After a rigorous search and meeting dozens of candidates, Portland Ovations is thrilled to have three new staff joining the team, bringing the total number of full-time staff to 10. Clarissa Shirley joins as Development Manager, Nicole Byrne joins as Foundations & Major Gifts Manager, and Ciara Neidlinger as Artist Services and Production Coordinator
“We feel incredibly grateful to have found these three extraordinary individuals who share our commitment to community well-being through the arts. Each one of them brings a robust and varied set of skills, experiences and insights. We are excited to work with them to bring more art experiences to more people in Maine,” shares Executive & Artistic Director Aimée M. Petrin.
Clarissa Shirley (she/her) hails from the Jersey Shore but spent the past two years working professionally in Washington, D.C. She worked at Studio Theatre supporting the development of Contemporary Plays and New Work, and Shakespeare Theatre Company where she built exciting events connected to the classical canon. She holds a degree from Muhlenberg College in directing and English. It is extremely important to Clarissa that people from all walks of life feel welcome and celebrated while attending live performances. Clarissa is an Intimacy Director with a focus on advocacy work for youth.
“Theatre programming was essential in my upbringing and built me into the person I am today,” says Shirley. “I was drawn to Portland Ovation’s mission to share live performance with all members of the community. The staff is so dedicated and talented and I’m very honored to be joining in.”
Nicole Byrne (they/she) arrived in Maine by way of Kansas, by way of Maine, by way of New Jersey. Prior to joining Ovations, they served Portland’s arts community as Mayo Street Arts’ Advancement & Communications Manager and supported Maine’s local food economy through marketing and community engagement work at the Portland Food Co-op. Nicole has earned their BFA (UMaine Farmington) and MFA (Wichita State University) in Creative Writing, focusing on poetry. Don’t ask them who their favorite writer is — it changes all the time. Nicole brings over a decade and a half of writing, editing, development, and marketing experience gathered from positions and freelance projects in the fields of literary publishing, journalism, and teaching, just to name a few. Her work has spanned across wide and varied topics including storytelling festivals, luxury Italian yarn, and humanitarian causes.
“Ovations brings some really amazing performances to Portland and works so hard to make them accessible to everyone,” says Byrne. “I care deeply about access to the arts and live performance, especially for young folks, and am very fired up to work to ensure that Maine students are able to experience super cool live performances as a part of their education.”
Ciara Neidlinger (she/her) is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine with a Theater major, and Business administration minor. She comes to Ovations via Maine State Music Theatre, and Maddy’s Theater at the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine. She has experience with the Holiday Inn by the Bay where she worked as the front desk supervisor, as well as hotel properties in the Seattle area. She has experience as a stage manager, and a stagehand, as well as a background in performance.
“I’m so excited to be part of a thriving organization focused on the community it serves,” says Neidlinger. “Multiple shows this season hit close to home, Hadestown in particular as our first dance at my wedding will be Wedding Song.”
