Sycamore Rouge - Old Town Petersburg

The quality of any establishment is a reflection of its leaders.!


		
		L E A D E R S H I P  &  D I R E C T I O N

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR: BETH VON KELSCH

Elizabeth Von Kelsch returned to Virginia from Chicago to work for Sycamore Rouge. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, she has worked professionally in Richmond, VA, Chicago, IL, Fitchburg, MA, Washington, D.C. and London, England, and is a recipient of the prestigious Folger Shakespeare Library Award for Excellence in Scholarship. Von Kelsch spent a weekend this past winter at Radford University teaching a class called “Un-theatre” in which she made high school students at the Virginia Thespians Conference realize they have the power to play an active role in fixing their own problems—their voices are important regardless of their age and background. Von Kelsch also judges student theatre festivals where she critiques the students’ work and encourages the kids to move forward in their pursuit of the performing arts. This summer, she also led a Sycamore Rouge Theatre Camp at the Weinstein Jewish Community Center in Richmond for children between the ages of 4 and 14.

LITERARY MANAGER/DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION: KB SAINE

KB Saine is an educator, director, and theatre historian. Her professional work includes Yellow House Productions, The Richmond Triangle Players, Theatre IV/Theatre Gym, The Barksdale Theatre, the Firehouse Theatre Project, TheatreVirginia, Dogwood Dell, and SPARC in Richmond, and at the Dallas Theatre Center in Dallas, Texas. Her historical and literary work has been published in Southern Theatre and Theatre Symposium. She also serves as a board member for the Southside Virginia Council for the Arts. She holds an MFA in Theatre Education, and has taught at both K-12 and university levels. She was formerly head of theatre programs for Wesleyan College (Macon, GA) and George Wythe High School (Richmond, VA), and has been certified with the Commonwealth. Saine is an expert at weaving Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL’s) into theatre curricula.

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: DAVE LESKE

Originally from Long Island, NY, Dave currently resides in Richmond and has been working in Professional Theater for over 20 years. While he holds a degree in Archaeology from Cornell University, Dave has been trained in and has worked in virtually every part of Technical Theater, from lighting and electrics to scene painting to carpentry and even costumes . His company Trillium Services served as consultants to the Paramount chain of Theme Parks, installing and ‘working the bugs out’ of dozens of theme park shows and traveling exhibits in the U.S. and Canada. Dave has worked with many performing arts organizations in the region including TheatreVirginia, the Richmond Ballet, and Heritage Reparatory Theater. Dave enjoys working in Sycamore Rouge’s theater – “It keeps me on my toes, challenging me to come up with unique solutions that are safe and don’t break the bank.” In his spare time Dave enjoys kayaking, camping, and operating antique sawmills.

PRODUCTION DESIGNER: KEITH SAINE

Keith Saine has worked professionally on sets, props, lights, and sound with Jenny Wiley Theatre (Prestonburg, Kentucky), the Dallas Theatre Center (Dallas, Texas), TheatreVirginia, The Firehouse Theatre Project, The Richmond Triangle Players (Richmond), the Virginia Opera, Winwood Theatricals, HBO, and Mercedez-Benz. He earned his Bachelors Degree in Theatre from Lenoir-Rhyne College, and has shared his skills and experience with students at Collegiate High School, Virginia Union University, Episcopal School in Alexandria and Goochland High School.

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21 west old street • Petersburg • Virginia • 23803 • 804.957.5707 • mail@sycamorerouge.org