2024 WORKSHOP PRESENTER BIOS
THEATER
TH 1: Crafting Characters of Resilience and Action, Carmen Rivera
Carmen Rivera is a New York-born, Puerto Rican playwright and screenwriter. She holds an MA in Playwriting and Latin American Theatre from New York University. Carmen's OBIE-Award winning play La Gringa, just celebrated its 28th anniversary in repertory at Repertorio Español. It is now the longest running Spanish language play in Off-Broadway history. Both English and Spanish versions are available at Concord Theatricals. Her play La Caída De Rafael Trujillo (The Downfall of Rafael Trujillo) received an ATI Award for Best Production. Both the English and Spanish versions are available at Theatrical Rights Worldwide. Carmen co-wrote, with Cándido Tirado, Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz, (HOLA Award 2008, Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting), which played Off-Broadway at New World Stages and toured Florida, Chicago, Tenerife, Canary Islands and the Centro de Bellas Artes (Center for the Fine Arts) in Puerto Rico. Carmen is a Founding Member and Co-Executive Director of Educational Play Productions, which brings plays that deal with social issues into the public schools. She teaches Playwriting at The New School and is also a Teacher Artist with Manhattan Theatre Club. www.carmenrivera-writer.com
TH 2: Creating a Scene: Staging a Flashmob, David Hugo / LIU Post
David Hugo has been a professor in the Theatre Department at LIU CW Post since 2007. He teaches freshman acting and all the musical theatre acting courses. David has performed regionally, on national tours and on Broadway in shows such as Jekyll and Hyde, Iolanthe, Into the Woods, and a stellar 12-year career with Les Miserables where he portrayed Grantaire in the final Broadway cast. He was on tour with the Broadway production of Les Miserables when he developed a love for teaching through the workshops he gave at high schools and universities across America, Asia and Canada. He left the Les Miserables tour in 2005 to pursue a master’s degree in theatre. His introduction to the Suzuki method while pursuing his master’s degree changed the course of his career. He found the Suzuki method to be an excellent technique for teaching musical theatre, and he was able to devise a way to integrate it into his musical theatre curriculum. David holds an M.A. in Theatre from LIU CW Post, a B.F.A. in acting from Syracuse University and an Associates Degree in Music from Onondaga Community College.
TH 3: Feminism on the Stage, Catherine Weingarten
Catherine Weingarten is a friendly Jewish chick from an obscure area of Pennsylvania! Honors Include: the Scott McPherson Award and the Tennessee Williams Scholarship through the Sewanee Writer’s Conference. She has previously developed her “girly, trashy” work with Dixon Place, The Tank, Less Than Rent, Sam French OOB Short Play Festival, Last Frontier Theater Conference. Catherine is passionate about theater education and making playwriting more fun, joyful and accessible to all her students. She has worked with Marquis Studios, The Apollo Theater and Ohio University. BA: Bennington College. MFA: Ohio University. catherine-weingarten.squarespace.com
TH 4: FOR GOOD: Your Voice Makes a Difference, Taylor Mattes / Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids
Taylor Mattes (she/her) is the Community Engagement Coordinator for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. In her work with students and educators across the country, she encourages artists to come together and use their voices to make a difference in their communities. She’s thrilled to connect with you, and share how you can make a difference!
TH 5: Headlines Into Punchlines, Tom D'Angora and Billy Recce
Tom D'Angora has served as lead producer for NEWSical The Musical, the 3rd longest running musical revue in history. Other NY theater credits include: A Musical About Star Wars, Naked Boys Singing! (produced/directed), The Marvelous Wonderettes (produced/directed), and the first family musical about disability, inclusion, and kindness Addy & Uno. A proud political activist, Tom worked on both of Hillary Rodham Clinton's historic campaigns for President, proudly serving on the Grassroots team, the Advance team, and the LGBT Outreach team. In 2021, along with his husband, Tom volunteered his time to help several local theaters and businesses in danger of closing due to the pandemic stay afloat. In just six months, Tom produced/directed 6 virtual fundraisers, with over 700 notable stars of stage, screen, and beyond and raised 1.5 million dollars and made sure The West Bank Café, Birdland Jazz Club, The York Theater, Stonewall, The Labyrinth Theater, and The Theater World Awards survived the pandemic. www.tomdangora.com
Billy Recce is an award winning, billboard charting composer/lyricist, playwright and performer living in New York City. Off-Broadway/NYC: Fowl Play (Book, Music and Lyrics), Four simultaneously running musicals in the '23-'24 season including FIVE: The Parody Musical (Music and Lyrics; Theatre 555), A Musical About Star Wars (Music and Lyrics; AMT Theatre/St. Luke’s/Theatre Row), Singfeld (Music and Orchestrations; Jerry Orbach Theatre), Lighthouse: An Immersive Drinking Musical (Music Supervision, Arrangements and Orchestrations, Soho Rep), Balloon Boy: The Musical (Book, Music and Lyrics; Youngest Writer ever selected for NYMF, International Thespian Festival). In development: the Heidi Fleiss musical Little Black Book (Book, Music and Lyrics; Billboard Charting Concept Album available everywhere.) Billy has written or co-written songs for Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin, Laura Benanti, Jessica Vosk, Lillias White, Alice Ripley, Orfeh, Paige Turner, RuPaul’s Drag Race Finalist Rosé, and Tituss Burgess. Billy’s songs have been heard internationally and at The New Amsterdam, Broadway In Bryant Park, Cadogan Hall, The Tilles Center, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Ars Nova, Irish Rep, The York Theatre, The Signature Theatre, 54 Below, The Green Room 42, and the Edinburgh Fringe. He is a Two Time MAC Award winner, an Orchard Project Greenhouse member, a Relentless Award semi-finalist, a Eugene O’Neill Finalist, a NAMT finalist, a Two Time Wallowitch Award finalist, and a Jonathan Larson Grant Finalist. Billy is currently under commission with EST/Sloan Project, and several production companies. www.billyrecce.com
