Page 50 - July 2019 Conference Program Volume 42 No. 01

Brian J. Laline is executive editor of the Staten Island Advance/SILive, a local Newhouse daily newspaper and
website in the southernmost borough of New York. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from LaSalle
University in Philadelphia, and a master’s degree in English with a concentration in secondary education
from Wagner College on Staten Island. Laline briefly taught 10th-grade English in Philadelphia’s Frankford
High School before returning to his hometown of Staten Island and beginning a 47-year journalism career. He
began as a local news reporter, became a copy editor not long after, was city editor and associate editor
before being named editor in 1992. He was named executive editor in 2015. Laline is deeply involved in not-
for-profit and cultural institutions on Staten Island. He is chair of the board of directors of the St. George Theatre;
secretary of the board of Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, Staten Island’s premiere cultural
institution. He serves on the board of the College of Staten Island Foundation, is a member of the board of the
Museum of Maritime Navigation, and had served on numerous other boards over the years such as Meals on
Wheels, the YMCA, and was vice president of the Staten Island Chapter, Boy Scouts of America. He is married,
the father of three and grandfather of four granddaughters.

Eric Larsen started in the sign industry at age twelve in 1978. He worked for several sign companies including
national companies designing, building, installing, and maintaining signs. In 1984, he started his own sign
company specializing in hand lettering and historically accurate sign design. In 1990, he started designing signs
and wayfinding for theme parks, water parks, zoos, and arenas. In 1994, he won a national award for his design
and manufacturing of signage at the Soaring Eagle Casino featuring two three dimensional eagles with 30’
wingspans as the grand entrance. From there, Eric started designing and engineering signs and sign systems
for other manufacturers of signs while doing large unique projects from his own shop. During this time Eric won
several awards for design. In 2009, Eric won the International Sign Assoc. Traditional / Historic design of the year
award for the State Theatre Marquee in Bay City Michigan. He competed against five thousand entries from 27
countries to win the award. In 2012, he finished in the top ten of the ISA awards for the Bohm Theatre Marquee.
In 2018, Eric finished in the top ten of the ISA awards for the Temple Theatre Marquee. In 2017, Eric joined the
Wagner Electric Sign team to concentrate only on theatre marquee design. Together with WESCO they have
designed and built nine marquees in the past two years with seven being built this year alone. Currently they
have over 14 theatres they are working with on design / build for installation beginning in 2020. Wagner Electric
Sign Company has been building Historic Theatre Marquees since 1954 and has won several awards for their
projects. WESCO concentrates on Historic Theatre Marquees as its main source of production and is the largest
producer of Theatre Marquees in the United States. President Mark Wagner and head of production Daryl
Wagner produce very high-quality marquee projects with attention to detail and boast many satisfied clients.

Steve Lurie is the Founder & President of Music Without Borders in Stamford, CT. For a more detailed bio, please
see the conference app.

Mollie Mann is a Principal of Bond Theatrical Group. Mollie’s 20-year career began in her home state of
Tennessee, where she assisted with press & marketing for the Broadway series at The Orpheum Theater in
Memphis, followed by two years at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, where she coordinated the efforts of
both the Development and Education Departments. In 2000, she moved to New York where she has spent the
last 18 years as a Booking Agent, booking National tours of Beauty and the Beast, Rent, Mamma Mia, Annie,
Cabaret, Fiddler on the Roof, Million Dollar Quartet, Jesus Christ Superstar, White Christmas, Cinderella, Motown
and many more. Mollie was most recently Executive Vice President of Sales at The Booking Group.

Joe and Sheila Markley met and earned BME and MM in Vocal Performance degrees at Emporia State
University. Both have been public school vocal music instructors in Kansas for 30 years teaching choirs, private
voice, piano and organ. Both have served as church musicians directing adult choirs, youth choirs, and
handbell choirs, serving as administrators and organist since 1976. They both teach private voice and piano
lessons and Joe teaches organ. They have served as Musical Directors and Accompanists at the Great Plains
Theatre in Abilene, KS, as well as the Junction City Little Theatre. They began their tenure at the C. L. Hoover
Opera House in Junction City in 2014. They are Co-Directors of the Opera House. In addition, they are Co-
Presidents of the KHTA, Kansas Historic Theatre Association. The C. L. Hoover Opera House was award Business
of the Year in 2016 by the Junction City Chamber of Commerce.

Keith Marston has almost 30 years’ experience in theatre property management with a passion for the
theatrical entertainment industry, a love of theatre history and theatre architecture and design with a working
knowledge of commercial theatre in America today. Keith has been Facilities Director with The Shubert

PAGE 48 | INLEAGUE League of Historic American Theatres