DIRECTORS
The Brown Grand Theatre is run by a board of Directors. Without the caring dedicated board of directors our theatre would not be what it is today, a historical landmark in North Central Kansas bringing quality entertainment to you!
Current Board Members:
Name: Monte Wentz, President
Job Affiliation: Wentz Eye Care, P.A.
Job Title: Optometrist
How long have you been a Member of the Board?
"Since 1999."
What is your favorite show?
"I have great memories of working back stage for Steel Magnolias when I was in high school."
What interested you in theatre?
"My passion is preservation of historic buildings."
What skills do you bring to the Board?
"I am on my second year as president of the board of directors. I hope that I am able to provide good leadership to the board, a general historical viewpoint of board decisions, and knowledge of caring for historic buildings."
What is your fondest memory at the Brown Grand?
"When I was seven, my grandfather was volunteering as construction supervisor during the restoration of the Brown Grand. I loved going down to the building to see him and watch the restoration process, and wishing that they would let me climb on the scaffolding that reached up to the proscenium arch."
What are your goals or dreams for the future of the Brown Grand?
"I would love to see the Brown Grand used more by the community. I also hope that in the near future we can replace the seats, making the theatre going experience more comfortable for all."
Tell us a little about your background and why you are excited to be a working
member on the Brown Grand Board.
"My first real job in Junior Highschool was as a tour guide at the Brown Grand on weekends. I loved showing off the building and seeing the amazement on people’s faces when they walked into the theatre for the first time. Preservation of historic buildings is my passion, but I firmly believe that a good restoration includes those buildings being used. My hope is that the current board of directors can successfully balance the preservation of the building while making theatre and music come alive for the residents of North Central Kansas."
Name: Sam Sacco, Vice President
Job Affiliation: Retired
Job Title: Concordia City Commissioner
How long have you been a Member of the Board?
"2 years."
What is your favorite show?
"OZ"
What interested you in theatre?
"Keeping its history alive."
What skills do you bring to the Board?
"Business experience, being an active member of the Brown Grand Players and a Concordia City Commissioner."
What is your fondest memory at the Brown Grand?
"Directing OZ."
What are your goals or dreams for the future of the Brown Grand?
"Bringing it back to its grander days."
Tell us a little about your background and why you are excited to be a working
member on the Brown Grand Board.
"It is an important part of history that needs to not only be preserved but enjoyed by all."
Name: John Paul Breault, Secretary/Treasurer
Job Affiliation: Walmart, Inc.
Job Title: Bakery/Deli Department Manager
How long have you been a Member of the Board?
"4 years."
What is your favorite show?
"Into The Woods"
What interested you in theatre?
"Have been interested in theatre from a young age; have been involved in productions at Concordia High School, Cloud County Community Theatre, Rome Little Theatre in Rome, Georgia and here at The Brown Grand."
What skills do you bring to the Board?
"My experience with the State of Georgia as an Activity Therapy Department/Rehabilitation Services Coordinator brings many skills in the area of volunteer management, grant writing, event planning, resource management, and community relations."
What is your fondest memory at the Brown Grand?
"Growing up in Concordia when the theatre was a movie house always made me wonder why we were watching movies in Cinderella’s House."
What are your goals or dreams for the future of the Brown Grand?
"As a board member my goals and dreams for the theatre are financial stability, variety of events and bringing the Brown Grand into the lives of our community members."
Tell us a little about your background and why you are excited to be a working
member on the Brown Grand Board.
"I retired from the State of Georgia Regional Psychiatric Hospital System as the Activity Therapy Department Coordinator/Rehabilitation Services Coordinator and moved back to Concordia, my home town. As a Registered Horticultural Therapist I developed skills in planning a variety of hospital wide/state wide events, managing volunteers, working in conjunction with The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc., and resource management as well as financial program/department management. I have written numerous successful program grants throughout my 25 year career with the State of Georgia. I look forward to providing these services and skills to the Brown Grand."
