MEET THE WORKSHOP STAFF

MARA FLYNN
Workshop Director, Lead Educator, Youth Arts Programming

Mara Flynn is thrilled to be joining the Theater in the Open staff. Her ties with TITO run deep; she did her first show with TITO at age 12, attended the summer program for several years and continued performing with TITO until her early 20’s.

Mara holds a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. In addition to over 20 years teaching and directing workshops for various organizations (Tannery Arts Camp, Theater in the Open) she was co-director at Acting Out in Newburyport, MA where she taught improv based theater and performance workshops for 15 years. As a singer-songwriter, Mara has released three solo albums on Burst and Bloom Records; her last album, “Good Hands” was released in 2016. Mara is also the Director of Children’s Ministry at the First Religious Society UU in Newburyport where she uses her experience in theater, music and education to foster community, self awareness and empathy, and the exploration of social justice as a spiritual practice.

MADDIE SHEA
Workshop Administrative Director, Operations Manager

Maddie Shea (she/her/hers) is looking forward to another amazing summer at Workshop! Maddie was first introduced to the TITO family in 2018 as the stage manager for the Winter Panto production of Cinderella. From there she became part of the TITO staff helping out with many things, including stage managing numerous productions. She is excited to be a part of Theater in the Open’s ongoing growth with the community. 

Maddie grew up in Groveland and received her BA in Theater from New England College. In addition to her role as Administrative Director with the Summer Arts Workshop, she works with TITO as the Operations Manager. She has also loved working at the Container Store for many years designing closets and helping people get organized.

FRANCES HELLUMS
Workshop Associate Director, Artistic Associate

Frances Hellums (she/her/hers) is counting down the days until Workshop begins! As a multi-hyphenate theatre artist, Frances was first introduced to the TITO family in 2019 as an actor in the summer production of The Tempest. From there she would come onboard the Workshop team to design and teach an adaptable art curriculum for TITO's 2020 virtual workshop. She is deeply dedicated to the success of this beautiful and one-of-a-kind community and program.

Frances grew up in Houston, Texas, and received her BFA from Boston University School of Theatre along with an academic concentration in Applied Human Development and Psychology. She has worked with children and adolescents in and out of the arts as a Therapeutic Mentor and classroom teacher. In addition to her role with the Summer Arts Workshop she works with Theatre in the Open as Program Manager, The Huntington Theatre as Part-Time Education Associate, and around the greater Boston area as a freelance actor, director, and educator.