Emily Bedwell (President)

Emily most recently appeared as Mollie Ralston in 2023’s The Mousetrap. This is her the first time since she played Florence Unger in MCCT’s The Odd Couple – Female Edition. She directed 2019’s Frozen for MCCT. Favorite roles (other than Florence) include Margaret in Much Ado About Nothing”(MCCT), The Red Queen/Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass (MCCT), Bobbie in Last of the Red Hot Lovers (StarFire Productions), Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing (CNTC) and The Stage Manager in Our Town (CNTC).

Emily served on the board as treasurer from 2015-2017 and is currently serving as President. She works at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church as the Director of Finance & Staff Experience and with Constellation Stage & Screen as their Playbill Coordinator. She has taught at the former Bloomington Academy of Film and Theatre (now Constellation Academy) and believes every life has a story to live and a story to tell. She believes kindness can change the world and that all people are worthy of love, kindness, and acceptance. Emily is a 2001 graduate of IU with a BA in English and a 2018 graduate of IUPUI with a MS is Library and Information Sciences. She has been performing most of her life, and considers civic theaters to be part of her extended family.

Bill Goveia (Vice President)

Bill has been involved in Theatre and performing since 2005. He has worked with the Bloomington Playwright’s Project, Stary Night, Cardinal Stage and the Monroe County Civic Theatre. He loves acting, but has been known to design a set or two, as well as designing sound for a number of shows, constructing sets, and designing and executing on stage effects. Most recently, during the pandemic, he co-produced the online offerings with the MCCT. He was recently seen on stage as Giles Ralston in 2023’s The Mousetrap and is preparing for Richard in Richard III.

While originally trained in Photojournalism and the History and Philosophy of Science, he has spent the last 30+ years in IT, where he has met with some success.

Bill is an avid reader, and a lifelong learner. He loves books, music (especially the blues), science fiction and theatre. His beloved daughter has given him 2 grandchildren with whom he loves spending time. He also enjoys time with the rest of his family. He would like to thank the community that provides the environment that allows us to do all this. He also cannot express enough gratitude for his partner, Janie, whose patience and support make all this possible.

Dianne Shewmaker (Secretary)

Dan Heise (Treasurer)

Dan Heise has found a second life in the theater with MCCT, performing in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Farndale’s Macbeth, Tom Stoppard’s Travesties and King Lear. He relishes opportunities to provide fight choreography and ensure that onstage violence is safe and compelling. Dan is proud to have helped MCCT make the transition from live stage to digital multimedia and currently serves on the board as Treasurer. He recently co-directed “The Mousetrap)

Zilia Balkansky-Selles (At-Large)

Zilia served as the Production Manager for Mousetrap, as well as understudying the female roles. Zilia is a Bloomington, Indiana, based writer and actor. She was published in Comparative Woman (Louisiana State University). The play she co-wrote with Wild Swan Theater, Myths, Masks, and Magic: World Stories of First Times, was performed in Michigan schools and libraries and at the University of Michigan Museum of Art. She has given readings at the Writers Guild at Bloomington spoken word events. She has loved theatre since her first appearance as the Wicked Witch of the West in an elementary school production in New York City. She has grown from acting, directing, and voice classes in New York (primarily at the New School) and at Indiana University. She is currently a member of Amanda (Biggs) Lawson’s voice studio. Zilia has a Master’s in Information Science from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. (2018) in Folklore Studies from Indiana University. She works for the Hutton Honors College at Indiana University as the Extracurricular Coordinator, as well as Academic Advisor. Zilia is serving on the MCCT board for the first time in 2023.

With MCCT Katherine (Henry VIII), Millworker (Working), Witch (Macbeth), Don Pedro (Much Ado About Nothing); Feste (Twelfth Night); Miss Prism (The Importance of Being Earnest in a Pandemic); with Cardinal Stage, Grandma Georgina (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory).

She says, “Thank you, always, to my mother Vera, to the tribe of friends who support me, and to the animal family that travels with me.”

Kenny Hertling (At-Large)

Kenny Hertling is excited to be joining the MCCT board! MCCT was the first theatre Kenny was introduced to when he arrived in Bloomington and it has continued to be a staple in his life since getting involved during the summer of 2020. MCCT has moved forward, adapting through the changes of recent years and inviting more participants into the space to share their love of play and theatre arts. Kenny hopes to use his passion for storytelling and background in education to support MCCT in working with the community to promote inclusion and local creativity through theatrical opportunities.

Maryann Iaria (At-Large)

Maryann recently performed with the IU African American Choral Ensemble, In 2022’s A Christmas Carol at the Brown County Playhouse and MCCT’s Spooktacular as a tap dancing ghostbuster & their choreographer. She has also appeared as Queen Isabella in Richard II and Henry IV, part I. Favorite roles were in Cardinal Stage‘s “A Streetcar named Desire” as the Flower seller. Indianapolis, IN is her hometown, and herfavorite role there was in Footlite Musical’s Sweet Charity as Nicki. She wrote, assisted directed & performed in the original short film, “The Reunion.” Maryann assists with marketing and volunteer recruitment.

Becky Stapf (At-Large)

Becky made The Mousetrap her live directorial debut. She has worked with MCCT for years, both behind the scenes and on stage, bringing shows to life. Favorite past roles include Hecuba in The Trojan Women, Mrs. Reece in Farndale Macbeth, and Prospero in The Tempest. She is an MCCT Board member, and is excited to launch Act Two Productions with co-director Dan Heise and this production of The Mousetrap.

In addition to MCCT, Becky has recently been seen on stage at the Brown County Playhouse in Covid 2020, The Musical and A Christmas Carol. She is a long-time member of the Usual Suspects Radio Acting Troupe and has appeared as a part of the Firehouse Follies on WHFB for years.

Roy Sillings (At-Large)

Roy Sillingshas been a part of MCCT for as long as we can remember, and he’s one of our go-to actors. Roy Sillings appears frequently in MCCT Shakespeare productions and other roles from Humpty Dumpty to Dracula. He has also performed with Bloomington Playwrights, Merry MAC Players Community Theatre, Starry Night Productions, Cardinal Stage Company and at the Indianapolis Fringe Festval. He has appeared in several short films, has written several plays and designed sets. Roy holds an A.B. in Classical Languages and a graduate degree in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University. He has worked at Communication Disorders Technology, Inc. in software design and programming for nearly thirty years.