New Generations Program
Objective#1: Future Leaders
Future Leaders: Round 9 Project Description
Atlantic Theater Company’s (New York, NY) artistic director Neil Pepe will mentor promising director Jaime Castaneda in a program designed to expand Jaime’s leadership capabilities through administrative and artistic roles at Atlantic.
Chicago Dramatists’ (Chicago, IL) artistic director Russ Tutterow will mentor Richard Perez by sharing his knowledge and experience. Tutterow’s efforts will advance Perez’s journey to become an artistic leader in new work.
Classical Theatre of Harlem’s (New York, NY) artistic director Alfred Preisser will mentor Lydia Fort in artistic direction, strategic planning, board relations and new play development. Lydia will take a leading role in administering the theatre’s Future Classics play reading series at the Schomburg Center for Research in African American Culture.
Dell'Arte International's (Blue Lake, CA) founding artistic director and school director Joan Schirle will mentor Matt Chapman to develop his potential to be at the forefront of the next generation of leaders in ensemble theatre. Dell’Arte’s director of pedagogical research, Ronlin Forman, will co-mentor Chapman
Huntington Theatre Company, Inc.'s (Boston, MA) artistic director Peter DuBois will mentor Charles Haugland in dramaturgy and new play development.
Pasadena Playhouse State Theatre of California, Inc.'s (Pasadena, CA) artistic director Sheldon Epps will mentor Bari Newport through an artistic associate position in preparation for an artistic directorship of her own.
Redmoon Theater’s (Chicago, ILL) artistic director Frank Maugeri and resident artist Jim Lasko will mentor Gabriel Richardson, providing him with skills and contacts for a career in technical theater.
Second Stage Theatre’s (New York, NY) artistic director Carole Rothman will mentor Jade King Carroll to become an artistic director and prepare her for starting her own theater company.
The Talking Band’s (New York, NY) founder Paul Zimet will mentor Sam Chase as managing director in creating and managing an experimental ensemble theater company.
Theatre Grottesco North America, Inc.'s (Santa Fe, NM) artistic director John Flax will mentor Kate Kita in areas of artistic creation, production, outreach and community relations as she moves toward becoming a producing artistic director.
Round 9 Mentee Bios
Jade King Carroll's directing credits include Cherry Smoke (Theatre Row), The Persians, Splittin’ the Raft (People's Light & Theatre) After Adam (Playpenn), Contents of a Book, Life as a Balloon (McCarter Ink Festival), The Summer House, White Baby (Passage Theatre), Like Father (Producer's Club), The Adoration (Chocolate Factory Theatre), White Trash (Players Theatre). Ms. Carroll has directed workshops and readings for McCarter Theatre, New Dramatists, Second Stage Theatre, Playwright’s Realm, BE Company, Clockwork Theatre, 24 Hour Plays & New Jersey Rep. As an assistant director she has worked with Michael Greif, Les Waters, Rebecca Taichman, Michael Kahn, Gary Griffin, Lisa Peterson, Lou Bellamy & Ruben Santiago-Hudson among many others.
Jaime Castañeda Welcome to Arroyos (Summer Play Festival), One for the Road (DirectorFest) Crave, Closer, Blue/Orange, Nocturne, Sonnets for an Old Century (FireStarter Productions) Red Light Winter (Perseverance Theatre) Attack of the Asians (Kennedy Center) This is How it Goes (Amphibian Stage Productions) Lincolnesque, A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant (Circle Theatre). Mr. Castañeda has assistant directed at the Atlantic Theater Company, Old Globe Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Center Theatre Group and on the recent revival of Speed the Plow on Broadway. He has received a Drama League Fall Fellowship, a 2008 Princess Grace Award and various Dallas/Fort Worth critics awards. Education: MFA Directing (University of Texas at Austin).
Matt Chapman is a performer, director, and teacher of physical theatre and clown. He is artistic director and co-founder of Brooklyn's Under the Table, now in its ninth year of making works and touring. He has taught clown at Marymount Manhattan College and Manhattanville College in New York, and has taught workshops at such places as the Kennedy Center, NYU, Vassar, Sarah Lawrence, and Towson. Mr. Chapman works abroad regularly as well; his workshops in the last two years have included South Africa, Denmark, the Netherlands, and England. He is a graduate of Dell'Arte International and the University of Kansas.
