The State Theatre of Ithaca, NY

	James A. Tantillo Chief Executive Officer jim@historicithaca.org 607-273-6633 James A. Tantillo is chief executive officer of Historic Ithaca and has previously served as interim executive director and chair of the Board of Directors of the Tompkins County SPCA. In this capacity, he was responsible for managing all shelter operations and played a key role in the SPCA’S successful capital campaign to build the newly opened Dorothy and Roy Park Pet Adoption Center. Prior to the SPCA, Tantillo worked in a variety of supervisory roles for the Massachusetts State Parks system at historic sites such as Plymouth Rock, Walden Pond State Reservation, and Fort Warren in the Boston Harbor Islands State Park, all registered National Historic Landmarks. Tantillo is also currently a lecturer in environmental history and environmental aesthetics in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University, where he continues to teach part-time. Jim holds his bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University. He is married to Wendy Tarlow, an attorney, and the couple lives with their two children and numerous animals in a restored 1850 farmhouse in Trumansburg.
	Dan Smalls Executive Director dan@stateofithaca.com (607) 27-STATE ext. 890 Dan Smalls brings a diverse and wide-ranging skill-set to the State Theatre. His interest in the arts began humbly in the small town of Monticello, NY in the famed Borscht Belt of the Catskill Mountains. Growing up on Rubber Soul and Revolver-era Beatles coupled with the country-blues of Mississippi John Hurt and others on the family turntable, his musical heritage could not have been started on a better track. The business of entertainment took hold while Dan was a sophomore at Cornell University here in Ithaca and produced his first concert, a combination of Blues Traveler and The Spin Doctors at Bailey Hall, before each rose to stardom. After that sell-out and several others, Dan joined local impresario John Peterson at the Haunt on Green Street and quickly became the manager. It was the heyday of the famous red, gold and green painted façade that played host to the likes of such diverse acts as Stevie Ray Vaughan and Pearl Jam as well as nearly every major blues and reggae act including Buddy Guy, Albert Collins and The Wailers. Their Two Just Men and Topspot Promotions presented many shows at the State Theatre back in the early nineties and at various other regional theatres. Dan stayed on for several years after graduating in 1992 and eventually moved on to expand his musical future in a bigger pond. This path led him through various positions in Boston that began as a booking agent for local and national acts and led to working for Great Northeast Productions. While there, the company produced over seventy live events per year with acts like Bob Dylan, Lyle Lovett, Chris Isaak, Joan Baez, among many others. Every year culminated in producing the annual end of summer tour camping festivals for Phish (Clifford Ball, The Great Went, Lemonwheel) that took place in several locations and hosted over 80,000 fans. Dan also worked closely with musical act Squirrel Nut Zippers, assisting in their growth and eventual platinum selling success that catapulted out of the Boston market. He also started the successful Swing Night at the Roxy in Boston that hosted dozens of acts and consistently drew over 1200 patrons to a Friday night event that featured national acts on stage, dance lessons, period clothing sales and more, a concept that the company shared with similar venues around the US. In 1999, Dan took the opportunity to work for the Gerry Foundation, started by cable TV pioneer Alan Gerry, and assist in production of a summer concert series on the original Woodstock concert site for a break from the big city and a chance to be closer to his family. The series went off well and became the impetus for the recently completed Bethel Woods Center for the Performing Arts which opened last season. Family situations led Dan to stay in the Catskills and take the helm of his family’s 40-year entrenched mechanical contracting business. Although this was not his ideal career choice, he enjoyed the challenge and the ability to further cultivate his business skills. While there, he nearly doubled sales and shifted the focus from a local service based business to a regional construction based powerhouse. A visit to Cornell early in 2005 though changed his direction once again. On that trip, Dan met Emily Russell who has since become his wife. She and her mom own The Frame Shop on Buffalo Street. His enduring love of Ithaca made the decision to move here and sell the business quite easy. So, Dan brokered a deal with a longtime foreman to sell the family contracting business which included staying on for a year as a consultant to ensure the success of the company. Here at the State Theatre, Dan plans the season’s events, negotiates contracts with talent and for theatre rentals, manages the staff, oversees fundraising efforts, and manages the State Theatre budget.
