Stoneham Theatre Staff
Weylin Symes, Producing Artistic Director
Weylin assisted in the renovation of the Stoneham Theatre building and has been with the Theatre since its inception, starting as Associate Artistic Director in 2000 and becoming Artistic Director in 2001. Following on the heels of 2005's World Premiere adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, he penned last season's original adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. As head of the Emerging Stages program at Stoneham Theatre, he directed the World Premieres of The Girl in the Frame by Jeremy Desmon, Israel Horowitz's adaptation of Edoardo Erba's Marathon and Illicit Conversations, an evening of his own one-act plays. In addition, he directed the critically acclaimed A Prayer for Owen Meany, Richard Greenberg's The Dazzle and The Violet Hour for Stoneham Theatre. Prior to coming to Stoneham Theatre, he directed several productions in the Boston area, including Henrik Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman and We Bombed in New Haven by Joseph Heller, and spent a year training law enforcement personnel through role-playing exercises in Albuquerque, NM. Weylin graduated from New York University and studied at the Experimental Theatre Wing of the Tisch School of the Arts.
Matt Chapuran, Managing Director
Matt is in his third season with Stoneham Theatre. Previously, he was the managing director for The Nora Theatre Company, and worked extensively in the affordable housing sector. An improvisational actor and director, Matt's first full-length script, The Worster Seed, will be produced by ImprovBoston as this year's Gorefest musical. His short plays have appeared in the Boston Theatre Marathon and as part of Mill6 Theatre Cooperative's The T Plays. He teaches improvisation as part of the Babson College MBA creativity module and regularly contributes articles on everything from plumbing maintenance systems to hosting successful yard sales to a variety of print and on-line publications.
Artistic/Education
Caitlin Lowans, Artistic Associate & Director of Education
Caitlin is the Artistic has directed seven shows for Stoneham Theatre's Mainstage, sixteen for the young company, and Thrill Me [IRNE nomination, best musical, best director] for the Emerging Stages series; most recently My Fair Lady and The Dinosaur Musical on the Mainstage. Other Boston area work includes directing for Fort Point Theatre Channel and StageCoach productions, assistant directing with the Actors Shakespeare Project, the Publick Theatre and New Rep and serving as a dramaturge for the Orfeo Group’s production of Island of Slaves. Caitlin holds an EdM in Arts in Education from Harvard University.
Laura Shofner, Office Administrator & Education Assistant
Production
Dave Brown, Production Manager
In the past, Dave has worked at Capital Center for the Arts in Concord, NH and at Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell, MA as Production Manager. Before that, he was a Lighting Designer that worked in the Boston area for 10 years. Dave is married to Harriet Sheets, the General Manager of New Rep Theatre in Watertown, MA.
Marketing and Development
Lynne Krasker Schultz, Director of Community Development
Lynne comes to Stoneham Theatre after six years in development, marketing and programming at the New Center for Arts and Culture in downtown Boston. Lynne first became interested in working with non-profit organizations after working with an event planning firm that specialized in non-profit gala’s and fundraisers. Leaving the non-profit world for a few years, Lynne joined the team at Wellbridge Athletic Club as Assistant Manager to gain extensive, first-hand knowledge in business and customer service. As a long-time resident of Wakefield, Lynne remembers when Stoneham Theatre sat vacant and appreciates the amazing artistic value that the Theatre brings to the community. Lynne holds two bachelor’s degrees in political science and public relations from Boston University.
Carol Dempsey, Director of Audience Development
Kelly Gaudet, Special Events Coordinator/Development Associate
Carla Donaghey, Graphic Designer