Staff

Beryl Jolly (she/her)
Chief Executive Officer

Madeline Meszaros (she/her)
Administration Manager

Paul Reagan (he/him)
Director of Operations

Jared Strange (he/him)
Director of Education and Community Programs

Carey Lavallee (she/her)
Director of Administration

Damian Sinclair (he/him)
Director of Development

Consultants

Kevin Allen Photo, Photographer
Carolyn Donarski, Graphic Design Advisor
Gold Dog Communications, Creative Advisor
Wendy Shay, Archivist

Learn more about our amazing partners that make our free community and educational programs possible.

Teens Behind the Scenes

Meet the TBTS Dramaturgs who bring their artistry and expertise to hundreds of students each season.

Community Stage Connections

Get to know our Roster of Artists who share their talents with audiences who otherwise face barriers to accessing the performing arts.

Saturday Morning Live!

Check out the artists lighting up our 2024-25 season for small children and their families, all united under the theme of Beyond Borders: What Brings Us Together?

Beryl Jolly serves as CEO of The National Theatre Foundation, ensuring the preservation and vitality of one of the most illustrious and historical theatres in the country. Ms. Jolly was previously a Vice President at The Trustees of Reservations, overseeing cultural properties throughout Massachusetts. She also served as the Executive Director of the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, presenting headliner talents of diverse genres to hundreds of thousands of audience members.

Ms. Jolly has worked in management roles in theatres on and off-Broadway, and in fundraising and development at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). She received a Massachusetts Senate Citation for fifteen years of superior artistic leadership as Executive Director of the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center and served on the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission’s Economic Development Strategy Committee. She currently serves on the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires Board of Directors.

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Photo by Christine Lane Photography

Madeline Meszaros joined NTF as Executive Assistant in January 2023. Since taking on additional responsibilities such as HR and finance, Madeline was promoted to Administration Manager in September 2023. Madeline is an experienced arts administrator and educator with a passion for supporting the arts community in the D.C. metro area. She has worked as an educator in voice and acting at West Virginia University and in drama in Prince George’s County. Most recently, Madeline served as the Cultural Arts Manager at the Pozez Jewish Community Center in Fairfax, Virginia. While at “The J”, she assisted in programming their Performing Arts Series, Literary Series, the Northern Virginia Jewish Film Festival, and the Reel-Abilities Film Festival. Additionally, she assisted with the exhibit curation of the Bodzin Art Gallery. Madeline is a seasoned performer in both theatre and music and continues to enjoy performing in her spare time. Madeline holds her M.F.A. in Acting from West Virginia University and her B.A. in Theatre from Appalachian State University.

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Photo by Kevin Allen Photo

Damian Sinclair returns to the Washington DC arts community as the Director of Development for the National Theatre Foundation. Previously, he founded the Capital Fringe Festival in the Nation’s capital to create an outlet for artists to experiment. Additionally, he helped open two new performance venues with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and Arena Stage. He is the author of The Simple Art of Fundraising, a book designed to give artists the confidence to go out and raise the financial support they need. He has worked with and supported some of the country’s most exciting groups including: Philadelphia’s Pig Iron Theatre Company, New Paradise Laboratories, Headlong Dance Theater; Austin’s Rude Mechs; Humboldt County’s own Dell Arte and numerous other artists and groups.

Carey comes to the National Theatre Foundation bringing experience as an arts administrator, non-profit financial manager, and theatre professional. Her background includes a BFA in Music Theatre from Shenandoah Conservatory and an MS in Arts Administration from Boston University. She began her career as an Equity stage manager, theater rentals coordinator and assistant box office manager. Upon receiving her master’s degree, she served as Manager of Music Department Operations at George Washington University, and Fiscal Operations Manager with the Corcoran School of Arts and Design, and she most recently comes to us from Green Hedges School where she was Director of Finance and Operations.

Jared Strange joined The National Theatre Foundation as the Education and Community Programs Manager in May of 2023, and previously worked as Dramaturg for Teens Behind the Scenes from 2019 to 2022. He holds a PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Maryland, where he was a Mary Savage Snouffer fellow, and an MFA in Playwriting from Texas Tech University, where he later served as the Arts Coordinator for the $24.5million East Lubbock Promise Neighborhood Grant. Jared writes locally for Washington City Paper and DC Theatre Arts; his articles and reviews can also be found in American Theatre magazine, 3Views on Theater, Theatre Research International, Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, Comparative Drama, and Theatre Journal. As a playwright, dramaturg, and director, Jared specializes in new play development, audience engagement, and educational programming, and has developed projects across the United States and in Europe. His educational career has seen him teach students of all ages, devise and implement a range of arts enrichment programs, and work locally with such organizations as Young Playwrights’ Theater.

Photo by Kevin Allen Photo

Paul Reagan brings a wealth of experience to his role as Director of Operations at the National Theatre Foundation, having assumed the position in December 2023. Before joining our organization, he served as the Operations Director at Arena Stage, where his responsibilities included the oversight of capital projects and daily building operations.

Paul played a pivotal role in the successful reopening of the theater in 2021, demonstrating his adept management skills in ensuring the safety of both patrons and staff. His tenure at Arena Stage was marked by his leadership in executing renovations and capital projects, thereby elevating the overall experience for both patrons and staff members.

With a proven track record of effective operations management and a commitment to enhancing the operational efficiency of cultural institutions, his expertise and dedication contribute significantly to the advancement of our organization’s mission and objectives.

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