Sam Chase first began work with the Talking Band in 2005, becoming development director in 2007, and managing director in 2009. He has served as a development and arts management consultant for numerous award-winning theaters in New York, including Red Bull Theatre, and Theatre for a New Audience. Prior to that, he served as Assistant Director at Ten Thousand Things and Communications Director at The Playwrights' Center, both in Minneapolis. Mr. Chase received his Masters at Harvard University, where he held the Javits Fellowship, and graduated valedictorian at Vanderbilt University with Highest Honors in Theatre.
Lydia Fort has directed and developed work at Ensemble Studio Theater; New Federal Theatre, Classical Theatre of Harlem; Ma-Yi Theater, The Public Theater; Soho Think Tank; The Hangar Theatre; New Professional Theatre; Lark Play Development Center; MudBone; CAP21 and the Ethnic Cultural Theatre in Seattle, WA. Awards: New York Theatre Workshop Directing Fellowship, SDCF Observership, and Drama League Directing Fellowship. Currently, Ms. Fort is in mentorship at Classical Theatre of Harlem as the recipient of the TCG New Generations Program. B.A., NYU. MFA, University of Washington School of Drama, directing.
Charles Haugland is the literary associate for the Huntington Theatre Company. His dramaturgy has also been seen at Company One (Boston), PROP THTR (Chicago), Arizona Theatre Company, and Nebraska Repertory Theatre. Mr. Haugland previously was an intern at the Huntington and Actors Theatre of Louisville. He holds a B.A. from Illinois Wesleyan University, and writes about Naomi Wallace's work.
Kate Kita is the managing director and an ensemble member of Theater Grottesco where she has created and performed in original productions for the past four seasons. She has worked in various areas of management, production and creation with companies such as Classic Stage Company, New York Stage and Film, the Ohio Theatre, the Hangar Theatre Lab Company, and International WOW. Ms. Kita is a co-founder of the Brooklyn-based arts collaborative The Engine and a creator of the company’s writing program. She holds a BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and is a certified Montessori teacher.
Best known for her edgy sensibility and her bold, precise staging, producer/director/actor, Bari Newport brings an element of moxie to every project she takes on. For five and a half years, she was the associate director of Florida Repertory Theatre, where she was influential in the economic growth of the theatre. There, Ms. Newport also bolstered education programs, developed new work and directed thirteen productions, including the first regional theatre production of The Underpants. Her work has also been seen at Horizon Theatre Company, Greenbrier Valley Theatre, Cumberland County Playhouse, Sacramento Theatre Company and at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.
Richard Perez recently ended a seven year tenure as the producing artist director of the Bloomington Playwrights Project in Indiana. In that time he oversaw the development and production of over thirty new plays. Directing credits include: The Mercy Swing (2007 New York Fringe Festival); Nocturnal (part of the Kennedy Center's New Visions/New Voices Festival); and the 2007/2009 Symposiums of Bonderman New Play Development (Indiana Repertory Theatre). Mr. Perez studied acting at The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute and with Uta Hagen at HB Studios in New York City and has an MFA in Performance from Arizona State University.
Gabriel Richardson is a technically focused artist who began his love affair with stage and spectacle at Chicago's Redmoon Theater. Before being introduced to theatre Mr. Richardson studied as a blacksmith and metal sculptor. He now serves as Redmoon's artistic engineer, a role that combines many of the technical aspects of theatre and spectacle to accomplish the unique entity that is a Redmoon production as well as the creative visions of the involved collaborators. Mr. Richardson’s credits include: The Rivals (Polarity Ensemble Theater) as technical director, Look What I Don't Understand (Thirteenth Pocket Production-Poland) as set designer,Winter Pageant Redux (Redmoon Theater) as a collaborative designer,Spectacle 2008 (Redmoon Theater) as apprentice artistic engineer, and Last of My Species: The Fearless Songs of Laarna Cortaan (Redmoon Theater) as artistic engineer.
