• Jeremy Thomas

    MANAGING DIRECTOR

    Jeremy is a veteran theater manager with more than 25 years experience in every aspect of cinema operations for Cinemark, including a short stint at Movies 10 in Wooster. It’s been a dream of his to lead an independent theater with the ability to program not just mainstream movies, but independent films, documentaries, live music, community events, and more.

  • Greg Shaya

    PRESIDENT

    Greg is a professor of history at the College of Wooster who hosts a weekly acoustic music circle and makes documentary films. He has served as President of the non-profit theater since its founding in 2019.

  • Kim Seaman

    VICE PRESIDENT

    Kim is an arts enthusiast who supports her family’s multigenerational business and local non-profits, while enjoying weekly movie and documentary nights to learn about the world with her husband and kids.

  • Cathy Roche

    TREASURER

    Cathy, a CPA, works at Rea & Associates and teaches courses on financial accounting at The College of Wooster.

  • Suzie Huse

    SECRETARY

    Suzie is retired from non-profit, social service work. She enjoys films across many genres, and is looking forward to sharing the new theater with her children and grandchildren.

  • Christopher Buchanan

    TRUSTEE

    Christopher, who makes TV and film documentaries, started thinking about reopening the theater in 2018 with his wife, Cameron Maneese.

  • Matt Campbell

    TRUSTEE

    Matt is a Financial Advisor, who regularly watched movies at Wooster’s Lyric Theater in the 1980’s and ‘90’s and is excited to help bring an entertainment venue back to Downtown Wooster to complement the wide array of restaurants.

  • Sandra Hull

    TRUSTEE

    Sandra directed Main Street Wooster, Inc. from 1987-2019, working to make downtown Wooster a wonderful destination. Her retirement goal is to help revitalize the Lyric Theater so that it becomes a strong economic catalyst by adding movies and live entertainment to the mix of offerings downtown.

  • Cameron Maneese

    TRUSTEE

    A retired Wayne County social worker, Cameron has loved film since she was a child and remembers her father getting her and her brother out of school early to see the first Beatles film, A Hard Day’s Night.

  • Rodney Mitchell

    TRUSTEE

    Rodney, a College of Wooster graduate, currently works with the Wayne Metropolitan Housing Authority as the Deputy Director.

  • Laura Neill

    TRUSTEE

    Laura has been the Executive Director of the Ohio Light Opera (OLO) since 1998.  She enjoys celebrating both fine and performing arts throughout Wayne County.

  • Jeff Smith

    TRUSTEE

    Born and raised in Wooster, Ohio, Jeff, a retired business owner, is excited to offer more reasons for people to visit and spend the day downtown by helping to bring the Lyric Theater back to life.

  • Guinevere Steensen

    TRUSTEE

    Guinevere serves as the Program Manager for Main Street Wooster, where she runs the popular Farmers' Market and Main Street Wooster events.

Board of directors

Our Board of Directors includes community members with various talents and backgrounds who share a passion for extending community access to the arts and strengthening the downtown Wooster economy. The Lyric is a project of the Downtown Arts Theater, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) non-profit established in 2018 to bring a lively entertainment and cinema experience back to downtown Wooster.


Local partners

The Lyric partners and collaborates with Wayne Center for the Arts, Main Street Wooster, College of Wooster, Wayne County Community Foundation, the State of Ohio, downtown business owners and other local arts groups to research, plan and bring our vision to life for a state-of-the-art independent cinema, event venue and community space.