Steven Meerdink (Co-Founder / Artistic Director)
Steven moved to the Twin Cities in 1981 to pursue theatre opportunities. Since then, he has had the great fortune to work as a performer, costume designer, choreographer and director with many area theatres such as Theatre In The Round, The Guthrie, Minnetonka Theatre, Lakeshore Players, Paul Bunyan Playhouse, Theatre L'Homme Dieu, Plymouth Playhouse, Centre Stage, Chimera Theatre, Dudley Riggs ETC, Phipps Center for the Arts and Cricket Theatre. Steven has received critical acclaim for his costume designs for Minnie's Boys at Centre Stage; Breaking the Code at Theatre In The Round; and MMT's productions of When Pigs Fly and La Cage aux Folles. In 1989, he assumed the role of Director for Totino-Grace High School's Theatre Program (a role he continues to fill today). Steven held the position of Artistic Director at the Paul Bunyan Playhouse, a professional summer stock theatre in Bemidji, Minnesota, for six summers (1995-2000). As co-founder and Artistic Director of the Minneapolis Musical Theatre, he has directed all of MMT’s productions with the exception of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Secret Garden, Summer of '42 and La Cage aux Folles. In 2006, he made his first venture into writing a show (Bitter Boy's Musical Journey From Negative To Positive), which was performed at the 2006 Minnesota Fringe Festival. Steven attended Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa for Theatre Arts and Speech Communications.
Dennis E. Hansen is an attorney in the business litigation group at Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly, LLP. He obtained his undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln in 2003. In 2006 he earned a law degree, cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Kevin Hansen is co-founder of the Minneapolis Musical Theatre where he directed the area premiere of Summer of '42, served as musical director for far too many productions to count, and appeared onstage in a variety of MMT shows (including being awarded Best Actor in a Musical, Lavendar Magazine for his portrayal of Albin/ZaZa in MMT's La Cage aux Folles). Kevin is a graduate of the University of Minnesota-Morris with degrees in both Theatre and Music and has over 20 years executive experience in the Human Resources field.
Christine Karki is a freelance actor, director and theatre teacher. She has appeared on stage with many local companies including Actors Theater of Minnesota, Commonweal Theatre Company, The Great American History Theatre, Hennepin Stages, Hey City Theater, Park Square Theatre, Troupe America and Minneapolis Musical Theatre. As a director, Christine has worked with several local schools and community theatres including Lyric Arts Company and The Brooklyn Teen Community Theatre, where she was Artistic Director for two years. Christine is a licensed English and Theatre Arts teacher and currently works as a Retreat Director for Youth Frontiers.
Carol Maher is a senior manager in the public sector group at Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Accounting from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2001.
Noel Schenker is a business and marketing consultant who has held executive positions at several consumer-products companies. She holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and a BA in journalism from the University of Minnesota. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Halo Innovations, Inc.
Scott Sisel has worked as a financial executive in a variety of roles over the past 25 years. Currently, a partner at Eide Bailly LLP, Scott leads the Healthcare practice in the Minnesota/Wisconsin region as well as leading the business development activities on a National basis relative to Health Systems. He has his undergraduate degree in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and has served on a number of non-profit boards including the Indianapolis Repertory Theatre and Fairmount Center for the Fine Arts.
Daniel R. Tenenbaum is an attorney at Gray Plant Mooty and the Co-Chair of the firm's Entrepreneurial Services Group. He completed his undergraduate study at Brandeis University, cum laude, in 1987 and received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1990.
