Tim Bair
Producing Artistic Director
913.826.3011

April Kobetz
TIP Administrative Assistant
913-826-3012

Sarah Saugier
TIP Production Manager
913-826-3055

David Powell
TIP Technical Director
913-826-3056

Ruth Bigus
Public Relations
MEDIA requests only

Corinne Bakker has been a theatre lover her entire life. She remembers moving to Kansas City in 1980 and being thrilled to find Theatre in the Park. She would come regularly to see shows and dream of a day that she would be able to be on the stage at TTIP. That dream became a reality in 2007 when she was cast in Footloose. Since that time, she has been in over 30 shows with various theatre companies around town with 4 others being at TTIP (Wizard of Oz, Tom Sawyer, Secret Garden and Drowsy Chaperone). Being involved with community theatre has brought so many fabulous people into her life. They have truly become a big part of her life and she hopes to continue to add many more amazing and talented friends with each new show. Corinne is also a member of the Church of the Resurrection Choir. During the day, Corinne is the Department Assistant for the Networks, Integration and Automation Department at Burns & McDonnell. She and her husband of 40 years, Jon, have 3 wonderful daughters (Lynette, Debbie and Julie), 2 amazing son-in-laws (Brad and Jason) and 2 adorable grandsons (Easton and Brantley). You will regularly see Jon and Corinne volunteering at many theatre venues around Kansas City or attending many of the traveling shows that come to KC. We are so blessed to have so many amazing options for our theatre enjoyment.
 

John Edmonds has recently been brought back into the theatre fold after a long hiatus after college.  He has been involved with several local theatrical productions since his return.  You may have seen John in the 2013 production of Damn Yankees as Coach Van Buren or as Drake the butler in the 2015 production of Annie Warbucks.  John is also  a member of Heartland Men’s Chorus where he is a past chairman of the membership services committee and was often a featured soloist on stage.  During the day, John works at Sprint corporate headquarters where he is a programmer specializing in payroll support.
 

Dena Hildebrand has worked most of her career in nonprofit management and fundraising. She has worked with The American Heart Association as the Development Director, The American Diabetes Association as the Regional Director, and The Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids as the Development Specialist. She currently is the owner of a sales and marketing company Corporate Edge Marketing that she founded in 2005 after moving back to Kansas from Philadelphia where she lived with her family for four years.

Dena has been a supporter and contributor of TIP since her daughter Kristin first performed at the park in 1995 in Oliver.  Her son Brett first performed at the park in the summer of 2001 in Mame and later in Peter Pan, 42nd Street, High School Musical, and 9 to 5.

Dena started performing in community theater productions in 2007 and has performed in productions at The White Theater, The Culture House, Leawood Stage Company and Theatre in the Park. Her first show at TTIP was in 2008 in Oklahoma. She has since appeared in The Wedding Singer, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and was a part of the production staff for Shrek, the musical!

Dena is currently pursuing her love of acting in film and television.  She takes acting classes at The Actors Training Studio and is represented by Talent Unlimited. She lives in Overland Park with her loving husband Brent and visits her children and granddaughter in Dallas whenever possible.
 

Michele Janson (Member At Large) is a small business consultant offering expertise in the areas of administrative operations, implementing and improving processes, business strategy, Quickbooks accounting software and accounting/finance. 

With over 35 years of business experience including 11 years as the head of her consulting company, prior positions include 5 years managing the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program, 16 years in numerous assignments across Sprint’s local and long distance divisions, and 6 years in the auditing department of the public accounting firm Arthur Young. 

Michele has also held numerous past and present leadership positions with the not-for-profit and entrepreneurial support communities in Kansas City.  The primary focuses of her volunteer activities are in fundraising, grant writing, event and gala planning, and accounting / finance with a strong focus on the arts community. 

Michele is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Management Accountant.  Michele earned her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Missouri – Columbia and holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.
 