TH 6: Invisible and Voiceless: Undocumented Immigrants on L.I.,
Margarita Espada / Teatro Experimental Yerbabruja
Margarita Espada is an award winning performer, educator, cultural maker, researcher, and activist in the fields and studies of physical theater, body and embodiments, settlers-colonialism, race, ethnicity and migration. As the founder and director of Teatro Experimental Yerbabuja, Espada has created a vital platform for Latinx, Black, Indigenous, and artists of color on Long Island. Her organization provides resources, opportunities, and a supportive community for artists to create, showcase their work, and engage in activism. Espada's leadership in this endeavor has earned her widespread recognition and numerous awards, including the prestigious Martin Luther King Living Legend Award.
TH 7: Moment Work, Brandon Anderson / Tectonic Theater Company
Brandon Anderson is an award winning singer/songwriter, writer, composer, devised theatre creator, and educator. He is the recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Frederick Loewe Award and the Kennedy Center ACTF Award for his writing in musical theatre. Brandon is also the Artistic Director and dramaturg of the Tisch New Musical Theatre Workshop at NYU, which produces readings and workshop productions of new musicals. Brandon also has extensive work in arts education as a master teaching artist for the Metropolitan Opera, and a member of the teaching faculty for the Tectonic Theater Project.
TH 8: Staging Power & Rehearsing Change, Kea Trevett / Theatre for a New Audience
Kea Trevett (she/her) is a theater practitioner, filmmaker, and educator. As an actor, her NY theater credits include Roundabout, Classic Stage Company, Lincoln Center, Ars Nova, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Sheen Center, New Georges, The Lark, Page 73, and Cherry Lane. Regional credits include Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival and The Hamptons Shakespeare Festival. Kea teaches playwriting and Shakespeare in performance for Theatre For A New Audience and Lincoln Center, and is a founding member of Apocalyptic Artists Ensemble. MFA: Columbia University. www.keatrevett.com
TH 9: The Art of Storytelling: Making A Difference & Evoking Change, Valerie David
Valerie David is an accomplished actor, producer, and playwright. Her award-winning solo show The Pink Hulk tells her personal story of overcoming cancer three times, inspiring others to face adversity with courage. It has been performed in over 50 festivals and 25 cities, both domestically and internationally. Her other award-winning solo show, Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming My Father’s Daughter, shares the true journey of her Middle Eastern Jewish family fleeing religious persecution in 1941 Baghdad, drawing parallels to today’s prejudice and discrimination. Valerie’s empowering stories promote social action on important issues, delivering a powerful message of hope. Valerie and her solo shows have been featured on TV, radio, in publications, and on podcasts, including NBC 4 New York, CBS, FOX, amNY, and Heal magazine. She has transformed her adversity into art and social action, using The Pink Hulk to inspire positive change. Through performances, theater becomes a thought-provoking tool to empower others. Valerie also holds post-performance talkbacks focusing on self-advocacy and coping strategies, and offers master classes in improv, storytelling, and community engagement to influence social activism.
TH 10: Theatre as Civic Engagement, Elizabeth Bojsza
Elizabeth (E-Beth) Bojsza (she/her) is passionate about community engagement, empowering voices, and asking good questions. E-Beth has worked as a dramaturg and director of community performance projects, empowering communities to tell their stories and foster dialogue. She taught Stony Brook University's Prevention Through the Arts class for many years. She also worked professionally as a literary manager, running the Young Playwrights Inc. national playwriting competition from 2008-2013. E-Beth is currently a curriculum designer and faculty member for the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, the Program Director for the Academy of Civic Life at Stony Brook University, and a member of the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission.
TH 11: Transcending Language Prejudice Through Movement, Anna Mayta / Mayta Fusion Dance
Anna Mayta graduated from Empire State College in June 2001 with a BA in Dance in Education. She has over 20 years of experience teaching, performing, and choreographing. Some of her notable educational movement programs include "Spanish Language Through Movement," "Fusion Dance"—a blend of African, Classical Indian, Modern, Flamenco, and Latin styles—and "Transcending Linguistic Prejudice Through Movement." Anna has taught and choreographed for The National Ballet of Zimbabwe, as well as in England, New York City, and the Boston area. Currently, she continues to teach, choreograph, and perform throughout the region.
