Staff & Board Members

Amy Spadafore - Managing Director

Amy was born and raised in Saginaw County. She holds a BS in Arts Management from Western Michigan University, is a stage manager by trade, a director by choice, and an actor by force. Amy was an active Pit & Balcony volunteer prior to taking the helm in 2016 and is a member of the Michigan Arts & Culture Council’s 2019 class of Rising Leaders. Amy is thoroughly engaged with the arts community and enjoys advocating for arts & culture initiatives on local, regional, and state levels, collaborating with economic developers, and creatively working toward a more vibrant, inviting, and inclusive community.

Amy sits on many local boards and committees including the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors, the Old Town Saginaw Business Association, and the Saginaw Downtown Development Authority. At the state level she is the Chair of the Programs Committee for the Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan as well as a Governor-appointed member of the Michigan Arts & Culture Council.

Amy believes in the power of art to inspire, create, connect, heal, and celebrate and is continuously seeking opportunities to creatively solve problems through collaboration and artful innovation. When she is not using art to change the world, Amy loves sports, cooking, painting, and any reason to be outside with her partner, Dylan, and her loyal sidekick, Orville the Theatre Pug – whom everyone knows is the real boss around here.

Trashan Donald - Box Office Manager

Trashan Donald is our newest addition to the team, as Box Office Manager, and is accompanied by her assistant, Theodora! Trashan has been an active member of the community theatres in the Great Lakes Bay Region for just under 5 years now. Prior to beginning her employment journey with Pit & Balcony, Trashan worked as a Registered Medical Assistant for 7 years where she enjoyed serving a diverse demographic of patients in various clinical settings. She is happy to be able to continue serving the community with Pit & Balcony Community Theatre.

Quinn Nichols - Technical Fellow

Quinn graduated from the Saginaw Valley State University theatre program in 2022 and is currently attending an online MLIS program at Wayne State University. On top of volunteering at Pit & Balcony since 2018 Quinn has been a devoted advocate and activist since 2016 and was just named the Chapter Leader for the Michigan Chapter of Insulin 4 All with T1 International. When not providing mutual aid to diabetics and organizing town halls, Quinn loves crocheting, reading, finding new video games to play, and writing.

Steve Hensley – Board President, Fund Development Committee Chair

Steve Hensley is a lifelong resident of Saginaw. Steve is a two-time graduate of Saginaw Valley State University where he holds a MA in Public Administration and a BA in Communication with minors in Business and English. Professionally, Steve is the Community and Economic Development Director for Saginaw Future, Inc., where his primary areas of responsibility include working with the Downtown Development Authority, (DDA) as well as Business Retention and Expansion — Corporate Watch Program. Additionally, Steve currently sits on the board of directors for Rescue Ministries of Mid-Michigan and the SVSU Alumni Association. His past involvements include serving as a volunteer and fundraiser for United Way of Saginaw County, Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, American Cancer Society, and is a past board member for Junior Achievement of North Central Michigan. Steve asservates "that in order to help advance the quality of life and a sense of place — community theatre is a catalyst to inspiring people, cultivating harmony while helping establish a more educated society." In his personal time, Steve and his wife Ashley are avid hockey fans as they enjoy attending Saginaw Spirit hockey games, experiencing new foods, biking, and traveling north to the Traverse City area.

Conner Wieland – Vice President

Conner is excited to be on the board at Pit & Balcony. He graduated from Saginaw Valley State University with his BA in Theatre. He has been a volunteer at Pit & Balcony for several years, most recently as Fight Choreographer for SWEAT. Conner is excited to be a part of this wonderful organization and watch it continue to grow and prosper. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, playing soccer and sitting under the warm sun.

Chad William Baker – Treasurer, Social Media Chair, Play Selection Committee Chair

Chad was born and raised in the Flint area and made his way up to the Great Lakes Bay to attend Saginaw Valley State University,earning a BA in Theatre in 2011. He returned to the Saginaw area in 2013 after spending a year and a half as a touring actor/puppeteer for Madcap Puppets in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was elected to the Board of Directors in 2015, where he has been Social Media Chair and a member of the play selection committee. Chad is also an actor and director, appearing onstage in productions with Pit & Balcony and Midland Center for the Arts and directing productions with Pit, Passion Theatre Group, and Bay City Players.

