Adventure Theatre MTC (ATMTC), educating and inspiring new generations of theater artists and audiences with exceptional theatrical experiences, announces a leadership transition. Melynda Burdette Wintrol, Executive Director, has accepted an invitation from Adventure Theatre MTC’s Board of Directors to be a member of their Executive Committee. ATMTC will return to a dual-leadership structure, now led by Kurt Boehm, Artistic Director, and Sarah Chapin, new Managing Director, formerly of Signature Theatre.
Says Melynda Burdette Wintrol, Board Member, “It has been my absolute pleasure to lead this organization through recovery and reinvigoration. My greatest legacy is assembling this amazing team and Sarah is the icing on the cake! The skill, energy, and passion she brings to the role of Managing Director are palpable. I am eager to work alongside her and Kurt in my new role on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors.”
“We are passing the baton to an incredibly innovative, talented, and forward-thinking artist & business partner, Sarah Chapin,” says Kurt Boehm, Artistic Director. “Having worked with Sarah in multiple capacities over the years, I am thrilled with Sarah’s appointment as our new Managing Director. The future remains in steady & capable hands.”
Mitchell Herman, Chairman of the Board of Directors agrees. “I am delighted and proud with the transition involving Sarah and Melynda. The new leadership will ensure both continuity and strength for our thriving future.”
Adventure has reestablished workplace practices that deeply align with our mission, vision, and core values of Equity, Engagement, Innovation, Growth, and Wonder. We recognize that educating and inspiring future generations begins with our internal practices and furthering our own education and growth with a focus on our most valuable resources, our people.
Says new Managing Director, Sarah Chapin, “I could not be more excited to collaborate with the fantastic artists and administrators at Adventure Theatre MTC. With the support of Kurt, Melynda, and the Board, I am eager to continue to build upon the incredible momentum they have generated this season, and to further engage the community in support of our mission.”
Maggie Boland, Managing Director of Signature Theatre, extends her well wishes to the future leadership. “We are so pleased that Adventure Theatre MTC will benefit from Sarah’s enthusiasm for theatre-making and her commitment to providing the benefits of the performing arts to our community, as we did during her tenure at Signature. We wish Sarah and her colleagues at Adventure nothing but success.”
This new and existing leadership team continues to work on restoring Adventure’s reputation as a popular destination for DC area families with shows based on literary works as a premiere training destination for musical theatre students and future professionals.
To learn more, visit www.adventuretheatre-mtc.org. All performances will take place at Adventure Theatre MTC, 7300 MacArthur Blvd, Glen Echo, MD, 20812 in the historic Glen Echo Park.
ABOUT ADVENTURE THEATRE MTC
ATMTC cultivates new generations of artists and audiences by creating memorable theatrical productions and by providing young people the highest quality musical theater training. ATMTC serves students at all skill levels and families from diverse communities, approximately 35,000 people annually.
ABOUT MELYNDA BURDETTE WINTROL (BOARD MEMBER)
Melynda Burdette Wintrol is grateful to have served Adventure Theatre MTC as Executive Director since January 2023, having previously served as Director of Education prior to her departure in 2018. She is very excited to continue to serve ATMTC as a Board Member. Melynda has been a vocalist and musical theatre performer, teaching artist, vocal coach, and arts administrator for over 20 years and currently serves as the Production Manager at Maryland Ensemble Theatre. Originally from Frederick, Maryland, Melynda is a graduate of The Catholic University of America’s Benjamin T. Rome School of Music holding a Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre. Melynda went on to earn her Master of Science in Nonprofit and Association Management. During her studies at CUA Melynda, a classically trained mezzo-soprano, was selected to represent the school in Italy and perform a private papal audience for Pope John Paul II. Melynda has studied under Cathie Porter-Borden, Dr. Janette Ogg, Maureen Codelka, and N. Thomas Pedersen. As a Teaching Artist, Melynda has worked with Adventure Theatre MTC, Drama Learning Center, Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts, Dance Unlimited/Performing Arts Factory, and Urbana Dance. Melynda has performed Off-Broadway, on tour and in regional theatres across the country. A member of three Helen Hayes nominated ensembles, Melynda has performed with the Tony award winning Signature Theatre, Studio Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, American Family Theatre, Washington Savoyards, Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Shawnee Playhouse, Prather Entertainment Group, Venus Theatre, Pallas Theatre Collective, Riverside Dinner Theatre and Toby’s Dinner Theatre.
ABOUT KURT BOEHM (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR)
Boehm joins Adventure Theatre MTC after two decades of experience as an award-winning Director, Choreographer, Teacher, and Actor based right here in Washington, D.C. He is proud to have had a long relationship with ATMTC having worked under Michael Bobbitt, previous Artistic Director. Since 2008, you have seen his work in Productions such as Goodnight Moon, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Ella Enchanted, The Snowy Day, Spot’s Birthday Party, Harold and The Purple Crayon, among others. Boehm joins our team while currently serving as the Resident Casting Director & Manager of Patron Services at The Keegan Theatre in Dupont Circle. He has extensive experience as a teaching artist centering his career as an educator and looks forward to carrying the mission of ATMTC through to the next generation of theatre makers. Across the DMV, he has worked as an educator at The Catholic University of America, Montgomery College Summer Dinner Theatre, George Mason University, Toby’s Dinner Theatre, Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts, Kids In Dramatic Study, Centennial High School, Alice Deal Middle School, and ATMTC. Boehm has also Directed & Choreographed for The Keegan Theatre, Imagination Stage, The Mac-Haydn Theatre in New York, Washington Savoyards, Toby’s Dinner Theatre, and ATMTC. As a Helen Hayes nominated Actor, his work has expanded to Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, The Broad Stage in LA, ArtsEmerson in Boston, and at home in the DMV. You have seen his work on our stages at The Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Signature Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Imagination Stage, The Keegan Theatre, Toby’s Dinner Theatre, & Monumental Theatre Company. Boehm earned his Bachelors of Music from The Catholic University of America and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. Boehm will center his work at ATMTC around our core values of Equity, Engagement, Innovation, Growth, & Wonder.
ABOUT SARAH CHAPIN (MANAGING DIRECTOR)
Sarah Chapin is thrilled and humbled to join Adventure Theatre MTC as Managing Director. Introduced to theatre in a class at her local community center, she can personally attest to the lasting impact of arts education. Originally from the DMV, she began her professional theatre career as a teenager in DC, appearing in productions at The Keegan Theatre and Studio Theatre. She graduated from Yale University with a degree in Theatre Studies, and spent her first years out of school performing professionally on stages around the world. Since 2011 she has performed with The Keegan Theatre, Studio Theatre, Signature Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, The Church (Upstate Productions, NY), The Axelrod Performing Arts Center (NJ), HERE Arts (NY), Symphony Space (NY), The York Theatre (NY), and at the ASCAP Workshop in LA. She studied internationally at the Moscow Art Theatre School and performed over fifty concerts on tour in Japan with Harmony Japan’s Disney on Classic. When not onstage, Sarah maintained a connection to education through her work preparing New York teens for academic success, her work with Broadway Artists Alliance in New York City, and as a part of the very first “Play-Rah-Kah” summer theatre camp at Keegan. She joined Signature Theatre in 2022 as a member of the Development team, building new relationships and even stronger connections to the theatre community in the DMV. She is a two-time Helen Hayes Award nominee, and is excited to continue working in the theatre community that raised her. Sarah is eager to expand access to theatre for all students, so every child that steps through the doors of Adventure Theatre feels valued, engaged, and inspired.
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