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Jim & Pat Hansen Founders The Carlsbad Playreaders began in 1995, when husband and wife Jim and Pat Hansen began a series of play readings with the encouragement of the City of Carlsbad Arts Office. The Hansens incorporated the non-profit Carlsbad Playhouse to continue the project, and, with the aid of Community Arts Grants, in the first 10 seasons, produced more than 80 readings for more than 8,000 audience members. Over the years Playreaders shows have featured hundreds of actors, directors, playwrights and technical crew. Jim and Pat set out to produce shows that would entertain, provoke and challenge their audiences, producing many new plays by local playwrights, with a goal to "present plays that seek to explore the human condition and, thereby, enrich the lives of audiences in Carlsbad and neighboring communities." Jim and Pat both have long-time interests in the theatre: studying at San Diego State University (where they met and married in 1951), and performing in U.S. Special Services productions in Japan (Rashomon, 1965) and Germany. After retiring from the Carlsbad Library in 1990 where she coordinated programs and exhibits, Pat performed in many theatrical productions in Vista, San Diego and La Mesa (where she was featured in Driving Miss Daisy). After teaching for many years at El Camino High School, Jim also retired in 1990. He currently operates an online book business (Biblio.com). Since retirement, Jim and Pat have seen hundreds of area theatre productions, still find time to volunteer at Playreaders performances, and be enthusiastic audience members at all the plays they attend. Pat also serves on the board of New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad, and both Jim and Pat are current members of the Playreaders Board of Directors. |
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Walt Jones & Amy Scholl Playreaders Leadership In 2005-2006, the husband-wife team of Walt Jones (Producing Director) and Amy Scholl (Artistic Director) took charge of producing shows for the Playreaders. Walt, then a teacher in the graduate Theatre program at UCSD, has directed on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in many regional theatres throughout the U.S. The director of many world-premieres of plays, Walt was a frequent director at the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference from 1980-90. Amy, at the time an acting teacher and director in the UCSD undergraduate Theatre program at UCSD, has acted in regional theatre, Off-Broadway and Los Angeles, appearing in award-winning commercials, at the Actors Gang, The Gascon Center and Theatre Geo, as well as performing sketch comedy at the Improv. In San Diego, Amy performed at LaJolla Playhouse, Lambs Players and for the Actors Alliance. Walt and Amy brought a new level of professionalism and fun to the Playreaders, especially Walt's production of the 1940's Radio Christmas Carol, an original play he wrote which is now an annual Playreaders event. In 2006, Walt was named director of the Theatre Division of the School of the Arts at Colorado State University, and he and Amy moved to Fort Collins, where on December 1, 2006, Amy gave birth to their daughter, Annie Claire. |
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