With a collective 90 years of tenure with the Company among them, our staff brings a remarkable depth of passion to every aspect of our work.
Carol North
Artistic Director
Carol joined the Company in 1977 as an actor and succeeded founder Zaro Weil as the Company’s second artistic director in 1980. She has directed most of the Company’s acclaimed repertory works since that time. An adjunct instructor at Maryville University, Carol designed a nationally recognized professional development program for educators and has served on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, Missouri Arts Council, and the Regional Arts Commission. Carol has been honored repeatedly both locally and nationally for her vision and her contributions to the field of theater for young audiences.
Matthew Neufeld
Managing Director
Matt joined the Company in 2009 with an eclectic background as an arts manager, administrator, consultant, teaching artist, director, and actor. A St. Louis native, Matt was first drawn to theater after seeing Metro Theater Company’s production of Beowulf. Prior to coming to the Company, Matt served as the assistant to the managing director at Hartford Stage (CT), where he worked closely with the board of directors, helped coordinate a capital campaign, organized its new work festival, and developed an improvisational training program. Matt is a graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts in New York University, and a graduate of the Field’s Artist-Manager Partnerships Program.
Emily Kohring
Education Director / Artistic Associate
Emily joined the Company in 2001 and has been instrumental in developing and expanding the reach of the Company’s educational programs since that time. With an M.F.A. in Theater for Youth from Arizona State University, Emily is an active teaching artist and a celebrated director. She not only directs productions for Metro Theater Company but also serves as guest director for Stage One Children’s Theatre in Louisville and First Stage Children’s Theatre in Milwaukee. Twice she has been selected to direct play readings at the Bonderman National Youth Theater Playwriting Symposium. Emily is an adjunct instructor at Maryville University and a Fellow of the Regional Arts Commission’s Community Arts Training Institute.
Nicholas Kryah
Resident Artist / Technical Director
Nick joined the Company in 1977. He has directed, designed, or performed in every production the Company has mounted in the past 33 years. Nick wrote the Company’s acclaimed adaptation of Beowulf (1990), A Short Hike on a Long Trail (1998), Iceman (2000), and Stix & Stonz (2005). A versatile theater artist with backgrounds in music, movement and design, he also has been a teaching artist for ArtsINTERsection, Young Artists’ Theater Lab, and Reaching All the Learners Through the Arts. Nick holds an M.A. in Dramatic Theory, Literature and Criticism from Michigan State University and a B.A. from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University.
Sarah Rugo
Production Manager
Sarah joined Metro Theater Company in 2004. Originally from Pennsylvania, Sarah completed her B.F.A. in Music Theatre from Shenandoah Conservatory in Virginia. After graduation, Sarah had a year-long stage management internship at Lexington Children’s Theatre in Kentucky. Prior to starting her duties at Metro Theater Company, Sarah served as Production Stage manager for two seasons at Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre.
Nancy Tonkins
Marketing Director
Nancy joined the Company in 2007 with a background in marketing, advertising, sales, and management. For more than 20 years, she worked for Bradburn School Supply, serving the educational community of St. Louis and the surrounding region. During that time, she become the director of advertising and then went on to work with a number of regional and national advertising agencies, as well as Fortune 500 companies. Nancy earned her B.A. in Art and Education from William Woods University. Her work with schools, young people, and the arts has continued to be her passion and inspiration.
David Warren
Development Director
David joined Metro Theater Company in 2008. His background includes education, communications, marketing and sales, and fundraising. David served for almost a decade on the staff of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, where he managed the website, developed communications and marketing for the annual meeting, and directed the corporate fundraising program. David has also taught writing and literature at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, served on the development team for computer-based education in data modeling at agpw, inc., and managed proposal development at Towers Perrin. David received his B.A. in Writing Seminars from the Johns Hopkins University and his Ph.D. in English from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
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