TH 12: Using Our Voices to Share Our Stories, Houses on the Moon
Emily Joy Weiner is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Houses on the Moon Theater Company. Since its inception in 2001, Emily has led Houses through the creation and development of multiple new works that explore our social climate and address the complex and sensitive issues of our time. Most recently Emily wrote and performed in the Off Broadway premiere of SHARED SENTENCES that explores the lives of family members and loved ones of the incarcerated, which is currently touring to theaters, conferences and Universities. Over the last few years she directed THE SANTA CLOSET at Teatro Circulo, guided the company through its production of DE NOVO at Next Door at NYTW, directed the world premiere of THE ASSIGNMENT at the ART/New York Theatres and the touring, live storytelling production of gUN COUNTRY. She has performed all over NYC and beyond with some highlights including OTHELLO at the West End Theater, COMING THROUGH at the American Place Theatre, FINDING THE WORDS at the Lucille Lortel and AN EPIDOG with Mabou Mines. The League of Professional Theatre Women recently honored Emily with the Josephine Abady award for her work in the creation of multicultural works.
Angelika Menendez is a proud New York-based Latine actor/educator who graduated with her BFA from Emerson College. She is thrilled to be back at Stage the Change this year! Recent credits include Man of La Mancha (Antonia), For Carmen in San Sebastian, Do You See... (The REV); Before We Focus on Others (Teatro Chelsea), and other cabarets and new works in NYC. She is also a teaching artist with New York City Center, Houses on the Moon, and TADA! Youth Theatre. IG: @angelikamenendez | angelikamenendez.com
TH 13: Voices of Change: What Makes Your Blood Boil?, Elise May and Oya Bangura
Oya Bangura is originally from West Africa, Sierra Leone. Her early dance training was received at The United Nations International School and as a scholarship student with Jacques d’Amboise and his National Dance Institute before heading to Boston University. Oya has appeared at Madison Square Garden’s Felt Forum, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center’s Outdoor Festivals, American Ballet Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Rodotto and Fenice. She has performed as the Principal choreographer/ dancer/actor in an Off Broadway production written, directed and produced by Jahidah Diaab. Oya's passion is being Co-Founder of Project MOVE, an Arts in Education organization charged with the mission of nurturing the leaders of tomorrow, while bringing communities together through the Arts. Making changes, one heartbeat at a time. www.projectmoveny.org
Elise May, an independent Teaching Artist, actor, singer, and writer, has performed and taught in the U.S. and internationally. Her original award-winning Arts-in-Education programs use theater arts for communication empowerment and community development with all populations. Elise is the Program Developer and Director of Storytime Theater, Expressive Elocution, Multicultural Voices, Creative Readers (winner of the 2017 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award) Landmark Radio Theater, and Theater for Dessert. Currently President of the Board of Stage the Change, Elise has presented at many conferences including ITAC4, Arts for All Abilities Consortium and NYSTEA Educator and Student Conferences. www.storytime-theater.com
TH 14: Writing and Performing the Stories of Our Lives, Judith Sloan / Earsay
Judith Sloan is an actor, radio producer, and educator. She is the co-author of Crossing the BLVD (winner of the Brendan Gill Prize). Sloan is currently working on two new projects: This is Not a Drill, about climate change which received a 2022 NYSCA Artist Commissioning Grant and Imperfect Allies, a project that brings disparate groups together in dialogue, most recently a collaboration between Palestinian and Jewish theater artists. She is a faculty member at NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Her works include Yo Miss!, Denial of the Fittest, A Tattle Tale, It Can Happen Here, and 1001 Voices. Sloan's multimedia art projects based on the stories of new immigrants and refugees have been recognized by the Brendan Gill Prize and a Partnership in Education Award for her Cross-Cultural Dialogue Through the Arts program with immigrant teenagers. www.judithsloan.com
TH 15: Writing for the Stage and Screen with a Social Voice, Jim Hoare / Theatrical Rights Worldwide
Jim Hoare, Executive VP at Theatrical Rights Worldwide, has presented workshops across the USA and UK, and in 2011 received the New York State Theatre Education Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. A member of the Advisory Board for the Educational Theatre Foundation, Jim is also the author of Your High School Improv Show Playbook (Theatrefolk, 2019) and Your School Theatre Director’s Playbook (TRW Plays, 2022). He was recently inducted into the EdTA Hall of Fame.
