The Monterey Peninsula Theatre Trust began existence originally as the Monterey Peninsula Community Theatre Charitable Trust created primarily to assist and endow the Theatre Arts program and its students at Monterey Peninsula College. Since moving on from the college, the new and vastly improved MPTT is now actively engaged in offering financial assistance and support to ALL qualified non-profit and post-secondary school Theatre, Dance and Musical Performance groups and organizations on the Monterey Peninsula.
Our goal is now to ensure that the not-for-profit organizations, schools and groups dedicated to providing high quality and engaging live performances to the deserving patrons of the Monterey Peninsula have a source of financial backing and outreach support. We are dedicated to seeing that such support helps to enliven and enlighten the performing arts on the Peninsula now and into the future.
Meet Our Board Members
Gary Bolen is retired from Monterey Peninsula College where he was chairman of the Theatre Arts Department for over 10 years. While he acted in over 20 productions during that time he is perhaps better known on the Peninsula as a director. Amongst his more memorable productions while at MPC Theatre was a record setting production of Les Miserables in 2013, Oklahoma in 2014 and his final production, Evita.
Dr. Seán Boulware is a sought-after conductor, adjudicator, clinician and vocalist throughout the United States and Europe. He is in demand as a consultant for choral organizations in the areas of chorus management, audience development, performance tours, and technology implementation. Recently Dr. Boulware was part of a prestigious team of Musicians and Scientists from Oxford University to complete and co-author studies for COVID Safe singing and Singers Mask Design. Sean has redesigned the possibility of choirs singing together virtually online as a means of continuing choral music in the Pandemic Era of 2020-2021. He is considered to be a foremost authority in Virtual Choir implementation and practicum and was conducting 5 choirs online during the US Lockdown in 2020 and the first half of 2021. Currently, Seán is back conducting live singers in most of his choirs. Seán has prepared choruses for conductors including, John Alexander, Seiji Ozawa, Gerald Wirth, Keith Lockhart and John Rutter. He has also prepared choirs to sing with Josh Groban, Michael McDonald, Tommy Sims, Keith and Kristyn Getty. In 2012, Sean conducted the Monterey Peninsula Choral Society at the Summer Olympic Games in London, England.
Seán conducts choirs and orchestras regularly at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Seán will be conducting Easter at Carnegie Hall in April 2022. Internationally, Sean has conducted choirs and seminars in Italy, Hungary, England, Scotland, Ireland, Austria, Romania, Czech Republic, The Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Brazil, and Japan. In 2022 Dr. Boulware will be returning to Italy to conduct the California Central Coast Choral on his 22nd performance tour. Seán’s choirs can be heard on iTunes, CDbaby.com and Sound Cloud. He was honored by American Idol as the conductor for the most requested/downloaded Classical Group for 2005-2007.
As a vocalist, Seán has appeared with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Los Angeles Renaissance Consort and others. He has toured nationally with productions of Les Misérables and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He also enjoys directing and performing in local theater productions.
Seán is currently the Conductor of the Monterey Peninsula Voices, Aria Women’s Choir, The California Central Coast Chorale, Novus Diem Chorale, and the new professional choir, Inspirare, from Monterey. He also teaches music theater at Pacific Grove Middle School and High School. He lives in Pebble Beach, CA with his wife, Michelle, and their two sons. He has studied with Dr. Lynn Bielefelt, Dr. Joseph Flummerfelt, Dr. James Jordan, Rodney Eichenberger, Dr. Steven Grahl, Dr. James Potter, John Alexander, Paul Mayo and Shirley Nute.
Faith Collins–Beety grew up doing theatre on the Monterey Peninsula. She studied under Morgan Stock and Peter DeBono and graduated from MPC majoring in Theatre Arts going on to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts –West. Faith received her B.A. Degree in Acting and did post graduate work in Acting, Directing and Make-Up Design at Humboldt State University. She went on to do theatre productions in Seattle and Houston.
Eric and Teresa Del Piero
Eric and Teresa Del Piero have served on the Trust Board since 2014. They were named “Champions of the Arts” for philanthropy in 2012 by the Arts Council for Monterey County. Eric was born and raised in Monterey County and returned in 1985 to open his ophthalmology practice. He served as president of the Monterey County Medical Society twice and he was a Trustee of the California Medical Association. Eric is passionate about early California art and also served on the Monterey Museum of Art Board.
Teresa graduated from Boston University with a BFA in Acting. Soon after moving to Monterey with Eric, she was appointed to the newly formed Monterey County Film Commission and served as it’s president twice. Teresa also served on the Board of Directors of the Monterey County Theatre Alliance and the Carmel Art and Film Festival. She has performed on many of our local stages and is a member of SAG-AFTRA.
Jennifer Newman is an Advanced Placement English teacher by day and an actor and singer by night. She has performed at many theatres in the area including: MPC, The Western Stage, and Pacific Repertory Theatre. She earned her degree in Theatre Arts from California State University, Sacramento. She also served on the board of directors for S.T.A.R. Foundation of Monterey. She was raised in a home where philanthropy is priority and a passion. She spends her summers either traveling the world performing with a choir or acting locally.
Walt deFaria, producer, writer, director. DeFaria’s career encompasses motion pictures, television and theatre. He directed Taffeta Christmas, A Year With Frog and Toad, Anything Goes and Funny Girl The Concert at MPC. He has directed yearly musicals at the outdoor Forest Theater such as Peter Pan, Oliver, Beauty and The Beast, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, Hello, Dolly. He and the late Steve Tosh wrote ten youth oriented musicals. He owned the rights to The Borrowers books out of which he produced two motion pictures and television movies, a television series with the BBC and a theatrical musical. His productions have received 11 national Emmy nominations and won three plus an international Emmy award and two Cable Ace awards. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.