OC Theatre Guild
Nurturing, supporting, and promoting live theatre in Greater Orange County
2026 OC THEATRE GUILD BOARD CANDIDATES
Aaron Adrian
North Orange County
Biography
Since relocating to Orange County from Houston in 2021, I have actively contributed to the Southern California and regional theater community as a performer and supporter. I joined MenAlive: the Orange County Gay Men's Chorus in early 2023, performing regularly with the ensemble while expanding into local musical theater. In spring 2024, I performed in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Rose Center Theater, followed by a performance in No Square Theatre's Pride Concert in August 2025.
My performance experience also extends to New York City, where I completed Singnasium's Cabaret Bootcamp in summer 2025 and debuted an original cabaret performance at Don't Tell Mama. My husband, LeVan Smith, is also involved in the local arts scene, serving as a director on the board of VoicesAlive (the parent organization of MenAlive), a member of the governance committee, and the IT subject matter expert.
Why do you want to serve on the board, and what skills, experience, or perspectives would you bring to the role?
I am particularly interested in serving as a subject matter expert for website development/software engineering. I am eager to serve on the board because I deeply believe in OCTG's mission to unify our local theater community, boost cross-promotion, and help audiences discover new shows and venues across the region. As an active performer, I see firsthand how vital it is for theaters to share resources, reach new patrons, and build a connected, supportive arts scene.
I bring over eight years of experience leading complex projects, managing cross-functional teams, and building practical systems that streamline operations for large organizations. My background equips me to evaluate organizational processes, spot opportunities to improve how we reach audiences, and help implement accessible tools that make cross-promotion effortless for member theaters.
By combining my professional background in project oversight with my commitment to local performing arts, I hope to help OCTG expand its reach and create lasting value for our arts community.
Please describe any previous leadership, governance, volunteer, professional, or theater-related experience that would prepare you to serve on the board.
I have been working as a software architect for over eight years. My career has been focused on leading cross-functional teams, overseeing complex projects, and managing individuals across large-scale organizational initiatives. I also lead and contribute to the implementation of technical plans, including writing code myself. My background centers on taking large, strategic goals and translating them into clear, actionable plans-collaborating with leadership, managing resources, and ensuring smooth execution from start to finish.
Combined with my active involvement in local performing arts organizations, this blend of project management, team oversight, and strategic planning allows me to bring a structured, practical, and growth-minded perspective to board governance.
Do you have any additional information you would like to share with the membership?
Outside of my day job and performing on stage, I've been working on a passion project called Showlada-a user-friendly discovery tool designed to help local theatergoers easily find and buy tickets for community arts productions near them.
I'm sharing this because Showlada grew out of the exact same passion that drives OCTG: a deep love for local theater and a desire to help smaller companies fill their seats. I see Showlada not as a competitor to OCTG, but as a complementary tool that directly supports our shared goal. While OCTG does the vital work of uniting, advocating for, and building community among our local theaters, digital tools can help amplify that work by making show discovery completely effortless for the public.
I am fully committed to ensuring that anything I build works alongside OCTG's initiatives rather than competing with them. My ultimate goal is simply to bring another helpful resource to the table-using my background to help connect wider audiences with the incredible talent on our local stages
Glenn Koppel
Anaheim
Biography
Born and raised in New York City, I attended the Fiorello LaGuardia High School of Music and Art as a voice major. When I returned to New York in 1970 after graduating from Harvard Law School to practice law, I started taking voice and acting lessons, ultimately leaving full-time practice to perform in an Equity touring production of The Great Houdini.
I moved to Orange County in 1982 to accept a position as a law professor at Western State College of Law. Luckily, the theater community began to emerge, expand, and ultimately blossom in the following years, giving me an opportunity to perform in shows in and around OC.
My theater credits include 10 shows at the Chance Theater, beginning in 2003. I ultimately became a Resident Artist there. I also performed in two shows at the Gem Theater in Garden Grove (Herbie in Gypsy and Nick Valenti in Bullets Over Broadway), a show at the Lewis Family Playhouse (as the Priest in Sister Act, directed by Matthew McCray), the Maverick Theater's production of La Cage aux Folles, playing Albin, a Stages Theater production of Twelve Angry Men, two shows at the Long Beach Playhouse, and two shows at the late Virginia De Land's Yorba Linda Civic Light Opera. Other performance venues include Newport Theater Arts Center, No Square Theater in Laguna Beach, Elizabeth Howard's Curtain Call Dinner Theater, Stage Door Repertory Theater, and Westminster Community Playhouse. I also studied voice with UCI's Mahlon Schanzenbach in the 1980s.
