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Jan Williams ~ Executive Board Member
President & Artistic Director
Jan is the Founder of the Hopebox Theatre and Owner/Director of Showstopper Productions, a performing arts academy for children. Jan is also part owner of Bright Star Academy preschool in Layton. She is a 4 time cancer survivor and with her husband Eric have raised 6 incredible children. (2 biological sons & 4 adopted daughters) She is also grandma to 3 beautiful grand daughters. Her favorite thing to do is be with her family. Jan has been a Producer, Director, Choreographer, Musical Director, Set Designer, & Costume Designer for countless shows since 2008. She studied Piano, Voice, Dance & Cosmetology. She enjoys painting, reading, board games, playing pickle ball, boat surfing and other creative outlets. Jan is a very active member in her church & community. She has a passion and drive for the mission of the Hopebox and loves working together with the amazing people she gets to rub shoulders with.
Email: JanShowstoppers@gmail.com
Derek Raynor ~ Executive Board Member
Grant Writing & Technical Director
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Derek has been involved with theatre since Junior High School. He joined the audio-visual club in hopes of getting out of class to help set up the sound system for various school events. He soon realized how much he enjoyed it and decided to pursue it further. He attended and received a theatre arts degree from Southern Utah University. He has worked for Royal Caribbean, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Chautauqua Theatre Company, and numerous events in New York City including: fashion week, off-Broadway productions, window displays, and special events. He also enjoys doing the rigging for concerts.
Derek says, “Being a part of Hope Box Performing Arts has been an extremely humbling experience. Actively seeing how good people are in the world is a blessing and a boost to my spirit. I am so grateful to be part of such a great cause and have been lifted up by the amazing people that have come through the theatre, including: patrons, actors, technical staff, production staff, board members, and volunteers.”
Email: dcraynor@gmail.com
Bill McGuire ~ Volunteer Board of Directors
Treasurer
Bill graduated from BYU and the J. Reuben Clark Law School. He spent 34 years with the Davis County Attorney's Office working as a prosecutor and the Civil Division. His wife Diana, a retired professor at BYU, have 5 children and 23 grandchildren. They were introduced to Hope Box Theatre by their Daughter Natalie. Bill has be especially touched by the purpose of the theatre to aid families and victims of cancer. "The Hope Box truly provides an avenue where we all can give more of ourselves while being entertained at the same time."
Email: Treasurer@HopeboxTheatre.com
Chad Knavel ~ Volunteer Board of Directors
Fundraising & Brand Management Director
Chad has been involved with the Hopebox as a volunteer board member since 2019 when he visited the theater for the first time and became captivated with its mission. He is passionate about making a difference for those battling cancer having had many family & friends affected with this terrible affliction over the years.
Chad & his wife Patricia have lived in Layton for 33 years. They are the proud parents of Jason (Brinnlie), Racquel and Spencer (Anna) and a sweet grandson (James). Chad is the Vice President at Rugged Rental & Sales with locations in SLC & Layton. Chad also serves in his church, with the Spice Isle Smiles Foundation and as a State Delegate in local government.
"Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible." ~ Helen Keller
Spencer Bawden ~ Volunteer Board of Directors
Secretary
Spencer grew up with the performing arts, taking dance and singing classes as a kid and singing with choirs and acting on stage until he was 19. In 2019 he and his family bought season tickets to the Hopebox Theater after hearing so much about it. When they watched their first closing night performance, it struck him how something he loved so much could be used to help people struggling with cancer.
After moving around for several years while serving in the Air Force, he and his wife, Amanda, wound up in Farmington. Since 2018, both Spencer and his wife and their three kids have been involved with shows both on stage and behind the scenes. To him, theater is about sharing a message of love, hope, and family. Hopebox has taken it farther making every production life changing for its Wall of Hope Recipients and the casts that work hard to honor them.
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Natalie Erickson ~ Staff Member
Box Office Manager
Natalie grew up in Kaysville and like most of her family, she has chosen to return to the area to reside. She is married to Jeff who, through his acting, has brought her to the Hopebox Theatre. Her favorite job is being a mom to her son McCoy. She is grateful for the opportunity to work with so many wonderful people and help support families in the community she has always loved.
