Children's Theatre Staff

Judge Luckey - Managing Artistic Director

The founding Artistic Director of Youth Theatre Company in Atlanta, Georgia, Luckey holds a Master’s Degree in Theatre and Music from the University of Michigan. A member of Actor’s Equity and the Screen Actors Guild, he has appeared in numerous stage productions with professional companies. A designated master teacher in theatre arts, he has directed and conducted workshops at educational institutions as well as regional, national and international conferences. Since 1992, he has served as a Casting Associate with award winning Casting Director, Shay Griffin. Film projects include Sweet Home Alabama, Drumline, HBO Film Boycott, recipient of a Peabody Award, A Lesson Before Dying and Warm Springs, both recipients of Emmy Awards. Trained as an actor, dancer and singer, Judge Luckey has directed successful theatre productions at the elementary, middle, high school and collegiate levels. For several years he served as the Theatre Department Chair for the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program developing process based arts training for gifted high school students.

Marieke Gaboury - Director of Theatre Operations, Theatre Specialist

Marieke is delighted to be a part of the team that supports theatre, music and dance programs for the City of Palo Alto. A California native who has happily returned home, Marieke was most recently the Manager of Institutional Development for the New Orleans Ballet Association, which included fundraising for an incredible tuition-free dance program serving more than 1,500 youth throughout Greater New Orleans. Prior to her role with NOBA, Marieke was the Managing Director of Southern Rep, one of the only professional theatre companies in the New Orleans region, a producer of new plays, and home to the Ruby Prize, an award for women of color playwrights. Her move to New Orleans followed 13 years in New York City, where she was Producing Director of LAByrinth Theater Company, a member-driven collective which developed and produced new work by both emerging and distinguished, award-winning theatre artists. As a teaching artist for LAB, she led Master Classes in producing, directing and acting, including collaborations with Columbia University, NYU, Bennington College and Bard College. Marieke’s professional history also includes work with Theatre Communications Group and Samuel French, Inc, as well as numerous credits as a director, actress, screenwriter, and educator. Training includes Southern Oregon University and American Conservatory Theatre.

Lane Pianta - Production Manager, Producer

Lane acted in his first play (as G.T., the lead character in his school Christmas play) at the age of 8. Since then he has participated in the production of over 150 shows, many of them in his current position as Production Manager at the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre. Holding a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in his chosen field (from UT Austin and Towson University, respectively), Lane has served at one time or another in almost every capacity this art form has to offer. From performer to designer to director to playwright, no corner of the theatrical universe has gone neglected by his keen interest! Originally from the great state of Texas, he is extraordinarily proud to be working in Palo Alto as part of the Children’s Theatre team.

Chris Luciani - Education Director, Producer

Chris most recently held the position of Director of Cultural Arts in Cleveland Ohio. For fifteen years, Chris masterfully brought together  unique collaborations of local foundations, neighborhood residents, artists and youth to create programs that served thousands of Clevelanders with innovative visual and performing art programs. Two award winning programs Chris conceived and raised grant dollars for were Excellence through the Arts, a long term art residency program where professional artists to taught and mentored urban youth in the after-school hours, and Mural My Neighborhood, a program that has helped to revitalize Cleveland’s urban core through the creation of 19 murals that celebrate Cleveland’s unique ethnic neighborhoods. Chris has also worked in the field of Children’s Theatre for twenty years as an independent artist, specializing in Creative Drama, and adapting classic tales and writing original works for youth performers and audiences.

Jeff Hamby - Costume Shop Supervisor, Producer

Jeff Hamby is a recent graduate of the San Francisco State University Theatre Design MFA Program.  Originally from North Carolina, Jeff attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and History.  Since then he has worked with companies such as Mountain Play Association of Marin, Children's Theatre of Charlotte, American Conservatory Theatre, Pennsylvania State University, Santa Rosa Junior College, and The Lost Colony where he worked with six-time Tony Award Winner, William Ivey Long.  Jeff has been nominated for Theatre Bay Area Awards, Metrolina Theatre Awards and BroadwayWorld.com Awards.  He moved to the Bay Area six years ago with his partner and his cat.