About CCMT
See Our Production History >>
Contra Costa Musical Theatre, Inc. (CCMT) was founded in August 1961, for the express purpose of producing Broadway musicals. We are a community based non-profit organization whose mission is to foster appreciation for and involvement in musical theatre of the highest quality. Since those early beginnings, CCMT productions have been presented on a variety of stages. With the opening of the Lesher Center for the Arts in 1990, we found a permanent home in Walnut Creek where we mount full-scale productions in the 800-seat Hofmann Theater. We have been honored with numerous Shellie Awards and Bay Area Theatre Critic Circle Awards for our productions and the artists associated with our productions, and have had the unique privilege of presenting several East Bay Premieres in recent seasons.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ben Bogen (Youth Board Member) (Walnut Creek, CA)
Suzanne Brandt (San Ramon, CA) first became involved with CCMT when she performed in the 1996 production of The Will Rogers Follies. Since that time she has been actively involved with 16 productions at the Lesher Arts Center as a Producer, Choreographer and Performer. Suzanne served as co-production manager for CCMT's Hairspray. As co-production manager for Oliver she played a key role in creating a partnership with the Grammy award winning Pacific Boychoir Academy. Suzanne also served as choreographer on Evita and will serve again in that capacity on our upcoming production of Little Shop of Horrors. She is a second generation performer and choreographer with over 35 years of experience in the performing arts realm. Her performance background includes television, film and large scale cabaret shows in Las Vegas and Europe. She has also worked for the Cultural Services Department for the city of Walnut Creek. Suzanne has been married for 13 years and the couple have 2 sons who appreciate the magic of live theatre.
Kris Bonfil (Concord, CA) has served on the CCMT Board of Directors since 2006. She has served on the PEC and CRAM committees, and was responsible for the merchandising sales during both Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella, helping bring in over $15,000 in sales to CCMT. She has assisted in obtaining advertisers for the show programs, gathering donations and sponsors for the Keaka Luau. Kris is an award winning realtor with Century 21 in Walnut Creek with more than 30 years experience. Her daughter Karen has worked crew for every CCMT show since Damn Yankees in 2003. Kris enjoys representing the "average audience member" viewpoint to the Board of Directors.
Merrick Browne, Jr. (Lafayette, CA) is President of Marketing Business Advantage, Inc. which has been based in Walnut Creek for the last seventeen years. MBA Inc. is a manufacturer of environmentally-friendly chemicals for the automotive industry. Prior to founding MBA Inc., Merrick worked for five automotive manufacturers based in Detroit, MI. He and Rachel, his wife of 15 years, and their two daughters, Sophia and Elena, reside in Lafayette. Merrick has been involved in theatrical pursuits for the past 8 years, and has a keen interest in the continued cultural development of our community, with theatre serving as a vehicle for both entertainment and education. Merrick was appointed to fill a vacancy on the CCMT Board in 2007and has provided insight and leadership to CCMT from a small business perspective.
Linda Carter (Oakley, CA) has served on the CCMT Board of Director's since 2000. Since 2001, Linda has served as Treasurer and has been a key asset in providing strong financial guidance to CCMT's Board of Directors. In addition to providing strong financial guidance to CCMT, Linda enjoys being CCMT's company photographer having provided photo documentation for every CCMT production since 2001. By day, Linda is a Senior Vice President for Bank of America and lives in Oakley with her husband, Larry.
Michael Demers (Walnut Creek, CA) has been involved with CCMT since 1992. He has been seen onstage as well as behind the scenes. Michael has served as Production Manager for many shows some of which include Follies, The Who's Tommy, Titanic, the Musical & Disney's Beauty and the Beast. He has also served the board of directors as President, Vice President and most recently as Secretary. Additionally, Michael is the Webmaster for CCMT, ensuring the ccmt.org website continues to meet expectations of CCMT's patrons and auditoneers. He was the recipient of CCMT's Outstanding Contribution to the Arts Shellie Award in 2002. Michael has a B.A. in Theatre Management from Western Michigan University. Michael's day job is Vice President & Branch Manager for Old Republic Title Company in Montclair.
Shannon Strain Demers (Walnut Creek, CA) has been actively involved behind the scenes with CCMT since 1996. Shannon has been on the CCMT Board of Directors since 2000. Shannon has been the President of the CCMT Board of Directors for the following terms: 2002 - 2004, 2006 - 2008, 2009 - 2011. Shannon was the recipient of CCMTs Outstanding Contribution to the Arts Shellie Award in 2006. By day, Shannon is a well regarded implementation project manager for major financial institutions. She has implemented several key strategies for CCMT, including the Marketing Partnership with Center REP and Technical Leadership for CCMT.. Additionally, Shannon as a Stage Manager, she has served CCMT for the award winning Oklahoma, and the East Bay premier of RENT, .among many others. Active in Walnut Creek theatre since 1986, Shannon would like to see CCMT continue to raise the bar by producing quality musical theatre with-in budget and to the delight of audiences. Shannon is married to Michael Demers and is the mother of 15-year-old, Grant Strain.
Mark Eichorn (Moraga, CA) has been with the CCMT family for 12 years. As an actor, he has performed in many CCMT productions. Mark has been in the performing arts for most of his life. Starting in the church choir and educated in children's theatre school in his home town of Allentown, PA, Mark received his BA in Theatre Arts (Acting and Directing), from Ohio Wesleyan University. He received the prestigious 'Wesleyan Player's Senior of the Year' Award from the national theatre honorary, Theta Alpha Phi. Mark also co-produced CCMT's recent production of "Oklahoma!' By day, Mark is a Corporate Trainer for U.S. Bank in Walnut Creek. You can usually see Mark either on stage, at the lobby table or even singing in the pit!
