STAFF
Patrick Lathrop – Executive Director
Patrick Lathrop is an actor, director, costumer and educator. He holds a BA in Theatre Performance, an MFA in Musical Theatre, and an MA in Costume History and Design. Patrick has been a Teaching Artist for over 25 years with a strong background in non-traditional, informal and museum education utilizing the Visual and Performing Arts to foster creativity and self-esteem in young people. Patrick has worked with a variety of organizations including the Imagination Celebration of Orange County, Orange County Department of Education, Pasadena Junior Theatre, Pasadena Unified School District, and San Diego Junior Theatre. Just prior to moving from Southern California, Patrick worked with the San Diego Old Globe Theatre to help develop a new Shakespeare Curriculum for fifth graders. Patrick began with the Coaster Theater as the summer camp director in August of 2009. In November of that year he moved to Cannon Beach to work in the Box Office and be the Education Director. Since then he has directed several education productions, as well as directingand acting in several Coaster Theatre productions.
Jenni Tronier – Marketing & Operations Director
Jenni studied acting in NYC at The Academy of Dramatic Arts and Circle in the Square Theatre School. After graduating from Circle she co-founded Phenomenon Productions, Inc. in NYC with her future husband Ryan Hull. With Phenomenon Production she co-produced Zastrozzi: The Master of Discipline, Just Assassins and a new work staged reading of Beyond. She took a few years off to return to school and study Art History at Hunter College and in 2004 moved to Portland, OR. While in Portland she worked for Coffee Bean Intl., a private label coffee roaster as Business Development Coordinator, Creative Manager and Marketing Project Manager. In 2012, she and her family were looking for a change and decided to move to Cannon Beach. Jenni joined the Coaster Theatre in June 2013. A few of her acting credits include Twelfth Night, Present Laughter, The Importance of Being Earnest, Zastrozzi, Pericles, American Clock, Once Upon A Mattress and You Can’t Take it With You. Choreography credits include Into The Woods and Paint Your Wagon (assistant). Directing credits include Coffee & Cigarettes and Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Nile.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Laura Freedman – President
Laura Freedman is a California native and a life-long theatre lover. She owns and operates a Real Estate Appraisal business in California with her husband, Gregg, and commutes south from their home in Cannon Beach on a fairly regular basis. Laura has been a Rotarian for over 28 years and recently served as President of the Rotary Club of Seaside. She has served in various leadership capacities in several non-profit organizations such as the Providence Seaside Foundation, Boy Scouts of America, Methodist Hospital Foundation, Sierra Madre School Foundation and Friends of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Her previous theatre board experience was as President and Director of the Music Theatre of Southern California. While Laura’s theatre experiences are mainly off the stage and behind the scenes, her daughter, Hillary, is an actor in Los Angeles. All three of the Freedman’s are proud graduates of the University of Southern California.
David Sweeney – Secretary
David Sweeney is best known at the Coaster Theatre for his acting. He has appeared in over forty productions since his Coaster Theatre debut in the 2000 production of The Music Man. Some of his recent performances include: Uncle Billy (It’s a Wonderful Life), Ben (Let’s Murder Marsha), the King (Once Upon a Mattress) and Mushnik (Little Shop of Horrors). David serves on the program committee of the Coaster Theatre Playhouse Board. This committee is charged with recommending a season of plays which will offer a rich variety of styles and genres for Coaster Theatre patrons. Off state, David is pastor of Calvary Episcopal Church in Seaside.
Rik Godderz – Treasurer
Semi-retired since 2012 and living full-time in Cannon Beach since. My wife Caroline and I bought our home here in 2010, but have been hanging around AMAP for about 25 years. We have raised 8 kids (5 biological, 3 adopted) who are now grown and have, so far, given us 10 grandchildren. Most live in the northwest (Oregon, WA, and Idaho) and “unfortunately” know our phone number. Just kidding, we love those grandkids. Prior to leaving the world of commerce and enterprise, I was a health care administrator, director of several social service non-profits, and a professional fundraiser/resource development coordinator. Now I fish, crab, garden, landscape, nap daily and help out as much as possible at the theatre and the Cannon Beach Christian Conference Center. Oh, and travel and explore whenever I get enough change together (preferably on a cruise ship). LIFE IS GOOD, GOD IS GREAT!
Richard Bowman – Director
Richard is usually found on the Coaster Theatre stage performing in musicals or plays with this amazing community of volunteer actors and crew. Richard is from Salt Lake City, Utah where he first found his love of singing and acting and trained at The Academy of Performing Arts for 5 years. A few of his hobbies aside from performing are marathon running, designing costumes and karaoke. He works full time for Yuletides Christmas Shop here in Cannon Beach with his partner Darren Hull. You may recognize him from a few past shows he appeared in such as Virgil Baxter in Let’s Murder Marsha, Mr. Green in Clue: The Musical, Roland Maul in Present Laughter, and of course the Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. He would like to thank his mom for her never ending support and his amazing circle of friends for always pushing him to do his best then add more. This is Richard’s first experience being on a board of directors and will also be on the programing committee he is anxious to get the ball rolling.
Nancy McCarthy – Director
Since 2008, Nancy McCarthy has been active in the Coaster Theatre Playhouse as an actor, stage manager, control booth operator and usher. Her interest in the theatre goes back to the 1980s, when she first attended plays as a visitor to Cannon Beach. Nancy first acted in Our Town and has appeared in several plays, including My Fair Lady, Annie Get Your Gun, White Christmas, Scrooged and It’s a Wonderful Life. She has also worked the lights and sound on numerous plays for many years. A retired editor of the Cannon Beach Gazette and the Seaside Signal, Nancy works as a freelance writer and often writes stories about the Coaster Theatre for local publications. She also serves as a Cannon Beach City Councilor.
Tita Montero – Director
In 2002 Tita Montero fulfilled a personal goal by moving to Seaside (from Seattle) and opening a full line fabric store. After attending and volunteering at the Coaster Theatre for a few years, she challenged herself to audition and has appeared in Unexpected Guest, Our Town and Secret Life of Sherlock Holmes. Tita joined the Coaster Theatre Board in 2015 bringing expertise from her other previous careers in healthcare administration, public relations and nonprofit management. In addition, she sits on the boards of Clatsop Behavioral Health, Clatsop Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Clatsop Economic Development Resources, and the Seaside Museum & Historical Society as well as serving as Seaside City Council President.
Jean Rice – Director
Jean has been involved with the Coaster Theatre since 1998 in the production of On Golden Pond. From there she has worked on stage, back stage, the light booth and ushering. She has loved every aspect of the last 19 years, especially some of her roles like playing ditzy Janet in Wally’s Cafe in 2007 (the role she could do over and over again!), then Mrs. Peacock in Clue: The Musical in 2010 (she finally got to where high heel shoes!), Annie in Annie Get Your Gun in 2011 (a life time role), 2014 Sheila in Boys Next Door (a very special treat), and in 2016 the back to back shows of 9 to 5: The Musical and Don’t Dress for Dinner she would love to do again. She worked as the Operation Director for 4 years and is still involved in all of the theatre’s goings-on. She is currently the President of the Board of the Directors and involved in all the different committees. She lives in Seaside with her understanding theatre life husband Michael, 2 dogs and 4 cats!