Name: Mikki Nelson
Job Affiliation: Retired
Job Title: Grandmother
How long have you been a Member of the Board?
"8 years."
What is your favorite show?
"Missoula Children’s Theatre."
What interested you in theatre?
"I love acting and creating characters."
What skills do you bring to the Board?
"Service, doing what needs to be done and rolling up my sleeves and getting it done."
What is your fondest memory at the Brown Grand?
"My first performance with the Brown Grand Players in Mame."
What are your goals or dreams for the future of the Brown Grand?
"I want to see the theatre become an even more important part of the community by bringing more quality shows to the theatre."
Tell us a little about your background and why you are excited to be a working
member on the Brown Grand Board.
"Have been involved with many productions here as well as my grandkids being involved and I want to make sure this continues for future generations."
Name: Melissa Williamson
Job Affiliation: K-State Research & Extension – River Valley District
Job Title: Office Professional
How long have you been a Member of the Board?
"Since July 2018."
What is your favorite show?
"Children of Eden."
What interested you in theatre?
"Creativity and Play."
What skills do you bring to the Board?
"I have an extensive background in nonprofit fundraising and master’s degrees in music and in arts administration. For seven years, I lived and worked in the Boston arts scene before returning to my Kansas roots in 2018."
What is your fondest memory at the Brown Grand?
"Michael Martin Murphey’s Cowboy Christmas show."
What are your goals or dreams for the future of the Brown Grand?
"To have our community see what a gem we have here in Concordia, and to have the Brown Grand flourish as an arts center for North Central Kansas and beyond."
Tell us a little about your background and why you are excited to be a working
member on the Brown Grand Board.
"I was in theatre all throughout high school and was involved primarily behind the scenes. I did make a few acting appearances in Man of La Mancha and Working to sing. Otherwise, I was in the light booth or was calling the show as a stage manager. Since then, I went on to pursue a career in music earning a Bachelors and Masters in Flute Performance. I went back to my alma mater, after grad school, to teach music and launch a Community Music School program at Southwestern College in Winfield, KS. I moved to Boston in 2011 to work on a second graduate program in Arts Administration – learning as much as I could about how to run and manage non-profit organizations. After many internships with the Boston Youth Symphony, the Boston Center for the Arts, and Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC), I took a full-time job in fundraising with CSC – bringing free Shakespeare productions to nearly 100,000 every summer. I then transitioned to an event and fundraising position at Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA where I worked for several years. There I wrote and won numerous grants, ran the largest fundraiser of the year – the School’s annual Gala – and worked with the development team to achieve our yearly fundraising goals. I’m excited to be on the Board of the Brown Grand because I feel I bring many experiences and talents to our team, and I can help generate ideas for the Brown Grand to advance in our community and in our region."
Name: Everett Miller
Job Affiliation: Retired from Cloud County Community College
Job Title: Choir/Great Society Conductor
How long have you been a Member of the Board?
"Since its inception."
What is your favorite show?
"Great Society."
What interested you in theatre?
"Its history."
What skills do you bring to the Board?
"Just a desire to see this building restored and used."
What is your fondest memory at the Brown Grand?
"When my wife Marlene and I attended a movie here and I looked around and said to her that this would be a wonderful performance venue."
What are your goals or dreams for the future of the Brown Grand?
"To keep it looking like new!"
Tell us a little about your background and why you are excited to be a working
member on the Brown Grand Board.
"I was the one with the idea to buy, restore and get the Brown Grand back to its original glory. I talked to Judy Doyen, secretary to Leon Genette, head of the Chamber of Commerce, and asked her if she thought the community would support buying and restoring the Brown Grand. She said, 'I didn’t know it was for sale. If you’re going to buy something you had better know if it is for sale and at what price?' I called Jack Roney and he said it would be for sale if it were to be used as a performance venue. I said it would be a performance venue. He said in that case it is for sale at $20,000 and he would donate the first $2,000! The rest is history!"
Name: Richard Briggs
Job Affiliation: Easy G’s, Cloud County Community College
Job Title: Waiter/Bartender, Artist in Residency
How long have you been a Member of the Board?
