Center Stage Theatre

Gary and Francesca Scarpa

Geoffrey Kanner (Secretary) is President and Managing Member of Kanner Financial Services LLC, a Registered Investment Advisory firm in North Haven, CT.  A Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), Geoff specializes in helping individuals, families and businesses plan for their financial future. Geoffrey, in addition to working with individual and small business clients, works with other professionals to help start and build their own financial service practices.

Geoff graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1980. He served five years on active duty in the U.S. Air Force as a captain with the Strategic Air Command. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional (CFP® Professional), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Registered Financial Consultant (RFC), Registered Health Underwriter (RHU) and CIC Certified Insurance Consultant.

 He is a past president of the New Haven Financial Planning Association (FPA) and a past president of the Connecticut Association of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA). He has written and moderated multiple courses on financial planning and insurance for professionals. And has been interviewed by and written articles for national publications and radio. He trains and serves with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, and serves as a consultant to the EA Network, an online community of CPAs and Tax Attorneys. Geoff lives in Hamden with his wife Maribeth and their three children.

Carla Supersano Sullivan has played a variety of supporting roles from board member at Center Stage to Youth CONNection camp counselor, from behind-the-scenes volunteer to enthusiastic audience member for nearly 30 years. Carla is a proud graduate of Shelton High School and Fairfield University, where she recently served as President of the Alumni Association. She is currently the Director of Donor Service and Grantmaking for the Valley Community Foundation. An active community volunteer, Carla has served as President of the Booth Hill School and Shelton Intermediate School PTOs. She is Vice-Chair of the Junior Achievement Valley Community Board and a regular classroom and program volunteer.  She served on the Shelton Board of Education where she continues to be a member of the Curriculum, Policy and Technology Committee and the Communications Committee.  A liturgical musician, Carla enjoys performing and singing at area churches.  She lives in Shelton with her husband Sean and their children Kelsey, Elise and Matthew.

Sean Sullivan is a founding Board member for Center Stage Theatre and an original member of the Youth CONNection having played Diesel in its first production of West Side Story in 1983.  When Sean played his favorite role, Daddy Warbucks in the 1986 production of Annie, he shaved his head at the Ansonia Mall, proving that he’d do just about anything for the Scarpas.  Sean graduated from Shelton High School and Princeton University, where he was a proud member of the Glee Club.  A seasoned IT professional, Sean is currently the Director of Information Technology at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen and Katz in New York City, having previously worked for the Philip Morris Companies and Andersen Consulting.  He is also an active community volunteer, serving most recently as the Chairman of the Perry Hill School Building Committee.  Sean lives in Shelton with his wife Carla and their three children Kelsey, Elise and Matthew.

Jim Lones is involved with several theaters throughout Fairfield County including the Wilton Playshop, Westport Community Theater, and Theatreworks in New Milford. By day he is a software engineer for Nordco Rail Services in Ridgefield, having previous worked at Pitney Bowes in Shelton for 9 years.  He is also the owner and publisher of the weekly Shelton publication called Coffee News. His past community involvements have centered around marriage preparation and youth work camp through his local church. Jim lives in Oxford with his wife and 3 children.

Marc J. Garofalo has always been active in community affairs and the performing arts. Marc is the entrepreneur owner of CertaPro Painters of Southwestern Connecticut, a residential and commercial painting and restoration company based in Derby, CT. Marc has worked to support several area organizations including Connecticut Hospice, Boy Scouts of America, Ronald McDonald House, Center Stage Theatre, Griffin Hospital, St. Mary-St. Michael School, Sons and Daughters of Italy, and several area churches. As an experienced performer and musician, Marc has appeared in more than 50 major productions, including the roles of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, Harold Hill in The Music Man, Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha, Cornelius Hackl in Hello Dolly, Ali Hakim in Oklahoma!, Professor Bhaer in Little Women, and Miles Gloriosus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He is also Director of Music at St. Michael Church in Derby, CT. A graduate of Quinnipiac University – BS – Financial Management, Marc earned an MBA and a Master of Public Administration from the University of New Haven. He also was a host of a popular radio program on 88.7 FM WNHU. Marc is a lifelong Derby resident where he served his community for more than 20 years as a member of the Board of Apportionment and Taxation, Board of Aldermen, Charter Revision Commission, Cultural Commission, and as Mayor. He loves to cook, makes his own wine, cultivates a large vegetable garden each summer and organizes cultural exchange excursions to Italy.

Ron Baldwin was raised in Watertown, CT and graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1970. He spent the next 13 years in the US Army as a machinist and then as a Warrant Officer in charge of Service and Recovery platoons, overseeing a wide range of metal fabrication specialties and developing skills such as welding, sewing, machining and rigging, all of which have proven useful in the theater world. He has spent the last 28 years as an engineer and manager with Branson Ultrasonics in Danbury, CT. Ron joined the Center Stage family on the 4^th show, Butterflies are Free, and has been happily building sets ever since. Ron is happily married to Jan McLean and has 2 children and 4 grandchildren. Jan is the amazingly loving person who tolerates the many, many nights he spends at the theatre and accepts how important and rewarding it is to him to be part of the cooperative endeavor that is Center Stage.

Kathleen Gildea Riddle is a lifelong Shelton resident and graduated from Seton Hall University with a bachelor’s degree in Education and English.  She earned her master’s degree in counseling from the University of Bridgeport and her 6^th year degree in administration from Southern Connecticut State University. Kathy was an English teacher at Shelton High School and is currently a school counselor. Kathy fondly remembers growing up watching many plays performed by the Shelton High School drama club and Youth CONNection. While never a stage performer herself, she is inspired by the dedication and enthusiasm that the Scarpas bring to our community and wanted to be an active member to promote the arts in the Valley.  Kathy is currently the chairperson for the fundraising and marketing committee for Center Stage. Kathy lives in Shelton with her husband, Patrick, and her two children, Finnegan and Murphy.