Jason Alfano (President) was elected to the Board in 2014 but has been involved with Gaslight Theatre Company since 2004, having acted in many Gaslight productions. Some of his favorite roles include Lucky in Waiting for Godot, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Jack in Incorruptible, Adam in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), and Fr. Stills in At This Point. Jason also directed smaller pieces for Gaslight's Playroom series. Jason is very excited to be on the Board and is already enjoying the meetings and other important stuff they do. When Jason is not acting or at board meetings, he enjoys golf, fantasy football, regular football, acting, redundancy, and excluding the Oxford comma. He married Gaslight alum Meaghan Alfano in 2015, and they have a beautiful daughter, son, and two dogs.
Eyanna Wawrzynek (Vice President) has been seen in Gaslight’s productions of Romeo & Juliet as Juliet and Taming of the Shrew as Bianca. Favorite roles outside of Gaslight include: Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd (Ovation Playhouse), The Witch in Into the Woods (PTPA), Jo March in Little Women (Ovation Playhouse), and Kitty in The Drowsy Chaperone (Music Box). Eyanna is an avid volunteer across all the theaters in NEPA, usually providing graphic design, photography, costumes, set design, or an uncomfortably long set of arms to reach things with to anyone in need.
Dane Bower(Artistic Director) began his involvement with Gaslight Theatre Company as a cast member in Playroom: Attic and is proud to serve as a member of the Board of Directors. A long-standing (and sometimes sitting) veteran of the local community theatre scene, he has enjoyed taking part in over 80 shows in the area during a “career” that has spanned 20+ years. When not treading the boards of one of the many NEPA local theaters, Dane works as a member of the Events and Travel team at Benco Dental and takes care of his Boston Terriers, Rigby and Wally. Against his better judgment, he also roots heartily for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is one half of the creative production team FlashMilk, where he serves as the primary writer and one of the actors. His Gaslight acting credits include the Attic, Bedroom, and Home for the Holidays editions of the Playroom series,Toast!, The Taming of the Shrew (Petruchio), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), Next to Normal (Dan), and Songs for A New World (Man 2). He directed Gaslight’s 2018 production of Cormac McCarthy’s The Sunset Limited as well as entries in the Back Porch and Home for the Holidays editions of the Playroom series, and as a writer, he has contributed short plays to Home for the Holidays, Back Porch, and Dining Room editions of the Playroom series.
Brandi George (Treasurer)has served on the Gaslight Board of Directors since 2012, previously as president, artistic director, and secretary. She earned her MA in Communication Arts from Marywood University and her double BA in Theatre and Mass Communications from King’s College. She works as Assistant Director of Communications and Public Relations at King's College. Select directing credits include August: Osage County by Tracy Letts (NEPTA, Best Drama); Next Fall by Geoffrey Nauffts; God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza; Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (NEPTA, Best Comedy, Best Director); As You Like It by William Shakespeare; and many Playroom one acts! Select acting credits include Proof (Catherine);The 39 Steps (Annabella/Margaret/Pamela);Much Ado About Nothing (Margaret); and Playroom: Home for the Holidays, All the Year (Marla). In to her role as a board member, Brandi also leads Gaslight's marketing efforts.
Eden Stella (Secretary) began working with Gaslight in 2020 designing/engineering sound and visuals for the original improv show Leave the Cannoli presented at Scranton Fringe Festival. Eden continued to work with Gaslight for the next two Scranton Fringe Festivals in another original improv, Bring out Your Dead (sound designer), and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (stage manager). She earned her Master’s in Social Work from Marywood University and her BA in Theology with a minor in Theatre from King’s College. During her time at King’s College she sound designed, engineered, and stage managed many shows. Some of note: As You Like It (stage manager), Much Ado About Nothin' (sound designer), King Lear (stage manager and sound designer), Ragtime (sound designer), The Drowsy Chaperone (sound designer). When not behind the sound board or in the stage manager’s booth, Eden can usually be found spending time with friends and family and finding new opportunities to be behind the sound board or in the stage manager’s booth.
