2016 PARTICIPANTS
STUDENT PARTICIPANTS
1) Roxy Adviento ’18
2) Kahari Blue ’19
3) Stephen Chen ’19
4) Emily Cipriani ’19
5) Kaitlynd Collins ’19
6) Alexis de la Rosa ’19
7) Jake Dombroski ’17
8) Nolan Ellsworth ’17
9) Ashley Fink ’18
10) Paige Guarino ’18
11) Shannon Gibbs ’18
12) Lucie Heerman ’19
13) Victoria Isquith ’19
14) Akhila Khanna ’17
15) Will Lupica ’18
16) Jabari Matthew ’17
17) Lisa Mordkovich ’19
18) Eliza Renner ’18
19) Sally Seitz ’17
20) Quincy Simmons ’18
21) Amanda Whiteley ’19
22) Danilo Herrera ’18
PROFESSIONAL ARTIST VOLUNTEERS
Benjamin Fainstein ‘04, Portland, OR (Associate Artist) is the Literary Manager at Portland Center Stage. His previous positions include Artistic Coordinator at Yale Repertory Theatre and Associate Artistic Director at Yale Cabaret. Benjamin is a former Managing Editor of Theatre magazine and Founding Artistic Director of Boston’s Whistler in the Dark Theatre. He received his MFA in Dramaturgy & Dramatic Criticism from Yale School of Drama and is a proud graduate of Middlebury College.
Tara Giordano ‘02, New York, NY (Artistic Director) is a Helen Hayes Award Nominee, a recipient of the Washington DC Arts Commission Fellowship, and a 10-season company member of PTP/NYC. Her acting credits include roles at some of the Nation’s top regional venues and Off-Broadway stages: Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre, Kennedy Center, Folger Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, Primary Stages. Experienced in voiceovers, she has recorded over 40 narrations with Audible, Graphic Audio, and HowCast and voiced characters for the Marvel Comics series Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, and X-Men. On camera work includes the feature films YellowBrickRoad and Ex-Girlfriends, and commercials for AT&T. Ms. Giordano has worked with students at Middlebury College, Boston University, Stephens College, and Juniata College as a Visiting Assistant Professor in Theatre and Guest Director. She is a graduate of Middlebury College, an MFA recipient from The Academy for Classical Acting at George Washington University, and a current Artist-in-Residence at New Victory Theatre in NYC.
Jeremy Holm, New York, NY (Teaching Artist) is best known for portraying ‘Agent Nathan Green’ on House of Cards and Mr. Sutherland on the USA series Mr. Robot. He was raised in the Rocky Mountains where he received a B.A. from Colorado State University, and later earned an M.F.A from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Since then, he has performed onstage at BAM, Cherry Lane Theatre and Mint Theatre in New York City, internationally at The Shanghai Theatre Center in China, and in major regional houses like Arena Stage, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Clarence Brown Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and The Cleveland Play House to name a few. He has appeared on multiple television shows including “Limitless” (CBS) “The Blacklist” (NBC) “Unforgettable” (CBS), “Happyish” (Showtime), “The Americans” (FX), “American Odyssey” (NBC), “Law & Order” (NBC), and five seasons of “Primetime: What Would You Do?” (ABC). His feature film, The Judge, is available on Blu-Ray and features an all-star cast including Robert Downey, Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton and others.
DeVon Jackson, Los Angeles, CA (Actor) is a Los-Angeles-based-Northwestern-University-trained actor with an affinity to performing in venues across the far flung venues across the globe. Whilst in New York he trained with the Broken Box Mime Theatre . You can catch him committing ‘high crimes of mime’ in the upcoming Jake Szymanski project Tour De Pharmacy on HBO, later on this fall. Credits include: NYC: “Richard and Anne” (Young Mirror), “City of Glass” (Potomac Theatre Project). Regional: “Richard II” (Shakespeare Theatre of DC), “Superior Donuts” (Studio Theater DC). Global: “When We Dead Awaken” (Les Foules – London) “Noise” (Painted Filly – Ireland) “An Evening of Mime” (Festival D’Avignon – France). Currently continuing his studies with Upright Citizens Brigade (improv), Stan Kirsch Studios (audition technique) and in random places on the street (smarts).
Rebecca Martin ‘04, San Francisco, CA (Actor, Teaching Artist) is a Professional Actress, Commercial and Voice-over Artist, Director, Educator, and Public Speaking Coach in San Francisco, CA. She received her M.F.A. from The National Theater Conservatory at the Denver Center and her B.A. from Middlebury College. Her teaching draws from a base of mentors including Master Acting Teacher, Larry Hecht (The National Theatre Conservatory), Paula Shaw (Film and Television Actress, creator of international self-expression workshop, The MAX), Dorothy Charles (Gestalt teacher at Esalen Institute and Tribal Ground Circle) and 20+ years performing on stage, to create a unique approach to acting, ensemble performance creation and self expression. She is a Visiting Assistant Professor and Guest Director at Middlebury for the Fall ’16 semester.
