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Meet the 2024- 2025 ACT Judging Assistants
Anne Marie Ewart
Loveland Stage Company, INNOVATheatre
A Cincinnati native, Anne Marie has performed onstage with several groups around the city including Sunset Players, Milford Theatre Guilde, Beechmont Players, Showbiz Players, Showboat Majestic, and Brieabi Productions, with whom she won an Orchid award for her role as Chris Gorman in Rumors. She has held a variety of positions behind the scenes as well—as assistant director, running crew, stage manager, playwright, and founding member of The Know Theatre Tribe, and for the last 15 years as an ACT Cincinnati judging assistant. With a B.A. in history and a master’s in education from Xavier University, Anne Marie spends her daytime hours as a social studies teacher at Saint Ursula Academy, her alma mater.
Mark Culp
Village Players of Fort Thomas, Rivertown Players
Mark returned to theatre in 2015 after a long hiatus. Since then, he’s been active both onstage and behind the scenes. He is currently the President of CenterStage Players and also serves as a regional responder for OCTA. During the day, he works as a Senior Occupancy Planner for Jones Lang LaSalle on the Procter & Gamble account in Cincinnati. Mark is also a frequent judge and consultant for the marching arts and has judged state championship events for marching bands throughout the country. He also sings baritone with the internationally competitive Southern Gateway Chorus of Cincinnati. His wife Jane is also involved with community theatre and his son Parker is an alumnus of the theatre program at Xavier University.
Joy Sharp
Cincinnati Music Theatre, Tri-County Players
Joy Sharp has been an ACT Judging Assistant for several years and currently schedules judges for Mariemont Players and Cincinnati Music Theatre. She has held office as ACT 2nd VP several times, and is dedicated to the wonderful program, helping tweak it to make it even better. Joy’s involvement in community theatre has spanned over 40 years in several theatres throughout our ACT locations. She is very proud to have many friends and to remember those sweet souls who have passed throughout those decades. Joy is honored to help with the judging program.
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Amanda Emmons Shumate
Beechmont Players, MERIT Theatre
(She|Her) With over 20 years of experience in theatre, Amanda is excited to continue serving her ACT Cincinnati family. A longtime member of Footlighters and Cincinnati Music Theatre, she has also worked with Showbiz Players, The Drama Workshop, and several regional theatres, contributing as a director, producer, set designer, stage manager, choreographer, and performer. She co-founded Union Community Theatre in 2009, serving on its board for a decade, and remains actively involved in local theatre, currently serving as 1st VP of ACT Cincinnati and secretary for Cincinnati Music Theatre. Beyond the stage, Amanda spent 17 years as an educator, mentoring as a teacher leader after earning her master’s in Instructional Leadership in 2012. She also contracts marketing and graphic design services and currently serves as the Vice President of Marketing & Development for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati. She lives in Northern Kentucky with her amazing partner, Kyle, their two sons, Jojo and Nico, and their lovable black lab, Dexter. Amanda believes the arts strengthen communities and build lifelong connections, and she’s grateful to be part of Cincinnati’s thriving theatre scene!
John Sloan
The Drama Workshop, CenterStage Players
John performed in a handful of plays while in high school, but didn't discover his true passion for theatre until he was in college. Graduating from Bowling Green State University in 2004 with a B.A. in music and theatre, he went on to work at Walt Disney World for about a year before moving back to Cincinnati. He has called Loveland Stage Company home since 2011 and has performed in or worked on over 20 shows there, including directing their productions of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Don't Drink the Water. He even met his wife, Carissa, at LSC. Elsewhere, he has also performed in many shows for Cincinnati Music Theatre and Footlighters, Inc. John has also been an ACT judge since 2018 and enjoys going to see wonderful productions all around the Cincinnati area.
Melissa M. Smith
Gaslight Players, Sunset Players, Queen City Productions
Melissa started in Cincinnati area Community Theater in the 80’s, happily doing what needed doing backstage so others could go on stage. Groups she’s worked with include: Tri-County Players, TDW, Footlighters (Newport & Fairfield), Sunset Players, Stagecrafters, and Milford Theatre Guilde. Melissa left her beloved hometown to support U. S. and Multi-National troops in Baghdad, Iraq from 2004 through 2009, and then she deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2010-2012. Past ACT Board positions include ACT Treasurer and Secretary. Melissa is most pleased to be back in her hometown with family and to be able to live in her own house.
Mary Stone
Acting Up, Mason Community Players
Mary’s involvement with ACT began in 2013 as a judging assistant for Acting Up and Mason Community Players, two groups she continues to serve today as well as Tri-County Players. She believes that the heart of the adjudication system lies in assisting performers and technicians to fine tune their craft, educating and expanding adjudicator’s overall theatrical knowledge, and recognizing our community for the great work we do each and every day. She served as the Marketing/Publicity Chair on the ACT Board from 2021- 2024 and is the proud and humble recipient of the 2022 ACT President's Award and the 2024 Art Rouse Award.
Jane Winkler
Footlighters Inc., Fairfield Footlighters
Jane Winkler is affiliated with Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre in Hamilton. She has been involved in community theater for almost 30 years. She has served on the GHCT board for many of those years as Chair and ticket manager. Jane has acted in and produced many shows. She will be producing Winter Wonderettes in December for GHCT. She has also been involved and performing and producing many Hamilton Rotary shows.