Festival Staff
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Charles Fee
Producing Artistic Director; Director of The Two Gentlemen of Verona
2012 marks Charlie's third season as Producing Artistic Director of Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. This season he directs Willaim Shakespeare's "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" following last season's acclaimed "Twelfth Night". Charlie holds a unique position in the American theater as Producing Artistic Director of three, independently operated, professional theater companies - including The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Shakespeare Festival in Boise, Idaho (since 1991), and Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland, Ohio (since 2002). His leadership has created a dynamic and groundbreaking producing model for the American theater in which plays are shared between the three companies, extending the artistic lives of productions, increasing opportunities for artists to work in multiple venues over longer periods of employment, and resulting in lower production costs for each of the companies. In addition to his work with the festivals in Nevada, Idaho, and Ohio, Charlie is active within his hometown community, having served on the board of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce, as a member of the Boise Downtown Rotary Club and as a special lecturer at Boise State University. He received his BA from the University of the Pacific, and Master of Fine Arts from the University of California, San Diego. Charlie shares his peripatetic life with an incredibly supportive family; his wife Lidia and 16 year old daughter, Alexa.
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Bob Taylor
Executive Director
Bob Taylor brings countless experience on both the financial side of running a Festival as well as with fundraising and strategic planning. He has been working with the Great Lakes Theater Festival since 2000, when he joined as Development Manager. He was appointed Director of Administration the following season and Executive Director in 2003. Prior to joining Great Lakes Theater Festival, Taylor worked as Business Manager for Karamu House and other for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. He holds an MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management and an undergraduate degree from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. "I am thrilled to join the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival team as Executive Director," said Taylor. "I look forward to building a relationship with the community and continuing to establish and grow the synergies of the partnership our Producing Artistic Director Charlie Fee has spearheaded between Lake Tahoe, the Idaho Shakespeare Festival and the Great Lakes Theater Festival. Charlie and I have been working together for nine years in Cleveland and I've seen firsthand the success of his innovative approach."
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Joe Atack
Director of Education
Joe is very proud to be the first Educational Director of the festival. He trained as an actor at the Arden School of Theatre, University of Manchester in the UK. Upon graduating from theatre school Joe performed many roles in regional theatre and on film in the UK before moving tothe U.S. in 2007. He has taught workshops on acting, improvisation and Shakespeare in the UK and Switzerland . He helped to create the InterACTprogram for Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival in 2007 and has worked as an Educational instructor, director of educational productions and as an actor for the mainstage.
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Billie Danforth
Director of Operations
Billie joined the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival in the spring of 2002. A graduate of Daemen College near Buffalo, N.Y. in Transportation & Travel Management, Billie has worked in the hospitality industry ranging from the ski and hotel industry to restaurant management and wholesale travel. As Director of Operations for the Festival, she is directly involved in all of the day to day details that bring the Festival to life from the ground up each season. Since moving to Lake Tahoe in 1998, Billie has lived on the North Shore and enjoys all the beauty that the area has to offer, including hiking, boating, skiing and spending quality time with her family and friends.
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Ali Beltramo
Volunteer Coordinator
Ali grew up attending the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival every summer, and finally joined the team in 2008. Inspired by the Festival, she pursued a career in the performing arts and education. After graduating from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, she went on to get her Masters in Theater Production at Humboldt State University. As part of her duties, she has had the pleasure of working with over 200 fabulous volunteers, whom she is lucky enough to count among her festival family. She has taught drama at Sierra College in Truckee and is excited to be a part of the Young Shakespeare Program this year.
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Gary LokenDahle
Senior Accountant
A graduate from the University of Iowa with a degree in Financial Economics, Gary relocated to the Lake Tahoe area from Eugene, Oregon, where he worked as the Controller and Accountant for a variety of small businesses ranging from helicopter operations, to manufacturing and construction. He was also active in the Eugene community as the Treasurer for the Eugene Celebration Parade. Gary has a rather diverse background; he was a swimmer and a diver as well as physical education teacher and coach and participated in shaping the careers of swimmers, divers, water polo players and trampolinists. He also rides a unicycle -a byproduct of his time in Circus School.
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Lee Koch
Marketing Consultant
For over 30 years, Lee Weber-Koch has created award-winning branding, marketing, communication, public relations and advertising programs for government agencies, tour and travel companies, real estate companies, financial institutions, health and wellness products, non-profit events and more. She was awarded 'Marketer of the Year from the Nevada Chapter of the American Marketing Association and holds a 'Silver Dollar Award of Excellence' from the International Association of Business Communicators. In her free time, she thoroughly enjoys volunteering for a variety of non-profit organizations throughout the region. Today, Lee is the Founder/President of Weber & Associates which offers a wide range of marketing, communications, public relations, advertising services and consultation to clients throughout the west. As an avid outdoor enthusiast, Lee loves to snow and water ski, wakeboard, play golf, tend to her natural garden, and is a self-proclaimed 'gourmet chef.' Lee lives in Incline Village, Nevada, with her husband Marty, and Labrador Retrievers 'High Sierra Hip Shot' and ‘Diamond P's Just B. Cuz'. Throughout the year they also venture to their cabin on Flathead Lake in Montana where kayaking and long hikes in the mountains are always at the top of their "to do" list.
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