coordinate all production, travel, and catering accommodations for over 50 touring companies over the course of a summer-long festival. Before moving to Maryland, she held a Stage Management Apprenticeship at CATCO in Columbus, OH, working as the Assistant Stage Manager on a range of plays and musicals, including Avenue Q and The 39 Steps. Upon moving to the DMV area, she stage managed for many area companies, such as Pinky Swear Productions, HalfMad Theatre, the Gay Mens Chorus of Washington, D.C., and Flying V, where she was also a company member and became their Associate Producer from 2017-2019. In 2015, Caitlyn furthered her passion of bringing the power of theater to everyone when she became the Production Manager for ArtStream where she managed their six inclusive theatre companies throughout Northern Virginia and Maryland for two years. Caitlyn has also been a Rental Manager for the Silver Spring Black Box since 2016 and is honored to further her role within the Theatre Consortium of Silver Spring. When not at the Black Box, you can find Caitlyn playing with her dog, Abby, or working on some type of craft — she is currently working on crochet, knitting, and woodworking skills! She also freelances as a stage manager and house manager in the area.

Contact Info: 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: 

 

President: Lawrence Thompson (TD Bank)

Vice President: Susan Hoffmann (Montgomery County, Dept. of Recreation – Retired)

Secretary: Warren Sharon (Prince George’s County, Dept. of Parks & Recreation)

Treasurer: Gordon Nimmo-Smith (Shakespeare Theatre Company)

At Large: Shuaa Tajammul (Shuaa Tajammul, Esq.)

At Large: Julie Reiner (Formerly, Theatre Consortium of Silver Spring)

Ex-Officio: Wanda Whiteside (Live Garra Theatre)

Ex-Officio: Sophie Cameron (Lumina Studio Theatre)

Ex-Officio: Meg Lebow (Lumina Studio Theatre)

Ex-Officio: Katherine Offutt (Flying V)

Ex-Officio: Axel Cruz (ArtStream)

Ex-Officio Staff Representative – Managing Director: Jonathan Ezra Rubin