Why do you want to serve on the board, and what skills, experience, or perspectives would you bring to the role?
I retired after 42 years of teaching at Western State College of Law in Tustin and am looking for opportunities to engage with the theater community in addition to my role as Resident Artist at the Chance Theater. Being a Board-Elect member seemed like a good fit, given my legal background and performances in theaters in and around Orange County. At Western State, I served as chair of the Admissions Committee, advisor to the school's Law Review, a member of the Faculty Evaluation and Tenure Committee, and a member of the Academic Standards Committee, where I evaluated students' appeals from academic dismissal and interviewed those students. As a member of the American Law Institute, I attend and participate in the Institute's annual meetings in Washington, D.C. As a Chance Resident Artist, I offer my legal expertise, e.g., reviewing the privacy policy on the theater's website.
Please describe any previous leadership, governance, volunteer, professional, or theater-related experience that would prepare you to serve on the board.
As noted above, at Western State College of Law, I served as chair of the Admissions Committee, advisor to the school's Law Review, a member of the Faculty Evaluation and Tenure Committee, and a member of the Academic Standards Committee, where I evaluated students' appeals from academic dismissal and interviewed those students. As a member of the American Law Institute, I attend and participate in the Institute's annual meetings in Washington, D.C. As a Chance Resident Artist, I offer my legal expertise, e.g., reviewing the privacy policy on the theater's website.
Joe Lauderdale
South Orange County
Biography
I began my Orange County theatre career in 1988 at the Laguna Playhouse following graduate school at Arizona State. I began at the Playhouse as education director and, two years later, was named youth theatre director. During my tenure at the Laguna Playhouse, the Youth Theatre was named the Outstanding New Youth Theatre of the Year by the American Alliance for Theatre Education. For AATE, I was chair of the Awards Committee and served on the Administrative Council for four years. I received the Youth Theatre Director of the Year Award from AATE in 2002. While at the Playhouse, I produced/directed more than 60 fully produced productions in a four-play season (including Los Angeles Times reviews) and touring curriculum-based shows all over OC. When I retired from the Playhouse in 2005, the Youth Theatre was considered one of the best in the country, and I had received commendations from local officials and the governor of California. After a break from theatre, I became involved with No Square Theatre in 2019, though I had directed the first Lagunatics in 1992. First, I was a consultant on their new space, then became resident director. In 2022, I was a company member at The Wayward Artist. In 2024, I stepped in as interim artistic director at No Square Theatre for a year, then was officially named the AD. I also directed the Youth Summer Stock shows at Saddleback College in the '90s. I have directed at Newport Theatre Arts Center, The Wayward Artist, El Camino College, and the University of Utah.
Why do you want to serve on the board, and what skills, experience, or perspectives would you bring to the role?
I certainly had my national work and recognition with AATE, but I was so busy doing theatre that I never had time to become more involved locally. The OC theatre community has given so much to me, and now I have the time to return the favor. And returning the favor is something I am passionate about.
Please describe any previous leadership, governance, volunteer, professional, or theater-related experience that would prepare you to serve on the board.
I have stated most of this in my previous response, but to recap: youth theatre director at the Laguna Playhouse for 17 years, resident director at No Square Theatre for three years, and The Wayward Artist company member for two years. As a member of the Administrative Council for AATE, I participated in the governance of the organization for four years. For several years, I was on the board at No Square. As an artistic director, I guide the artistic vision, which includes selecting artistic teams, contracts, hiring live bands, and everything that comes up in the artistic realm. During my time away from theatre, I was the volunteer coordinator for the Laguna Beach Community Clinic. I was the creator and administrator of a theatre program for young people with disabilities and the creator and administrator of a highly successful educational touring program for OC schools. I have created curricula for educational theatre classes, as well as instructed many classes and workshops. I created an all-summer camp at the Laguna Playhouse that culminated in a show for families performed at the Forum Theatre in Laguna Beach for two weeks during the Festival.
Do you have any additional information you would like to share with the membership?