Email: BoxOffice@HopeboxTheatre.com
Mark Pozzuoli ~ Staff Member
House Manager
Bio coming soon...
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Tanaya Ropp ~ Staff Member
Set Manager
Bio coming soon...
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Curtis Dalton ~ Executive Board Member
Vice President & Construction Director
In the fall of 2015 Curtis and his wife Sally ran into Jan Williams at the Home Depot. She was still battling one of her many bouts with cancer. “So, I’ve found an old building and was wondering if you want to look at it with me?” Jan said. Her vision resonated with us because Curtis had lost his mother to breast cancer when he was nine. We have been all in from that moment forward.
It has been an honor and pleasure to help co-found an organization that turns our focus from ourselves to others who are fighting for their lives. I love reminding each of our Wall of Hope recipients and their families that we are all Angels. Sometimes, we help others and other times our lives are blessed by the empathy of truly great people.
Email: BuildDalton@gmail.com
Linda Larsen ~ Volunteer Board of Directors
Board Chair
Linda Larsen is pleased to be part of the fabulous mission of Hopebox Theatre. She lost her father to colon cancer at the tender age of 11 years old. That event radically changed her life and developed in her an increased awareness and love for people and the positive ways we all can enrich each other's lives.
Her position on the board affords her the profound honor of becoming well-acquainted with each of the families we sponsor. She is driven, compassionate & thoughtful and considers it a privilege to be a member of such a dynamic and active board of directors. It is a true delight for her to be part of "Bringing Hope to Families Battling Cancer Through the Performing Arts."
Becca Rhodes ~ Volunteer Board of Directors
Staff Development Director
Becca loves serving on the Hopebox Board and is grateful for the opportunity to support Hopebox and its incredible mission. Becca is the Director of Choral Activities at Farmington High School. She has a Master Degree in Music Education from Southern Utah University and a Bachelor Degree in Music Education from Dixie State University. She has been teaching choir for Davis School District for 10 years. Becca is no stranger to the stage in both performing and production team capacities. Her love for music and giving takes up a large amount of her heart. Becca hopes you will become involved in some capacity at Hopebox so you can experience what it means to be a part of the Hopebox Family!
Email: Give@HopeboxTheatre.com
Janet Tueller - Volunteer Board of Directors
Wall of Hope Director
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Paul Nielson ~ Staff Member
Operations Manager
Paul and his wife Jenny are happy parents of 3 children. Paul was introduced to acting in 2015 and since has performed in, stage managed, or set designed at least 3 shows per year. Theater has changed his life! He became the owner of a business to help people with mental stops using a metaphor of acting. This venture allowed him to be on the parks and rec commission for Clearfield City. Paul has served in many capacities in different networking groups to help businesses move forward over 30 years. Paul has performed in many shows at the Hopebox since 2016. To say that he loves the mission of the Hopebox Theatre would be an understatement. Seeing the changes it makes in the actors, volunteers and Wall of Hope recipients lives so many times, it has become a passion for him to do everything in his life to exemplify that vision. Paul says, "Loving people is a treasure we all could adopt for happy and peaceful lives." Volunteering for everything from church, business and government assignments is what Paul does.
Arianna Evans ~ Staff Member
Marketing Manager
Arianna discovered the Hopebox Theatre in 2018, and has been involved with the theatre ever since. She loves being on stage or helping behind the scenes. What struck her most about this theatre is how different it's mission is compared to all local theatres around. When actors/actresses put aside their personal feelings and entitlements then come together to support a Wall of Hope Recipient, truly magical things happen. She feels so blessed to have been touched by all the wonderful people involved in Hopebox Theatre, and hopes to help spread their mission of "Bringing Hope to Families Battling Cancer Through the Performing Arts"
Email: Marketing@HopeboxTheatre.com
Justina Spencer ~ Staff Member
Props Manager
Justina isn't a stranger to theater. She starting acting in 2007. She acts, stage manages, and does props. Justina managed the props at the Empress before she joined our team.
Justina was introduced to the Hopebox theater in 2018 when she stage managed Mamma Mia. She loves the mission and is happy to be on the team managing props.
Kami Cronin ~ Staff Member
Concessions Manager
Bio coming soon...
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