Donna Knoell (Member At Large) is an educational consultant and author who works with schools, school districts, and groups of professionals to help them improve their instructional programs.  She speaks and consults worldwide on a variety of literacy, mathematics, and science topics.  Donna began her career as a teacher in the Shawnee Mission Public Schools, and then she became an instructional specialist with the district.  She has also taught classes at UMKC.  Donna currently works as an independent consultant, speaking at numerous conferences and helping schools and school districts increase student achievement.  Donna’s active involvement with the Theater in the Park dates back to when it was built at Shawnee Mission Park, when both her parents and her now husband (Jim Royer) were actively involved in raising money to build the theater.  Donna has attended every show at the theater for years, and has often seen multiple performances of the shows.  She has also worked hard to bring in sponsorship dollars for the Theater, and she simply believes the Theater in the Park is one of the ‘crown jewels’ of the entire Kansas City metropolitan area!
 

Jane Massey (Vice Chair) has had a 40 year career with the National March of Dimes culminating in acting as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from 1996 to 2012.  She also served on the National Non-Profit Leadership Alliance Board of Directors for eight years.  Jane has been awarded the March of Dimes President's Award for Excellence in 2011 and the W.R. Russell National Leadership Award in 1994.

Stephanie Meyer (Past Chair) is a fourth-generation Kansan and a native of Wichita.  Her love for theatre was born on the South High School stage, where she appeared in several shows, including The Pajama Game, Anything Goes, and The Crucible. During her senior year, she was honored as Best Thespian, Best Management (The Odd Couple), and Best Supporting Actress (Witness for the Prosecution).  Today, while still a regular at the theatre, most of her singing and dancing happens at home.

Stephanie attended Kansas State University, where she earned a dual Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Public Relations. She later received her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas. 

Stephanie currently serves as a Project Development Manager for McCownGordon Construction, as well as a member of the Shawnee City Council and President of the Shawnee Rotary Club.  She and her husband Bryan have most adorable rescue pup you’ll ever meet, Charlie (who doesn’t seem to mind the singing and dancing).
 

Joy Richardson (Past Chair) was drawn to the KC Metro initially to William Jewell where she earned degrees in Communication and Public Relations while engaging in the college’s rich choral and fine arts programs.

A lifelong singer, Joy’s first musical theatre audition was for TIP’s 2009 season where she was cast in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Since then, she has appeared in TITP’s Seussical the Musical, Damn Yankees, HONK! and Annie Warbucks, as well as other community theatre productions. While Joy loves to prepare and perform shows, it is the KC community theatre community that keeps her coming back to audition and expand her stage family as her own nest empties at home.

Joy is the Annual Giving Manager for Harvesters, The Community Food Network. Joy’s prior work experience includes resource development and community impact at United Way of Wyandotte County and public relations and marketing at Whitefield Academy. Joy has been married to Rob for nearly 25 lively years and they have three terrific kids; Shelby, Miranda & JT.
 

Jim Royer (Sertoma Club Representative) is a native “Kansan”, having been born in Topeka and raised in Johnson County.  He is a graduate of Shawnee Mission North High School and a graduate of Kansas State University.  After working in Idaho for three and one-half years in the Nuclear Engineering field, he came back to Kansas to do graduate work at Kansas State University and then started  a career with IBM in Kansas City.  In 1975, Jim became a member of the Shawnee Mission Sertoma Club and instigated the project to build a new outdoor theater in Shawnee Mission Park.  As chairman of the Theater Fund Raising Committee and with the help of my fellow Sertomans, he spent the next five years raising money to build the new theater.

In 1979, IBM moved him to a job in St. Louis and he turned over the leadership of the theater project to a fellow Sertoman, Reuben Sell.  He completed the fundraising and worked with the Johnson County Park and Recreation District during the construction of what is now The Theatre in the Park.

During this time, Jim met and married his lovely wife, Donna Knoell and moved to Atlanta, Georgia.  Jim and Donna both missed their Kansas roots and moved back to Prairie Village in 1988.   Jim is currently retired from IBM and enjoying serving on the Theatre Advisory Council, working with his church, being involved with the Johnson County Sertoma Club and traveling.
 

