SLT Board of Directors

Below are the Sikeston Little Theatre Board of Directors who are elected by the membership of the Sikeston Little Theatre. Below are some of the details regarding the Board of Directors.

When the Sikeston Little Theatre was chartered in 1959 a Membership was raised and a Board of Directors was elected. The By-Laws for the Board of Directors (retrievable at this link BYLAWS) dictate that each Board member is elected for a 3 year (season) term and there are 12 total Board members. A theatrical season lasts 12 months but starts in July and ends the following June. At the end of every season in June 4 members are elected to start their new term in July of that year when the new season starts.

Each Board member is eligible to run for an Officer position (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer) once they have completed one season in office. Each Officer position is elected every new season in July at the first meeting when the newly elected Board members are sworn in.

If you are interested in becoming a Board member you must be at least 21 years of age at the time of elections, be in good standing within the community and the Sikeston Little Theatre and must be a Member at large of the Theatre for at the least the season preceding the elections which are held in June of every year. Becoming a member at large is as simple as purchasing a single membership pass for the season.

Hi! My name is Ben Chessor and I’m a SSR for Cintas and raising two beautiful daughters. I’ve had a absolute love for theater since 1986 in my first production of Yankee Doodle. Continued doing theater in high school, took a hiatus to raise some kids and started back in 2017’s Beauty and the Beast. Since then I’ve performed in The King and I, Big Fish, Grease, and Mamma Mia. I have an absolute love for the theater, and would love to be able to contribute in more ways than just the acting side.

I have been an ASSISTANT DIRECTOR of Shows and currently a member of the PRODUCTIONS COMMITTEE. Please let me know if I can answer any questions or help in any way.

Ben Chessor

Hello! My name is Mary Mann-Ferguson. Sikeston has been my home my entire life. My husband, Reade, and I have two beautiful children, Will and Lily, who have a wonderful love of the theater and thoroughly enjoy being in productions at Sikeston Little Theater. I have deep rooted family and farming foundations in the Bootheel as well as experience and degrees in Marketing, Communication, and Respiratory Therapy. Reade and I own and operate The Pawn, in downtown Sikeston. I am responsible for Human Resources, marketing, and promotions. I have always had an extensive appreciation of the arts, both visual and performing, which I continue to share with my children. It is incredible that our community and surrounding area have SLT for families and individuals to express themselves through performing arts.

I am currently the PRESIDENT for the theatre and CHAIR PERSON for the PUBLICITY COMMITTEE. I have been a PRODUCER and STAGE MANAGER of Shows and currently a member of the PRODUCTIONS COMMITTEE. Please let me know if I can answer any questions or help in any way.

Mary Ferguson

President

Hello, my name is Alice Jackson. I have been an active member of SLT for many years, believing that SLT is vital to the cultural life of our community. I have worked on-stage as actor and director and front-of-house in various areas. It has been an honor to be a board member of SLT and would like to continue to serve on the board.

I have been a PRODUCER and DIRECTOR of Shows and currently a member of the PRODUCTIONS COMMITTEE. Please let me know if I can answer any questions or help in any way.

Alice Jackson

My name is Joni Sullivan, and in 2019 my family and I moved from northwestern Ohio to Sikeston to be close to my husband’s family. My husband and I have been married for 16 years. We have a beautiful daughter named Ruby who has a love for theatre and has taken part in it since she was 5 years old. I received my B.S. from The University of Toledo majoring in Environmental Science. I worked in Ornithology, including field research for Ohio State University and then in the private sector assessing areas being considered for wind farms for potential avian impact. I have managed my own online crochet pattern business for the past twelve years. I have also had the privilege of writing crochet patterns for Homespun Magazine. The Sikeston Little Theatre has been a wonderful experience for Ruby, and we are so lucky to have this organization in Sikeston.

I am currently a member of the PUBLICITY COMMITTEE. Please let me know if I can answer any questions or help in any way.

Joni Sullivan

My name is Amie Thornsbrough. I live in Sikeston with my husband, Brock, and daughter, Mia Kate, and I am a special education teacher at Sikeston Junior High. My family moved to Sikeston in 2016, and we got involved at Sikeston Little Theatre when all three of us auditioned for Beauty and the Beast after living here for only a couple of months. That experience helped us connect to our new community and make friends within the cast and crew of that wonderful production by SLT. Since then, Brock and I have directed three children's shows-Elf, Jr; Frozen, Jr; and The Little Mermaid, Jr. (Fun Fact: Those shows have involved kids from over 15 area schools!) Brock and I were the music directors for the recent production of The Sound of Music and for High School Musical in 2017. One of our favorite experiences was playing the lead roles of Edward and Sandra Bloom in SLT's production of Big Fish in 2018.

I am currently the VICE-PRESIDENT for the theatre and CHAIR PERSON for the PRODUCTIONS COMMITTEE. I have been a DIRECTOR and MUSICAL DIRECTOR of shows. Please let me know if I can answer any questions or help in any way.

Amie Thornsbrough

Vice-President

Hi! I’m Sherry Chessor. I’m a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist at Mo. Delta Medical Center in Sikeston and mother to three beautiful children. I have always been a fan of the theater. My love for the theater was the catalyst to encourage my children to become involved in theater. My oldest daughter Lexi was a part of SLT children’s production “Pirates of Penzance” in 2006. She also performed a singing duet in a Christmas showcase at SLT. My youngest daughter expressed an interest in SLT in 2018. When I saw the invitation for auditions for Big Fish, I thought to myself how fun it would be to do a play together. We had so much fun being a part of Big Fish cast. I also recently played the understudy of Tanya in Mamma Mia and served as an interim SLT board member.

I have been a PRODUCER and currently a member of the PRODUCTIONS COMMITTEE. Please let me know if I can answer any questions or help in any way.

Sherry Chessor

Hello...My name is Dennis Bohannon Since 1983, I have been involved with SLT on many different levels. My very first show with the theater was THE SOUND OF MUSIC and my most recent time on stage was in THE CRUCIBLE. I have also been in the director's chair several times, with the most recent being JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. I have helped build and design sets (swinging a paint brush better than a hammer!) and I have helped out many times with publicity and upkeep on our theater building. I would do my best to see that the theater continues to move onward and upward as we have all seen in previous years and would like to be a part of it's continued growth in the coming years as a member of the Board...as a director...as an actor...and as a helping hand.

I have been a DIRECTOR of Shows and currently a member of the PRODUCTIONS, TECHNICAL, AND HOUSE COMMITTEES Please let me know if I can answer any questions or help in any way.

Dennis Bohannon

My name is Teri Jett. I am originally from Hannibal, MO, but I have lived here in Sikeston with my daughter, Taylor Jett, for the last five years. I have served as the choir director at Sikeston Jr. and Sr. High for the last two years, as well as co-drama club sponsor at Sikeston HIgh School. I have been involved in theater since I was in my early teens. As a teacher, I have directed and co-directed multiple productions, including the one-act musical “Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway” and the drama “Antigone Now” presented at SHS. I have also performed in many plays and musicals. My debut with Sikeston Little Theatre came in 2002 with “Godspell” while living in Cape Girardeau years ago. My daughter and I had the opportunity to perform on the SLT stage together last June in “Big Fish”. I have been involved in other community theater groups in Poplar Bluff, Jackson, and in Quincy, IL. However, none of them have had quite the sense of community that I have found at SLT.

I am the SECRETARY for the Theatre and have been an ASSISTANT DIRECTOR. I am currently a member of the PRODUCTIONS COMMITTEE. Please let me know if I can answer any questions or help in any way.

Teri Jett

Secretary