Ohio Community Theatre Association
Meet Your 2025 - 2026 Lead
and Regional Representatives
Thom Ogilvie, Lead Rep Central Region
Thom has served on the OCTA Board of Directors since 2019, and has served as Regional Representative since 2021. Thom is continuingly active in the Columbus and Central Ohio theatre scene, with favorite shows including "Over The River And Through The Woods," "She Loves Me," "The Drowsy Chaperone," "Arsenic and Old Lace," "The Laramie Project," and "Last Gas" and many others.
Bruce Jacklin, Regional Rep Central Region
Bruce Jacklin has directed and performed in over 200 productions across professional, collegiate, and community theatre. He began his acting career at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, performing alongside film legend Dana Andrews. A certified OCTA and AACT adjudicator, he’s received awards for Of Mice and Men, The Trip to Bountiful, and others. A SAG-AFTRA member, Bruce appeared in Roy Berkowitz’s ‘Nietzsche’ Ate Here, featured at the Montreal International Film Festival. He received the Red Cross Education Hero Award and is Artistic Director for MTVarts and The Alcove Theatre.
Christy Rahrig, Lead Rep East Region
By day, Christy Rahrig is just that weird coworker in the office. But by night, Christy is an advocate for all things good, especially the performing arts. Born and raised in northwest Ohio, Christy started theatre at the age of 10 and wishes she had started so much sooner. She has lived in Zanesville (East Region) since 2016. When not focused on theatre, Christy sings at funerals, plays in a community band, performs in a community choir, and supports efforts of the local Democratic Party. Her favorite roles of all time are being a wife to Kevin and a mother to her daughter.
Jade Boffo, Regional Rep East Region
Jade and her family try to stay active in local theatre. When not onstage, she is helping with concessions or ushering in patrons. Some of her favorite productions she has been in are June B Jones Jingle Bells, Batman Smells (P.S. so Does May), Ruthless, Legally Blonde, and Addams Family. Jade is thankful to continue to support local community theatre and learn from the most dedicated people.
Nathan Mayse, Regional Rep East Region
Nathan is a Kindergarten Teacher at East Elementary in Newcomerstown Schools. Nathan has been involved with Coshocton Footlight Players in many capacities since 2003. He has directed, acted, ran lights, stage managed, worked as set crew, done hair and make up, costumes, painted and decorated sets, and even designed several sets over the years. Nathan is currently CFP’s Theatre Delegate as well as one of the Regional Representatives for the East District of the Ohio Community Theatre Association.
Donna Jean Evans, Lead Rep North Region
I have been involved with Harlequins Coach House Theatre in Sandusky for 50 years and have been the OCTA delegate for that theatre for about 15 of those years. When the new North Region was formed I also volunteered to be a Regional Rep, taking over as the Lead Regional Rep for the past two years. Over the past few years I have worked on various projects for the OCTA Board as well as planning the North Regional and OCTA Jr. in 2025. I'm looking forward to this coming year in OCTA and beyond.
Millie Butts, Regional Rep North Region
No bio provided.
Jason Chandler, Regional Rep North Region
I have worked and Wynford Local Schools for 28+ years. I am happily married with 4 terrific children ranging in ages 25 through 8. I am active at Bucyrus Little Theatre filling many roles at the community theatre over these last 15 years.
Adrienne Wise, Lead Rep Northeast Region
Adrienne Wise is the co-lead regional representative from the Northeast Region. She joined OCTA as a regional representative in 2024 and serves on the Administrative Division. She is an active member of her local community theater group, Stow Players, serving on the Board of Directors. She has appeared on stage with the group several times and will soon be trying her hand as assistant director for an upcoming production. Before moving to Stow, Ohio, Adrienne lived in upstate New York and was an active member of multiple theater groups, performing in many musicals and straight plays and served on various boards of directors.
Sue Cohen, Regional Rep Northeast Region
Sue Cohen was happy to return last year as a Regional Rep after an almost 20-year hiatus. She has performed in many Northeast Ohio theaters; most recently at Aurora Community Theater as Abby Brewster is Arsenic and Old Lace. This year she completed her final year of training at the Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium and is now certified in the Chekhov technique.
Sue loves to travel; mostly cruising and is an accomplished solo traveler. She has 2 grown children and 3 grandchildren and the role of Grammy is her favorite.
Claudia Lillibridge, Regional Rep Northeast Region
Claudia is the cofounder of Twin Masks Performing Arts Center, located in Twinsburg, Ohio. She works (remotely) at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center as a Senior Specialist Project Manager in Innovation Ventures. Claudia earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts from Baldwin Wallace College and earned her Masters in Health Informatics from Kent State University. She has over 30 years’ experience in community theatre in all of its facets and is excited to represent the Northeast Region as a regional representative.