TH 16: Writing My Own History!, Arts Ignite
Arts Ignite teaches young people to think like artists and develop skills that will serve them throughout their lives through workshops, residencies, and arts camps across New York City and beyond! We offer programming in all five boroughs and in other states with national partners. We bring professional Teaching Artists to lead communities of youth through arts-rich education. We create devised works with students from MLL backgrounds through playwriting and musical theater, and within that, we offer songwriting and composition. We also bring a variety of genres of dance to schools across the nation! www.artsignite.org
DANCE / MOVEMENT
D 1: Dance For Every Body: Movement Workshop, Dani Criss / Urban Bush Women
Affectionately known as Dani Criss, The Artist; a multidisciplinary artist, artistic educator, and community organizer hailing from Durham, North Carolina, now based in Brooklyn, NY. Leading with a passionate perspective driven by her roots and studies of the African Diaspora, as well as the advancement of her people everywhere. Educating through the principles of the Diaspora, inspiring an appreciation, acceptance, and historical experience in each interaction; Using movement and knowledge as the source to obtain liberation while discovering ancestral connections within the liberative practices. An artistic educator in primary and higher education in New York, NY and surrounding areas including NYC Public Schools, Nassau Community College, Mark Morris Dance Center, and several arts organizations around the city. Check out www.danicriss.com for more information.
D 2: Dance Your Voice, Fritzlyn Hector / LIU Post Concert Dance Company
Fritzlyn Hector is a performer, choreographer, educator, and director seasoned with a professional career of 22 years and is currently the Director of Dance at LIU Post. She taught at Hofstra University, Princeton University, New York University, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and Earl Mosely’s Diversity Dance program. Fritzlyn directed the Fritzation Experience and won a 2021 Bessie Award for her dance film Steel Standing. Credits include Jimmy Fallon Show, Good Morning America, VH1 Hip Hop Honors, Harry Connick Jr Show, Live Wire Google Maps commercial, NETFLIX Julie’s Greenroom starring Julie Andrews, and is currently filming an Amazon Prime film.
D 3: Get Moving Around Climate Change, Lynn Neuman / Artichoke Dance Company
Lynn Neuman, Director of Artichoke Dance Company, is one of the nation’s leading eco-artists widely known for her multi-year program to mitigate plastic pollution on Coney Island. Lynn is an Association of Performing Arts Professionals Leadership Fellow and widely sought for teaching, speaking and cross-disciplinary performances and programs. Recently, she was artist in residence at Rider University and California State University, creating arts and sustainability projects across disciplines. Her work has been presented nationally and internationally and she has been featured in Dance Magazine, on Citizen’s Climate Radio and on Climate Check podcast.
D 4: Resilient Voices Finding Space, Theara J Ward
Theara J. Ward, “baby ballerina” with Dance Theater of Harlem. Broadway: Black and Blue; Crazy For You; original Ghost of Christmas Future, A Christmas Carol, (Madison Square Garden) Ragtime (Chicago). Regional: Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Cleveland Playhouse); The Love Space Demands with Ntozake Shange (Crossroads Theater). TV and Commercials. Belhaven College, visiting artist; Duke University, Dartmouth College, facilitator/panelist. Works with arts education programs: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Dance Theatre of Harlem. Teacher/Mentor: Creative Outlet, Brooklyn Contributing writer, re:Claiming Ballet, Dr. Adesola Akinleye, Editor. Theara penned her one woman show, From The Heart Of A Sistah: A Choreopoem.
D 5: TIKoRO Creative Dance Workshop, Clement Mensah / TIKoRO
Clement Mensah is a native of Ghana, graduated from CIOS and from The Amsterdam School of the Arts. He received a fellowship from The Ailey School in NY, to later earn his MA in Dance Performance at Trinity Laban School in London. Mr. Mensah has danced with Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, Elisa Monte Dance Company, Francesca Harper, and Limón Dance. He is currently working with Battery Dance as well with Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group. He has traveled extensively performing, teaching and conducting community projects throughout The Americas, Africa, Europe and Asia as a cultural ambassador with Battery Dance’s signature teaching program Dancing to Connect.
FILM
F 1: Filmmaking at Your Fingertips: Empowering Voices for Change, Makeba L. Ross / Reel Works
After falling in love with the film and editing process in high school, Makeba L. Ross would eventually leave her hometown of Newburgh, NY to study film at Brooklyn College. After graduating and spending 5 years in the corporate film world, Makeba declared an LLC and committed to her freelance business full time. Over the years she has produced, directed, shot and edited various projects for BuzzFeed, BET+, Elite Daily, Bustle, NYC H+H, and more. Her goal is simple: showcase the Black community in a positive and emphatic light, while encouraging young Black children to pursue their storytelling. Makeba is the proud owner of Problem Pictures, LLC, a Black and female owned production company based in NYC that is committed to showcasing the Black community in a positive and empathetic light while challenging reductive stereotypes and uplifting local artists. IG: @problempictures.llc
EDUCATORS
E 1: Ask Not What You Can Do For Your Arts Dept...But What Your Arts Dept. Can Do For You, Joy Ferrara
Joy Ferrara has been an educator for more than 28 years. She taught in the Commack School District for 10 years and became an Assistant Principal at Hauppauge Middle School in 2003. Since 2010, Joy has been the Hauppauge High School Assistant Principal and has been an advocate for the Hauppauge Theatre program. Working directly with Ruthie Pincus, Hauppauge’s former Theatre Director, Joy has brought real-time school issues to the theatre students and charged them with creating relevant monologues and short vignettes to inform and engage the faculty and student body.