"Since December 2018."
What is your favorite show?
"Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation."
What interested you in theatre?
"The feeling of freedom."
What skills do you bring to the Board?
"Experienced actor, writer and director."
What is your fondest memory at the Brown Grand?
"My nephews seeing me act for the first time in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."
What are your goals or dreams for the future of the Brown Grand?
"To help usher the theatre into a new year of compelling story telling."
Tell us a little about your background and why you are excited to be a working
member on the Brown Grand Board.
"I moved from LA in August when my partner was hired to teach theatre at Cloud County Community College. The Brown Grand offers a playground where I could only have dreamed of being a part of. With its rich history and exciting future, I am thrilled to be working with these folks."
Name: Violette Kjeldgaard
Job Affiliation: Cloud County Community College
Job Title: Theatre Director, English & Speech Instructor
How long have you been a Member of the Board?
"January 2019"
What is your favorite show?
"That’s a difficult question. There are so many. Pretty much anything Stephen Sondheim. Amadeus by Peter Shaffer; Arcadia by Tom Stoppard; My Children! My Africa by Athol Fugard; Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker; Noises Off by Michael Frayne; Lend me a Tenor by Ken Ludwig."
What interested you in theatre?
"Initially, acting. I enjoyed being someone other than myself and allowing me to express something I typically don’t. As I became more active I began to have a deeper understanding on the purpose of theatre and how all facets of theatre operate. The communication and tradition of storytelling remains alive in theatre, which is exciting in an age of technology. The ability to shine a light on issues, promote reflexive scrutiny and generate discussion as well as promote connection within
community and purge emotional experiences is what makes theatre so powerful for me."
What skills do you bring to the Board?
"I’ve worked in several positions and many theatres that vary in size. This array of experience, I think could be useful as we attempt to grow the Brown Grand and what we can offering for Concordia and the surrounding community."
What is your fondest memory at the Brown Grand?
"I haven’t been here very long, but I thoroughly enjoy the structure itself. It’s a beautiful building, and not many people have the opportunity to work in historic houses such as this."
What are your goals or dreams for the future of the Brown Grand?
"I think we can offer a lot to the community in terms of a wide array of programming. It’d be lovely to
offer educational programs to encourage youth to become involved in the arts, which has been proven to improve learning in all fields. I’d like to see the adult community become more engaged in the arts as well, for our programming to spark intellectual conversations about our experiences in the world."
Tell us a little about your background and why you are excited to be a working
member on the Brown Grand Board.
"I have a Bachelors in Theatre Arts and a Masters in Actor Training and Coaching. I am
the theatre director at CCCC and have been working in theatre since I was a young
child. I grew up with music and the arts as a large part of my life and was encouraged
and supported by family and friends to pursue that avenue, despite their concerns of a
financially stable future. I hope that my experience and education can revitalize the
Brown Grand and the community."
Name: Patricia Owensby Macfarlane, M.D.
Job Affiliation: Virtual Radiologic
Job Title: Neuroradiologist
How long have you been a Member of the Board?
"Since 2017"
What is your favorite show?
"Michael Martin Murphey at the Brown Grand. And just about any Broadway musical (Chicago my favorite)."
What interested you in theatre?
"I was introduced to the performing and visual arts as
a young child, by my parents. They especially enjoyed theatre, which was always on the
agenda. Even when we went camping in the Black Hills, arrangements were made for a
special evening at summer stock theatre (Guys and Dolls!) My mother always
purchased the sound track records of the musicals we had seen, and we played them,
over and over and over."
What skills do you bring to the Board?
"I bring a love of theatre and love of this community,
perhaps some vision and perspective, from a broad life experience."
What is your fondest memory at the Brown Grand?
"I have many childhood memories of the Brown Grand from its days as a movie house. Although at the time we didn’t really understand its historic significance, even as little kids, we somehow knew we were in a magical theatre."
What are your goals or dreams for the future of the Brown Grand?