Hope Brown – Secretary, DEIC Chair

Hope Brown has been involved with Pit & Balcony Theatre since 2015. She’s been on stage in musicals and plays, and also directed and assistant stage managed. Hope likes to get involved in any way possible. She is passionate about growing a strong community that thrives through art and performance. Hope is excited to be a part of the Board at Pit & Balcony and continue to be involved in the wonderful city of Saginaw!

L'Oreal Hartwell – Board Member

L’Oreal Hartwell is an author and an entrepreneurial free spirit who was born in Detroit. She attained a Master of Science in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University, Orlando, and has ever since been active in the world of entrepreneurs, where she has helped many of them to build their digital presence with a variety of innovations. She has also created an insurance company with her husband, The Hartwell Mutual Group, and has helped countless families financially prepare for the future through life insurance, financial planning, annuities and other financial services.

L'Oreal is also a writer, something she has done for many years. In the past she has produced several blogs and written articles that have been featured on peer-reviewed sites. She has helped other authors to self-publish their books and also provides editing services, book cover design services and website development.

Her own book,The Gold Mind: Think & Grow Happy, Healthy & Wealthy,is designed to help readers realize their potential by exploring their limitless possibilities, instead of embracing self-imposed limitations, using simple, time-tested principles to unlock the power of the mind.

Today, L’Oreal lives in the small town of Freeland, Michigan, with her husband and their 5 children. When she isn’t working she enjoys plenty of family time and the fun side of life, playing card and board games, watching movies and riding roller coasters when she feels like having an adrenaline rush.

Matthew Kehoe – Board Member

Matt Kehoe has been involved with Pit & Balcony since 2016 and has been involved in numerous productions as an actor and props master. He has a BS in History from Eastern Michigan University and has been working for Morley Companies since coming to Saginaw from the Flint area in 2015.

In his spare time, Matt enjoys skiing, golf, travel, and spending time with his family.

Steve Jordan – Board Member

Steve was born in Baltimore, MD and moved to Saginaw in 1972. He received a degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Michigan. Steve has owned Barrett Sign Company in Old Town Saginaw for more than forty years. In his spare time, Steve enjoys playing golf and tennis and driving his classic Land Rover. Steve is a former board member of the CAN Council and current member of the Saginaw Country Club. He is proud of the direction that Pit & Balcony is moving, positively affecting the quality of life in Saginaw.

Jackie Keyser – Board Member

Jackie Keyser resides in Saginaw, where she was born and raised. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Spanish from Saginaw Valley State University, and a Master of Arts in Public Relations from Michigan State University. Jackie is the marketing project manager at MYMichigan Health, where she has worked for the past seven years, and serves on Pit & Balcony's Board of Directors as well as the Marketing Committee. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, cooking and reading.

Mary Madigan Spadafore – Board Member

Mary is a retired teacher of the Deaf, has been married to her husband Joe for more than 40 years, is the mother of 2 grown children, and a new grandmother. Mary volunteers as Pit & Balcony's unofficial gardener, an occasional actor, and performer of various odd jobs around the theatre. Outside of her work with Pit & Balcony, Mary serves as treasurer with her chapter of the philanthropic organization of Psi Iota Xi Sorority, volunteers with the after school program at First Ward Community Center in Saginaw, and is a life member of the University of Michigan Alumni Association.

David A. Lyman, PhD – Past President, Ex-Officio

Dave Lyman is an Industrial/Organizational psychologist who has been active in the arts since his first public vocal performance in kindergarten. He has a BA from Dakota Wesleyan University with a double major in psychology and sociology with a music minor. From the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he has an MA in Educational Psychology and Measurements and a PhD in Counseling Psychology.

Currently he is Lead Faculty in Process Improvement for Managers at the DeVos Graduate School in Northwood University. He is President of the Board for Pit & Balcony and was previously President of the Board of the Saginaw Choral Society for 5 years. He is married to Nancy Parker the President and Executive Director of the Saginaw Children’s Zoo.