Manager and Board of Directors

MANAGER & BOARD
OF DIRECTORS


MANAGER George Barcos	George is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and received his BA degree in Theatre Arts from San Jose State University. He has been employed in every aspect of technical theater from stage technician to technical director, designer and even occasional actor. The Playhouse and George go back to 1973 when the theater was operating as College of Marin's, Theatre III. George accepted the position of General Manager of The Playhouse in 2000. George is committed to seeing that The Playhouse remains available for many more generations of performers and audiences. George is a resident of San Rafael with his wife Kathryn, who he met at the Playhouse.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS


PRESIDENT Matthew Wertheim	Matthew, a San Anselmo resident, is married to Lisa. He has two children, one who has been in over 12 Marilyn Izdebski productions at the Playhouse. After countless hours in the audience, Matt recently performed in the Marilyn Izdebski adult production of Guys and Dolls. As an actor he obtained an appreciation and awareness of the internal renovation needs for the dressing rooms, bathrooms, sound proofing, lighting, etc. Matt is an Attorney who was instrumental in negotiating our favorable long-term lease with SFTS. Matt has been practicing law in San Francisco for 20 years focusing on business, real estate, and other civil transactions and litigation.

Mary Jane Baird	Mary Jane Baird, a ham at heart, first succumbed to the magical spell of the Playhouse over twenty years ago when she played Mabel in the RVCS (Yes) Adult Production of The Pajama Game. Her two sons, now UC Berkeley graduates, were just beginning their educational journey through the Ross Valley School District. Always an advocate for art and music in the schools, she became the Playhouse treasurer in 1992. Since woman cannot live by the arts alone, she maintains a day job as assistant to the president at Dominican University of California. Mary Jane lives in San Anselmo.

Steve Plath	Since 1993 Steve has spent countless hours in the Playhouse as a member of the audience, a set designer and builder, a special effects technician, the contractor remodeling the lobby and women’s bathroom, an actor and, for the last seven years, a board member. Steve is committed to the Playhouse as an important community asset and a significant contributory building to the lovely and historical San Francisco Theological Seminary. He lives in San Anselmo with Suzan, his bride of thirty-some years; two freeloading sons and an assortment of little British cars.

Tori Housh	Tori Housh, Board Vice President, is one of the founding members of the Playhouse In San Anselmo. She joined the Playhouse during its tenure as a committee under the umbrella of the Ross Valley Community for Schools Foundation (currently known as YES) and was part of the team that put together the Not For Profit Corporation so that the Playhouse could stand on its own. Tori is known in the community for her volunteer roles in the student theater program, YES THEATER, and as the producer of YES BENEFIT THEATER, which produced plays from 1982 to 2002. She currently resides in San Anselmo with her husband and two daughters, and has retired from all volunteer life except for the Playhouse.

Virginia Stapleton	Virginia has been a Playhouse Board member for many years, long before it became its own entity in fact. Virginia lives in Larkspur and is the founder of Stapleton School of the Performing Arts. This Ballet school has the unique mission of providing professional dance training and performance opportunities, while incorporating a compassion for students as whole individuals.

Martha J. Edelson	Martha has practiced as a speech-language pathologist for the past 24 years. She received a B.S. degree in Speech and Hearing Science and a M.S. degree in Speech Pathology from the University of Illinois (1974) and Bradley University (1976), respectively. She joined the Playhouse Board in 2000 and is active in chairing our fund raising campaigns.

Marilyn Izdebski	Marilyn is a founding member of the Playhouse, and has always had an active role in the theater's contribution to the community. She is the owner of Marilyn Izdebski's Young People's Productions and has brought her students into our performing space for over 20 years. Marilyn is currently the Playhouse Secretary.

John Polachek	After watching his two daughters Emma and Annie perform in countless Marilyn Izdebski shows, he joined the club and has performed in the last two of Marilyn's adult productions (and is working on convincing his wife Janet to do the next one). Spending that much time in The Playhouse has motivated John, with 20 years of experience in Advertising/Design and Marketing, to join the board and help with presenting The Playhouse as not only a great venue for watching live performances, but also as a worthy investment in this wonderful community we share.

Kathy Hartzell	Kathy Hartzell, a newcomer to the Board, is also a member of the Larkspur City Council. She lives with her husband in Larkspur and they have two children who spent many years under the spell of the theatre and Marilyn Izdebski. Marilyn also cast a spell over Kathy, leading her to costume many of the young peoples shows, guide a follow spot and scour thrift shops for props. She joined the Board to work on community outreach and general fundraising. Kathy’s husband and son are so proud of the seats they personally refurbished and installed in the theatre that they sponsored one for every member of the family in the first campaign!