Jane Martineau has been the Director of Theater and Coordinator of the Arts Program at the Williams School since 1979.

A native of Ocean Springs, Miss., Martineau's love of the theater started at an early age but really took off when she went to college and performed in "West Side Story" and starred in "Elizabeth the Queen." But it wasn't until she found her home in southeastern Connecticut where she discovered her passion for teaching theater and the fine arts. In 2009, Martineau received The Williams School Outstanding Teacher Award.

Martineau has appeared with Flock Theatre of New London as Elizabeth Proctor in "The Crucible,"; Lady Macbeth; Leonata in "Much Ado About Nothing,"; Baptista in "The Taming of the Shrew,"and as Ariel (voice and puppeteer) in "The Tempest." She has written the book and co-written the lyrics for an original musical, "On The Wire."

As a teacher, she incorporates: the Sanford Meisner technique; the voice work of Arthur Lessac; improvisation based on the work of Del Close and Charna Halpern; tabletop puppetry, and rapier and dagger.

Martineau worked as an actor at National Puppetry Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater from 2004 to 2010 and as the Resident Company Manager in 2012 and 2013.

Say you have a modern-day high school locker. Whose picture would be hanging in it?

I had pictures of Katharine Hepburn on my bedroom walls as a teen. Now I suppose it would be Cate Blanchett.

What's your favorite sandwich?

I'm gluten-free now but it would have been a "Thanksgiving" sandwich made of turkey breast, chestnut stuffing, cranberry sauce, mayo, and sliced sweet pickles on whole grain bread.

You're locked in a museum for a night, which one would it be?

The Louvre.

Name an item you can't live without:

There is no one single item I can't live without.

Item you should live without and keep meaning to get rid of:

The stuff in my basement.

Pick a line from Shakespeare's plays to read aloud. Why that one?

From "The Merchant of Venice"

PORTIA:

The quality of mercy is not strain'd, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:

'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes

the throned monarch better than his crown;

his sceptre shows the force of temporal power,

the attribute to awe and majesty,

wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;

but mercy is above this scepterd sway;

it is enthroned in the hearts of kings,

it is an attribute to God himself;

and earthly power doth then show likest God's

when mercy seasons justice.

It's a beautiful line and it's obviously timeless.

Where would you have your dream winter home and summer home?

My dream winter home would be in the south of France.

My summer home would be on Horn Island (before Hurricane Camille in 1969) off the coast of Mississippi in the Gulf of Mexico.

Last book you couldn't put down:

"All Souls" by Michael MacDonald.

You're a DJ at a club. What's the night's last song?

"Roger was a Dancer" - Bearstronaut.

What language do you wish you could instantly speak?

French

What's a word you can never spell correctly on the first try:

I use spell-check.

You have a time machine and theater tickets. What are you going to see?

"The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby"

Which book, television show, movie, theatrical production most accurately depicts life as a high school theater instructor?

Anything written by Erma Bombeck.

Which is better: Broadway or the West End?

I've never been to the West End so I'll say Broadway.

Saturday night or Sunday morning?

Sunday morning. My husband and I spend Sunday mornings at the dining room table for breakfast or brunch with classical music and the morning paper.

Gilbert and Sullivan or Rodgers and Hammerstein?

Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Sorbet or ice cream?

Ice cream – Hagen Daz Vanilla Swiss Almond.

Anagrams or palindromes?

Palindromes.

Pick a number between 4 and 19. Why that number?

Eight, because it is the sum of my son and daughter's birth dates.

What historical event would you like to have been witness to?

Women joining the traditional male work force during World War II. (e.g., "Rosie the Riveter.")

What is your favorite place in Connecticut to recharge and/or find serenity?

Niantic Acupuncture and the Niantic Yoga Center.

Who alive today do you most admire?

The families of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.

Martineau's Williams School production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" will run Nov. 14-16 in the Daren Performing Arts Center, 182 Mohegan Avenue, New London, Conn. Performances are at 7 p.m. Admission is $7 per person.