Staff

OUR STAFF

Brendan Burke – Artistic Director

Brendan Burke^ (Artistic Director) has been Artistic Director of SHADOWLAND STAGES since 2005, and has directed and/or produced over 100 productions, including multiple world premieres, and shows featuring such actors as Sean Astin, Judd Hirsch, Alley Mills, Orson Bean, David Strathairn, Stephanie Zimbalist, Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss and more. During his tenure, SHADOWLAND STAGES completed renovation and restoration of its MainStage building, built the Studio at SHADOWLAND STAGES, and constructed actor and staff housing. In 2019, Shadowland will relocate its scene shop and administrative offices to Center Street in the Village of Ellenville. The theatre has received multiple accolades and awards during his tenure, including Ulster County Cultural Business of the Year from the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce, Arts Organization of the Year from Arts Mid-Hudson, Citizen of the Year from the Ellenville Noonday Club, and recognition from the NAACP for contributions to our community. Mr. Burke’s other regional work includes productions at Seven Angels Theatre, NJ Rep, Chenango River Theatre, Half Moon Theatre, and FringeNYC. A member of SDC and AEA, he is also an instructor in the Department of Theatre Arts at SUNY New Paltz.

Ben Williamson – Managing Director

Ben joins the staff of Shadowland Stages as Managing Director, following his role as the organization’s Development Director and Education Director. He previously served as Associate Artistic Director of Cider Mill Playhouse in Binghamton, NY, and as Founding Co-Artistic Director of Denizen Theatre in New Paltz from 2017 to January 2020. Ben is currently a professor at SUNY New Paltz in the Digital Media and Journalism Department, where he teaches Directing and Performing in Media. He holds a BA with Honors in Acting and Directing from Binghamton University and an MFA from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. A passionate and dedicated theatre artist, Ben is committed to crafting bold, high-quality work with intention and integrity. As an actor, he has appeared at regional theatres including Capital Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Manhattan Theatre Club, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, American Stage, Madison Theatre, Cider Mill Playhouse, Know Theatre, Denizen Theatre, Urbanite Theatre, and the National Academy for Chinese Theatre Arts in Beijing, China. His television and film credits include Vinyl (HBO), directed by Martin Scorsese; The Perfect Murder (ID); Royal Pains(USA); Mysteries of Laura (NBC); Lost on a Mountain in Maine (feature); and Barry Baker (Amazon Prime), along with national commercial work for brands including Benjamin Moore, Doritos, Corona and Adams Fairacre Farms.

Peter Johnson – Technical Director

Peter Johnson (Scenic Designer / Technical Director) Peter is delighted and honored to be the Technical Director at Shadowland Stages. His 40 year theatrical career began at Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton, NY. His talent brought him to Center Stage in Baltimore, MD. At which point he was hired as Production Manager at Baltimore Opera Company (BOC) overseeing an annual 5 million dollar production budget. After 12 years with BOC he returned to New York for work with the world famous Production Resource Group. Peter is happily married to Cynthia his wife of 20 years and they reside in Ellenville.

Shadowland Stages is seeking the following roles: Box Office and Marketing Manager, Assistant Technical Director, and Education Director. If you have any interest please contact info@shadowlandstages.org with your resume and cover letter. We will respond as soon as we are able. Thank you!