Dave Reynolds is a proud co-founder of Gaslight. He has served as Resident Designer and Technical Director since the company’s inception and has designed nearly every production. Dave has also directed several productions, including: Taming of the Shrew,Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), and Quiet Cowboy. Dave is currently an Assistant Professor of Theatre at King’s College. He earned a MFA degree in Design from Temple University. He has worked extensively as a freelance designer in NEPA and Philadelphia. Some recent design credits include Lighting Design/Technical Direction – Two Gentlemen of Verona, PAI at the FM Kirby Center; Scenic Design – The Cure at Troy, Swarthmore College; Lighting Design –Antigone, King’s College, Scenic Design/Technical Direction – Charley’s Aunt, Maples Repertory Theatre, Macon, MO. Dave’s favorite roles have been as husband to Christina and father to Max, Elliott, and Rosie.
Mike Wawrzynek first appeared on the Gaslight Theatre stage in A Charlie Brown Christmas Live! (2017) as everyone’s favorite scene-stealing shepherd, Shermy. Since then, he’s performed in Taming of the Shrew (Lucentio), Romeo & Juliet (Romeo), 12 Angry Men (Juror #8), Sunday in the Park with George (Jules/Robert Greenburg), and several original short plays in Playroom: Home for the Holidays. He also directed Songs for a New World. Active in the local theatre community for more than a decade, Mike has earned recognition for his work as an actor, director, set, sound, and lighting designer, writer, and composer. In 2021, he co-wrote and composed Tall Green Plumber: A Video Game Musical, which premiered to enthusiastic audiences. Outside the theatre, he enjoys life with his wife, Eyanna, and their dog, Sydney Pierogi Sunshine. He is also the co-founder of FlashMilk Productions alongside fellow board member Dane Bower.
Jahmeel Powers joined the Gaslight Board in 2021 after working on the final Playroom edition, Home for the Holidays, and the original improv show Leave the Cannoli presented at Scranton Fringe Festival. Originally from Michigan, Jahmeel received his MFA in Acting at Regent University, which has taken him to multiple professional contracts across the country such as in Maine, Michigan, Virginia, New York, and internationally as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2018. Select local performances include Something Rotten (Brother Jeremiah, PTPA) and Chicago (Fred Casely, Little Theatre) as well as other favorite appearances in Much Ado About Nothing (Dogberry), She Loves Me (Headwaiter), Seussical (Cat in the Hat), and The 39 Steps (Clown #2). He is an experienced and passionate improviser, working with a number of short-form and long-form methodologies and is co-owner of Powers Performance Coaching with his wife, Elizabeth (Beth) Guarnieri Powers,which improves individual and organizational clients’ communication, social, and performative skills through various acting methodologies.Outside of work, Jahmeel is ecstatic to be playing his two favorite roles: that of a loving husband and the father of threewonderful children, Anntoinette, Ezekiel, and Virginia!
Jamie Costello first worked with Gaslight on stage as a cast member in Playroom: Dining Room and is proud to serve as a member of the board of directors since 2024. Jamie earned her MA in History from the University of Massachusetts, Boston and her BA in History from King’s College with a minor in Theatre. She focuses her historical research primarily on labor organization in northeastern Pennsylvania and early 20th century American theatre. Jamie currently works as the Circulation Supervisor of the Corgan Library at King’s College where she works as the resident Dramaturg at the Maffei Theatre. Prior to her involvement with Gaslight, Jamie stage managed, acted, and was the student dramaturg for many King’s shows including Richard III (stage manager), Little Shop of Horrors (Ronette), and Rabbit Hole (student dramaturg). Most recently, Jamie was the stage manager for Gaslight’s production of The Minutes. Outside of the theatre, Jamie enjoys playing tabletop games, Dungeons and Dragons, and hanging out with her partner Shane and their brood of very spoiled cats.
Beth Guarnieri Powers is an international performer, acting instructor, and SAFD-certified actor combatant with 30 years of experience in the performance world, who received her Master of Fine Arts in Acting from Regent University. She is currently an adjunct theatre professor/acting coach at King’s College, a Music-Together instructor with MUSICare Project NEPA, and the co-founder of Powers Performance Coaching with her husband, Jahmeel Powers. Some of her favorite stage roles include Roxy in Chicago, Medea in Medea, Beatrice in The Servant of Two Masters, Ms. Ritter in She Loves Me, Kate in Taming of the Shrew, Masha in The Seagull, and Ophelia in Hamlet. A very special shout-out to Jahmeel Powers, who is the BEST partner both on and off stage, and to Anntoinette, Ezekiel, and Virginia Powers, who gave her the role of a lifetime as their mother. I hope to make you proud every single day.
