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Board of Directors

Marilyn Strauss
Founder

Marilyn Strauss was a former Broadway producer who co-produced five plays, earning a Tony award for the Irish drama Da, an Off-Broadway award (Obie) for Getting Out, and a Tony nomination for the musical Pump Boys and Dinettes.

While residing in NYC for ten years, she traveled through Europe and Asia, lecturing on American plays and theater producing. Ms. Strauss returned to Kansas City at the urging of a fellow producer, the legendary Joseph Papp, founder of the New York Shakespeare Festival. He gave her the mission to have her home town join the ranks of the 120 cities with Shakespeare festivals in North America. Ms. Strauss first started a support club, and refusing recompense, worked full time to create the only Shakespeare Festival in a three state area. Ms. Strauss passed away September 15, 2018. We will miss her light, but we will continue to build upon her vision and her dream.

Beverly Elving
Co-President

Chris Gramling
Co-President

Scott Ashcraft, M.D.
Vice-President

Allan S. Gray II
Vice-President of Community Engagement

Gabe Egli
Secretary

Lisa Wendelburg
Vice-President of Education

Michael Cline
Treasurer

Bill Ye
Immediate Past President

TJ Lynn
Past President

Patricia Davison
Past President

Dan Bukovac
Past President

R. Crosby Kemper
Past President

Linda Word
Past President

Shirley Bush Helzberg
Past President

Directors

Michael Abrams
Bernadette Ashcraft
Chris Bannister
Barb Bloch
Jessica Chanos
Deanna Diebolt

Paul Gutierrez
Karen Holland
Tom Mentzer
Jonathan Staton

Advisory Board

Don Dagenais, Past President
Mary Earls
Carol Kane
John Kornitzer
Lauren Muriel-Marion LaPointe
Sherrill Mulhern

Susan Porter, M.D.
Kelly Privitera
Joe Privitera
Anita Porte Robb
Anna Marie Tutera
Paul Uhlmann III
Blake Wendelburg, M.D.