TH 1: Crafting Characters of Resilience and Action, Carmen Rivera
Carmen Rivera is a New York-born, Puerto Rican playwright and screenwriter. She holds an MA in Playwriting and Latin American Theatre from New York University. Carmen's OBIE-Award winning play La Gringa, just celebrated its 28th anniversary in repertory at Repertorio Español. It is now the longest running Spanish language play in Off-Broadway history. Both English and Spanish versions are available at Concord Theatricals. Her play La Caída De Rafael Trujillo (The Downfall of Rafael Trujillo) received an ATI Award for Best Production. Both the English and Spanish versions are available at Theatrical Rights Worldwide. Carmen co-wrote, with Cándido Tirado, Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz, (HOLA Award 2008, Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting), which played Off-Broadway at New World Stages and toured Florida, Chicago, Tenerife, Canary Islands and the Centro de Bellas Artes (Center for the Fine Arts) in Puerto Rico. Carmen is a Founding Member and Co-Executive Director of Educational Play Productions, which brings plays that deal with social issues into the public schools. She teaches Playwriting at The New School and is also a Teacher Artist with Manhattan Theatre Club. www.carmenrivera-writer.com
TH 2: Creating a Scene: Staging a Flashmob, David Hugo / LIU Post
David Hugo has been a professor in the Theatre Department at LIU CW Post since 2007. He teaches freshman acting and all the musical theatre acting courses. David has performed regionally, on national tours and on Broadway in shows such as Jekyll and Hyde, Iolanthe, Into the Woods, and a stellar 12-year career with Les Miserables where he portrayed Grantaire in the final Broadway cast. He was on tour with the Broadway production of Les Miserables when he developed a love for teaching through the workshops he gave at high schools and universities across America, Asia and Canada. He left the Les Miserables tour in 2005 to pursue a master’s degree in theatre. His introduction to the Suzuki method while pursuing his master’s degree changed the course of his career. He found the Suzuki method to be an excellent technique for teaching musical theatre, and he was able to devise a way to integrate it into his musical theatre curriculum. David holds an M.A. in Theatre from LIU CW Post, a B.F.A. in acting from Syracuse University and an Associates Degree in Music from Onondaga Community College.
TH 3: Feminism on the Stage, Catherine Weingarten
Catherine Weingarten is a friendly Jewish chick from an obscure area of Pennsylvania! Honors Include: the Scott McPherson Award and the Tennessee Williams Scholarship through the Sewanee Writer’s Conference. She has previously developed her “girly, trashy” work with Dixon Place, The Tank, Less Than Rent, Sam French OOB Short Play Festival, Last Frontier Theater Conference. Catherine is passionate about theater education and making playwriting more fun, joyful and accessible to all her students. She has worked with Marquis Studios, The Apollo Theater and Ohio University. BA: Bennington College. MFA: Ohio University. catherine-weingarten.squarespace.com
TH 4: FOR GOOD: Your Voice Makes a Difference, Taylor Mattes / Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids
Taylor Mattes (she/her) is the Community Engagement Coordinator for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. In her work with students and educators across the country, she encourages artists to come together and use their voices to make a difference in their communities. She’s thrilled to connect with you, and share how you can make a difference!
TH 5: Headlines Into Punchlines, Tom D'Angora and Billy Recce
Tom D'Angora has served as lead producer for NEWSical The Musical, the 3rd longest running musical revue in history. Other NY theater credits include: A Musical About Star Wars, Naked Boys Singing! (produced/directed), The Marvelous Wonderettes (produced/directed), and the first family musical about disability, inclusion, and kindness Addy & Uno. A proud political activist, Tom worked on both of Hillary Rodham Clinton's historic campaigns for President, proudly serving on the Grassroots team, the Advance team, and the LGBT Outreach team. In 2021, along with his husband, Tom volunteered his time to help several local theaters and businesses in danger of closing due to the pandemic stay afloat. In just six months, Tom produced/directed 6 virtual fundraisers, with over 700 notable stars of stage, screen, and beyond and raised 1.5 million dollars and made sure The West Bank Café, Birdland Jazz Club, The York Theater, Stonewall, The Labyrinth Theater, and The Theater World Awards survived the pandemic. www.tomdangora.com
Billy Recce is an award winning, billboard charting composer/lyricist, playwright and performer living in New York City. Off-Broadway/NYC: Fowl Play (Book, Music and Lyrics), Four simultaneously running musicals in the '23-'24 season including FIVE: The Parody Musical (Music and Lyrics; Theatre 555), A Musical About Star Wars (Music and Lyrics; AMT Theatre/St. Luke’s/Theatre Row), Singfeld (Music and Orchestrations; Jerry Orbach Theatre), Lighthouse: An Immersive Drinking Musical (Music Supervision, Arrangements and Orchestrations, Soho Rep), Balloon Boy: The Musical (Book, Music and Lyrics; Youngest Writer ever selected for NYMF, International Thespian Festival). In development: the Heidi Fleiss musical Little Black Book (Book, Music and Lyrics; Billboard Charting Concept Album available everywhere.) Billy has written or co-written songs for Bernadette Peters, Mandy Patinkin, Laura Benanti, Jessica Vosk, Lillias White, Alice Ripley, Orfeh, Paige Turner, RuPaul’s Drag Race Finalist Rosé, and Tituss Burgess. Billy’s songs have been heard internationally and at The New Amsterdam, Broadway In Bryant Park, Cadogan Hall, The Tilles Center, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Ars Nova, Irish Rep, The York Theatre, The Signature Theatre, 54 Below, The Green Room 42, and the Edinburgh Fringe. He is a Two Time MAC Award winner, an Orchard Project Greenhouse member, a Relentless Award semi-finalist, a Eugene O’Neill Finalist, a NAMT finalist, a Two Time Wallowitch Award finalist, and a Jonathan Larson Grant Finalist. Billy is currently under commission with EST/Sloan Project, and several production companies. www.billyrecce.com
