Al Parker

Al Parker (they/she) is a creative producer, dramaturg, and stage manager based in New York City. As Artistic Associate of The Parsnip Ship, they produce audio theatre works, dramaturg new plays in development and facilitate the in-house Radio Roots Writers’ Group. They were a member of the 2020-21 Ars Nova Emerging Leaders Group as the Fundraising & Event Producing Fellow. Recently, they have worked with Playwrights Horizons, MCC, the Civilians, Signature Theatre Company, Colt Coeur, and ArKtype Productions. Originally from South Dakota, they completed their studies in Dramatic Literature and Creative Writing at New York University. When they’re not buzzing around a theater, Al enjoys working as a freelance editor and reading everything from gothic fiction to queer theory to fandom discourse.

Amy Ackerman

Amy (they/them) is a Brooklyn based Arts Educator, Performer and Body Advocate. They are a company member of Honest Accomplice Theatre where they have developed and performed in numerous productions including ReconFIGURED, The Trans Literacy Project, Engineers Not Found, A Chip on her Shoulder and Unmuted. They are also a member of the Monday's collective— a pop up cabaret performing on stages around NYC (Club Cumming, Joe's Pub, Tavern on the Green, House of YES). Their Solo cabaret, Big Kitty in the Big City which explores navigating the theatre industry as a person of size premiered at the Tank as part of their Tankaret series. As a disabled dancer they create movement pieces with The Olimpas Collective (Judson Church, The Tenement Museum, Suffolk Street Garden). As an educator they teach creative expression, theatre and run workshop on reclaiming our bodies with the Girl Scouts of America. B.A. Sociology and Performance Studies.

Courtney Seyl

Courtney (she/they) is a director and playwright based in New York City. She graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 2017 with her B.A. in Theatre Arts. In the summer of 2018, she completed a 6 week training program with the Intiman Emerging Artists Program, where she focused on directing original solo work. In 2020 and 2021 she completed playwriting courses with Primary Stages. In February of 2020 she premiered Act 2 of her first full length play, REVOLUTION, with FEAST Performance series and the full play in October of 2021. Her play Compulsion has been produced in the Shelter 'n' Play Podcast, has been filmed for the Irondale On Women Festival, and a staged production with NY Summerfest in August of 2021. Her ten minute play What's Your Song? has been produced with the At Home Theatre Artists Project and with the Inkwell Theatre.

Jovan Rodriguez

Jovan (he/they) is a Mexican undocumented writer who is always interested in challenging the narrative of what it means to a queer immigrant in America. He is based in Fort Worth, Texas after having lived in Brooklyn, New York for seven years. You can find a portion of his play, The Machine, in the upcoming third edition of PEN America's DREAMing Out Loud anthology. You can also catch his play, Freedom is Free, premiering in Los Angeles in August as part of Leo Rising Theatre's short play festival. When not busy writing plays about the queer immigrant experience, you can catch Jovan on the frontlines working with community organizers fighting the oppressive laws of the United States and uplifting community. He takes his coffee black.

Patricia Achiro Olwoch

Patricia (she/her) is a writer who hails from Gulu, Northern Uganda. She was born in and grew up in exile as a result of the Idi Amin murderous era that displaced her parents. She has written four books so far and is presently in the process of completing her late father’s manuscripts that he left behind after his death in 1994. Several of short stories have been published in a couple of anthologies around the world. One of her short stories got a special mention by the Common Wealth short story prize. Achiro has also worked as a radio script writer and film and television script writer. She has worked as staff writer and sub-editor for the Ugandan lifestyle magazine ‘African Woman’ magazine. She was also the editorial director for a lifestyle magazine that she started in Malawi in 2012 called ‘The African Dzuwa’ meaning The African Sun. She has mentored emerging writers on writing in the performing arts during annual residential workshops by the Kampala International Theatre Festival for the past two years. More about Achiro and her works can be found on her website: www.achiropolwoch.com

Samuel Hamashima

Sam (them+) is an artist based in unceded Lenape Land known as New York City. Hamashima also holds space for the Tuscarora whose Lands, including North Carolina, nurtured them and their artistic voice. Sam Hamashima’s work ranges from script to visual poetry with an emphasis on empowerment, change, and healing. Works include: American Spies and Other Homegrown Fables (The Hub Theatre, Winner of the 2018 Kennedy Center Undergraduate Playwrights’ Award, University of Michigan Hopwood Award in Drama) and Supposed Home (Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Seattle Public Theater, Finalist – Seven Devils Playwrights Conference). They are the second recipient of Seattle Public Theatre’s Emerald Prize and are currently under commission from Lexington Children’s Theatre. BFA in Musical Theatre, University of Michigan. @samhamashima, samhamashima.com

Sarah Shin

Sarah (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based Korean American director/performer/producer. Recent directing credits include Final Contact (Central Square Theater), girl power sex positive joy ride (SheNYC Summer Theatre Festival), A Very Herrera Holiday (New Repertory Theater), The First Pineapple and Other Folktales (Central Square Theater), The Miseducation of Drea and Lon (Company One Theatre), ZAPI Artists' This is the Hour: Under Our Own Pen, Nothing Rhymes with Juneteenth (Free Soil Arts Collective), and Amputees (Boston University). Assistant Credits include Diana Oh's My H8 Letter 2 the Gr8 American Theatre (Assistant Director, Public Theater, Ma-Yi Theatre/AYE DEFY), Endlings (Assistant Director, NYTW), Moby Dick (Choreography Assistant, ART), and an outdoor production of Twelfth Night (Assoc. Director, Catskill Mountain Shakespeare). She is the Co-Founding Artistic Producer of Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston (AATAB). Sarah is also a proud Board Member of StageSource, Advisory Board Member of Boston Playwrights' Theatre, 2020-2021 Asian American Arts Alliance Virtual Residency Cohort Member, and a Steering Committee Member of API Arts Network.