"I would love to see the Brown Grand become part of the fabric of every child who
grows up here. I would love to see folks come from far and wide to enjoy vibrant
live performances in this beautiful, classic Italian opera house."
Tell us a little about your background and why you are excited to be a working member on the Brown Grand Board.
"Having never taken the straight road to anywhere, my background includes everything from veterinary assistance to waitressing, bartending, teaching high school chemistry, crewing on a sailing yacht in the Caribbean, owning a retail business, starting a school in a third world country, to serving on the clinical faculty at Harvard Medical School. I have been fortunate enough, thanks to technology, to be able to return to my hometown and practice medicine via teleradiology. I’m a scientist, but have a deep appreciation for the arts - because art makes everything better. I’m excited to be a member of the Brown Grand Board, and I am honored to take my small part in its stewardship."
Chad Miner
Name: Shirley LeDuc
Job Affiliation: 30+ years with Optometrists Dr. Richard Kueker and Dr. Michael Miller
Job Title: Optometric Assistant
How long have you been a Member of the Board?
"Since February 2019."
What is your favorite show?
"The Sound of Music is my favorite show and I still watch it now as an adult yearly."
What interested you in theatre?
"My interest in the theatre started in 4th grade when I was cast in the lead role of Sourdough Sally Takes the Yukon. I remember not having great acting skills but I never had a fear of talking in public after being on the stage. I would like children to have that same chance that was given to me."
What skills do you bring to the Board?
"My husband Troy and I own LeDuc Memorial and like the Brown Grand it is very important to keep Concordia moving forward. We have to be able to attract new businesses to our town and the entertainment that the Brown Grand offers is a selling point. I love to volunteer and cannot wait to help out here."
What is your fondest memory at the Brown Grand?
"My fondest memories of the Brown Grand is going to Saturday afternoon matinees. We loved to sit clear at the top so if we were misbehaving it would take Mr. Roney a long time to get there. I cherish these memories I made with my sister Diana because she passed away several years ago."
What are your goals or dreams for the future of the Brown Grand?
"I would love to see the Brown Grand have a children's theatre group similar to the Brown Grand Players. I also like many of the shows that we have had lately because I really like rock-n-roll concerts. The Brown Grand Players have several plays a year also and I encourage people to go see these very talented artists."
Tell us a little about your background and why you are excited to be a working
member on the Brown Grand Board.
"I grew up in Concordia and have seen many changes happen here. The Brown Grand has changed also. This beautiful part of Concordia's history needs to be maintained to its finest glory. We need to continue to work together as a community to keep this historical attraction thriving. I look forward to working with Jason Grogan and the Brown Grand Board to see what new and fun events we can bring to our small town."
Name: Ty Gennette
Job Affiliation: Easy G Sports Bar
Job Title: Owner/Manager
How long have you been a Member of the Board?
"Since March 2019."
What is your favorite show?
"Soon to be Great White!"
What interested you in theatre?
"I would like to see the Brown Grand thrive."
What skills do you bring to the Board?
"I bring a passion for marketing and getting things done that seem impossible to accomplish."
What is your fondest memory at the Brown Grand?
"I remember attending middle school variety shows at the theatre. Sitting in the box seats like I was someone important. It just felt like a place that was larger than life."
What are your goals or dreams for the future of the Brown Grand?
"I would like to see a theater that is well know for its great shows for all ages. A theater that sells out its shows on a regular basis. Before becoming a board member, it had been fifteen years since I had stepped foot inside. We are so lucky to have a venue of this caliber in Concordia. We must do everything we can to attracted people of all ages into the theater."
Tell us a little about your background and why you are excited to be a working
member on the Brown Grand Board.
"My Grandpa was a former director of the theatre. I carry on his passion not only for the Brown Grand but also for Concordia. The theatre is an intrical part of our town's success. I am excited to be a part not only of the Brown Grand's success but also Concordia's success."
Jason Grogan, Executive Director
If you're interested in serving on the board email us at director@browngrand.org to be sent an application form.