Interested in serving on the MMT Board of Directors? Click here to learn more.
MMT Board of Directors:
Abe Gabor is a long-time educator and theater nerd. He has taught elementary school for over 20 years in both Wisconsin and now in Minnesota. His passion for theater started in 8th grade and has grown ever since. Over the past 30 years Abe has experimented with many parts of the world that is technical theater, but nowadays you’ll most commonly see him designing or running sound. Abe started working with MMT during “Happy Days – A New Musical” back in 2014, those were the days. He has also worked on boards for art festivals, small music festivals, and other theater organizations. www.abegabor.com
Katelyn Grantz joined the board in November 2025. Previously she worked for a musical theater education company based in NYC as well as house managed several Off-Broadway productions. More recently she served as the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the Fairmont Opera House in Southern MN. She has a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from Western Michigan University and has performed in various regional theaters around the country, but in recent years has discovered great joy in nurturing her love of theater in an administrative capacity. As a newer transplant she greatly enjoys the vast artistic and outdoor culture that the Twin Cities have to offer.
Joe Hendren (he/him) served as Artistic Director of MMT from 2018-2023. During his tenure, MMT produced a number of critical and audience favorites, such as “Daddy Long Legs,” “Be More Chill,” “Hands on a Hardbody,” and “Othello: The Remix.” Prior to filling MMT’s Artistic Director role, he was a part of such MMT hits as “Evil Dead: The Musical,” “Gilligan’s Island: The Musical,” and “Happy Days – A New Musical.” Joe has a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Hamline University and has been active in the Twin Cities theatre community for more than 20 years as a director, actor, playwright, producer, and designer. He is also the founding Producer and Artistic Director of TheatreX. Joe joined the MMT Board in 2023 following his decision to step down as Artistic Director.
Chris Hoppe – Bio to come!
Christy Johnson (Board Chair) joined the board in October 2022, and she is a local actor, singer, and freelance sound designer. She has performed companies across the twin cities. Some of her favorite roles included “Hands on a Hardbody (MMT), “It’s a Wonderful Life” (Lyric Arts), “46 First Ladies (Theatre Pro Rata), “Little Mermaid” (4 Community Theatre), “Flight” (Minnesota Opera), “Big River” “Clue” (Lakeshore Players), “Burial at Thebes” (Guthrie Theatre), among many others. She received her MBA in Digital Marketing Experience from the University of St Thomas.
Daniel Lundin – Bio to come!
Andrew Newman (Executive Director) is a local singer and actor in the Twin Cities. He has performed with many companies, including Minneapolis Musical Theatre, Park Square, Artistry, Theatre in the Round and more. Some of his favorite MMT experiences include performing in “Daddy Long Legs,” “Happy Days,” “Evil Dead: The Musical,” “Big River” and “Zanna, Don’t!” Additionally, he assistant directed “Bare” in 2011 and directed “Songs for a New World” in 2016. By day, he works in development at the Minnesota Children’s Museum. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BA in Journalism, and his writing has appeared in City Pages and the Star Tribune, among other places.
Russ Rubin joined the board in February 2021. He has been attending MMT productions for years and often dreamed about serving on the board. Previously Russ served on the board of Theatre de la Jeune Lune for 6 years and on the board of Impossible Salt for 5 years. Russ was born and raised in Connecticut and saw his first Broadway musical at the age of 8 at his parents’ insistence. Russ got his B.S. and M.S. at Carnegie-Mellon University where he saw a fair share of theater. Before retiring, Russ worked at General Mills as the Head of International Consumer Insights. Russ and his wife, Karen, love to travel. Russ is closing in on 80 countries visited.
Kathryn Slusher joined the board in the spring of 2019, after attending an impressive performance of “Be More Chill.” She is a producer at Minnesota Public Radio, where she currently leads the production team at the nationally-broadcast classical music program “Performance Today.” She had previously worked for the radio programs “Live From Here,” “A Prairie Home Companion,” and “Pop Vultures,” and spent several years at Open Eye Theatre, where she managed the Driveway Tour – the theatre’s community-building travelling puppet show tour. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Kathryn was educated in music, theatre and modern dance at Winona State University and holds a Master’s degree in music performance from the University of Minnesota.
Daniel R. Tenenbaum is the Chair of the Emerging Companies and Entrepreneurs Group at the Lathrop GPM law firm. 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. When he’s not helping entrepreneurs build businesses, he can often be found seeing musicals (he’s seen over 800 unique musicals). He has also written a children’s musical, “Pickle-Chiffon Pie: The Musical,” based on the original ’60s book by Jolly Roger Bradfield, which had its world premiere in 2022, with subsequent productions. He is also currently the Chair of the Board at Hennepin Arts.
Molly Weibel Ulring (she/her) is a creative based out of Saint Paul, Minnesota! She worked professionally in the Twin Cities theater scene for almost a decade, focusing on Marketing/Communication and Education with theaters such as Yellow Tree Theater, Lakeshore Players Theatre, and Lyric Arts. In 2024, Molly moved from working in theater to photography full-time. She now works with theaters across the Twin Cities, both education and professional, as a production photographer documenting stage performances in theater, music, and dance. In addition, she specializes in headshots for actors and publicity photos for upcoming productions. Molly is also a freelance graphic designer and combines both her photography and design work as part of her business, Molly Jay Photography & Design. When Molly is not living the life of a full-time freelancing artist, she enjoys spending time with her husband and dog, weightlifting, speed puzzling, painting with watercolors, and reading. She loves taking classes with Saint Paul Community Education and proudly supports her local library!