	Mark Scarborough Production Manager mark@stateofithaca.com (607) 27-STATE ext. 892 With a long and varied career in theater and dance production, Mark Scarborough brings a high level of professionalism and just plain “get it done” attitude to his work at the Historic State Theater. Working with top acts in this grand old historic building here in downtown Ithaca is “an exciting opportunity on many levels”, he says. While touring with everyone from rock and roll bands to classical ballet companies from around the world, Mark has crisscrossed the United States and worked as far away as Taiwan. With his experience, Mark knows first hand what the acts that travel to the State Theater are going through. His years as Technical Director and Production Manager at the North Carolina Theater, which mounted such shows as Evita, Steel Pier and Singing in the Rain helped him develop that well-known calm attitude in the face of production difficulties. (Sure, they happen-- we just don't let the audience see them.) Mark’s many years of teaching at SUNY Brockport make the work he does with local college and high school students here at the State a natural. Though his first day as a theater tech was three days before his twelfth birthday, Mark has pursued other interests along the way. He’s worked as the Managing Director of a successful race car manufacturing company and run a successful foreign car repair business. He’s been both a formula car mechanic and driver, racing at tracks like Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, and Nelson Ledges. A Western New York native, he says of the typical January-in-Ithaca weather that welcomed him when he started at the Historic State Theater in 2007, “Piece of cake.”.
	Jean Hubbell Business Manager jean@stateofithaca.com 27-STATE ext. 801 biography to come...
	Sheryl L. Fishel Box Office Associate & Volunteer Coordinator 607-277-8283 ext.898 Sheryl@stateofithaca.com Sheryl hails from the old coal-bustling town of Shavertown, Pennsylvania. Her involvement with the performing arts began at the age of 3. Today, Sheryl is proud to have participated in over 150 live performances including the original works Tales of Wonder and Corcieve, along with multiple theatrical productions and vocal ensembles. Sheryl migrated to Ithaca in 2003 to obtain a degree from Ithaca College’s Theatre Arts Management Program (TAM). In the future she plans to continue her education in the performing arts and business. At the State Theatre, she is overjoyed to be working with a motivated staff and dedicated volunteers. The performers, audience, staff and volunteers make the “magic” happen. Every performance energy and life fills the crevasses of our theatre.
	Don Welch House Manager Don is a former Thespian and local jewelry craftsman who has been with the State Theatre for seven years. He began his association with the State Theatre as a volunteer usher, and has helped out with a wide variety of ongoing maintenance and restoration jobs in the theatre. Don is now a member of the staff at the position of House Manager.
	CJ Stone Cj started her career working in women’s health as an employee with Planned Parenthood of Broome and Chenango Counties for 23 years. Starting as an Outreach worker, she advanced to Support Service Supervisor, with her primary responsibilities including supervision of the Medical Records personnel and the Volunteer Program. After retiring in the late 1990’s, Cj went to work for the Temporary Placement Service, Manpower. There she recruited prospective employers for the employees; she tested, placed and evaluated the employees to ensure their placements would meet the needs of the employers and employee’s abilities and requirements. Cj moved to the Ithaca area in 2000 and secured a job with the Ithaca City School District, one that she found to be both challenging and rewarding. In October 2008 she began working at the State Theatre. Cj has always chosen to work in and for the public. She personally finds this to be an exciting time to be employed at the Theatre, as it is a time of growth in all areas of the Theatre. She is looking forward in growing with the Theatre in terms of her job responsibilities as the Theatre grows.
	Carolyn V. Ambrose Patron’s Sales Associate A native of Boston, MA (and avid Red Sox fan), Carolyn came to Ithaca as a full-time Ithaca College student interested in pursuing a career in sports. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in Sport Studies and Writing, she decided to stay in Ithaca for a couple of years to work. Carolyn hopes to pursue a Masters degree in the future and eventually have a career in the non-profit sector.
	Jessica Evans
	Sara Johnson Sara interned at Historic Ithaca during the summer of 2007 and continues her work there as a preservation associate. During the summer of 2007, Sara and fellow intern Kristen Olson focused their work on the history and current conditions of Ithaca City Cemetery. Some of her ongoing Historic Ithaca projects include research on Ithaca's film history and the history of female architects in Ithaca. Sara is a first-year graduate student in Historic Preservation Planning at Cornell University and received her B.S. in Urban Studies from Cornell in 2001. As a Central New York native, she's interested in promoting greater awareness of the rich cultural and architectural heritage of the region.
	Kristen Olson Kristen Olson graduated from Colby College in 2003 and lived briefly in Norfolk, Virginia before moving to Ithaca in 2006 to begin graduate studies in Historic Preservation Planning at Cornell University. She worked as a summer intern at Historic Ithaca, and joined the staff in fall 2007. She is writing her masters thesis on the National Park Service’s management and interpretation of the Cades Cove historic district in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Her interests in Ithaca include the City Cemetery and the reuse of former industrial buildings. She plans on staying in Ithaca after her graduation in 2008.