Artistic and Executive Leadership
Mary Nye Bennett
Executive Artistic Director
Mary Nye Bennett, a proud Georgia native, has spent the past 20 years as a professional in the artistic community. She graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2001 with a BFA in Musical Theatre performance. She incredibly proud to call this city her home and is grateful to live in a city with such a strong and vibrant Artistic community. Locally, she has performed at the Atlanta Lyric Theatre, the Alliance Theatre, Actors Express, Theatre in the Square and the Aurora theatre. In 2012, Mary joined the Lyric administrative staff as Director of Education and Development. In December of 2016, Mary was selected to take over as Artistic Director of the Lyric. She is thrilled to be tasked with delivering the highest quality entertainment to her patrons as well as providing enriching artistic opportunities the great talent in this city!
Colt Chambers
Managing Director
Colt Chambers, a native of Northwest Georgia, brings nearly 10 years of combined experience in nonprofit and operations management, fundraising and development, and arts administration and advocacy. Prior to joining the Atlanta Lyric Theatre family, he served as Director of Development for The Georgia Ballet, leading the organization’s fundraising and contributed revenues activities, and as Director of Operations for American Fabrication Services, overseeing the day-to-day business operations of the company. In August 2019, Colt was appointed by Governor Kemp to serve as a Council Member for the Georgia Council for the Arts. He is an active board member of Calhoun’s GEM Theatre, the Harris Art Center Theatre Committee, and an advisory member of the Marietta Arts Council. He previously served as Board President of the International Music and Entertainment Association, an advocacy organization for entertainment professionals, and is an active member of Americans for the Arts, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), and the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Prior to receiving his undergraduate degree in Business Administration and Human Resources Management from Northern Arizona University, he studied Vocal Performance at Shorter University. He is currently completing his MA in Arts Administration through the University of Kentucky’s College of Fine Arts.
Artistic and Production Staff
Stephanie Polhemus
Production Manager
Stephanie Polhemus received a BA in Theatre from the University of West Georgia and an MFA in Scenic Design from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a freelance Scenic Designer, Props Designer, and Stage Manager who has worked with Williamstown Theatre Festival, Georgia Shakespeare, Serenbe Playhouse, the Atlanta Lyric Theatre, and Georgia Ensemble Theatre among others. She is also currently the Resident Scenic Designer at Georgia Ensemble Theatre. She came to the Lyric after spending seven years teaching theatre at the University of West Georgia. She first worked with the Lyric in 2011 as a Props Designer and is thrilled to be joining the Lyric team full-time!
Joey Swift
Technical Director
Skylar Burks
Casting Director
Skylar received a BFA in Stage Management from Boston University and a minor in Sound Design. She is a Stage Manager, Casting Director, Prop and Sound Designer working at the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Lyric Theatre, and Atlanta Opera primarily. Skylar is thrilled to be joining the Lyric team as Resident Stage Manager and so lucky to be able to work with the best creative minds within the Atlanta theatre community.
Administrative Staff
Bobby Coe
Marketing Manager
Joseph Green
Box Office Coordinator
Joseph is a Detroit native and a graduate of Saginaw Valley State University. He majored in Theatre with a minor in writing. Joseph has been working in theatre as an actor and director for over ten years, primarily in his home state of Michigan. He is excited to be working with the Lyric and the Metro-Atlanta arts community.
Troy Parker
House Manager
Troy Parker is an Atlanta based actor, creative and performance driven Marketing, Communications, and Development professional. He received his BFA in Musical Theatre Performance from Reinhardt University in 2013. Locally, he has performed at The Atlanta Lyric Theatre, 7 Stages, Fabrefaction Theater, The Wallace Buice Theatre Company, Stone Mountain Park and Telltale Children’s Theatre. He has over eighteen years of Administrative and Management experience along with nine years of Marketing, Public Relations and Development/Sales experience. Previously he worked as the Marketing Coordinator and Filming Liaison for Herschend Family Entertainment’s Stone Mountain Park, the Office Manager for the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies at Kennesaw State University, and as the Assistant General Manager of the Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre. Currently he works full time as the Associate Director of Corporate Relations for United Way of Greater Atlanta. At the Lyric, he also worked as a Stage Manager before transitioning over to serving the fan-FREAKIN-tastic and delightful patrons of the theater as the House Manager.
Board of Directors
Monica Gwinn
Co-Chair
AT&T, Retired
Patti Schoettler
Co-Chair
Independent Agent, AFLAC
Patrick Mihalik
Vice Chair
Lighting Designer, Newcomb & Boyd
Paula Grothe
Treasurer
Retired CPA
William A. Kiser, Ed.D
Secretary
Assoc. Professor, Retired Educator
David Persson
Past Chair
CEO, The School Box, Inc.
Tim Blumentritt
Assoc. Professor, KSU
Kristen Delaney
VP of Marketing and Corporate Communications, Cobb EMC
Russel Forde
Int. Business Consultant, Self Employed
Lora Helt
Chief Growth Officer, Punchlist, USA
Mason Jordan
Marketing Director, Marietta Visitor’s Bureau
Maddox Kilgore
Attorney, Kilgore & Rodriguez
Hillary Smith
Sr. Manager, Bennett & Thrasher
Lynn Stevens
Attorney, Lynn Stevens Law
Joseph Stockman
Consultant, Raise the Bar Coach
Holly Thomas
National Director, Human Resources, KPMG
Cathey Turner
Firm Administrator, Hall Booth Smith Attorneys
Vickie Zuffoletti
Human Resources, GE