TH 6: Invisible and Voiceless: Undocumented Immigrants on L.I.,
Margarita Espada / Teatro Experimental Yerbabruja
Margarita Espada is an award winning performer, educator, cultural maker, researcher, and activist in the fields and studies of physical theater, body and embodiments, settlers-colonialism, race, ethnicity and migration. As the founder and director of Teatro Experimental Yerbabuja, Espada has created a vital platform for Latinx, Black, Indigenous, and artists of color on Long Island. Her organization provides resources, opportunities, and a supportive community for artists to create, showcase their work, and engage in activism. Espada's leadership in this endeavor has earned her widespread recognition and numerous awards, including the prestigious Martin Luther King Living Legend Award.
TH 7: Moment Work, Brandon Anderson / Tectonic Theater Company
Brandon Anderson is an award winning singer/songwriter, writer, composer, devised theatre creator, and educator. He is the recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Frederick Loewe Award and the Kennedy Center ACTF Award for his writing in musical theatre. Brandon is also the Artistic Director and dramaturg of the Tisch New Musical Theatre Workshop at NYU, which produces readings and workshop productions of new musicals. Brandon also has extensive work in arts education as a master teaching artist for the Metropolitan Opera, and a member of the teaching faculty for the Tectonic Theater Project.
TH 8: Staging Power & Rehearsing Change, Kea Trevett / Theatre for a New Audience
Kea Trevett (she/her) is a theater practitioner, filmmaker, and educator. As an actor, her NY theater credits include Roundabout, Classic Stage Company, Lincoln Center, Ars Nova, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Sheen Center, New Georges, The Lark, Page 73, and Cherry Lane. Regional credits include Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival and The Hamptons Shakespeare Festival. Kea teaches playwriting and Shakespeare in performance for Theatre For A New Audience and Lincoln Center, and is a founding member of Apocalyptic Artists Ensemble. MFA: Columbia University. www.keatrevett.com
TH 9: The Art of Storytelling: Making A Difference & Evoking Change, Valerie David
Valerie David is an accomplished actor, producer, and playwright. Her award-winning solo show The Pink Hulk tells her personal story of overcoming cancer three times, inspiring others to face adversity with courage. It has been performed in over 50 festivals and 25 cities, both domestically and internationally. Her other award-winning solo show, Baggage From BaghDAD: Becoming My Father’s Daughter, shares the true journey of her Middle Eastern Jewish family fleeing religious persecution in 1941 Baghdad, drawing parallels to today’s prejudice and discrimination. Valerie’s empowering stories promote social action on important issues, delivering a powerful message of hope. Valerie and her solo shows have been featured on TV, radio, in publications, and on podcasts, including NBC 4 New York, CBS, FOX, amNY, and Heal magazine. She has transformed her adversity into art and social action, using The Pink Hulk to inspire positive change. Through performances, theater becomes a thought-provoking tool to empower others. Valerie also holds post-performance talkbacks focusing on self-advocacy and coping strategies, and offers master classes in improv, storytelling, and community engagement to influence social activism.
TH 10: Theatre as Civic Engagement, Elizabeth Bojsza
Elizabeth (E-Beth) Bojsza (she/her) is passionate about community engagement, empowering voices, and asking good questions. E-Beth has worked as a dramaturg and director of community performance projects, empowering communities to tell their stories and foster dialogue. She taught Stony Brook University's Prevention Through the Arts class for many years. She also worked professionally as a literary manager, running the Young Playwrights Inc. national playwriting competition from 2008-2013. E-Beth is currently a curriculum designer and faculty member for the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, the Program Director for the Academy of Civic Life at Stony Brook University, and a member of the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission.
TH 11: Transcending Language Prejudice Through Movement, Anna Mayta / Mayta Fusion Dance
Anna Mayta graduated from Empire State College in June 2001 with a BA in Dance in Education. She has over 20 years of experience teaching, performing, and choreographing. Some of her notable educational movement programs include "Spanish Language Through Movement," "Fusion Dance"—a blend of African, Classical Indian, Modern, Flamenco, and Latin styles—and "Transcending Linguistic Prejudice Through Movement." Anna has taught and choreographed for The National Ballet of Zimbabwe, as well as in England, New York City, and the Boston area. Currently, she continues to teach, choreograph, and perform throughout the region.