Brant Stacy (Member At Large) On a hot nite in 2007, Brant saw his first show at TIP, Thoroughly Modern Millie. Little did he know that from that very moment, TIP would become such a big part of his heart. The following summer, he appeared in his first show, 42^nd Street, and since then, has either been a performer or dedicated patron and supporter. He’s made some of his most cherished memories with TIP in shows such as, The Wedding Singer, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, and Beauty and the Beast.

Along with TIP, Brant has also performed with the Barn Player’s, and is an avid supporter of the many great theatrical, dance, and musical venues in KC. As an advisory council member, Brant wants to continue preserving the tradition and excitement of TIP and the Heritage Center

Brant has journalism and English degrees from the University of Kansas, and is the Media Manager at Ascend Learning in Leawood, KS. He also works part-time as a yoga instructor at various studios in the city, and is represented with Exposure Model and Talent. Last but not least, Brant is a holiday decorating aficionado, loves to travel, play kickball, and has two delightful mini dachshunds, Waldorf and Statler.

Jonathan Thomas (Member at Large) returned to the Kansas City area from San Francisco in 2018, where he became the Senior Development Manager at ArtsKC. While in San Francisco, he served as the Development Manager for The Walden School, a music program for aspiring composers and musicians. Always finding ways to fit music into his life, Jonathan performed as a soloist and professional chorister with the Grammy Award-winning San Francisco Symphony Chorus and the small ensemble Cappella SF.  Before moving to San Francisco in 2014, Jonathan divided his time between building an insurance agency and singing professionally in the Kansas City area. He has performed with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the Kansas City Symphony, the Kansas City Chorale, New Theatre Restaurant, and the Simon Carrington Chamber Singers and is a strong believer in the impact of the arts in the Kansas City community.

Jonathan spent most of his childhood in Olathe, Kansas and earned his Bachelor of Music from the University of Kansas in 2001. Jonathan’s passion for the arts motivated him to step away from his insurance agency and concentrate on fundraising and administration in the arts. He is excited to continue that journey with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City.   

Kim Underdown (Chair), a Johnson County resident of over 24 years, lives in Spring Hill with her husband Rod. Kim is involved in many charitable and community activites in the area including Hoops for Hope USA and Caring for Kids KC, as well as her local church. Kim and Rod are active supporters of Global Orphan Project, taking three trips to Haiti with their family.

A former teacher, Kim has played the piano since the age of five and been accompanying choirs since she was in the fourth grade. She has accompanied many school and church choirs, as well as students in competitions and recitals and also given private piano lessons. Kim’s hobbies include traveling with her husband, photography, and her beloved double doodle Grover. She loves supporting all types of performing and visual arts, both locally and at the national level.
 

Tim Bair (Producing Artistic director) grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, and began his long theatrical career at a very early age as “Paddy the Pixie” in the not-too-well-known musical - Santa’s Elf Saves Christmas (in fact… he’s not too sure it was ever heard of again!) He went on to perform on The Theatre in the Park stage for many years, and eventually took his first step into the “production” side of things when he choreographed OKLAHOMA, SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS, and WEST SIDE STORY for the park.

Tim left Kansas and tap danced his way around the world as a featured dancer and vocalist on a world cruise, and ended up in New York City (every Midwestern theatre boy’s dream!) where he chosen for the companies of the 42ND STREET European tour, and MY ONE AND ONLY starring Jodi Benson (the famed voice of Disney’s The Little Mermaid.) While in NYC, he danced with The Foot and Fiddle Dance Company for 10 years, and was the Artistic Director of The Millbrook Playhouse, in Mill Hall, PA, one of the county’s oldest remaining straw hat summer stock theatres.

In search of warmer weather, Tim trekked west and made his home in Phoenix, AZ, while traveling to many cities in the USA as a regional theatre Director and Choreographer.

Landing finally in San Jose, CA, Tim served as the Artistic Director of the American Musical Theatre of San Jose. While working with AMTSJ, he co-wrote (book, music and lyrics) and produced the original production Christmas Dreamland.

Tim returned home to Kansas City in 2010, where he currently serves as the manager of Fine and Performing Arts for JCPRD and the Producing Artistic Director of The Theatre in the Park, a Kansas City institution, the largest outdoor community theater in the country, and the place it all started so many years before.