William Skaggs is excited to have moved with his family to Sarasota in 2020 to join The Players. A two-time graduate of Western Kentucky University (WKU)
with a BA in Music and an MBA, William embraces a broad view of the value of the arts to a community via entertainment, education, and economic impacts. Prior to The Players, Mr. Skaggs career has included work as Chief Development Officer for Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center (SKyPAC), concurrent appointments as Director of Annual Giving and Director of Alumni Resources at WKU, and as a Financial Advisor.
Jill Franxman, a long-time Sarasota visitor who recently became a full-time resident, joins The Players after an illustrious 24-year career with Procter & Gamble as a Senior Director in Finance & Accounting. Following her time at P&G, Jill earned an MA in Arts Administration from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and an MBA with a marketing concentration from the same school’s Lindner College of Business. She served as the National Program Manager for two groundbreaking programs of The Educational Theatre Association followed by service as a marketing professional in secondary education.
Amanda Heisey has been performing since she was a child. She has a Bachelors of Journalism from The University of Missouri and after working for various news outlets finally returned to her passion for the arts. Amanda was the Communications Manager for The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County before coming to work at The Players, starting with the theatre as a volunteer actor. As Marketing Director for The Players Centre and acting teacher for The Players Studio, Amanda relishes supporting what she considers her home theatre. Favorite stage credits include: Green in SHOUT! The Mod Musical, Maggie in Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, Anna in Burn This, Linda in Blood Brothers, Magenta in The Rocky Horror Show, Olive in Bullets Over Broadway, Gillian in Bell, Book and Candle and Demeter in Cats.
Morgan Gerhart joined The Players Centre for Performing Arts, as their first development professional with the organization and leading their Center Stage Capital Campaign
to build a new performing arts facility. She has 10 years in Nonprofit Fundraising and over 20 years as a volunteer in various non-profits in FL, CT, NJ and Scotland. Prior to finding her heart in fundraising, Gerhart spent 25+ years in Hospitality and Tourism working with companies such as Sheraton, Marriott, Ramada and local, independent resorts and restaurants. She is one of the first American graduates of the University of St. Andrews, Scotland and was accepted there because she was the first female bagpiper in an all male band in her hometown of Ramsey, NJ. Gerhart held prior positions with Girls Inc. of Sarasota County as Director of Advancement, Goodwill Manasota as Director of Development, and the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce as Membership Services Director.
Brian Finnerty started at TPC/S as an instructor and social media coordinator. Now he’s glad to be the new production coordinator! Brian F. Finnerty has directed, choreographed, and performed in many successful productions throughout Sarasota County. He’s also an instructor here for PK Next Gen, The Players Follies, and Players Tap Co. After being a competition dancer through the age of 17, he shifted his love toward musical theatre where he attended Booker High’s VPA program and Point Park University’s Conservatory for Performing Arts. Directorial and/or choreography credits include; YANK! A WWII Love Story, Silence: The Musical, Reefer Madness, SHOUT! The Mod Musical, All Shook Up, Hello, Dolly!,the area premier of Head Over Heels, SHREK the Musical, and most recently, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and The SpongeBob Musical with Dingbat Theatre Project. Brian has been seen onstage at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Arundel Barn Playhouse, and with Plump Sisters Productions. Along with working at The Players Centre & Studio, he also works for Dingbat Theatre Project, where he acts as the Associate Artistic Director and Social Media Manager.
Georgina Willmott has been in the US since 1981 when she arrived with a suitcase, $300 and her sewing machine. Although educated
as an English Literature teacher in Oxford, England she pursued a career in Human Resources Management for 18 years, before returning to her childhood passion of making costumes. She has been designing and sewing for theatre for the past 13 years and has worked at the Players since 2015. She has occasionally been known to tread the boards also in productions of the Island Players, the Island Chapel Players and was last seen as Ms.TV and Grandma Josephina in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She joined the Players team as Costume Manager in September 2018, where she loves how costumes bring the actors’ characters alive!
Paul Mathias, originally from West Palm Beach, Florida, joins the community theatre after a diverse background in retail operations, audio-visual production and theatre production. Mathias has worked as an audio-visual engineer for the past seven years with various organizations locally and across the state. Notably, his experience with the renowned Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will help ensure The Players continues to bring the professionalism and accessibility it’s become known for.
Matt Neier is a graduate of Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, MI with a BFA in Acting/Directing with a minor in Communication Studies.
He moved to Sarasota in 2014 and has worked as a stage manager, electrician, carpenter and teacher since then. Matt has worked on over 100 productions since 2010 in many different capacities some recent credits include; Lighting Design: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Wiz (Manatee School for the Arts) and Zap! Bang! Pow! An Improvised Super Hero Adventure (Florida Studio Theatre) Stage Management: The CardShark w/Jason Michaels, Come Fly With Me: The Sammy Cahn Songbook, and Over the River and Through the Woods (ASM) (Florida Studio Theatre) Directing credits include: Pretenders, God of Carnage, The Fullness of Life, Spotlight and The Loveliest Afternoon of the Year.
Gretchen Beaumier is a Sarasota native and a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Previously, her talents in teaching, lighting design, scenic design, administration, and more have led to her working at various local arts organizations like Venice Theatre, Dingbat Theatre Project, Sarasota Jewish Theatre, and Asolo Repertory Theatre. In her free time, she enjoys playing video games and spending time with her amazing partner, Luke.
Logan is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan, New York where he trained in theater dance, voice, and acting. He also trained as a character performer, puppeteer, and competitive ballroom dancer. In total he is versed in over seventeen different forms of dance, music theory and overall live theatre design. He has performed in numerous shows, both on professional and community stages. He assisted in designing multiple haunted experiences with Big Dreamer Productions and toured with Sesame Street Live’s USO continental tour.