I know many people in the Orange County theatre community, but I know there are so many more I would love to connect with and learn from. I have been doing theatre for a long time, and I know a lot, but I know there is always more to discover. And that comes from sharing time with theatre professionals, both in governing and attending theatre. The Orange County Theatre Guild is the perfect place to do that.
Jim May
San Juan Capistrano
Biography
I have been a board member of Camino Real Playhouse in San Juan Capistrano for 12 years, serving in a number of positions; namely, VP, Chairman, Market Plan Admin, and again lately as Treasurer for the past five years. My involvement has mostly been in strategic planning, investment coordination, and grant writing. As a playwright, I have won the International Short Play Competition a few times and was also the grand winner of the 7 Years Best Plays Competition. I am currently coordinating the financing for the build-out of our new two-stage theater, which is due for its grand opening on Sept. 10.
Prior to retirement, I owned and managed a portfolio of marketing and manufacturing companies headquartered in Pennsylvania. Both business streams were comprised of engineered products and marketing-centric plans, based on my background in industrial engineering and strategic management execution.
In PA, I was a board member of various nonprofits, which has always been my focus.
I have been a resident of Ladera Ranch, CA, for 19 years.
Why do you want to serve on the board, and what skills, experience, or perspectives would you bring to the role?
My bio answers all of these questions. However, if I could select an area where my contribution can make a difference, it would be in finance and strategic planning, especially for nonprofits.
Please describe any previous leadership, governance, volunteer, professional, or theater-related experience that would prepare you to serve on the board.
Again, please see my bio for these questions. I have volunteered my services to nonprofits for 40 years, participating in all board positions at one time or another. Compelling each organization to complete a strategic plan with quantifiable, measurable goals is an essential part of what I would emphasize.
Do you have any additional information you would like to share with the membership?
I am very interested in the furtherance of theater in our communities, including public and private resource identification and motivation. I realize the importance of fundraising and, in particular, grant applications for theaters. These organizations depend on benefactors and grantors for at least 25% of their income, and it behooves us to develop a smoother outreach process to make it easier to connect with financial resources, no matter how large or small the organization is.
Michelle de la Peña
Brea
Biography
Michelle de la Peña is a theatre artist, director, educator, and arts leader with nearly 15 years of experience in performance, production, and arts education. A graduate of Kent State University with a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre and a minor in Marketing, she has worked with organizations including Disneyland, the Aquarium of the Pacific, Universal Studios, and productions of Disney's Encanto and Coco at the Hollywood Bowl.
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Her career has included directing, performing, stage management, puppetry, coaching, and leadership roles, providing a broad perspective on the many disciplines that contribute to successful theatrical productions. Michelle is passionate about supporting artists, fostering collaboration, and creating opportunities for creative growth within the theatre community.
With experience in both large-scale entertainment and community-based theatre, Michelle understands the importance of building strong connections between artists, organizations, educators, and audiences. As a candidate for the Orange County Theatre Guild Board, she looks forward to supporting the Guild's mission and helping strengthen and celebrate the vibrant theatre community throughout Orange County.
Why do you want to serve on the board, and what skills, experience, or perspectives would you bring to the role?
I would like to serve on the Orange County Theatre Guild Board because I believe strong theatre communities are built through connection and collaboration. Throughout my career, I have benefited from the generosity of others, and I would welcome the chance to give back to the community that has given me so much.
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My experience spans performance, directing, arts education, stage management, puppetry, and organizational leadership, allowing me to understand theatre from multiple perspectives. I have worked in professional, educational, and community-based settings, and I recognize the unique challenges and opportunities faced by artists, volunteers, educators, and theatre organizations of all sizes.
In addition to my artistic background, I bring experience in leadership, marketing, community engagement, and program development. I enjoy building relationships, connecting people with resources, and finding practical solutions that support both creative and organizational goals. I am a collaborative, dependable team member who values listening, thoughtful communication, and creating welcoming environments where people feel supported and empowered to contribute.
As a board member, I would be excited to help strengthen connections across the Orange County theatre community, support educational and professional development opportunities, and contribute to the Guild's continued growth and impact.
Please describe any previous leadership, governance, volunteer, professional, or theater-related experience that would prepare you to serve on the board.
Yes. I have experience in performance, directing, stage management, and arts education across both professional and community theatre. This has given me a strong understanding of how theatre organizations function creatively and operationally, and how to support collaborative teams effectively.