TH 12: Using Our Voices to Share Our Stories, Houses on the Moon
Emily Joy Weiner is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Houses on the Moon Theater Company. Since its inception in 2001, Emily has led Houses through the creation and development of multiple new works that explore our social climate and address the complex and sensitive issues of our time. Most recently Emily wrote and performed in the Off Broadway premiere of SHARED SENTENCES that explores the lives of family members and loved ones of the incarcerated, which is currently touring to theaters, conferences and Universities. Over the last few years she directed THE SANTA CLOSET at Teatro Circulo, guided the company through its production of DE NOVO at Next Door at NYTW, directed the world premiere of THE ASSIGNMENT at the ART/New York Theatres and the touring, live storytelling production of gUN COUNTRY. She has performed all over NYC and beyond with some highlights including OTHELLO at the West End Theater, COMING THROUGH at the American Place Theatre, FINDING THE WORDS at the Lucille Lortel and AN EPIDOG with Mabou Mines. The League of Professional Theatre Women recently honored Emily with the Josephine Abady award for her work in the creation of multicultural works.
Angelika Menendez is a proud New York-based Latine actor/educator who graduated with her BFA from Emerson College. She is thrilled to be back at Stage the Change this year! Recent credits include Man of La Mancha (Antonia), For Carmen in San Sebastian, Do You See... (The REV); Before We Focus on Others (Teatro Chelsea), and other cabarets and new works in NYC. She is also a teaching artist with New York City Center, Houses on the Moon, and TADA! Youth Theatre. IG: @angelikamenendez | angelikamenendez.com
TH 13: Voices of Change: What Makes Your Blood Boil?, Elise May and Oya Bangura
Oya Bangura is originally from West Africa, Sierra Leone. Her early dance training was received at The United Nations International School and as a scholarship student with Jacques d’Amboise and his National Dance Institute before heading to Boston University. Oya has appeared at Madison Square Garden’s Felt Forum, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center’s Outdoor Festivals, American Ballet Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Rodotto and Fenice. She has performed as the Principal choreographer/ dancer/actor in an Off Broadway production written, directed and produced by Jahidah Diaab. Oya's passion is being Co-Founder of Project MOVE, an Arts in Education organization charged with the mission of nurturing the leaders of tomorrow, while bringing communities together through the Arts. Making changes, one heartbeat at a time. www.projectmoveny.org
Elise May, an independent Teaching Artist, actor, singer, and writer, has performed and taught in the U.S. and internationally. Her original award-winning Arts-in-Education programs use theater arts for communication empowerment and community development with all populations. Elise is the Program Developer and Director of Storytime Theater, Expressive Elocution, Multicultural Voices, Creative Readers (winner of the 2017 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award) Landmark Radio Theater, and Theater for Dessert. Currently President of the Board of Stage the Change, Elise has presented at many conferences including ITAC4, Arts for All Abilities Consortium and NYSTEA Educator and Student Conferences. www.storytime-theater.com
TH 14: Writing and Performing the Stories of Our Lives, Judith Sloan / Earsay
Judith Sloan is an actor, radio producer, and educator. She is the co-author of Crossing the BLVD (winner of the Brendan Gill Prize). Sloan is currently working on two new projects: This is Not a Drill, about climate change which received a 2022 NYSCA Artist Commissioning Grant and Imperfect Allies, a project that brings disparate groups together in dialogue, most recently a collaboration between Palestinian and Jewish theater artists. She is a faculty member at NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Her works include Yo Miss!, Denial of the Fittest, A Tattle Tale, It Can Happen Here, and 1001 Voices. Sloan's multimedia art projects based on the stories of new immigrants and refugees have been recognized by the Brendan Gill Prize and a Partnership in Education Award for her Cross-Cultural Dialogue Through the Arts program with immigrant teenagers. www.judithsloan.com
TH 15: Writing for the Stage and Screen with a Social Voice, Jim Hoare / Theatrical Rights Worldwide
Jim Hoare, Executive VP at Theatrical Rights Worldwide, has presented workshops across the USA and UK, and in 2011 received the New York State Theatre Education Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. A member of the Advisory Board for the Educational Theatre Foundation, Jim is also the author of Your High School Improv Show Playbook (Theatrefolk, 2019) and Your School Theatre Director’s Playbook (TRW Plays, 2022). He was recently inducted into the EdTA Hall of Fame.
