Meet The Board

Board of Directors

Laura Gouge, President

Laura has been honored to serve as TAP's President for the last two seasons. She has previously served on the Board as Secretary during the 67th season and the Vice President and Director of Audience Relations during the 68th-70th seasons. Laura has also been involved as TAP's Volunteer Coordinator and an assistant to the Director of Development. She served as Producer for TAP’s Singin’ in the Rain this season and Monty Python’s Spamalot (which unfortunately was cancelled due to the pandemic). Laura has a passion for the arts and enjoys watching a beautiful production come to life. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, cooking, and reading.  Email Laura.

Emily Rhodes, Vice President

Emily may be new to TAP, but she is not new to theatre. She got her BA in Theatre from James Madison University after serving as the President for APO (the theatre honors fraternity). Since graduating she spent time working professionally as an actor with the Missoula Children’s Theatre and a teaching artist and Production Manager at Keegan Theatre in DC. In 2021, she transitioned into the real estate realm and currently works as a full time Realtor, but hopes to dedicate her free time to helping TAP grow and thrive in our community. Email Emily.

Rachel Fine, Secretary

Rachael has been an active member of The Arlington Players since Fall 2018 when she joined the cast of The Hunchback of Notre Dame as a featured dancer and member of the congregation ensemble. Since then she has been involved with eight other TAP shows, most recently performing as Kathy Selden in Singin’ in the Rain. Rachael is extremely grateful to TAP for all of the opportunities, lessons, and friends she has gained from each performance, workshop, and TAPpy Hour. Rachael looks forward to increasing her involvement and giving back to the incredible organization that has given her so much! Email Rachel.

Mario Leone, Treasurer

A member of TAP since 2018, Mario is eager and honored to join the Board as Treasurer. Following his first performance in Sweeney Todd in 2018, he appeared onstage in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Curtains, and most recently Singin' in the Rain. In his previous terms as Treasurer, he has worked to simplify and streamline TAP's financial processes, and looks forward to continuing to do so! A native of Rostraver, PA, Mario found a second family through The Arlington Players and the local community theater scene and hopes to help others do the same. Mario currently works as an engineering manager at Capital One in McLean, VA. Email Mario.

Brittany Bolick, Director of Marketing

Brittany joined TAP in 2018 as a rehearsal swing for Arsenic and Old Lace and immediately knew she'd found a new home. The community was extremely welcoming to her, even as newcomers and truly valued the voices of its members. She loved the support and camaraderie during rehearsals, on stage, backstage, and in our larger community and she wants to continue to help TAP create and showcase amazing productions. She also a dance teacher at Dance Academy of Virginia and a student at Georgetown Law. Serving as Director for Audience Relations these past 2 seasons has been incredibly exciting for her as we've come back to doing live theatre. While our shows and audiences may have looked a little different, She has enjoyed working with individual patrons and the TAP team to make the audience experience as fulfilling as possible. Email Brittany Bolick.

Maureen Dawson, Development Director

Maureen has over 10 years experience working on the development side of many different organizations. One of the very first organizations where she worked as a development coordinator was capital partners for education. After that, she has written several grant proposals, some of them involved George Washington University and other associated professional organizations throughout her entire 20 years of work experience. She has an absolute passion for the arts and encourages innovative creativity. She feels honored to serve in this position by securing grants in the near future and doing whatever else she can to ensure the success of TAP.  Email Maureen.

Christopher Smith, Executive Producer

Christopher has been associated with TAP since 1995. He has worked in multiple artistic capacities including director, assistant director, technical director, choreographer, producer, set designer, master carpenter, and master electrician. He has performed in several productions including Nice Work If You Can Get It, Kiss Me Kate, Kiss of the Spider Woman, On the Town, Miracle Worker, Damn Yankees, Gypsy, and others. In addition, he has served the organization with previous tenures on the board as President, Secretary, Executive Producer, Director of Membership, Past President, and Director of Audience Relations. In 2008, The Arlington Players awarded him the Don and Marge Hopkins award for outstanding and consistent service to the organization and its' mission. Email Christopher.

Mel Gumina, Membership Director

A lifelong performer, Mel joined TAP in the summer of 2019, as a Silly Girl in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Through The Arlington Players, Mel finally found a theater family in the DC-Metro area and continued to work with TAP on shows until the Covid-19 pandemic, when she joined the board as Director of Membership. She is thrilled to be returning to the board to foster TAP's wonderful sense of community. Email Mel.

Steven Yates, Past President

Steven started working with TAP in 2008 with The Sweet Smell of Success as a stagehand. Other backstage credits include The Producers, Cabaret, 42nd Street, Promises, Promises, and A Chorus Line. He served as Stage Manager for Clybourne Park, A Streetcar Named Desire, and A Midsummer Night's Dream and Assistant Stage Manager for Nine, 9 to 5, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Man of La Mancha, She Loves Me, Pippin, and Sweeney Todd. He has also appeared on stage in A Little Night Music and Peter Pan. Steven has served on the Board for nine years, including three as President. Email Steven.

Alden Michels, Season Planning Director

Alden Michels is an actor, singer, director, and dialect coach who has worked in the DC area for the past 20 years. He helped to found and serve on the board of the Six Degree Singers, a community chorus in Silver Spring, Maryland that has lasted for over a decade.He has also served as the artistic director of the McClean Theatre Alliance. Alden has been a part of the TAP community as a performer, director, dialect coach, and volunteer over the past 5 years, contributing to 7 separate productions during that time. He is working to make a season that engages and enriches the community while providing the talented performers with great experiences that will make them ongoing TAP members. Email Alden.

Jean Hacken, Director of Community Outreach and Diversity

Jean always been passionate about theater. As a ten-year old, when asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” She answered “playwright” after she adapted The Tempest for a 5th grade class. In high school, she was too inhibited to audition for Helen Keller in the dining room scene of The Miracle Worker, so opted for backstage duties. Semi-retired from USG employment, she recently became active as a TAP volunteer helping with auditions, ushering, and season selection. Before that, she attended most of TAP performances, as well as those of other local theaters. Using an assessment report prepared by VentureHCM helped establish TAP’s vision for DEI&A, she has drafted roadmap of possible approaches, sources, and partners to increase diversity within the organization. She is working with other Board members to strategically target new participants for TAP by implementing the drafted roadmap and making refinements to it based on what is learned through listening and engaging TAP’s stakeholders.Email Jean.

Supporting Staff

Assistant Treasurer: Sally Flores

Costume Coordinator: Joan Lawrence

Graphic Designer: Matt Liptak

Hair & Make-up Coordinators: Robin Maline and Lanae Sterrett

Historian: Karen Toth

Props Coordinator: Allison Gray-Mendes

Salesforce Admin: Hayley Harnicher

Social Media Manager: Benton Felty

Social Chair: Tara Clinton

Sound Manager: Chris Kagy

Tech/Data Manager: Natalie Stevens