Future Leaders: Round 8 Project Description
Arena Stage's (Washington, DC) associate artistic director David Dower will mentor Vijay Mathew in new play development and artistic producing. Mr. Mathew’s responsibilities will include line producing the development paths of several new works slated for production at Arena, overseeing the selection process of the NEA New Play Development Program and following the selected projects through their development paths at host organizations.
The Cleveland Play House’s (Cleveland, OH) managing director Kevin Moore will mentor Alison La Rosa as an associate managing director, preparing her for a career in regional theatre management. Ms. La Rosa’s duties will include rights agreements, Equity contracts, monthly monitoring of profit and loss projections, acting as the point person for the annual operating budget and participating on several board committees. Ms. La Rosa will also produce FusionFest, Cleveland Play House’s annual multi-arts festival.
Goodman Theater's (Chicago, IL) artistic director Robert Falls will mentor emerging artistic director Julieanne Ehre in producing and artistic programming. Ms Ehre will assist in the artistic coordination of the Goodman’s new international initiatives, serving as the liaison between the artistic, producing, development and marketing departments and the general manager’s office. She will also be the primary contact for international artists and companies, assisting in the preparation of budgets, calendars and schedules, marketing and other fundraising materials for international projects.
Lark Play Development Center’s (New York, NY) producing director John Clinton Eisner will mentor May Adrales in artistic programming and strategic planning. Ms Adrales will work with executive leadership to develop a plan for sustained artistic support of core playwrights and to identify best practices for deepening Lark’s investment in unheard and marginalized voices and strengthening cross-pollination among these communities. She will play a leadership role fostering community dialogue, facilitating dramaturgical discussions, and directing new work.
Miracle Theatre Group’s (Portland, OR) executive director José E. González will mentor Antonio Sonera in the areas of management and administration. Mr. Sonera’s responsibilities will include working with the board of directors on the 25th anniversary planning committee, managing program budgets, identifying capital needs and potential resources, and representing the organization at community engagement events.
New Georges’ (New York, NY) artistic director Susan Bernfield will mentor Rehana Mirza in artistic direction and all aspects of running a small production and play development company. Ms. Mirza will line produce mainstage projects, act as a board liaison, assist the literary manager with play submissions and identifying potential New Georges’ artists, and will work with the artistic director on fundraising and audience development initiatives.
Pillsbury House Theatre (Minneapolis, MN) co-artistic director Faye M. Price will mentor James A. Williams in all areas of artistic administration. Mr. Williams will gain hands on experience with the primary areas involved in leading a small arts organization. Specific duties will include assisting with season planning and budgeting, production and program development, fundraising, marketing and external relations.
The Play Company’s (New York, NY) founding producer Kate Loewald will mentor Linda Bartholomai in the areas of producing and organizational development. Ms Bartholomai will help to cultivate and maintain relationships with American and international artists and producing venues. She will also curate and produce events in The Play Company’s New Work/New World Series, develop a new project in the Universal Voices translation program, participate in season planning and help to develop the company’s 10-Year Anniversary strategic plan.
Teatro Vision de San Jose’s (San Jose, CA) artistic director Elisa Marina Alvarado will mentor Rodrigo Garcia in the area of artistic management. Mr. Garcia’s duties will include translation oversight, international relationship building, co-production development support, season production selection, management training and marketing/outreach assistance.
Round 8 Mentee Bios
May Adrales is in residence at The Lark Play Development Center where she serves as a director and manages several core artist programs. Ms Adrales has directed and developed work at Williamstown Theater Festival; The Public Theater; Second Stage Theatre; New York Theater Workshop; The Hangar Theatre; Long Wharf Theatre; Partial Comfort Productions (Time Out NY Critics pick); Midtown International Theater Festival (Best Solo Show); Ensemble Studio Theater. Awards: SSDC Denham Fellowship; Van Lier Fellowship, NYTW Fellowship, SDCF Observership, and Drama League Directing Fellowship. She is a former Artistic Associate at The Public Theater. Faculty, Public Theater Shakespeare Lab. MFA, Yale School of Drama, directing.
