As we celebrate the conclusion of the summer 2023 season, company members will also have the opportunity to vote for four members of the Board of Directors to take office January 1, 2024 for a three-year term. You must be a member of the company in good standing and at least 18 years of age in order to cast a vote, and a simple majority of the membership must be there to vote in order for the election to be held. If you wish to cast your ballot but cannot attend the dinner, you can vote in advance of the dinner in person at the Packard Plaza on September 22.
The Board of Directors is responsible for the financial, legal, regulatory, and contractual affairs of Corn Stock Theatre. Their job is to make certain the organization is fiscally stable and compliant with all laws and restrictions of operation. It is a huge responsibility and not always fun!
The slate for this election includes two individuals who were appointed to fill partial unexpired terms: Sue Krummel and Aliesha Graves. They are eligible for election to their own three-year terms. Peggy Breaux Hupp has served an elected three year term and is being recommended for election to a second three-year term. Jake Van Hoorn is nominated for a first three-year term. The nominating committee strongly recommends the election of these four candidates. There were a number of talented individuals interested in serving on the Board and all were reviewed carefully and with gratitude for their interest. The committee felt that these four had the blend of expertise and experience that would best serve the theatre at this time. It should be noted that write-in votes are allowed and will be provided for on the ballot.
Please review the statements of the four candidates below. Thank you.
Rebekah Bourland, Laura Schelly, Nan Coleman, Bob Parkhurst, Nominating Committee
The Corn Stock Membership will vote on the following four candidates to join or renew their spot on the Board of Directors. Members will vote at Reco on September 22nd, 2023.
Sue Krummel
A native of Peoria, I have been attending productions at Corn Stock since the late 1960's. I have always enjoyed the unique experience of sheltering together with other theater lovers under the tent while the breeze blows through and we catch glimpses of the actors making their way to a costume change or a curtain call while skirting the trees and the raccoons! It has been an honor to serve on the board, bringing my professional experience of over four decades in leading not for profit organizations. I hope to serve another term as Corn Stock faces the challenges of replacing the tent, addressing an increasingly hot and smoky world that impacts our outdoor setting, and finding ways to continue to get people to attend live entertainment. After all, when we gather under the tent we join with people who, from the beginning of civilization, have done just this: having finished our day's work, we gather under the trees to tell a story and sing a song and lift one another's spirits.
Peggy Breaux Hupp
I have been involved with Corn Stock Theatre since 1969. I have performed on stage for numerous shows at the tent and at the theater center. I have also directed, choreographed, and helped with shows for make-up, props, concessions and have been on the ramps. I have also directed and choreographed for Corn Stock for Kids.
I have served on the board of directors for Community Childrens Theater and for Illinois Theater Association and have worked with Community Theater, Creative Drama & theater for Young Audiences committees.
I am currently serving on the Corn Stock Theater board. I also work with the education committee and Corn Stock for Kids committee. I have been involved for over 50 years to this organization I would love to continue to serve on the board.
Jake Van Hoorn
I first became involved with Corn Stock in 2014 in a production at the tent. I was immediately taken with the organization and how welcome I felt with multiple people from different committees introducing themselves and thanking me for donating my time. That environment made me want to return and from there I divided my time between performing in the summer and winter seasons. I also directed a production of Boeing Boeing in 2018, a virtual production of Unidentified Human Remains as part of Corn Stock’s virtual offerings in 2020 and am currently serving on the Corn Stock for Kids Committee. While living in Chicago, I worked at multiple theaters as an actor, director, stage manager, house manager, and began my training as a dramaturg which I have incorporated into multiple productions since moving back to Peoria. Now that I am living in Peoria again, I am excited to take what I’ve learned combined with my prior experiences at Corn Stock and incorporate that into serving as a board member. I am particularly interested in continuing to develop partnerships with other area organizations and continuing to expand the vendors we use in both the summer and winter seasons.
Aliesha Graves
My name is Aliesha Graves and I am asking to sit on the Board of Directors for Corn Stock Theatre.
My first experience with Corn Stock was in 1993. Cindy Hoey cast me as a townsperson in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. I was just a kid doing one of my first shows with adults, but I quickly realized that I was doing so much more. Summer theatre at Corn Stock is a truly unique experience. We are one of the few outdoor arena theatres, and there is nothing like it in the area. After Seven Brides I was hooked. I was absent from community theatre for some time spent in school, but following my return from law school, I’ve been here ever since.
In my time at Corn Stock, I’ve participated in also most every area possible on hundreds of shows, honestly too many to count. I’ve volunteered in costumes, props, hair and makeup. I’ve run sound, designed lights, worked on stage and set crews, sat ramps, and done concessions. I’ve been an assistant director, choreographer, and recently performed onstage in Cadillac Crew this winter, having been absent from the stage since CST’s 2015 production of Humanity Stew.
In the summer of 2022, I was appointed to fill a vacant position on the Board of Directors. I immediately found serving on Corn Stock’s Board to be a fulfilling role. As an attorney, I have an amount of legal expertise that I bring to the board. As a long time Corn Stocker, I have an amount of historical knowledge that I can share. As a person well versed in technical theatre, I bring a different perspective about what we need for certain productions. Finally, I am very, um… honest, which is important when serving on a board with multiple people.
This is a position that requires people who understand that sometimes you must be willing to make difficult decisions. It is my goal to serve the organization. Service is not always doing the fun and flashy jobs. Service is about being a good fit, and serving where your organization needs you to be. Corn Stock needs people on the Board that care about Corn Stock, and want to make decisions that will bring us forward toward another 75 years. I care immensely about Corn Stock, and my goal, always, is to bring success and security to our organization.
I hope that you will elect me to serve on the board for a Corn Stock. Even if you do not, I’ll see you at the tent.
