CATA Announces New Staff

03:50PM / Thursday, February 27, 2025Print Story | Email Story

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Community Access to the Arts (CATA) announces the hiring of Nina Boutsikaris as Grants & Communications Coordinator and Jeremy Lovelett as Communications Associate.

These new positions will support CATA's Communications department to help grow public awareness and expand financial support for CATA's work. CATA has expanded programs serving people with disabilities in recent years, with an innovative, community-based model rooted in partnerships with disability agencies, day-habilitation programs, residences, and schools.

CATA currently provides more than 2,500 arts workshops annually for 1,250 children, teens, and adults with disabilities in painting, dance, acting, songwriting, drumming, creative writing, juggling, yoga, and more.

"We are thrilled to welcome Nina Boutsikaris and Jeremy Lovelett to the CATA team," said Margaret Keller, CATA Executive Director. "These new full-time roles are part of our strategic plan to engage more people with disabilities and expand opportunities for them to explore their talents and express themselves creatively."

Nina Boutsikaris (she/her) joins CATA following work as the Developmental Writer & Program Coordinator at the Diverse Future Foundation (Hudson, NY) and Archivist & Librarian at The John Ashbery Resource Center. Nina is a published author and former educator with an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from University of Arizona, and MSLS in Archives Management from Simmons University. In her role at CATA, Nina will support CATA's Communications and Development departments, supporting writing projects including grants, newsletters, and strategic plan and campaign materials.

Jeremy Lovelett (he/him) joins CATA following roles as Managing Editor at The Edge (Ithaca, NY) and as Library Assistant in Tech Services at the Berkshire Athenaeum. Jeremy has a Bachelor of Music with Outside Field in Writing from Ithaca College. In his new role at CATA, Jeremy will support CATA's Communications department through a variety of projects, including social media, e-blasts, website maintenance, photography, copy editing, and graphic design.

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Great Barrington Public Theater Appoints Artistic Director

09:57AM / Monday, December 29, 2025

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Great Barrington Public Theater announced that Associate Artistic Director Judy Braha will now join Jim Frangione at the helm as Artistic Director of Great Barrington Public Theater.

"We at Great Barrington Public Theater are thrilled that Judy Braha will assume the role of Artistic Director alongside myself. I couldn't have asked for a better partner to help advance the interests of the theater as we move into the next phase of growth as the region's premiere developmental theater," Founder & Artistic Director Jim Frangione said. "Judy brings a tremendous amount of experience and value to our company and has, in just a few short years, grown and greatly enhanced GB Public Theater's signature program, Berkshires Voices, where playwrights develop their work, leading to public readings and in some cases workshops and full productions. I look forward to working more closely with Judy to select the next generation of plays to be presented under the GB Public banner. It's a "Bear" of a job! But we feel great about the direction of our theater."

Judy Braha joined the GB Public artistic leadership team in 2023 as the Associate Artistic Director after 2 years directing for the company. She has since then been collaborating with Founder and Artistic Director Jim Frangione on the selection of new work for readings and full productions in the summer season. Her impressive portfolio of credits and accomplishments strengthened Great Barrington Public's creative programming and offered new perspectives to the body of works and events produced each year.

Judy Braha has been a career director, actor, teacher and artist for social justice for over four decades with directorial credits in theaters and universities throughout New England. She led the M.F.A. Directing Program at Boston University's School of Theater, retiring in 2022 after 29 years of service at BU.

"Judy has the strength of commitment, leadership and passion for theater and how it affects communities that fit hand-in-glove with our founding mission and core beliefs," Founder and Producing Director Deann Halper Simmons explains. "Her artistic integrity, sense of stage esthetic and ability to make important choices that craft life from the script continues to be a great asset to our company and growth."

"Judy's distinguished artistic voice has significantly contributed to the exceptional growth of GB Public in recent years," Managing Director Serena Johnson added. "We are truly excited to have her stepping into this leadership role in the 2026 season."

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