Chris has served as the Producing Artistic Director for the Theatre SilCo (formerly The Lake Dillon Theatre Company) since 2002. Under his leadership, the organization has grown from a modest budget of $135,000 to an impressive $2.4 million. He has received numerous directing accolades for his productions from the Denver Post Ovation Awards, Colorado Theatre Guild, CultureWest, and has been honored with the distinguished “Outstanding Nonprofit Professional Philanthropy Award.” He is a proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographer’s Society, a member of America for the Arts, and currently serves on the musical selection committee for the 2023 National Alliance for Musical Theatre New Musical Festival. Chris spearheaded the creation of the Vivo Dual Language Theatre Program which stands as the largest after-school provider in Summit County and welcomes participants from all backgrounds at no cost to them. Chris currently serves on the Summit School District Board of Education. Chris holds an M.A. from Texas A&M, Commerce, and was a Graduate Fellow at Texas Tech University.
My name is Jess Short and my family and I reside in the Cove. I feel very lucky to live here in Summit County and this amazing community. I love to spend my time with my family especially outside and being creative.
I could not be more excited to be joining this team. I am coming to SilCo from the tech world, most recently Atlassian, however I have a degree in Interior Design and Studio Art. Being creative and solving problems is my happy place and therefore I am excited to return to my roots in a creative field.
Shannon joined the staff of the Lake Dillon Theatre Company in July 2021. Shown early the joys of live
theatre and music from her parents, she then performed in high school productions and graduated from
Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH with a degree in Journalism/Electronic Media. Shannon happily used
her degree, and love of questioning everything, first as a Chief of Staff for a Cincinnati City Council
member, then with a long-running radio show and as a morning show host on the Resort Sports
Network, both in Dillon, CO. Shannon fell madly in love, married an entrepreneur, and became the
bookkeeper and customer service manager for the family restaurants.
Shannon is thrilled to be immersed in two of her passions every day- keeping tidy books and
entertainment and relishes in working with incredibly creative people!
Kate Groninger hails from the world of museum philanthropy where she has worked at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Guggenheim, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. She is the founder and editor of two academic journals for the museum community, and spends time serving on diverse nonprofit boards. Kate completed her PhD at the University of St Andrews (Scotland), and holds degrees in art history from Princeton, and in arts administration from NYU.
A recent Chicago transplant, Kate lives happily in Frisco with her chubby foxhound where they dabble in outdoor activities. Kate is a former beekeeper, aspiring accordion player, and enjoys ordering two desserts when out to eat. She loves watching British sports (cricket, rugby, polo) though she doesn’t know the rules, and can recite the movie ‘Clue’ word for word.
Kaden received his BFA from Marshall University in West Virginia (Go Herd!) where he worked with the Appalachian Artists Collective to bring theatre to underfunded schools. He was a supervisor for Cedar Point’s Live Entertainment in Sandusky, OH, before moving to Detroit to complete his MFA in Set Design at Wayne State University. Kaden freelanced as a set designer and technical director for several Detroit theatres and schools, and found a special home with Ghostlight Inc., where he helped launch an expansion of the Obsidian Theatre Festival – a project dedicated to producing new-work plays by BIPOC playwrights and collaborators. Kaden is excited to bring his passion for accessibility and environmental sustainability to Theatre SilCo, and is looking forward to all the new adventures Colorado has to offer.
Originally from North Carolina, Morgan has been working with young performers for over a decade. She has earned her BFA and MFA in theatre with a specific focus on Theatre for Young Audiences. She loves sharing her passion for the arts and education with Summit County and she looks forward to exciting programing and partnerships for the community!
Whitney was born and raised in the Coachella Valley, California. As a desert girl, Whitney never saw snow until she came to Summit County. She was introduced to Theatre Silco in 2019 as a stage manager just after she had received her MFA in Drama with an emphasis in Stage Management from the University of California, Irvine. Whitney also holds a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of Redlands. Whitney is thrilled to now call Summit County her home and is excited about working on the development of productions and theatre seasons in a whole new way. In her career, Whitney has worked with many theatrical companies around the Southern California area including: Center Theatre Group, The Old Globe, Cygnet Theatre, Lewis Family Playhouse, and Laguna Playhouse. Whitney is thrilled to be a part of this team and excited to continue her passion for storytelling.
Born in Venezuela, longtime Montrealer, polyglot, and travel lover, Sara first came to Summit County in the spring of 2020 as a teaching artist and is thrilled to be a part of the Theatre SilCo team and serve this wonderful community. She is passionate about new play development both as a director and dramaturg. Some directing highlights include SuperDogs the Musical (Montreal, Canada); Oklahoma Samovar (winner of the Jewish Plays Project 2021 New Plays Contest, NYC), and Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad (Irvine, California). As part of her firm belief in pedagogical accessibility, Sara has co-created a limited podcast series exploring the works of Homer and Aeschylus titled Odyssey & Chill, Oresteia & Chill, and Suppliants & Chill. Recently, she worked as a libretto dramaturg for a new opera based on James Joyce’s Ulysses at Lowell Opera House (Harvard University). Sara holds an MFA in directing from the University of California, Irvine.
Graco Hernandez is excited to be in beautiful, snowy Colorado. He currently works as part of the Dual Language After School program for Summit County through The LDTC aka VIVO. Credits include: Living Out (Bobby), Much Ado About Nothing (Conrade), Culture Clash in America (Lover, Tom, Con #3), The Refugee Hotel (Condor Passes). Graco graduated from the University of California, Irvine.
