While Kim Teves wasn't exactly a “triple threat” alongside other Broadway hopefuls, the Marion resident can hold her own on the stage and can boast that she once took over a role left empty by Sarah Jessica Parker.

Now the Connecticut native is taking on a new role as the executive director of the Marion Art Center.

Teves, who takes the helm from recently retired Deborah Bokelkamp, first got involved in the Marion Art Center's theater program about 10 years ago, shortly after her divorce.

“What you learn when you start doing shows at the MAC is that it becomes a family pretty quickly,” she said.

Since joining the MAC Players, Teves has appeared in several productions each year at the community theater, something that was part of her life from an early age.

“I had grown up in a family that was always very active in musical theater,” said Teves. “Now, most people know me for comedic roles or straight roles. We haven’t done much musical theater here in a few years, but that’s definitely my first love.”

As a teenager, she got into the Professional Children’s Review, taking a slot left open by then-unknown actress Sarah Jessica Parker, and performing matinees at the famous The Comic Strip. Later, Teves joined a production called The Early Show, working with people who she said “went on to have extraordinary careers.”

“Many of them hit it big, me not so much, but everybody has their own path,” said Teves.

While in college, Teves took a gap year in New York City to “see if I could make anything happen,” but said she wasn’t driven enough for professional theater and hated always waiting for the phone to ring.

Returning to college, Teves completed a degree in sociology, got married during her senior year and eventually moved to Marion with her husband and kids in the late ‘90s.

In Marion, Teves, who is now married to Ric Teves, has been active in the Sippican Historical Society as well as the MAC. Last August, she finished  eight years as executive director of the society, which gave her a chance to learn about the town’s rich history and develop programs alongside other nonprofits.

“I think it’s great to work collaboratively with the other nonprofits in town because we all have a unique little bit to bring to the community,” said Teves. “What better way to take advantage of that than to work together and see what we can make happen?”

That’s a philosophy Teves wants to continue at the MAC, especially as the nonprofit works on a capital campaign to raise money for repairs and upgrades to the historic building. The improvements will come alongside a renewed effort to expand the programs offered at 80 Pleasant St.

“We want to think outside the box a little bit and develop some new programs,” said Teves. “When we do something we want to do it well. We’re going for quality and not just quantity.”

The center already has theater programs for kids (Teves was the former instructor), art programs for kids and adults, and a steady schedule of exhibits spread across two galleries.

This fall, the theater will have its first musical in years with “Oliver!” Teves and the MAC Board are brainstorming a host of new ideas “to celebrate and promote the visual and performing arts.”

“We really are looking to stay relevant and look for new ways to enrich the community because that’s what the art are about,” Teves said.

As she works to do that, Teves said she doesn’t want to stay backstage.

“That is my very big hope, that I can continue to perform. That’s what brought me here in the first place. Those are some of my fondest memories.”