EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Sam Vargo has a BS in Entertainment and Arts Management, Theatre concentration, from Drexel University (2015) and an MA in Catholic Studies from the University of St. Thomas (2022). She has over a decade of experience at professional theaters, including Swim Pony Performing Arts and Pig Iron Theatre Company in Philadelphia and Theater Latté Da and Artistry Theater & Visual Arts here in the Twin Cities. She has worked over the years as a director, stage manager, production manager, actor, dramaturg / co-creator, grant-writer, marketer, and more. She discovered Missed the Boat Theatre within a week of moving to the Twin Cities in fall 2019 and immediately discovered an artistic kinship and faith integration that has only grown as she has been part of the theater’s leadership ever since. In fall 2024, she transitioned into a full-time role as Executive Director, bringing her years of experience and formation to the helm of the theater as we pursue its next chapter.

CO-FOUNDER, DIRECTOR OF MISSION

Fr. Kyle Kowalczyk is one of the co-founders of Missed the Boat Theatre and its Director of Mission. He fell in love with theatre his sophomore year of high school and wrote his first play his senior year. He would call theatre the “cause” of his first conversion, as it gave him an outlet for all his creative energy. He went on to major in Television Production with a minor in Theatre, and after graduating college received a certificate in writing from Act One, an intensive, Hollywood-based screenwriting program for Christians artists. This really formed his craft and ascetic taste for telling stories that are good, true and beautiful. While he was in seminary, he got a master’s in Catholic Studies and founded the St. Paul Seminary Theatre, producing, writing, directing, and acting in plays until he was ordained in 2016. He considers Missed the Boat his apostolate, and has been truly blessed to see how many devoutly Catholic artists have been impacted by this ministry. “When we do theatre, we are many parts but one body, giving a beautiful gift to our brothers and sisters, all for the greater glory of God!”

CO-FOUNDER, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Mary Shaffer is co-founder and Artistic Director of Missed the Boat Theatre. After graduating from St. Olaf College with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts with an Emphasis in Theatre, she went on to perform her senior capstone project, Departure: A One-Woman Play, at several venues including NET Lifeline. Having performed with local theatres such as the Zephyr Theatre (Witness for the Prosecution, The Secret Garden) and The Phipps Center for the Arts (A Shayna Maidel), Shaffer directed Missed the Boat's first three productions: Catholic Young Adults: The Musical (2019), Moonshine Abbey (2021), and Sense & Sensibility (2022). A Masters in Theology deepened her understanding of the connection between theatre and the mystery of the human person made in the image of God. Only at Missed the Boat has she found a place where she can freely encourage fellow theatre artists to live this mystery to the full.

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

Ellie Wagner serves as Marketing and Communications Director for Missed the Boat Theatre. When she was thirteen, her parents took her to her first play, The Taming of the Shrew, which opened up a whole new world of storytelling that she has loved ever since. In college, she spent a lot of hours in the theatre acting, stage managing, studying playwriting and acting, and after college had the chance to direct a staged reading of Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs, and a one-act performance of Cyrano de Bergerac as fine arts teacher at a classical school in Edina. She hopped ‘on board’ with Missed the Boat as costume designer for Sense and Sensibility, where she was humbled by the love and support the whole community has for one another. She is passionate about introducing others to the beauty of this faith-nourishing community. Her background in English and publications makes her passionate about how God uses our words to invite us into deeper contemplation, both on and offstage.

PRODUCTION & FACILITIES MANAGER

Veronica White is the Production and Facilities Manager for Missed The Boat Theatre. She was involved in theater as a kid, spending much of her time onstage in small community theaters, and after spending three years as a missionary and relocating to the Twin Cities, she discovered MTBT.  She auditioned for CYA 2024 and was asked to serve as Stage Manager, to which she said, “Yes! …What does that mean?” Little did she know it would be the adventure she never expected! Having been involved in some way in every show since CYA 2024, as stage manager, actor, and production manager, she developed a love for the production process. She loves the intricacies of different departments working together, and being the one to help connect the dots behind the scenes that the audience never sees, creating the worlds of stories that touch hearts and minds. To combine Catholic community with beautiful art…that’s a mission she can get behind.

DEVELOPMENT & OPERATIONS MANAGER

Mary Agnes Ratelle is the Development and Operations Manager for Missed the Boat Theatre, operating fundraising efforts alongside the fabulous MTBT team and community members. Mary Agnes was part of MTBT from the beginning, performing in the ensemble of Catholic Young Adults: The Musical in 2019, but took a break shortly afterwards while she finished her B.A. in History and English/Creative Writing and pursued her M.A. in Art History, both at the University of St. Thomas. Completing her M.A. in 2022, Mary Agnes plunged into the museum field, where she worked in nearly every facet, including fundraising, grant writing, educational programming, exhibit design, and historical reenactment. In 2026, Mary Agnes made a much needed career pivot and joined the MTBT team, using the skills she cultivated in her last career to support its mission of glorifying God through art. An arts and humanities person at heart, Mary Agnes has always been fascinated by the narrative power of all forms of art and finding God’s voice speaking through it, aiding both the artist and the viewer in drawing closer to Him.