PlayZoomers Board of Directors
Janet R. Carpman, PhD - President, Executive Director
Jan Carpman has indulged her passions for theatre and music over many years by acting in musicals and straight plays; and directing, stage-managing, and more with community theatre companies. Over a period of nearly 25 years, she founded, sang, danced, produced numerous sold-out shows, and was Board President for the Michigan song-and-dance troupes, The Choral Connection, and Etcetera. Now based in Greater Boston, Jan is a founding producer, director, actor, playwright, dramaturg, casting director, and head of new initiatives for PlayZoomers. In her other life, she is an architectural sociologist, inclusive wayfinding planning and design expert, speaker, and author of two, award-winning books. Jan holds a PhD in Architecture and Sociology from the University of Michigan, a Master of City Planning (MCP) from Harvard University, and a BA in Sociology from the University of Rochester.
Mary Ann Nichols Hubbard, MA - Clerk
Mary Ann Nichols Hubbard is a lifelong practitioner and lover of theatre and music. As an actor, director, teacher, acting coach, and violist, she has worked at nearly every level: from professional developmental theatre, industrial films, and dinner theatre to directing high school programs and middle school musical theatre camp. Since 1981, she has been a radio announcer in major market stations, beginning as a classical announcer and programmer at WGMS (Washington, DC) and WCRB (Boston, MA). She is currently the local and national voice of underwriting at WBUR, Boston’s NPR News Station. In addition to co-founding PlayZoomers, Mary Ann was president of Star Players of Bristol County for many years and Executive Director of the Heart of Taunton, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the cultural and aesthetic environment for downtown Taunton, MA. She holds a BA in Speech & Drama from The Catholic University of America and an MA in Drama from Tufts University.
Duchess Dale
Duchess earned her Actors’ Equity card for a production of "Juno and the Paycock" at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Her extensive Southern California acting credits include television commercials, an award-winning role as Annie Sullivan in "The Miracle Worker," and Truvy in "Steel Magnolias." She directed two productions at the Santa Fe Playhouse: "The Normal Heart" and "Marjorie Prime." During the pandemic, she directed more than a dozen Zoom plays for the Adobe Theatre and Teatro Paraguas, including Julia Cameron’s, "Love in the DMZ," and Robert Benjamin’s "Almost Treason." She also directed and performed in all of Mr. Benjamin’s "Hunker Down" plays. Duchess has directed two shows for PlayZoomers and in 2022, directed “Save the Bees” by state Senator Bill O’Neill for multiple in-person productions throughout New Mexico.
Thomas W. Stephens, PhD
Thomas W. Stephens is an educator, award-winning playwright, director, and sometime actor. Tom founded the Department of Theatre at Randolph College (formerly Randolph-Macon Woman’s College) in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he is Thoresen Professor of Theatre, Emeritus. An active participant in regional theatre, he is a past president of the Southeastern Theatre Conference and former regional chair of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Tom’s plays have been produced nationally and internationally. Several of his short pieces, including “May Tag,” “Grandpa is With Jesse,” “Sketching: 14 April 2020,” and “When I Leave This Place Behind,” have been produced by PlayZoomers. Tom holds a BA in English from Gannon University, an MFA in Speech and Drama from The Catholic University of America, and a PhD in Theatre from University of Denver.
Gary Giurbino
Gary has been involved in theater since the age of 10 when he played the ‘Giant’ in Jack in the Beanstalk. The theater bug grabbed him and he was hooked for life. His major in college was technical theater, but Gary has been on stage more often than working backstage. Gary has performed in various Playzoomers productions and in a variety of on-stage and film roles. His credits include McQue in "NOIR," Daddy Cane in "Bright Star," Claude Frollo in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," Herbie in "Gypsy," Mr. Clayton in "Tarzan," Charlemagne (and much earlier in his career, Pippin) in "Pippin," Sam in "Mamma Mia!," Lt. Col. Matthew Andrew Markinson in "A Few Good Men," G.W. Nethercott in "Sordid Lives," and Bobby in "Company." Film credits include the lead role of Roberto Confortola (Bobby) in the film "Soul Eclipse." Gary is also a full-time video producer and also manages a small video production team for Google.
George Dougherty, JD Treasurer
George Dougherty is a former trial lawyer now vigorously pursuing a fulltime acting career. He has appeared in many PlayZoomers productions and has a special love for Shakespeare, having most recently appeared as Alonzo in the Tempest in Chicago and as Claudius in a performance as part of a program at RADA. He is a lover of improv, having performed on stages at The Second City and IO theaters in Chicago and at the Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland as part of a production that he also produced. George attended Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and The Northwestern School of Law in Chicago. He is excited to be part of PlayZoomers’ current mission and its talented and wonderful Board of Directors.