Staff
Darby Lunceford, Executive Director, is an accomplished arts professional and administrator with a career spanning over 25 years in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Working in various disciplines including theatre, opera, dance and orchestral, Lunceford started his career in the arts in New York City working on a multitude of marketing and advertising campaigns for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. He has worked with numerous arts organizations all over North America in a variety of roles from marketing services to consulting. Locally, he was most recently the Executive Director at The Phipps Center for the Arts, and prior to that role served as Chief Marketing Officer at MN Opera and Director of Marketing and Communications at Children’s Theater Company. He received his BFA in Theater Studies with a minor in Communications from The Theatre School at DePaul University.
Justin Hooper, Production Director, cherishes all things dramatic. He began his professional career as a Stage Manager for Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, NY. He survived two seasons but ultimately succumbed to home-sickness and returned to his home in Minneapolis, MN to accept a job as a Scenic Artist for The Guthrie Theater. A decade and a half later, he is proud to join the Lakeshore team. As a freelancer, he identifies, first and foremost, as a scenic designer but his wide range of experience also includes lighting, sound, props, performing, directing, and producing.
Megan Pence, Managing Director: As a director/actor/arts administrator, Megan has worked around the Midwest as the Director of Administration for the Commonweal Theatre (where she currently serves on the Board of Directors) and the Associate Director of Prairie Fire Theatre. She is the incoming Artistic Director of Girl Friday Productions. Locally, Megan has also worked for Park Square, Stages, and CLIMB. Megan earned her MFA in Directing at Florida State University, at which she still works as a freelance teaching assistant. At Lakeshore Players, Megan has flexed her creative muscles playing Heidi in What the Constitution Means to Me. She also directed Calendar Girls and is the director of Misery for the 2024-2025 Season.
Kivan Kirk, Artistic Programs Manager, is a Georgia Peach raised in the Midwest. Kivan is a graduate of Iowa State University, who upon earning their degree in Acting/Directing moved to New Hope and founded 21/40 Productions with their best friends - a company dedicated to new work in intimate spaces. Simultaneously, Kivan has been operating as a Teaching Artist/Director/Production Manager in and around the Twin Cities, organizing quality theatre experiences for thousands of passionate students.
Quinn Masterson, Programs Coordinator, is a freelance actor and director in the Twin Cities and has collaborated on stage and off with companies such as Artistry, The Guthrie Theater, Lyric Arts, Theatre 301, Commonweal Theatre, Ashland Productions, Hennepin's Spotlight Program, Eagan Summer Theatre as well as the Old Globe in San Diego. Quinn also collaborates with the theatre students at Park and Woodbury High Schools. He received his BA in Theatre Performance and Stage Management at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Proudly hailing from Whitewater, WI, Quinn finds immense joy in working at Lakeshore, where the enchanting proximity to the lake adds an extra layer of inspiration to his life and work.
Sara Brabec, Patron Services Coordinator: A jack-of-all-trades, a theatre enthusiast, and a volunteer extraordinaire, Sara is excited to be working at Lakeshore Players Theatre and creating a welcoming experience for all to enjoy. Sara has a background in Early and Elementary Education, but is most often found around the stage playing the roles of backstage volunteer, president of her community theatre’s board, and even on the stage herself (most recently seen as Mrs. Potts in Masquers Theatre’s production of Beauty and the Beast). When she isn’t around the stage, you can find Sara on an adventure with her incredible husband, their three spectacular children, and the best puppies in the world.
Board of Directors
PEGGY WITTHAUS, PRESIDENT (Grant) Marketing/Key Customer Engagement, Genentech, Inc.
TERRI DRESEN, VICE PRESIDENT (White Bear Lake) Director of Communications, Met Council
PRIYA JAIN, TREASURER (North Oaks) Company Director of Creative Kids Academy
DENNIS CONROY, SECRETARY (Hugo) Retired Licensed Psychologist
J.P. BARONE, GOVERNANCE (White Bear Lake) Retired MN Assistant Attorney General, Actor
GARY F. ANDERSON (Hugo) Retired Pastor, Incarnation Lutheran Church, Shoreview
DR. BETSY BUEHRER (Mahtomedi) Retired Director of Corporate Occupational Medicine, 3M
DENNIS CONROY (Hugo) Retired Licensed Psychologist
JOHN HARRINGTON (Oakdale) Financial Institutions Analyst, Minnesota Department of Commerce
FRANK MABLEY (Minneapolis) Attorney specializing in family law, state planning and civil litigation
TARA RUSSELL (Minneapolis) Human Resource Director, Daikin Applied America
DOUGLAS SCHULTZE (White Bear Lake) President of the White Bear Lake Office, Premier Bank