Scott Nolte (Producting Artistic Director)
Scott Nolte is a co-founder and the Producing Artistic Director of Taproot Theatre Company. Over the course of 30 years, he has directed such plays as An Inspector Calls, Arthur: The Hunt, Smoke on the Mountain and An Enemy of the People, as well as Joyful Noise, Moreau, Terra Nova and Godspell. As an actor he’s been seen on stage in Harvey, The Foreigner, Talley’s Folly, Cotton Patch Gospel and Lost in Yonkers. He has also directed many shows for TTC’s Road Company. In November 2006 he directed The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge for Tacoma Actors Guild, and more recently the acclaimed The God Committee and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor^® Dreamcoat for TTC. He participates in two new play development groups, is past president of Theatre Puget Sound, and is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. As the founder of this 32-year-old theatre, Scott has served as a judge and panelist for two social venture conferences and has advised other theatres on artistic and organizational issues. Most recently Scott was profiled in the journal COMMENT. Scott is happily married to Pam (a TTC co-founder) and proud father of Peter and Lisa. Scott’s blog can be found at http://scottnolte.wordpress.com/.

Karen Lund (Associate Artistic Director)
Karen Lund has performed and directed at theatres across the country including the Illinois Repertory Theatre, Empty Space Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and the Kentucky and Idaho Shakespeare Festivals. Karen has directed nearly one hundred plays including critically acclaimed productions of A Streetcar Named Desire (The Daily Pilot Top Three Theatrical Events in Orange County 2007), All My Sons (Seattle Times Spotlight Award Best Male Performance), God's Man in Texas (SeattleTheatre.com Top Ten Theatrical Events of 2003), The Importance of Being Ernest (Seattle Times Spotlight Award Bravura Performance, Bethany Hudson) and Ah, Wilderness! (Backstage West Garland Award nomination for Best Director). In 2005, Karen directed the workshop production of the new musical Magdalene in Franklin, TN, featuring American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, Broadway star Amick Byram and television star Grant Goodeve. Karen’s first film short, Fool4LuV, was nominated for best comedy and best leading actor in the 168 Film Project contest and received the New LA FilmMakers award at the City of Angeles Film Festival in 2007. Karen has also directed a reading at the Falcon Theatre for the new short film Saturation which she’ll begin filming in April 2008. Her next project is co-producing a one-woman show for former Saturday Night Live actress Victoria Jackson, directed by Marianne Savell. Karen's experience also includes more than 20 years in front of and behind the scenes in television. In 2004 she was granted an observership with Emmy-winning director Jim Burrows on three episodes of Will and Grace, and in 2005 she directed the pilot for the half-hour sitcom American U written by Dan Ewald and Rajeev Sigomoney. Karen received her BFA in theatre from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. She is married to actor/designer Mark Lund and is the proud mother of Jake and Hannah.

Sarah Burch Gordon (Costume Shop Manager and Designer)
Sarah is Taproot’s costume shop manager and resident designer. She has designed costumes for The Foreigner,Voice of the Prairie, An Inspector Calls, The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge, and Last Train to Nibroc here at Taproot. Sarah designed costumes for Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre and taught costume design and construction at Mars Hill College in North Carolina. Favorite shows she has designed include; The Tempest, Our Town, Noises Off, Grace and Glorie, The Heidi Chronicles and El Capitan. She has also worked with Starlight Musicals in Indianapolis, Stagewest Theater in Massachusetts and the Brick Playhouse and Venture Theatre in Philadelphia. She was nominated for a Barrymore award for outstanding costume design for “The Lower Depths.” She received her BFA in Theatrical Design from Northern Illinois University and her MFA in Costume Design from Temple University. In addition to designing, Sarah has specialized in millinery, crafts, painting and dying and flat patterning. She also has done extensive costume history research study including an internship at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the Costume and Textile division.

Mark Lund (Design Director, Scenic & Sound Designer)
Mark Lund has been on staff for Taproot Theatre Company for 15 years. Mark has designed over 100 mainstage and touring productions for Taproot. He has also designed for T.A.G., Seattle Shakespeare Company, Book-It Rep and many shows for the now defunct Seattle International Fringe Festival. Design highlights at Taproot include The Importance of Being Earnest, Mary’s Wedding, An Inspector Calls, Shadowlands, The Comedy of Errors, You Never Can Tell and The Voice of the Prairie. He has appeared on the Taproot stage in almost 30 productions as well as in episodes of CBS TV’s The Fugitive and Disney’s Bill Nye the Science Guy and many commercials and corporate videos. As a voice talent, Mark can be heard in many national and regional projects for the National Geographic Channel, Qwest, T-Mobile, Microsoft, Seattle Mariners & Seahawks and many, many others. Mark was also the narrator for FEDEX Brand Awareness, winner of a New York Film Festival Award for Best Corporate Image. A long time ago, he also worked in radio and corporate A/V.

Rebecca Olson (Production Stage Manager)
Rebecca joined Taproot Theatre Company in January 2005 coming from San Diego, CA. Prior to her arrival, she last worked on the nationally acclaimed production Triple Espresso at the Horton Grand Theatre where it has played for over 10 years. Rebecca also worked with the San Diego Symphony, managing the stage for such groups as Harry Connick, Jr., Martina McBride, The Big Bad Voodoo Daddies and Jason Mraz. Rebecca worked throughout San Diego at such theatres as North Coast Repertory Theatre, Sledgehammer Theatre and Diversionary Theatre. She received her Bachelors degree from San Diego State University where she specialized in Stage Management.

Sara K. Willy (Director of Education)
As the Director of Education at Taproot Theatre Company, Sara has had the pleasure of teaching in the Acting Studio, sharing in their mission to cultivate future artists and encourage an appreciation for the art of theatre. A Seattle native, she received an undergraduate degree in Communications from Western Washington University and a Masters Degree in Educational Theatre from New York University. Sara has been working with both children and adults throughout the Pacific Northwest at TTC, Seattle Children’s Theatre and Studio East Since 2001. She also teaches on-site acting classes at Fairfax Hospital. She was last seen onstage in TTC’s touring production of The Littlest Angel. Favorite roles include Sister Mary Leo in Nunsense! and Sweet Pea in The Three Little Pigs.