Linda Bartholomai is a citizen of Germany and Australia and lived in both countries before moving to Texas in 1993. Because of her background, Ms Bartholomai has always been interested in the international theater scene and global collaborations. She has been a member of Exiles, an international theater collective and while earning her MFA in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism from the Yale School of Drama, she also worked at New Haven’s International Festival of Arts and Ideas. Since 2003 she has been affiliated with The Play Company as a production dramaturg, company manager and for the last six productions as the associate producer.
Julieanne Ehre is artistic director of Greasy Joan & Co. where she has directed and produced premiere adaptations of classics including: a reading of Anthrax: A Contemporary Mash-Up of Phaedra and Dr. Faustus by Ann Marie Healy, the Chicago premiere of Sueno by Jose Rivera, the World premiere of Nilo Cruz’s and Karin Coonrod’s House of Bernarda Alba; and the American premiere of Pam Gems’ Lady From the Sea. Ms Ehre served as dramaturg on readings of new works by Noah Haidle and Tina Howe for the Goodman Theater. She holds an MFA in Directing from Northwestern University and worked as assistant director to Mary Zimmerman.
Rodrigo García Originally from Mexico City, Mr. Garcia graduated from the National Institute of Fine Arts INBA in Mexico with a major in modern dance and drama and he holds a BA in Graphic Design from the School of Design part of INBA. In addition to his 20 plus years of artistic trajectory, he has been involved in community education, developing and implementing programs to help underserved communities. As an immigrant, he has had the opportunity to become bilingual and bi-cultural helping him to build bridges within the Chicano and the Latino US immigrant communities. He believes in the power of theater to create social change.
Alison La Rosa holds an MA in arts administration from Indiana University, where she was a recipient of the Llellwyn Scholarship. She has worked at various arts organizations throughout the country, most recently serving as general management intern at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Prior to that, her work with the Lotus Education & Arts Foundation enabled 8,000 rural Indiana school children to experience live music of Rwanda, India, and South America. Ms La Rosa is also an accomplished flautist, having performed at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, Kennedy Center Opera House, and Prague Spring Music Festival.
Vijay Mathew is currently the NEA New Play Development Program coordinator and was last year's Allen Lee Hughes Directing Fellow at Arena Stage. In addition to his own directing of new work, Mr. Mathews was the assistant director for the Broadway production of The Little Dog Laughed and has been granted the Van Lier Directing Fellowship at Second Stage Theatre, as well as directing internships at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, and the Westport Playhouse. He has an MFA in directing from New School University and a BA from the University of Chicago.
Rehana Mirza is a filmmaker, playwright, and artistic director of Desipina & Company, which is dedicated to new works of the South Asian and Asian American landscape. She has produced over 40 playwrights through Desipina's Seven.11 Convenience Theatre series. Her plays have premiered at the Asian American Theatre Company, HERE, the Flea, Ma-Yi Lab, 2G, amongst others. Ms Mirza recently completed her first feature length film, Hiding Divya, which deals with mental illness within three generations of South Asian women. BFA: Dramatic Writing, NYU's Tisch School of the Arts; MFA: Playwriting, Columbia University.
Antonio Sonera has worked as an actor, director, artistic associate, artistic director, and theatre advocate professionally for 23 years. Some notable directing credits include Topdog/Underdog for Artists Repertory Theatre, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune for CoHo Productions, Life is a Dream and El Grito del Bronx for Miracle Theatre Group. Regionally he has worked at Berkshire Theatre Festival, South Coast Repertory Theatre, and CLIMB. He served on panels for the Regional Arts and Culture Council, and the Multnomah County Cultural Coalition. Sonera is the recipient of the RACC Professional Development Grant and Portland Civic Theatre Guild Award. Currently he is the associate director at the Miracle Theatre Group in Portland, Oregon.
James A Williams serves as Co-director and acting coach for the Seeds of Change program at Central High School (St. Paul, MN) Central Touring Theatre, and The Hennepin County Home School Theatre Project. He has conducted workshops at Brown University, Colby College, Macalester College, University of Minnesota, the International School of Kenya, Nshupu School, Tanzania and Penumbra Theatre Summer Institute, Shangalia School in Nairobi. Mr. Williams is a recipient of the St. Paul Companies Leadership Initiative in the Neighborhoods Grant and a 2005 NAACP Image Award Nominee.