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WATERVILLE –The Waterville Opera House is pleased to announce Tamsen Brooke Warner has stepped into the spotlight with a new role — becoming the WOH executive director as of January 2017.
Warner replaces longtime WOH executive director Diane Bryan, who retired from her full-time role as executive director on Dec. 31 but will continue to act as an advisory consultant for the WOH through May 2017.
While Warner has held various positions with the WOH for the past five years, she has a much deeper history with the WOH going back to her youth when she attended the Missoula Children’s Theater Camp at the WOH and fell in love with the performing arts. Like many local youth, Warner left Waterville to attend college out of state; thankfully she returned home after receiving her bachelor’s degree in theater studies from the University of Connecticut in 2011.
Having worked with Connecticut Repertory Theatre, the Muny of St. Louis and Ogunquit Playhouse, Warner began freelancing for the WOH as a scenic painter and stage manager in 2012 before accepting the position of box office manager in 2014. She was promoted to assistant executive director in 2016, working under Bryan’s tutelage.
“I feel incredibly fortunate to be working for an organization that has been like a second home to me since I was a teenager,” Warner said. “This is an amazing opportunity. While I have big, very stylish shoes to fill as the incoming executive director, I’m passionate about continuing the astounding momentum achieved by Diane and the other members of our arts community. The Opera House is a family made of dedicated staff, talented artists and loyal patrons that I am proud to be a part of.”
As executive director, Warner will be continuing the success achieved by her predecessor. One of Bryan’s most remarkable accomplishments at the WOH was overseeing the capital campaign from 2008 to 2012, raising $5 million for WOH renovations to ensure the institution was prepared to meet the increasingly complex needs of the next generation of performance artists and their patrons.
“I’m excited to begin the next phase of my life and I have complete confidence we are leaving the legacy of the WOH in capable hands,” Bryan said. “I look forward to seeing the work Tamsen, the board, and the entire team create in the years to come. They’re a talented group.”
“Under Diane’s leadership, the WOH has become a vibrant and important cultural presence with a statewide reputation for excellence,” Board President Jim Laliberty said. “She put the WOH on the map with unparalleled and creative programming. We are lucky to have someone with Tamsen’s substantial talent and energy, and we look forward to working with her as she builds on Diane’s impressive accomplishments and implements her own vision for the future of the WOH — these are exciting times for Waterville and the WOH.”