Do you have any additional information you would like to share with the membership?
In addition to my professional work in theatre and arts education, I care deeply about building a supportive and creative community. A lot of my career has been about more than performing; it's been about helping teams communicate, solving problems behind the scenes, and creating environments where artists can actually do their best work.
I've worked across large-scale entertainment, education, and community theatre settings, and I really value how each of those spaces feeds into a healthy arts ecosystem. I'm especially passionate about arts education and creating pathways for emerging artists to get real experience, build confidence, and feel like they belong in this field.
I'm excited about the opportunity to serve on the Orange County Theatre Guild Board because it keeps me connected to the local theatre community in a meaningful way and gives me a chance to support the people and organizations that keep it growing.
Deborah Ostreicher
Costa Mesa/Irvine
Biography
I am happy to share my full resume. I have spent a lifetime on the stage and many years serving on public and nonprofit boards, including local theatre boards.
Why do you want to serve on the board, and what skills, experience, or perspectives would you bring to the role?
I want to serve on the OC Theatre Guild Board because I believe strongly in the power of live theater to connect people, strengthen communities, and tell stories that help us see the world differently. Having been involved in theater since childhood, I have experienced firsthand the creativity, collaboration, discipline, and passion that go into bringing a production to life. I would like to give back to the theater community that has meant so much to me.
I am particularly drawn to the Guild's role in bringing Orange County's theater organizations and artists together. I would bring a combination of theater experience, executive leadership, nonprofit governance, communications, strategic planning, facilitation, and community engagement. My career has included senior leadership roles in government and aviation, extensive board and volunteer service, and more than 25 years helping organizations and leaders communicate, collaborate, and navigate complex challenges.
Please describe any previous leadership, governance, volunteer, professional, or theater-related experience that would prepare you to serve on the board.
My background brings together theater, executive leadership, nonprofit governance, communications, and community service. I have performed publicly since age five, studying music and dance and performing in musical theater and comedy. I was also recognized as Best Actress in Arizona. Theater has been a lifelong passion, giving me a deep appreciation for the creativity, collaboration, and dedication required both onstage and behind the scenes.
Professionally, I have more than 25 years of leadership and communications experience in aviation, tourism, government, business, and nonprofit organizations, including serving as an airport vice president, a mayor’s chief of staff, a special advisor to a city manager, and a communications director.
I have served on numerous boards and advisory organizations, including Tempe, Arizona Little Theatre, iTheatre Collaborative, Tempe Chamber of Commerce, and New Pathways for Youth, where I served for eight years on the executive board. I have also volunteered with New Pathways for Youth since 1995 and served as a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Through my company, Distinguished Communications, I help organizations and leaders strengthen communication, collaboration, strategic planning, and leadership. I would bring that experience, along with my theater background and genuine enthusiasm for the performing arts, to help strengthen and connect Orange County’s theater community.
Do you have any additional information you would like to share with the membership?
What particularly attracts me to the OC Theatre Guild is its emphasis on strengthening the theater community as a whole. Its continuing focus on advocacy, access, education, and connecting artists and organizations reflects an understanding that a healthy theater community depends on collaboration.
I would hope to contribute to that effort in several ways, including strategic planning and communications. I can bring the perspective of someone who understands both the creative world and the business and organizational side of nonprofit and community leadership.
Most importantly, I would bring genuine enthusiasm for live theater and a belief in its importance.
John Rosenbaum
Coto de Caza/ South Orange County
Biography
For the past 15+ years, I have participated as an actor in numerous community theater productions. Long before that, I was in high school productions and started college as a theater major. I have also tried to be philanthropic with this community, having donated funds to a number of community theaters over those same 15 years. During that time, and especially during COVID, OC community theaters struggled, and while it was within my ability, I would help financially where I could. As a trial attorney, I have always felt that what I do in front of a jury helps me to portray whatever character I am cast as, and as an actor, I feel as though my acting has helped me with the confidence I need in my profession in front of a jury.
Why do you want to serve on the board, and what skills, experience, or perspectives would you bring to the role?
Organization, passion, and a legal perspective are all skills or character traits I possess and would bring to my role on the Board. Further, playing sports for many, many years taught me how to focus on team goals as opposed to individual goals or accolades. I have recently had some health challenges and am just starting to insert myself back into the acting theater community, where I can position myself to continue to give back some of the love and treasured memories theater has given me.
