Who: Jill Mauritz, 30, New London.

Why you should know her: Mauritz is general manager of the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center in Waterford, which is home to, among others, the National Theater Institute, the National Critics Institute, the O'Neill Cabaret & Performance Conference, the O'Neill Puppetry Conference, the National Playwrights Conference, the National Musical Theater Conference and, most recently, a surprisingly great fall and winter live music concert calendar called the Cabin Fever Series.

Ah, one of those administrator types, eh? Hardly. Though she provides oversight for the day-to-day operations of the O'Neill, including scheduling, staffing and program coordination, Mauritz came up through the artsy side of the business. A Wisconsin native (and devoted Packers fan), Mauritz was trained as a stage manager and has worked at a variety of theaters, stage companies and opera houses in Minnesota, Sante Fe, Massachusetts and Washington D.C. “It's true. I came from the rehearsal room, so to speak, rather than an administrative school,” she says. “And I think having spent those years on stage helped me to take the artists' considerations into account in the overall picture. You need both sides.”

Life at the O'Neill and in New London - pretty awesome: ”I didn't expect to stay in the area, frankly,” she says. “I figured I'd be here 18 months and probably head back to D.C. But I'm really happy here. Great people. Maybe it's that water thing.” Mauritz says she can look out her window at work and see Long Island Sound and out her window at home and see the Thames River. “This is a great artistic community. Exciting things are happening at the O'Neill, and New London is a wonderful city. It all worked out. I'm a Packers fan so my green and gold makes perfect sense. I just put it on and go to a Whalers game.”

Back to this Cabin Fever series: What's live music got to do with a theater center? The idea was born at a senior staff retreat a few years back and someone mentioned Joe's Pub, the immortal and intimate New York live music venue. “The truth is,” Mauritz says, “that a lot of locals have never been to the O'Neill Theater Center, or maybe not for 20 years or whatever. There's a perceived distance, or maybe they think the community isn't encouraged to come out. And we wanted to figure out a way to get the community to feel ownership.” Typically, Mondays are off days at the O'Neill, and the idea of having Joe's Pub-style musical performances seemed intriguing.

A natural fit: “I'm a live music junkie,” says Mauritz, who moved to New London two years ago. “Discovering the local music scene was amazing. And it occurred to me that the people I kept seeing at clubs seemed to be the sort we like to have at plays. And I thought, 'Let's bring some of those bands that have a following out to our neighborhood.'”

What's the Cabin Fever concept? The series started last year, and performances take place in the Rose Barn. The emphasis to date has been on original roots music and alt-country acts such as the Hoolios and the Rivergods. Sandy Allen debuted this season's series in September and the Paul Brockett Roadshow Band played two weeks ago. “I prefer original material, but I'm actually open to anything,” Mauritz says of the booking policy. “We just want good bands that might translate to a good audience. The crowds are getting bigger and bigger, and maybe we'll experiment with some out-of-town artists.”

What's next? Tentatively scheduled for a Dec. 15, seasonally-themed show will be legendary local jazz chanteuse Pat Mitchell. And, in a non-Monday booking on Jan. 15, honky-tonker Preston Frantz and his band will host a CD release party under the Cabin Fever umbrella. “There are so many cool things that happen at the O'Neill,” Mauritz says. “There were three shows on Broadway last year that were all born here as part of the National Theater Conference. The Cabin Fever series is just a way to integrate the local arts community in new ways and expose people to what's going on.”

- RICK KOSTER

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