Changes To Our Board of Directors

The month of August has continued the trend of changes for The Company OnStage, and this time those changes impacted our Board of Directors. We wanted to take a moment to thank the dedicated Board Members who stepped down this year, as well as to welcome our new Board Members.

A Heartfelt Thanks

The Company OnStage Board of Directors wishes to thank Tarik Bakri, Karla Brandau, and Anita Samson for their service to our organization. All three are departing the board this year, after providing much guidance, time, passion, and talent.  

This past season marked a return to the board for Tarik Bakri. Tarik was responsible for creating our first website many years ago, and he continued to provide technical support this past year. He has been a long-time and valued member of our team behind the scenes, whether serving on the board or supporting his wife, Stacy, during her time as Artistic Director. 

Karla Brandau served as a member of the Board of Directors for more than a decade. She has been a member of the Company OnStage family for far longer, having gotten her start under the direction of founder Joyce Randall McNally. She has been a staple both on the stage and in the director’s chair, most recently directing the critically acclaimed production of “Art” in April of this year, which earned a best actor nomination from the Houston Press Theatre Awards.  

Last, but certainly not least, we bid farewell to long-time board member Anita Samson, who has delighted audiences in both Young Audience and Evening performances and directed numerous shows for our stage. Her most recent directorial project was our 2020 production “Enchanted April”, which was a phenomenal show that closed far too soon due to the pandemic. Anita’s knowledge and guidance on the board has been invaluable.

Their contributions have made a lasting impact on our organization, and we wish them the best! 

Welcome to the Board

This summer we conducted a search for new members to fill vacancies on our Board of Directors, and we were blown away to have so many the talented candidates to consider! After a lengthy application and interview process, we are thrilled to introduce our new members: D. Lee Lozano, Imran Qamar, and Crystal LaShan.

D. Lee Lozano joins our Board after volunteering with COS for years. In fact, her first introduction to the theatre as a child was at The Company Onstage, and she connects that experience to fueling her passion for creative expression. She believes that, “Theatre, along with Community, bear the transformative power of indelible moments among multifaceted citizenries… Powerfully, these vehicles of change, contemporaneously enhance our shared existence and our humanity – accentuating the essentialness for the Common Good.” (Read more about D. Lee Lozano)

Imran Qamar is a self-described “creative person from every angle”. He enjoys painting, acting, and writing in his spare time, rekindling those passions in recent years. As an architect with an extensive career in design, construction, and real estate development, Imran brings his much needed expertise to COS at the perfect time with the build out of our New Location just beginning. Imran plans to meld “his professional skills with his creative juices to help the [Company OnStage] move further forward with this Mission and Goals.” (Read more about Imran Qamar)

Crystal LaShan is a Houston Native with an extensive background in the Performing Arts with numerous T.V. and film credits to her name. Additionally, Crystal has a 15+ year career as an  Arts Educator and proudly works as a Theatre Arts teacher at Killough Middle School in Alief ISD. She believes that “It is the responsibility of the Extraordinary to help the Ordinary to become Extraordinary!” – Crystal Washington – Toussant 2000. (Read more about Crystal LaShan)

Welcome to our new Board Members! With all of the big changes we are experiencing, we are so excited to have you join our team, and we cannot wait to see how you will impact and strengthen our organization in the years ahead!

 

If you would like to learn more about what is happening at the Company OnStage, please sign up for our Newsletter. Also, with the construction of our new performance space and our goal to open for performances before the end of this year, we could use your support! Please consider donating to help us reach our goals. It is easy to donate, just click here.