Staff
Patsy Collins Bandes
Executive Director
Patsy Collins Bandes (she/her) is a theater artist, director, producer, and educator whose career spans professional stages, classrooms, and community spaces. She most recently served as Dean of the School of the Arts at Dean College, where she supported a wide range of creative programs and championed artist-centered, inclusive practices. She also serves as Board President of Articine, advancing interdisciplinary, community-driven work using the arts to help build empathy in healthcare providers. As a director and stage manager, Collins Bandes has worked across the spectrum of artistic disciplines including opera, theatre, and concert dance. She has collaborated with numerous companies in Boston and Denver, including North Shore Music Theatre, Aurora Fox Theater, Prometheus Dance, and Intermezzo Chamber Opera. She began her professional career at the Denver Center Theatre Company, including the 1998 season recognized with a Tony Award for Excellence in Regional Theatre. She holds a BA in Theatre (Directing) from the University of Northern Colorado and an ALM in Dramatic Arts from the Harvard University Extension School.
Mike Williams,
Ensemble Director & Co-Founding Artist
Hailed by The Boston Globe as “one of the city’s best percussionists,” Mike Williams is an advocate for contemporary music, a member of the new music sinfonietta Sound Icon, the Calithumpian Consort, and is a co-founding artist of Guerilla Opera as well as former co-artistic director, with whom he has commissioned and premiered many new chamber operas since 2007. Williams has worked directly with many of the leading composers of our time including Pierluigi Billone, Philippe Leroux, Salvatore Sciarrino, Gunther Schuller, and Roger Reynolds.
Keithlyn B Parkman,
Director of Design & Production
Keithlyn B Parkman (she/her) graduated the from Boston University College of Fine Arts with a BFA in Lighting Designer. A born and bred New Yorker from a theater family, Keithlyn has worked extensively as a freelance Designer and Production Manager for the last decade. During her time at BU she came across this crazy little opera family and has now worked on 23 Guerilla Productions. When not shipping up to Boston, she spends her time teaching technical theater and mentoring young theater artists as they develop their craft at primary schools across NYC. Recent various Guerilla credits include SALT, The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, and Ululations and Gurgles of the Invisible.
Hannah Shanefield
Community & Education Manager
Hannah Shanefield (she/her) is a soprano, stage director, and arts administrator. In addition to her new role at Guerilla Opera, she serves as Executive Director of Boston Summer Opera, Artistic Director of NEMPAC Opera Project, and a Teaching Artist with Boston Lyric Opera. As a performer, Shanefield’s solo credits include Violetta (cover, New Opera Company of Boston), Juliette (cover, Roméo et Juliette, New Jersey Lyric Opera), Gilda (Rigoletto, Boston Summer Opera), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni, Boston Summer Opera), Suzel (L’amico Fritz, West End Lyric), Amy Beach’s Jephthah’s Daughter (Horizon Ensemble), Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 (Orchestra Without Borders), and various Sing Out Strong concerts with White Snake Projects. Recent directorial projects include Alcina (MassOpera), The Pirates of Penzance (Boston Summer Opera), and Die Fledermaus (The Opera Company). A native of suburban Philadelphia, she holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance with a minor in Music History from The Hartt School.
Rose Williams,
Development Coordinator
Rose Williams is a composer, arts administrator, and sometime-soprano with a passion for modern music and filling out application forms. Currently pursuing a Master’s in Composition at Longy School of Music (Cambridge, MA), Rose's previous experience includes a BA in music from Oberlin College, working in social services in small-town Appalachia (her native land), five years teaching ESL in Taiwan, and playing violin and viola in various ensembles, including an Interfaith ensemble specializing in Hindu devotional music. In her spare time, Rose enjoys knitting and watching Youtube demos for expensive FX pedals.