About Our Theatre

After having spent several years in and around the community theatre scene in the bordering cities of St. Augustine and Daytona Beach, Florida, Diane Ellertsen and John Sbordone decided it was time to put their skills to use in their own city.  With the help of their good friend, J.J. Graham, owner and manager of The Hollingsworth Gallery, they launched a new theatre aptly named CITY REPERTORY THEATRE @ The Hollingsworth Gallery. Unlike what you might expect at a typical local theatre, The City Rep is dedicated to producing plays that "provoke the mind and spirit" and providing a theatre with "excellent opportunities for serious actors to pursue their art." We want "to explore new ideas in the community and create a forum for discussion."

John Sbordone has directed over 300 plays since leaving Indiana University as a doctoral candidate in theater history and criticism in 1973. He has taught ten years at The University of Maine and has served as Head of Arts and Director of Theater at two New England prep schools where his productions have appeared in a dozen state finals and have won five state championships.  In Florida, Sbordone worked on the community theatre circuit directing no less than thirty productions.

Diane Ellertsen is a graduate of Boston Conservatory of Music, with a BFA in Dance. She and husband, Jim Ellertsen, founded Theatre Loft, in Boston, MA, which had considerable success in the early eighties. Diane has choreographed, assistant directed and stage managed countless productions in Boston and Palm Coast, as well as teaching dance at Matanzas High School.