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originally published: 06/24/2021

(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- George Street Playhouse Board Chairman James Heston, Board President Penelope Lattimer, Artistic Director David Saint, and Managing Director Kelly Ryman have announced the appointment of Dina M. Mastellone to the Playhouse’s Board of Trustees. 

“We are honored to welcome Dina to our Board of Trustees,” said Mr. Heston. “Dina brings a wealth of experience in human resources policy compliance.” 

Ms. Mastellone is a Partner at Genova Burns LLC in the Firm's Newark Office. She is the chair of the Human Resources Counseling & Compliance Practice Group and works as a strategic and tactical business partner alongside the firm’s regional and national clients, counseling them on employment matters of all kinds and establishing and auditing human resources policies, handbooks and procedures.  

She has experience training businesses and human resources organizations in matters involving anti-harassment and diversity policy compliance and conducts confidential investigations on behalf of employers. Ms. Mastellone is also active in the Firm’s various initiatives that focus on mentoring firm lawyers and spearheading legal and business community outreach initiatives with respect to women and minorities.  

Ms. Mastellone was chosen by the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association as its Professional Lawyer of the Year in 2020.   

Ms. Mastellone will serve on the Governance and Nominating committee of the George Street Playhouse Board of Trustees. The committee assists the Board of Trustees in developing and implementing procedures regarding Board size, leadership, identifying, reviewing, and screening individuals who are qualified to serve as trustees, and on a regular basis, reviewing the overall governance of George Street Playhouse.   

“We welcome Dina to our Governance and Nominating committee,” said Board President Penelope Lattimer. “Dina’s experience with employment law, inclusionary  initiatives, and human resources will bring a wealth of knowledge to our board members and members of the staff.”      

Ms. Mastellone is also an advocate for mentoring and advancing women lawyers and increasing the involvement of women in professional and charitable organizations.  She is a member of the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association where she will assume the role of President on July 1, 2021, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey and is certified by the National Employment Law Institute in ADA/Rehabilitation Act Compliance.   

Ms. Mastellone’s distinctions also include inclusion in New Jersey SuperLawyers listing of the Top 50 Women from 2016-2017 and 2019-2021 and was listed by NJBIZ as Best 50 Women in Business in 2018. She was also a recipient of the Excellence in Achievement Award from the Rodino Society at Seton Hall University School of Law. 

Under the leadership of Artistic Director David Saint since 1997, and Kelly Ryman -- Managing Director since 2013, the Playhouse produces groundbreaking new works, inspiring productions of the classics, and hit Broadway plays and musicals that speak to the heart and mind, with an unwavering commitment to producing new work.  As New Brunswick’s first producing theatre, George Street Playhouse became the cornerstone of the revitalization of the City’s arts and cultural landscape.  With its 45-year history of producing nationally renowned theatre, the Playhouse continues to fill a unique theatre and arts education role in the city, state and greater metropolitan region.

Beginning with the 2019-20 Season, George Street Playhouse moved to the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center in downtown New Brunswick.  Featuring two state-of-the-art theatres -- The Arthur Laurents Theater with 253 seats and The Elizabeth Ross Johnson Theater which seats 465-- and myriad amenities, the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center marks a new era in the esteemed history of George Street Playhouse.

Founded by Eric Krebs, George Street Playhouse, originally located in an abandoned supermarket on the corner of George and Albany Streets, was the first professional theatre in New Brunswick. In 1984, the Playhouse moved to a renovated YMCA on Livingston Avenue, and in 2017 took temporary residence in the former Agricultural Museum at Rutgers University during construction of its new home.

The Playhouse has been well represented by numerous productions both on and off-Broadway. In 2018, George Street Playhouse was represented on Broadway with Gettin’ the Band Back Together which premiered on the Playhouse mainstage in 2013.  American Son, produced by George Street Playhouse in 2017, opened on Broadway in 2018 starring Kerry Washington and Stephen Pasqual, and will appear on Netflix.  Other productions include the Outer Critics’ Circle Best Musical Award-winner The Toxic Avenger.  In 2015, It Shoulda Been You opened on Broadway and Joe DiPietro’s Clever Little Lies opened off-Broadway.  Both shows received their premieres at the Playhouse. Others include the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Drama League nominated production of The Spitfire Grill; and the Broadway hit and Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play Proof by David Auburn, which was developed at the Playhouse during the 1999 Next Stage Series of new plays.

In addition to the mainstage season, the Playhouse’s education department provides extensive programming for children, youth and adults.  Partnering with administrators and educators throughout New Jersey, the Playhouse provides unique education experiences that both reinforce classroom curriculum and investigate issues such as bullying, diversity, immigration, health and wellness, and the rising epidemic of opioid addiction.

George Street Playhouse programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.  Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund. 

 

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