Staff

Ian Bannon (he/him), Executive Director 

Ian Bannon has been longtime supporter, volunteer, and performer here at Mayo Street Arts.  He most recently served as the Managing Director of Celebration Barn Theater in South Paris, ME, where he honed his skills in arts administration. Ian has performed and taught puppetry in all sixteen of Maine’s counties (and beyond!) as a member of Freeport-based Figures of Speech Theatre, since 2005. His current community-based artistic endeavors focus on fostering intergenerational creative exchanges between students and residents of nearby retirement communities.

Colby Nathan (he/they), Program Manager

Colby Nathan is an experimental performance artist, musician, event organizer, and sound engineer from Southern Maine. Colby has performed nationally and internationally with their multimedia solo act, as well as with projects like Dimples, (New England) Patriots, Crazy Déjà Vu, Experimental Santa, Hyena, Pray Foam, and in collaboration with Clay Camero, Big Blood, Tom Kovacevic, Greg Jamie, and many more. Colby has curated and run events since they were 16 years old, most notably at Biddeford’s the Oak and the Ax (2011 to 2014), the Apohadion Theater (2017 to 2024). Colby is a member of the board of directors for Project Freewill and continues to assist with the Apohadion Theater’s diverse experimental programming. Colby has been operating their own record label, Laughable Recordings, since 2008, though they have also released music on Feeding Tube Records, Dontrustheruin, Nicey Music, 100% Breakfast, and more. They are often accompanied by Tina, their beagle mutt companion, who you may have met sniffing around various Portland venues over the years.

Josie Colt (she/they), Event Coordinator

Josie Colt is a Portland based artist, educator, and community arts organizer with an increasing fondness of puppetry. They began attending MSA’s Puppeteer Happy Hour several moons ago where they found a rich community of fellow puppet curious folk. She has since participated in MSA’s biannual puppet slam and immersed herself in shadow puppetry performing with the Shoestring Theater. Along with being an event coordinator, Josie occasionally serves as a coordinator of MSA’s Youth Programs and curator of the MSA gallery. 

David Worobec (he/him), Event Staff

Dave Worobec supports MSA’s events by running the box office, lighting, sound, and set up, but you are likely to recognize him as Portland’s premier expert and practitioner of the art of miniature theater. A classically-trained Opera singer and a talented pianist, Dave is the founder and principal artist of Tophat Productions, where he delivering visually-stunning renditions of popular stage shows on a micro scale. Everything, including dialogue, stage movements, and musical numbers are performed live, in real time. Dave graduated from The Boston Conservatory of Music in 2011 with a degree in vocal performance with Opera emphasis in the studio of Victor Jannett.