Megan Knowlton Balne
Artistic Director
Megan has been involved in the performing arts since she was four years old, beginning with ballet and ultimately transitioning into musical theatre and drama. From The Nutcracker, to Hello Dolly, to Harold Pinter, Megan has always loved telling a story to an audience.
Megan earned her theatre degree from Ramapo College, where she met her husband, Tommy Balne. Megan concentrated her studies on directing which culminated in Megan directing an original, all student-designed production. Megan has continued her passion for the arts by working in several community and regional arts organizations in the tri-state area, as director, actor, stage manager, dramaturg and producer. Megan also has an extensive background in educational theatre and has instructed hundreds of students in the art of theatrical performance.
“Human. Alive. Capable of thought and feeling and action. Now here comes the vital part of my question. What are you going to do about it?”
- Tennessee Williams
Tommy Balne
Managing Director
Tommy’s love for the stage began at age six on a family trip to Opryland. Sitting in the audience at an outdoor amphitheater, Tommy was chosen to participate in their wild west show. He was taken back stage, costumed and explained the scene to come. When it was time, he was lifted onto a saloon bar counter which spun onto the stage, suddenly in front of thousands of people. The scene unfolded, culminating in a joke where Tommy executed the punchline. The audience erupted into laughter. That was the start; the power these words had to elicit an emotional response from so many people would stick with him forever.
Tommy majored in theatre focusing on acting at Ramapo College, where he met his wife, Megan Knowlton. But his passion extended beyond the stage, excelling at patron services. Tommy began with supervising his home-town movie theatre, quickly became quintessential in running his college theatre Box Office at The Berrie Center, and managed the Box Office at the Shakespeare Theatre of NJ before moving to South Jersey. He has also helped other non-profit theatre companies set up and run their Box Offices and Patron Services.
“We cannot know what will occur. Just make the journey worth the taking.”
- Stephen Schwartz