TH 16: Writing My Own History!, Arts Ignite
Arts Ignite teaches young people to think like artists and develop skills that will serve them throughout their lives through workshops, residencies, and arts camps across New York City and beyond! We offer programming in all five boroughs and in other states with national partners. We bring professional Teaching Artists to lead communities of youth through arts-rich education. We create devised works with students from MLL backgrounds through playwriting and musical theater, and within that, we offer songwriting and composition. We also bring a variety of genres of dance to schools across the nation! www.artsignite.org
DANCE / MOVEMENT
D 1: Dance For Every Body: Movement Workshop, Dani Criss / Urban Bush Women
Affectionately known as Dani Criss, The Artist; a multidisciplinary artist, artistic educator, and community organizer hailing from Durham, North Carolina, now based in Brooklyn, NY. Leading with a passionate perspective driven by her roots and studies of the African Diaspora, as well as the advancement of her people everywhere. Educating through the principles of the Diaspora, inspiring an appreciation, acceptance, and historical experience in each interaction; Using movement and knowledge as the source to obtain liberation while discovering ancestral connections within the liberative practices. An artistic educator in primary and higher education in New York, NY and surrounding areas including NYC Public Schools, Nassau Community College, Mark Morris Dance Center, and several arts organizations around the city. Check out www.danicriss.com for more information.
D 2: Dance Your Voice, Fritzlyn Hector / LIU Post Concert Dance Company
Fritzlyn Hector is a performer, choreographer, educator, and director seasoned with a professional career of 22 years and is currently the Director of Dance at LIU Post. She taught at Hofstra University, Princeton University, New York University, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and Earl Mosely’s Diversity Dance program. Fritzlyn directed the Fritzation Experience and won a 2021 Bessie Award for her dance film Steel Standing. Credits include Jimmy Fallon Show, Good Morning America, VH1 Hip Hop Honors, Harry Connick Jr Show, Live Wire Google Maps commercial, NETFLIX Julie’s Greenroom starring Julie Andrews, and is currently filming an Amazon Prime film.
D 3: Get Moving Around Climate Change, Lynn Neuman / Artichoke Dance Company
Lynn Neuman, Director of Artichoke Dance Company, is one of the nation’s leading eco-artists widely known for her multi-year program to mitigate plastic pollution on Coney Island. Lynn is an Association of Performing Arts Professionals Leadership Fellow and widely sought for teaching, speaking and cross-disciplinary performances and programs. Recently, she was artist in residence at Rider University and California State University, creating arts and sustainability projects across disciplines. Her work has been presented nationally and internationally and she has been featured in Dance Magazine, on Citizen’s Climate Radio and on Climate Check podcast.
D 4: Resilient Voices Finding Space, Theara J Ward
Theara J. Ward, “baby ballerina” with Dance Theater of Harlem. Broadway: Black and Blue; Crazy For You; original Ghost of Christmas Future, A Christmas Carol, (Madison Square Garden) Ragtime (Chicago). Regional: Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Cleveland Playhouse); The Love Space Demands with Ntozake Shange (Crossroads Theater). TV and Commercials. Belhaven College, visiting artist; Duke University, Dartmouth College, facilitator/panelist. Works with arts education programs: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; Dance Theatre of Harlem. Teacher/Mentor: Creative Outlet, Brooklyn Contributing writer, re:Claiming Ballet, Dr. Adesola Akinleye, Editor. Theara penned her one woman show, From The Heart Of A Sistah: A Choreopoem.
D 5: TIKoRO Creative Dance Workshop, Clement Mensah / TIKoRO
Clement Mensah is a native of Ghana, graduated from CIOS and from The Amsterdam School of the Arts. He received a fellowship from The Ailey School in NY, to later earn his MA in Dance Performance at Trinity Laban School in London. Mr. Mensah has danced with Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, Elisa Monte Dance Company, Francesca Harper, and Limón Dance. He is currently working with Battery Dance as well with Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group. He has traveled extensively performing, teaching and conducting community projects throughout The Americas, Africa, Europe and Asia as a cultural ambassador with Battery Dance’s signature teaching program Dancing to Connect.
FILM
F 1: Filmmaking at Your Fingertips: Empowering Voices for Change, Makeba L. Ross / Reel Works
After falling in love with the film and editing process in high school, Makeba L. Ross would eventually leave her hometown of Newburgh, NY to study film at Brooklyn College. After graduating and spending 5 years in the corporate film world, Makeba declared an LLC and committed to her freelance business full time. Over the years she has produced, directed, shot and edited various projects for BuzzFeed, BET+, Elite Daily, Bustle, NYC H+H, and more. Her goal is simple: showcase the Black community in a positive and emphatic light, while encouraging young Black children to pursue their storytelling. Makeba is the proud owner of Problem Pictures, LLC, a Black and female owned production company based in NYC that is committed to showcasing the Black community in a positive and empathetic light while challenging reductive stereotypes and uplifting local artists. IG: @problempictures.llc
EDUCATORS
E 1: Ask Not What You Can Do For Your Arts Dept...But What Your Arts Dept. Can Do For You, Joy Ferrara
Joy Ferrara has been an educator for more than 28 years. She taught in the Commack School District for 10 years and became an Assistant Principal at Hauppauge Middle School in 2003. Since 2010, Joy has been the Hauppauge High School Assistant Principal and has been an advocate for the Hauppauge Theatre program. Working directly with Ruthie Pincus, Hauppauge’s former Theatre Director, Joy has brought real-time school issues to the theatre students and charged them with creating relevant monologues and short vignettes to inform and engage the faculty and student body.
