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John Nunemaker, the 30-year-old president of the Bowie Community Theatre who was elected in March, didn't break a leg when he auditioned for the company's play, "Inspecting Carol" in 2009, but he did manage to fall off a chair and break an elbow.

It's all part of being involved in community theater — and for committed volunteers like Nunemaker, that means not only acting, but also working backstage, producing and directing.

A Pennsylvania native, Nunemaker graduated from Millersville University southwest of Lancaster, Pa., where he majored in American history and theater.

He had worked on musicals in high school, but he didn't really get hooked until college.

"After about two years, I realized I had the theater bug," said Nunemaker, who later joined a community theater in Gettysburg.

In 2008 he moved to Crofton, where friends recommended that he get involved in the productions at Bowie Community Theatre. Board member Joanne Bauer invited him to join the board in the fall of 2008, and he became vice president in early 2009.

When President Janice Coffey resigned in early 2010 for personal reasons, Nunemaker became acting president until members voted him in as president at their annual meeting in March.

"He brings a youthfulness, forward-thinking ideas and a lot of background in the theater," said Bauer, who has been involved with the Bowie Community Theatre for about 30 years. "He has the undergraduate education and also the hands-on experience."

Bauer also credits Nunemaker, who works during the day in the tourism business in Washington, D.C., with energizing board members.

"He's been a good cattle prod for the board of directors — we're not sitting around the table and eating a cookie," she said. "He gives us a list of things to get done, and then asks us where we are on the projects."

One project that has involved most of the board members has been revamping aspects o f the BCT Web site to enable patrons for the first time to buy tickets online with credit or debit cards. Another project undertaken by a board member has been developing ways to post memos, forms and other internal documents online where they can be shared and edited.

"I can post the treasurer's report online rather than bring seven copies to a meeting," Bauer said.

Bauer also had high praise for Nunemaker's abilities behind the scenes calling as many as 500 cues per performance to actors and sound and lighting people.

"He's the most professional, organized and totally in control stage manager I've ever worked with," she said about his work on BCT's "Out of Order."

Nunemaker said he also enjoys producing plays. He is currently producing two for BCT, "Same Time, Next Year," due to open July 30, and "Who Dunit?", which opens in September. "It's one of the most satisfying things you can do," he said about the job of overseeing a production and watching it come together by opening night.

"People come to see the same quality as a professional performance," he said. "You have to be dedicated and have a passion for it and do anything to make it a success."

E-mail Virginia Terhune at vterhune@gazette.com.