Noor Taher - Chair

Chair, Building Committee

3 Years of Service

Noor was born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq. He has a doctorate in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from Dartmouth College, where he now works as a research scientist. His current focus involves using mass spectrometry to study the effects of chemical modifications on the protein production machinery in cells. Noor became a member of Parish Players in 2015. Some favorite roles include Biff (Death of a Salesman), Brutus (Julius Caesar), Trevor (The Play That Goes Wrong), Bradley (Buried Child), and Berenger (Rhinoceros). Noor has served as a Parish Players board member twice in the past, when he was part of the cohort that jump-started Parish Players following the covid-driven two-year hiatus. He also produced The Play That Goes Wrong, a technically challenging undertaking that showcased the artistic ambition and creative strength of Parish Players' community.  In his spare time, he enjoys hiking and playing the trumpet with local music groups.

 

Michele Perkins - Vice Chair

Chair, Development Committee

1+ years of service

Michele joined the board in 2024. She moved to Vermont in 2022, after completing a sixteen-year tenure as President of New England College (NH). Her academic discipline is Theatre, and she began her career teaching theatre, voice, and literature at Emerson College and Curry College. Her degrees are from Northwestern, Emerson, and the University of Pennsylvania. She has held memberships in and chaired numerous nonprofits throughout her career, mostly in higher education. She is delighted to be a part of the Parish Players, and in addition to serving on its Board and Chairing the Development Committee, she has acted in six productions in the last two years.

 

​​Ken Burchard - Treasurer

Chair, Finance Committee

12 years of service

Ken Burchard is a retired surgeon and a Professor Emeritus at The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. He has served as treasurer of The Parish Players theater company for approximately twelve years. Connecting with The Parish Players brought Ken in direct contact with talented actors, directors, and producers, all of whom provide for a remarkable community theater. Ken has written several plays that have focused on less than laudable “educational” experiences during medical training. Ken is hoping to champion a Theater in Medical Education program at The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. The recognition that such an effort is feasible is a direct result of Ken’s exposure and engagement with The Parish Players.

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Philip Noble - Secretary

Chair, Communications Committee 

Website and Social Media Manager

1 year of service

Philip Noble has been with Parish Players for just over a year. He has acted, stage managed and provided technical assistance to several Parish productions, including Twelve Installations, as well as two iterations of the Ten-Minute Play Festival. Previously, he attended Rhode Island College studying theater tech, where he worked as a stagehand at the John Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, helping to run the college’s own productions as well as a variety of traveling shows and rental performances. His parents met in a Parish Players production in 1980.

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Robyn Noble- Corresponding Secretary

Co-Chair, Trusteeship and Nominating Committee

Member, Community Engagement Committee

1 year of service

Robyn Noble began her work with the Parish Players in 1980, as a member of their School Touring Company, and joined the board in 1981, serving for 6 years. Life took her away from Vermont in 1988 to NYC, and later to Providence, RI, where she taught in public school for 25 years. She returned to Vermont in 2022, and jumped back into the Parish Players as an actor, director and producer. She has served as the Players’ Corresponding Secretary for a year. 

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​Nicole Gaines

Member, Performer, Community Engagement Committee & Development Committee

1+ years of service

When Nicole Gaines moved from Dallas to Lyme, New Hampshire in 2021, she found a new home in Parish Players. A lifelong lover of performance, she has studied dance, music, theatre, and acrobatics since childhood. While completing her BBA in Finance & Marketing at SMU’s Cox School of Business, she served on the university’s Dramatic Arts Committee and appeared in productions including The Who’s Tommy, Soapdish: The Musical, and Chicago.

Her Parish Players credits include Press Pray (Voice of God, 2024 Tens Festival), Proxy (Victoria), Rhinoceros (Grocer’s Wife / Dancing Rhinoceros), and Twelve Installations (La Parisienne). She also appears in the short film Unamerican Dream, co-starring fellow board member Jonathan Rosenbloom and her son, Lincoln.

Nicole volunteers throughout both the Parish Players community and the town of Lyme, supporting families, the arts, and community connection. She especially loves sharing her passion for the performing arts with her children — Drayce, Charli, and Lincoln — who often join her in celebrating the performing arts.

Her professional background includes corporate banking, marketing, talent recruitment & development, and higher education, including supporting emerging artists at The Art Institutes of Dallas and Houston. As a Parish Players Board Member, Nicole is committed to welcoming new voices, building community, and uplifting the creative spirit of the Upper Valley.

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Brian Kenyon

Member, Buildings Committee

4 years of service

Brian has been involved with Parish Players as a lighting tech and designer, and occasionally as a director.  Outside of the theatre he is an excavating contractor and part time for the IATSE 919 stagehands union. He has very much enjoyed his time at Parish Players and hopes to continue for many years to come.

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Richard Noble

Co-Chair, Trusteeship and Nominating Committee

2 years of service

Richard Noble has returned to the Parish Players after a 36-year hiatus. In the 1970s and 80s he had frequently acted with the Parish Players, as well as the Panther Players on Vermont Public and the Dartmouth Summer Rep. In Providence, RI, beginning in 1990, he worked with the Perishable Theatre, Alias Stage/Gamm Theatre, and Burbage Theatre, and also with Boston’s Shakespeare on the Common. He moved back to Vermont in 2022, after 31 years of cataloguing rare books for the Brown University Library.​

 

Jonathan Rosenbloom

1+ year of service

Jonathan Rosenbloom is a law professor, Associate Dean, and legal scholar whose work explores the intersection of environmental sustainability, local governance, and the arts. He has written extensively on how creative expression and cultural institutions can drive more equitable and resilient communities. Rosenbloom frequently collaborates with architects, urban planners, and policymakers to integrate the arts into land use and climate adaptation strategies. He has written several books and dozens of articles. He is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, New York Law School, and Harvard Law School.

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Nick Edwards

 

Nick is new to Parish Players and recently played violin in We The People Theatre’s production of The Spitfire Grill. A musician at heart, Nick plays Irish Traditional Music on the fiddle as well as a variety of music on the double bass. Nick looks forward to further involvement in theater after a wonderful experience with the community in The Spitfire Grill.

 

Nick works as a software engineer and currently works in the non-profit sector on a tax filing accessibility product. He has extensive experience in software for medical practice management and clinical trials. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management from Dartmouth College.

 

Nick is excited to serve on the Building Committee and help maintain the historic Eclipse Grange building in Thetford.