Mitchell Antesky, Lead Rep Northwest Region
Mitchell Antesky, the Northwest Lead Regional Representative, celebrates 2025 as his 40th year of involvement with the Ohio Community Theatre Association (OCTA). He began his journey on the state conference stage, later representing several theaters in the Northwest region and consistently participating in regional festivals and state conferences. In the early 1990s, he took on the role of regional representative, and in 2015, he received the prestigious Dick Beal Award for his exemplary service as a regional representative.Since 2012, Mitchell has served as an OCTA adjudicator, has also held the position of Guide/Responder Coordinator, where he successfully connected a record number of theaters with guides. Additionally, he has garnered numerous awards at the regional and state level for set design and has previously chaired the set design competition at the state conference.
Scott Antesky, Regional Rep Northwest Region
Scott’s OCTA adventure kicked off in 2011, after three years of attending regional and State Festivals, in the audience and on various technical crews. There he was, a Northwest Regional Rep, and he was soon also juggling the region’s website, social media and organizing many aspects of the successful Northwest Regional Festivals. His enthusiasm soon found him on the Executive Board as 3rd Vice President, rocking the fundraising world. Over the next five years, he curated a variety of branded merchandise, the likes of which had never been seen before and managed the eBay store. After a short hiatus to catch his breath, he returned with a mission: to boost membership and pump up theater participation by visiting local theaters and spreading the word about OCTA’s benefits. Always one to proclaim, “Let’s make theater magic happen!”
Eve Barman, Regional Rep Northwest Region
Eve is a student at the University of Toledo studying technical theatre and design. In addition to being an OCTA regional representative they are a member of Issue Box Theatre’s board as well as Horizon Youth Theatre’s youth board. Eve enjoys stage managing, sound designing and acting, having worked on 40+ local shows in the last 3 years alone. In their free time outside of theatre they show horses, play tennis, crochet and run.
Janis Carnahan, Lead Rep Southeast Region
I am currently the President of River City Players in Middleport Ohio, employee at Ohio University, Mimi to three boys; Logan, Creed, and Ace, and Memaw to two Grandpuppies Arthur and Mildred. I enjoy directing, performing, and being involved with OCTA. I am also a huge sports fan.
Linda Roll, Lead Rep Southwest Region
I have been involved with OCTA since 2000. During that time, I have been a conference chair 2 times and worked on 3 other conference committees. I have been on both the programming and administration committees. As part of Programming, I was the first chair of the Costume competition and helped develop the criteria for entry. This was based on feedback from the judges recruited, who consisted of a costumer from a regional theatre, a college costume design instructor and a community theatre costumer. The current criteria was based on their comments about what would make their jobs easier.
At this time, I serve on the ACT of Cincinnati board as historian, librarian and preregistration chair.
Judy Berrens, Regional Rep Southwest Region
A longtime active OCTA volunteer. Judy has been held three terms as an OCTA Board member in 1993-1995, 2003-2006 and 2022-2024. She is currently serving her second year as a SW Rep. Judy has also been a member of the OCTAfest Organizing Committee seven times.
An award winning director, producer, stage manager and actress Judy currently serves as Vice President of Tri-County Players and heads up their Play Reading Committee. In her spare time she works for NeighborHub Health a nonprofit which cares for the homeless population in Cincinnati as their Marketing Development & Training Coordinator.
Phil Catlin, Regional Rep Southwest Region
Phil has been active in the Southwest region for the last 40+ years. During that time he has appeared on stage, built the stage, set the stage, lit the stage, mic'd the stage, put the stage on the web, played keyboard next to the stage, been a SW regional rep (years ago) and been on the board of directors for Mason Community Players several times. I'm honored to be back among the ranks of the SW regional reps again!
Jane Culp, Regional Rep Southwest Region
This is my 2nd year as an OCTA Regional Rep. I am a current board member with CenterStage Players as the ACT Rep and OCTA Delegate. I have been House Manager for almost every show CSP has put on since 2015. I've recently dabbled in Props and I'm Producer for my first show coming up Spring of 2026. When I'm able to, I love helping other regional theaters in any way I can. My family is heavily involved with Community Theater. We try to make it to as many shows as we can to support LIVE Theater.
Mark Culp, Regional Rep Southwest Region
Mark Culp is from Cold Spring, KY and is the current President of CenterStage Players. Mark has been involved with the performing arts for over 40 years. He has been a designer and consultant for marching bands and winter guards throughout the Midwest and has adjudicated competitive events throughout the United States. He returned to the theatre activity a little over 10 years ago and has directed, produced, designed lighting/sound/sets, and appeared on stage throughout the greater Cincinnati area. He also sings with the internationally competitive Southern Gateway Chorus based in Cincinnati. His wife Jane is also very active working behind the scenes in many productions and his son Parker recently graduated with his degree in Theatre from Xavier University and is a regular performer in the Cincinnati area both in community theatre as well as professionally.
Sonja Hyer, Lead Rep West Region
No bio provided.