White Heron Theater Company

LYNNE BOLTON - Artistic Director

Lynne is a professional actor and director. She is the founder and president of the White Heron Theater Company and the Nantucket Theatre Institute. White Heron Theatre was created to produce transformative productions of classical and emerging new plays with an emphasis on creating new work for the American stage.

Ms. Bolton is a member of the Yale Drama School Advisory Board and the Board of the Yale Repertory Theatre. She has served on the board of the Women’s Project, the nation's oldest and largest company dedicated to producing and promoting theater created by women. She has also served on the Advisory Board of the New York City Ballet and an advisory panel for the National Endowment for the Arts. She is member of the Board of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture.

Prior to launching her acting career, Ms. Bolton served as a public official in Washington, D.C., including press secretary to a cabinet secretary under President Reagan Ms. Bolton’s acting and directing credits include many regional and off-Broadway theatres. Her acting career began at Actor’s Theatre of Louisville in 1976 where she began performing as part of a resident company during the bicentennial.

MICHAEL KOPKO- Executive Director

Michael is the Executive Director of the White Heron Theatre Company. He is a 40-year resident of Nantucket. He was elected to two terms on the Board of Selectman and served as Chairman for 2 years. During that time he oversaw a $100 million municipal budget comprising large and sophisticated operating and capital projects and budgets. Michael has owned and managed a restaurant and a lodging establishment and is a professional musician. He was accepted to the Julliard School for acting and has worked as an actor and director in the theatre for over 35 years.

Directing credits include: Master Harold…and the Boys, Glengarry Glen Ross, Oleanna, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, A Streetcar Names Desire, Sylvia, Born Yesterday, The Fantastics, A Month in the Country and Boston Marriage.

Nantucket Theatre Institute

TIFFANY GALLO - Managing Director

Tiffany comes to White Heron and the Nantucket Theatre Institute with over 7 years of performance, directing and arts development / management experience. She received her BFA in theatre, with a concentration in Directing, from the University of Rhode Island.

Since graduating in 2005 Tiffany has found her “home” in Nantucket, both in a physical structure and in the warmth and support of the community. She is proud to share her passion for the arts with students, and the greater community. Tiffany loves collaborating with other artists and educators to create programs that fully realize the transformative power of the performing arts. When Tiffany isn’t at the theatre she and her husband are busy raising their three little natives.

JIMMY CALITRI - Resident Director

Jimmy Calitri (Director/ Actor) holds an A.D. in Studio Art and Design, a B.A. in Theater Performance, a B.A. in Art History and Design, and an M.F.A. in Performance in Society from Rhode Island College. He is a former adjunct faculty member and director in the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College Theatre Departments. Jimmy now holds the position of Managing Director of Theater/ Assistant Professor of Theater at Providence College.

Favorite past directing jobs include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Miss Julie, The Taming of the Shrew, Beauty & the Beast Jr. and A- MIRROR-CA: A Critical Burlesque on America’s Media-Driven Culture which was recently revived at RIC and received multiple awards at the KCACTF National acting competition in Washington DC including Best Conception of an Original Work, Best Playwriting, and Best Ensemble.

This summer Jimmy was hired by Ten31 Productions to direct a musical touring production of Alice in Wonderland, scheduled to travel to Dubai and throughout New England. Ten31’s production of Alice in Wonderland was revived in August of 2016 and again in January of 2017. Jimmy also wrote the adaptation of Alice in Wonderland for Ten31.