Executive Director/Co-Artistic Director

Nigel Knutzen (Co-founder)

Nigel is an Equity Actor, playwright, director, and producer. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre performance from Naropa University and a Master of Research Anthropology: Art and Perception from the University of St Andrews, Scotland.

As a playwright, he is best known for integrating scientific methods and research based practicices into is work. He recently completed his third year performing in the Denver Zoo's Wild Falls experience and has spent the last two seasons working on the internationally recognized Glow and Blossoms of Light events at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

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During his time in Scotland, Nigel serverd as a Production Manager for the Business Improvement Distrcict of St Andrews, where he help produce Scotties by the Sea, a 33-sculpture public art trail along the east coast of Scotland.​

Co-Artistic Director/Board member

Erin Thibodaux (Co-founder)

Erin Thibodaux is an award winning and nationally recognized lighting designer. She is also a director, writer, producer, and most importantly, a storyteller. Erin has a BFA in Theatre Design/Tech: Lighting Design and a BA in English from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Board President

Jackquelyn Hilliker

Jackquelyn Hilliker earned her BFA in Stage Management from Western Michigan University in
2018. After which she completed an apprenticeship at Orlando Shakes and worked on various
productions including In the Heights, Hamlet, A Christmas Carol, and A Jungle Book. After
making the move to Colorado she’s had the opportunity to Direct and Stage Manage various
productions including The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). Though she has
spent more time in film production recently, she is excited to have returned to her roots by
joining this board.

Board Treasurer

Kyra Hamel

Kyra Hamel is a museum professional in the Denver-Boulder area, recently completing her Masters of Science in Museum Studies at CU Boulder. She moved to Colorado in 2019 after completing her undergraduate studies at Brandeis University (Film, Television, and Interactive Media/Biology) and has brought with her a passion for accessibility and ethical practices in arts and education. Kyra has worked at the Museum of Boulder since 2021 in various roles, including visitor services, exhibit design, and processing the Boulder Strong collection, which served as the topic for her Master's project on rapid-response collecting of spontaneous memorials. Kyra would also like to tell you about her blind cat Betty, who is perfect, so please ask Kyra about her if you see her.

Board Member

Jack Janzen

Jack Janzen is a Denver-based actor and teacher. He graduated from CU Boulder in 2018 with his BFA before taking a roundabout, five-year path to accidentally becoming a highly effective STEM teacher at 5280 Recovery High School, even winning the Colorado Avalanche Most Valuable Teacher award in his third year of teaching. Outside of work, Jack is an avid D&D player and occasional Dungeon Master, where he gets to channel his passion for storytelling and acting on a weekly basis. You can see him perform regularly with Till Death Do Us Party Productions.

Board Member

Alex Rettie

Alex received his BA in theatrical design and technology for Utah valley university with an emphasis in stage management after which he worked for Gulfshore Playhouse and Barter Theatre until the Pandemic. Since moving to Colorado he works as the Public Events Production Coordinator the the Denver Botanic Gardens producing Glow at the Gardens and Blossoms of Light. As a board member he is excited to help further the mission of Menace Theatre Company