Polly Firestone Walker of Ballard was recently appointed to the Solvang Theaterfest Board of Directors, having previously served on the board for nine years, including two as chair.
Walker received a B.A. in English and drama from Stanford University then studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) in its three-year Actor Training Program.
After her marriage to David Walker and work at various theaters around the country, she returned to the Santa Ynez Valley to raise her family.
As a resident artist with the Pacific Conservatory Theater PCPA, Walker has played such roles as Lady Macbeth and Titania, Hannah Jarvis in “Arcadia,” Elizabeth Proctor in “The Crucible,” and Mrs. Bennet in “Pride and Prejudice.”
Walker founded and ran the Solvang Theaterfest Youth Theater Summer Shakespeare workshops for over a decade, in addition to teaching Shakespeare workshops at Dunn Middle School. She has directed for the Valley Community Theater, Cate School, and Small But Mighty Productions.
She also served on the Direct Relief Women Executive Committee, St. Mark’s-in-the-Valley Vestry, and on the board of the Santa Barbara Foundation. Walker is directing the West Coast premiere of Jane Austen’s “Emma,” (adapted for stage by Joe Hanreddy) for PCPA.
Solvang Theaterfest is the 501 (c) (3) nonprofit corporation that owns and operates Solvang Festival Theater. It is managed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors.
For more information, email Scott Coe, Solvang Theaterfest executive director, at exec.director@solvangtheaterfest.org.