Please describe any previous leadership, governance, volunteer, professional, or theater-related experience that would prepare you to serve on the board.
I own my own law practice and have for the past 47 years. First, I was a Wish Granter for Make-A-Wish Orange County for 10 years and then was voted onto the Board of Directors, where I served for 2 years until my spouse developed breast cancer during COVID. Then I ceased much of my involvement with MAW to help care for my wife (who, by the way, is 5+ years cancer-free... YAY!!!!!). I have coached Little League baseball, softball, and AYSO soccer, and when my kids were young, I also acted as an assistant scoutmaster for my son's Cub Scout troop. Finally, many years ago, I was president of my HOA when I lived in a condo in Santa Ana. I feel that my vast experience in leadership positions has positioned me well to serve on the Orange County Theater Guild Board.
Do you have any additional information you would like to share with the membership?
To borrow from John F. Kennedy’s inauguration speech, “Ask not what your local Theater Guild can do for you; ask what you can do for your Theater Guild.”
Sheila Silver
Central Orange County
Biography
As a high school theater director, playwright, solo performer, appreciative audience member, winner of numerous CETA awards, mentor teacher to 16 future theater teachers, alumna of the CSUF theater department (BA and MA), former director of education for SCR, educational advisor to CTG, TCG, and The Actors Gang, I have lived, loved, and breathed theater in OC/LA and NY for over 50 years. My proudest contributions were being an original board member for Theatre and the Disabled since its inception with Access Theater in Santa Barbara/UCLA and being a board member of the OCDE Very Special Arts Festival. I was opening doors and advocating for inclusivity years before they became part of our lives. Yes, I was so tired when I retired! But now, my energy is restored, my passions have returned, and I have a deep desire to contribute to the theater community that supported and encouraged my life's purpose for decades. To quote my favorite playwright, “I believe that theatre is the most immediate way in which one human being can connect with another human being about the essence of being human.” - Oscar Wilde. It would be my honor to actively return to “my people” as part of the OCTG board and share my experience, knowledge, and passion during these times when art is needed more than ever to restore beauty and connection to this broken world.
Why do you want to serve on the board, and what skills, experience, or perspectives would you bring to the role?
Over my decades of being part of numerous theater communities, I have created the essence of ensemble with thousands of students, beginning theater teachers, playwrights, and theater techs (we love our techies!), and educated communities on the importance of being active and respectful audiences. This past season, I had the honor of being a judge for The Hollywood Fringe Festival. I relearned that my love and passion with and for our theater community was as alive and vibrant as it ever was (since my first days on stage at Loara Elementary School). In the early 2000s, I worked with director Michael Apted on an independent nonprofit film for Planned Parenthood. We had deep discussions about his decades-long documentary project “Seven Up,” where he followed students for nearly five decades and concluded that children know who they are at the earliest ages of development. Michael concluded that those who hold fast to following and developing their passions are indeed the most fulfilled in living purposeful, meaningful, and satisfying lives. To my amazement, I am the happiest and most creative I have ever been in my life. The wisdom and gratitude I have to offer through my years of experience are grounded in supporting and guiding all of our creative practitioners. I am still here, and my work is not done. I am excited to be applying for this opportunity to serve on the board of the OCTG.
Please describe any previous leadership, governance, volunteer, professional, or theater-related experience that would prepare you to serve on the board.
Hopefully, what I have shared in the previous two answers provides insight into my leadership and, more importantly, the collaborative theatre professional I have proven myself to be over the years. I am a builder of ensembles, an encourager of the individual artist, and an avid supporter who fully understands and respects the time, energy, commitment, and inspiration that goes into and comes out of every company that dedicates itself to bringing artists together to create theatre.
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Do you have any additional information you would like to share with the membership?
You want references? I got 'em! You want leadership? Here I am. You want advocacy for the arts? I've lobbied in Sacramento and D.C. numerous times. You want a collaborator, an effective listener, a hard and courageous ally, a believer in open access and high standards, and a trailblazer? Here I am. Most of all, you want someone who knows that, in the words of my theatre mentor, Dr. Sallie Mitchell of the CSUF Department of Theatre, “We are never done.” Here I am. Thank you for your consideration of my application.