Meet Our Resident Ensemble
Our ensemble of professional actors appears on our stage throughout the season. It is their talent and commitment that ensure the consistent excellence of our work.
To read about an actor, click on their photo.
 Nicole Callender |  Clark Carmichael |  Ciara Chanel |
|---|---|---|
 Harry Patrick Christian |  Joshua T. Crockett |  Laura Ekstrand |
 Noreen Farley |  Dave Maulbeck |  Daria M. Sullivan |
 Scott McGowan |  Jason Szamreta |  Harriet Trangucci |
 Emaline Williams |
Board of Trustees
OFFICERS
Diane Gallo, President
Former Vice-President of the area League of Women Voters; former member of the Mayor’s Partnership for Summit Public Art; member of Creative Summit; pastel artist; former Editor of The Collection magazine
Frank Hawrusik, Vice-President, Treasurer
Engineering consultant, retired; former Vice-President, Summit Playhouse Association, Inc
Dr. Paola A. Acosta-Díaz, Secretary
Current president of Speak Up Summit, a 25-year-old, non-profit organization that advocates for quality public education in Summit. Volunteer, bilingual reading programs for children, Summit Public Library. Member, Anti-Racism Committee of the Summit Interfaith Council. Awarded 2019 Shaping Summit Together MLK Jr. Keepers of the Dream award for advocacy work. Co-founder, Empowering Kids Organization, a local non-profit with the mission of creating strategies and programs to empower underprivileged kids to access equal opportunities in education.
TRUSTEES
Adam Brown
Founder of the Adam M. Brown Law Group, LLC. Adam has argued and won motions and trials on his client’s behalf from Gloucester to Sussex County; from the lower New York Civil Courts all the way up to the Appellate Division. New York Law School, J.D., 2007, University at Buffalo, B.A., 2003. Bar Admissions: New Jersey, June 2008, New York, September 2008. Member, Chamber of Commerce.
Terri Tauber
Retired; member, Summit Elks Lodge 1246; Treasurer, Summit Democratic Committee; Campaign Treasurer for local/state Democratic candidates; coordinator, Summit High School Project Graduation 1998-2017;candidate for Summit Common Council, 2006, 2007 and 2008
Our Staff
Laura Ekstrand, Producing Artistic Director, is an actor, director, teacher, playwright and is also a freelance acting coach. Early in her career she was a film casting associate for Hopkins/Smith/Barden and managing director for the Innisfree Festival of New Plays. As a playwright, her works have been produced in New York and New Jersey theatres. Ms. Ekstrand’s acting career includes stage, film and television. She has appeared in "Hack", "Sex & the City", "High Art", "I Shot Andy Warhol," "Law & Order," and "Late Night with Conan O’Brien." She has a B.A. in Theatre Studies from Yale University and an M.F.A. in Theatre from Sarah Lawrence College. She is member of the Actors’ Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA and the Dramatists Guild.
Sarah Cuneo, Outreach and Community Engagement Manager, is an actress, playwright, director, and aerialist. As an actor, she has performed in numerous plays, musicals, films, commercials, and interactive art exhibits. Particularly passionate about new works, Sarah collaborated with Tectonic Theater Project on developmental workshops of The Album and has acted in new play festivals throughout the country, including Cleveland Play House and Premiere Stages. Her writing has been featured in the NYC Fringe, the Chelsea Film Festival, and the Chain Film Festival. As a director, her work has been seen at United Solo and the Chain Theater. Sarah is also a founding member of Taproot Creatives, a collective dedicated to uplifting the voices of underrepresented genders. www.sarahcuneo.com
Yolanda Fundora, Graphic Design and Communications, is a digital fine artist, illustrator, textile, book and graphic designer. She has her own design and licensing studio based in Summit, NJ. Her artwork, books and fabrics can be seen locally by visiting her studio or visiting her online gallery www.towardadigitalaesthetic.com. One of the pleasures of her work life is helping artistic organizations and individuals develop website and marketing collaterals to aid them in their endeavors.
Melanie Wilson, Marketing Director, served on the Vivid board for several years (then Dreamcatcher) and assumed the role of Marketing Director in 2016. One of her favorite Vivid projects? The always popular annual “Ladies Night Out.” She is the leader of BIG (Believe, Inspire, Grow), a NJ women’s networking group. She serves on the Board of Directors for Friends of the Summit Free Public Library and volunteers for several other community-focused organizations. Previously, she was President of Speak Up Summit (2007 to 2017), served as PTO President at Washington School, produced the Summit Hilltopper Booster Association (2008 to 2013), and worked closely with the Summit High School drama department, Speech & Debate Team, and SPARC.
Ronni Hom, Box Office and Access Manager, is a dramaturg, filmmaker, arts administrator, and overall multi-hyphenate artist. She graduated from Montclair State University with a Filmmaking BFA and a Theatre Studies BA. Select film credits include: the upcoming feature film A Relative Comedy, The Raccoonalope (2024), and Cavies: A Documentary (2022). Select theatre credits include: Marie Antoinette (Montclair State University), Dante’s Renaissance (Jersey City Theater Center), and Assistants the Musical (Players Theatre). In 2020 she helped form the film group Stone Owl, and was assistant director for their first film, Contrition. Ronni has been a reader for Premiere Stages, The New Jersey Play Lab, and Centenary Stage Company. They were one of three Career Accelerator Fellows with the New Jersey Theatre Alliance in 2024.
Dave Maulbeck, Multimedia Consultant, is an actor in the Vivid Stage ensemble and is also a graphic artist and writer. He specializes in comedic acting, guerrilla film production, storytelling and home-brewed animation.