Tom Delise (Artistic Director) is the founder  of The Shakespeare Factory and  the director of Century High School’s Rude Mechanicals Shakespeare acting troupe. He has directed Rude Mechanicals productions of As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet and numerous versions of The Shakespeare Follies.  For the Shakespeare Factory Players he has directed productions of Twelfth Night and The Taming of the Shrew and served as dramaturge for Much Ado About Nothing, Love’s Labor’s Lost and Romeo and Juliet.  He is the author of That Is the Question: The Ultimate Shakespeare Quiz Book.

Jessica Behar (The Shakespeare Factory Players Company Manager)
jessica@theshakespearefactory.com
Jessica is a graduate of McDaniel College with a BA in Theatre Arts focused in acting and interactive theater. During her academic study she presented at two international conferences alongside her mentor and professor, DC actor and vocal coach, Elizabeth van den Berg. Jessica has several academic credits including Waiting for Godot, The Tempest, Quake, and Criminals in Love. She was nominated three times for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Irene Ryan Competition. She is also the recipient of the 2007 Esther Smith Award. Ms. Behar has also performed regionally with Theater on the Hill, The New Play House, and Carroll Arts Center. In addition to working as a professional actor in the region, she continues her studies in interactive theater and ensemble building as an active company member of The Maryland Playback Ensemble. She is an interactive theater consultant for The Safe Schools Project, with which, she conducts her own playback theater troupe of college actors. She co-teaches Group Processes in Interactive Theater with Dr. Joel Plotkin at McDaniel College. Jessica joined The Shakespeare Factory Players in 2008 playing the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet.

Thomas B. Rinaldi (Artistic Associate)
Mr. Rinaldi carries a BS in Theater Arts from TSU and is resident Production Manager for Pumpkin Theatre. He has been active in the Greater Baltimore Community Theater Scene since 1973. His acting credits include Man of La Mancha, Hair, West Side Story, Evita, and Chess for the Maryland Arts Festival; O Pioneers!, The Cherry Orchard, Happy End, The Irish Play, and Winters Tale for Center Stage; Hamlet, As You Like It, Othello, and The Merry Wives of Windsor for Baltimore Shakespeare Festival; Jack and the Beanstalk, Puss-N-Boots, Pinocchio, The Hobbit, Oliver, and Marry Poppins for Pumpkin Theatre; and Much Ado About Nothing for The Shakespeare Factory. He also directed Love’ Labour’s Lost and Romeo and Juliet for The Shakespeare Factory. Me Rinaldi has been a member of The Shakespeare Factory advisory board since its inception.

Barbara Kreinar (Publicity Director)
Barbara was honored to be invited to join the Board this year as Publicity Director. She has been the Publicity chair for Century High School’s Drama Boosters for 3 years and is excited to be able to assist TSF! As a proud Drama Mama, Barbara has 3 children active in The Shakespeare Factory – one in the Rude Mechanicals and two in Touchstone Players. All are very happy to get their names, pictures and friend’s pictures in the paper!

Heidi Schroeder (Assistant to the Board)
Heidi’s acting career ended after her performance as Child #6 in the Relay Elementary School production of The Factory Children, but a high school English teacher sparked Heidi’s love of Shakespeare. That teacher was Shakespeare Factory Artistic Director Tom Delise. Heidi is honored to have the opportunity to work with Delise and the Shakespeare Factory board. After graduating from the University of Maryland in College Park, Heidi returned to her home in Sykesville and began covering the area for a community newspaper. Through her years as a resident and reporter in the region, Heidi has formed relationships with the area’s community leaders, many of whom recognize the immense value of having a cultural program like the Shakespeare Factory in the community. She supports the board by sharing the Shakespeare Factory’s plans and accomplishments with the community and by connecting the Shakespeare Factory to community resources. In fact, her involvement with the Board began after Heidi contacted Delise to see if the Shakespeare Factory troupes could perform at a monthly market in Sykesville, which they did, to much community acclaim. Heidi is grateful that the community has supported the Factory and looks forward to helping increase that support through a variety of fund raising efforts planned in the future.

Shirley Cammack (Advisory Board)
Shirley was first fascinated by Shakespeare at her school in England, which performed a complete play every year. Worked for the British Foreign Office, which took her to Frankfurt and Berlin, and then to New York, where she worked for the United Nations in New York. She also spent two years in Jerusalem. Lived in Virginia for ten years, where her son now runs the family apple orchards in the Shenandoah Valley. Moved to Baltimore in 1974. Worked at Kernan Hospital as Director of Amputee Services and Patient Representative. Married to the Rev. David Cammack, an Episcopal Minister, for 34 years. Still fascinated by him and by Shakespeare.

Ann Gibbens Davis (Artistic Associate)
Ann has a B.M. and M.M. degree in music from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. A teacher, adjudicator and professional pianist, Ann has been coaching, directing and writing some of the music for the The Rude Mechanicals for the past three years. Ann says that working with young people in the Shakespeare plays is very rewarding and stimulating.