Shamilia McBean, New York, NY (Teaching Artist) is an applied theatre practitioner & vocalist using her mediums to co-create liberatory community spaces. She supports students, educators and community workers with drama & storytelling to develop engaging practices. Shamilia has shared work at University of Rwanda College of Education, Brooklyn Museum, Apollo Theater, Allied Media Conference and the Movement for Black Lives National Convening among other spaces. Shamilia holds an MA in Applied Theatre from CUNY. She is an alum of Urban Bush Women’s Summer Leadership Institute (2014), received the National Association of Black Storytellers’ Cowtail Switch Award (2015) & is a 2016 Laundromat Project Create Change Fellow.
Julia Proctor ’06, New York, NY (Teaching Artist) is an actor, educator and collaborator based in NYC. She has worked on new play developments with such companies at New Dramatists, The Lark, Project Y, and Arena Stage, as well as fully produced world premieres. She was an apprentice to master clown Christopher Bayes in NYC and trained with French master clown Philippe Gaulier in Paris. Julia produced, and co-starred in, a 6-month run of An Unapologetic Mess at the People’s Improv Theatre. She holds a BA in Theatre from Middlebury College and an MFA in Classical Acting from George Washington University.
Maree ReMalia, Washington, DC (Teaching Artist) was born in South Korea and raised in Medina, OH. Currently, she is the Mellon Interdisciplinary Choreographer at Middlebury College (2015-2017). She travels frequently working as a freelance choreographer, performer, and teacher facilitating movement experiences with individuals from a broad range of backgrounds. merrygogo is her platform for creating project-based performance works with communities of shifting collaborators. Her work has been presented in the U.S. and abroad. She has danced in the work of Bebe Miller, Ohad Naharin, and Noa Zuk. Between 2003-2015, she was a member of regional dance companies and performed in the work of local artists in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and previously danced with the Richmond Ballet and Southern Ballet Theatre. She completed her MFA at The Ohio State University and trained in somatic and improvisational practices at Moving on Center School for Participatory Arts. In 2012, she earned her certification to teach the Gaga movement language through the first official training program in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Sarah Sander ’00, New York, NY (Playwright) is a Brooklyn-based playwright whose work has been developed/produced at Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Columbia University, |the claque|, DC Arts Center, Florida Studio Theatre, Inkwell Theatre, Kennedy Center, Lark, NYSF, Page 73 Productions, the Public Theater, Project Y and Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Festival. She’s a New Georges Affiliated Artist and alumni of the Public Theater’s Emerging Writers Group, Dramatist Guild Fellowship and P73’s Interstate 73. Residencies: MacDowell, Millay and SPACE at Ryder Farm. Finalist: ATL’s Heideman Award, Clubbed Thumb’s Biennial Commission, Jerome Fellowship, Juilliard, Leah Ryan FEWW Prize, P73’s Fellowship, Playwrights Realm Fellowship, Trustus Theatre Festival, Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab and Source Theater Festival. Nominations: Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, NTC’s Stavis Award and Williamstown’s Weissberger Award. MFA: University of Iowa.
Joe Varca ‘02, New York, NY (Actor, Teaching Artist) Joseph Varca is an actor and filmmaker based in New York. He is a co-creator of The Village of Vale and a recipient of a Kevin Spacey Foundation: Artist of Choice Award and a New Victory Theater LabWorks Development Residency. Recent work in theater includes; Off-Broadway: Pentecost and Monster (PTP/NYC); LoveSick or Things That Don’t Happen (Project Y, 59E59th); Macrune’s Guevara (@ St. Clements). Other: The Village of Vale (Invisible Dog Art Center) Poor Jesse (Sam French OOB Festival); Undressing Cinderella (Project Y) Cut; Song For A Future Generation (The Management); A Man of Wealth and Taste (Harkness Dance Festival); As Far As We Know (New Works, New Directors Fellowship @ NY Theatre Workshop); Lucky Girl (McCarter Theater Center). Film/TV: American Genius (National Geographic Channel), Bastards of Young, Listen My Children (Chiller TV), Bristel Goodman (Palm Springs International Film Festival). He co-founded Redux Productions whose work in theater and film has been seen at the NYC Fringe Festival (Amerika – Best Ensemble Award and I Was Tom Cruise – Outstanding Play Award) the TriBeCa Film Festival and the Austin Film Festival. He is a graduate of Middlebury College.
Dana Yeaton ‘79, Middlebury, VT (Playwriting Mentor) teaches playwriting and performance at Middlebury College. He is the recipient of the “New Voice in American Theatre” award from the William Inge Theatre Festival, the Heideman Award from the Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, and the Moss Hart Award from the New England Theatre Conference. Working with composer Andy Mitton ’01, he wrote book and lyrics for the original musical “Swing State,” which was featured at the 2012 New York Musical Theatre Festival. His plays in print include Alice In Love, The Big Random, Helen At Risk, Mad River Rising, Men In Heat, and Midwives. He has taught at the University of Tennessee, University of Vermont and at the Vermont Governor’s Institute on the Arts. He is Founding Director of the Vermont Young Playwrights Project.