Clay Englar (Pleasant Hill, CA)
Alex Logemann (Concord, CA) has been backstage for a 10 years working with the theatre companies that flourish at the Lesher Center. Alex was born and bred in the bay area and loves to feel the local pride of our community. Being a crew member on over 35 shows at the LCA, Alex has a great understanding of how a show comes together and is happy to represent the "crew" side of things. His favorite shows include ones with dry ice fog, and confetti cannons. (Some people just don't grow up.) Alex always looks for moments in shows that make you forget that you are inside of a theatre-- a little break from reality. When Alex isnt at the theatre, he is dabbling in his other passion; cooking!
Maddie Mendes (Youth Board Member) (Walnut Creek, CA)
J. Ted Martin (Oakland, CA) was first introduced to CCMT when he was cast in our production of "Evita." Besides marking his return to a life-long love for the stage after a nearly twenty year hiatus from performing, "Evita" was also Ted's debut in musical theatre.
Growing up in Valley Forge, PA, Ted attended college in Pittsburgh, and graduated with a degree in Aviation/Business Administration. Upon moving to California, and realizing the need to stretch and nurture his creative spirit, Ted launched himself into the Entertainment Industry. He worked on several Television series, as a video editor, including TLC's "Clean House," and "Forever Eden" for the Fox Reality Channel. Locally, in addition to creating show content, on the ABC affiliate, KGO-TV as part of the Bay area's talk show "The View from the Bay" Ted has made several guest appearances on the show.
Currently, Ted has started his own production company Video Cyclone Productions, which provides high quality visual media for anything from Video Book Trailers to talent reels, to animated graphic design. Helping clients realize their unique vision from start to final delivery.
Marty Newton (Concord, CA) has been a member of the theatre community for over 30 years and brings much theatre experiences as well as life experience in the hope that he might be able to help CCMT meet their objectives and goals for the coming years. Marty has been a Board Member for 2 years, Chairperson of the Performance Enhancement Committee (PEC) for the past year and a committee member for the past 4 years. He has worked onstage, backstage and as Stage Manager and looks forward to using his diverse background with CCMT in the coming years.
Jeanine Perasso-Kaczmarczyk (Martinez,Ca) Jeanine started performing when she was 3 years old thanks to being enrolled at Los Ayres Dance Studio. She was first introduced to CCMT when she was cast as a nun in their 1985 production of The Sound of Music. It was the first production in Contra Costa County that she was a part of, and she hasn't lost her passion for performing here ever since then. A life time Bay Area resident, Jeanine attended SF State University and majored in Drama with a minor in Dance. She backed it up with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and became a licensed Arborist. This allowed her to work with Public municipalities for almost 30 years gaining considerable experience with the creation of contracts, administrative budgeting, fieldwork and being a liaison to the community. Jeanine has a lot of respect and admiration for the people involved with this Company and is looking forward to being an active participant on the Board. She currently resides in Martinez with her husband, Fred Kaczmarczyk.
Scott Strain (Concord, CA) first became involved with CCMT when he performed in the 1995 production of Guys & Dolls. Since that time, Scott has performed in 11 CCMT productions, most recently in 42nd Street. He has served as production manager for Grease, Urinetown, Evita, RENT and will again serve in that capacity for the upcoming Little Shop of Horrors. Scott won the best supporting actor Shellie Award in 2008 for his performance as Nicely-Nicely in Guys & Dolls. He has served on the Board of Directors since 2002, including two terms as President. Scott is the chairman of the PEC and MAP committees. Scott has played a key role in several areas of the company, including participating in local parades (Walnut Festival, Danville 4th of July), the DRAA Grant process, an expanded marketing partnership with television advertising, the Summer Best of Broadway in Concert, and acted as Emcee and Auctioneer for all of the Keaka Luau fundraisers. Scott has worked for more than 14 years as a Project Manager for United Behavioral Health, and is the proud father of Grant Strain, who is following in his parents footsteps as a student at Las Lomas High School.
Elizabeth Wood (Concord, CA) began her association with CCMT in 1971 and fell in love with Theatre. Since then she has been actively involved as a Performer (42nd Street, A Chorus Line, Titanic and more); Crew Member and Choreographer (Anything Goes, Oklahoma, Sugar, The Music Man, Gypsy, Mame and South Pacific); Production Manager (A Little Night Music, Fiddler and A Chorus Line); Board Member and President more times than she can count. She has received 4 Shellie Awards for Outstanding Choreography and in 2004 was the recipient of CCMT's Shellie Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts. Liz chaired the PEC Committee, has been instrumental in revising the By-laws and Standing Rules and has been the Chair of the Matt Plambeck Scholarship Application Committee for the past 6 years. Although she retired from Chevron in 2000 with 30 years of service, she now works part-time in Chevron's Retail Programs Department and part-time at the Law Offices of William C. Vencill. Liz lives in Concord with her husband John Watkins. She is proud to have assisted in the growth and success of CCMT during the past 35+ years and hopes to be able to contribute to its future successes.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:
Shannon Strain Demers - President
Scott Strain - President Elect
Elizabeth Wood - Secretary
Linda Carter - Treasurer
Clay Englar - Company Advisor
Elizabeth Wood - Company Advisor
Daniel J. Boyle - General Manager & Artistic Advisor
