INDIAN LAKE - Danielle Shaw of Chestertown is the new executive director of the nonprofit Indian Lake Theater community and cultural center. She took over from Interim Director Alan Pouch June 4.

The theater’s Board of Directors hired Shaw. “We were impressed with Danielle’s determination to listen, not just to the Board of Directors, but to everyone in our communities.

“She gets that the Indian Lake Theater is a place for everyone, and for us to continue to be successful we have to provide programs and events that are right for Hamilton County,” said Board of Directors President Ben Strader.

A graduate of North Warren High School and Boston University, 27-year-old Shaw brings a variety of experiences and skills to the theater.

She is completing a year as an AmeriCorps volunteer with Hamilton County Community Services, creating programs for the county’s youth. Prior to that she served in Burkina Faso as a Peace Corps volunteer, where she worked with village families toward grass-roots education development.

Shaw’s local after-school program has used the theater often for events, and she recently said, “I believe that what the Board of Directors and the surrounding communities have done in reopening and re-energizing the Indian Lake Theater should not only be commended, but nurtured and supported. I feel privileged to be a part of that effort.

“I’m especially looking forward to harnessing community input into more sustainable growth for [this] amazing venue...”

Shaw takes the helm as the organization begins significant changes in the physical plant. A capital campaign is raising funds to purchase a retractable screen, which will allow more flexibility in programming for live shows.

“The screen is expected to be installed in September, relying on the theater’s all-volunteer building committee, donated services from local businesses and professional assistance from contractors and electricians.

A glimpse at the June schedule for the theater shows the diversity of programs: a concert by a Johnny Cash tribute band, a weekend centered around independent filmmaker Ari Gold and the movie he will shoot in Blue Mountain Lake this summer, screenings of “The Avengers” and “Dark Shadows,” streaming performances of opera and ballet, documentary films and a public meeting on regional tourism plans.

July and August will bring more live performances as well as Hollywood and independent films. For a schedule visit www.indianlaketheater.org.