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MEET YOUR 2026 - 2027 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.
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Megan Evans, Regional Rep Central Region
Bio to come
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.
Jade Boffo, Lead 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.
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.
Jill Reinstein, Lead Rep Northwest Region
Bio to come
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.
Emma Glover, Regional Rep Northwest Region
Bio to come
Lydia Schafer, Regional Rep Northwest Region
Bio to come
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.
Jane Culp, Lead 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.
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!
Linda Roll, Regional 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.
Niccole Amersdorfer, Lead Rep West Region
Niccole has been actively involved in theatre since age 7, and started working with Troy Civic Theatre in 2008. Over the years, she has been on stage, directed, produced, stage managed, tech directed, designed, and/or been running crew in over 90 productions. Niccole has received several OCTA awards got performance and directing, and was honored with the Spirit of Community Theatre award in 2023. She started working with OCTA in 2017 as a West Regional Rep, has served as the board secretary, and is currently serving her third term as President.
Derek Dunavent, Regional Rep West Region
No bio provided.
Kim Lane, Regional Rep West Region
Bio to come.