Core Community — Breaking the Binary Theatre

Adam Rigg (they/them)

Adam Rigg (they/them) is a New York based set and costume designer. Adam is a Drama Desk Award, Lortel Award, Princess Grace Award, and a Henry Hewes Design Award winner. They are a Tony Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and a multiple Ovation Award nominee. They are a recipient of the Donald Oenslager and Pierre Cardin Fellowship.

César Alvarez (they/them)

César Alvarez (they/them) is a composer, lyricist, playwright, and performance maker. They create large experimental musicals as non-normative possibility spaces for embodiment, inter-dimensionality, socio-political transformation, kinship and coexistence. With a background as a jazz saxophonist, band leader and sound artist, César's work inhabits a space between the worlds of theater, music, performance art and social practice. César has written five full-length musicals, FUTURITY (2016 Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical); The Elementary Spacetime Show; The Universe is a Small Hat; NOISE (a commission of The Public Theater); and The Potluck. César also composed the music for Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' An Octoroon (Soho Rep, TFANA. Drama Desk Nomination), and The Foundry Theater's Good Person of Szechwan (LaMaMa, The Public Theater. Drama Desk Nomination). In 2015 César co-founded Polyphone, a festival of new and emerging musicals at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and served as Artistic Director for five seasons. César was a 2018-20 Princeton Arts Fellow, 2020-22 Hermitage Fellow, a recipient of The Jonathan Larson Award in 2016, The Guggenheim Fellowship and the Kleban Prize in Musical Theatre for Lyrics in 2022. César is currently under commission at Playwright's Horizons and Denver Theater Center and an Assistant Professor of Music at Dartmouth College. www.cesaralvarez.net

Christopher Burney (they/he)

Christopher Burney (he/they) is the current Artistic Director of New York Stage and Film. Previously, he was the Artistic Producer of Second Stage. He teaches creative producing and New York theatre history at Columbia University in the Graduate School of the Arts. He is a graduate of Brandeis University, B.A., and Columbia University, M.F.A. http://www.christopherburney.com/

David Mendizábal (they/he)

David Mendizábal (they/he) is a director, designer, one of the Producing Artistic Leaders of the OBIE Award-winning The Movement Theatre Company, and Associate Artistic Director of The Sol Project. Select directing credits include: Sanctuary City (Berkeley Rep/Arena Stage), Notes on Killing Seven Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Board Members (Soho Rep/Sol Project), This Bitter Earth (TheatreWorks Hartford) Don't Eat the Mangos (Magic Theatre/Sundance), On The Grounds of Belonging (Long Wharf), the bandaged place (NYSAF), Then They Forgot About The Rest (INTAR), And She Would Stand Like This (w/ choreographer Kia LaBeija) and Look Upon Our Lowliness (The Movement), and Tell Hector I Miss Him (Atlantic). David is a 2021 Princess Grace Award Honoraria Recipient in Theater. They were part of the inaugural Soho Rep Project Number One Residency, where they created and directed the short film, eat me!. Alumnus of Ars Nova Vision Residency and Maker's Lab, Drama League Directors Project, Labyrinth Intensive Ensemble, artEquity, NALAC, and LCT Directors Lab. David was a participant in the TCG Leadership U: One-on-One program, where they were the Artistic Associate at Atlantic Theater Company. BFA - NYU/Tisch www.davidmendizabal.com | IG: @its_daveed

Jen Silverman (they/them+)

Jen Silverman’s (they/them+) plays include Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties; The Moors; The Roommate; and Witch. They have been produced off-Broadway, regionally across the US, and internationally in Australia, the UK, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Spain. Jen is the author of the debut novel We Play Ourselves and the story collection The Island Dwellers (Random House) and the poetry chapbook Bath, selected by Traci Brimhall for Driftwood Press. Additional work has appeared in Vogue, The Paris Review, Ploughshares, The Sun, Literary Hub, Yale Review, and elsewhere. Recently, Jen wrote The Miranda Obsession as a narrative podcast for Audible, starring Rachel Brosnahan. Jen also writes for TV and film. Jen is a three-time MacDowell Fellow and a member of New Dramatists. Honors include the Yale Drama Series Award, a Lilly Award, fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the National Endowment for the Arts (2022, Prose) and the Guggenheim (2022, Drama).

John Cameron Mitchell (he/they)

John Cameron Mitchell (he/they). @johncameronmitchell

Kit Yan (they/she/he)

Kit Yan (they/she/he) is a Yellow American New York based artist, born in China, and raised in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Kit is a 2023 Helen Merrill Award recipient, 2022 Harold Adamson Lyric Award winner, 2021 Jonathan Larson Grant and Kleban Prize recipient for Libretto, a 2021 Sundance IDP Fellow and grantee, a 2019 Vivace Award recipient for big ideas in musical theater, a former Musical Theater Factory Makers Fellow, Playwright’s Center fellow, Company One/Pao Arts Fellow, Lincoln Center Writer in residence, Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow and MacDowell Fellow. Their films have been shown at OUTfest, CAAMfest, The LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, and The Asian American International Film Festival among many others. They have worked for Disney, Milk and Cookies, and others in tv and film. Kit’s works include INTERSTATE, which won "Best Lyrics" at the 2018 New York Musical Theater Festival, QUEER HEARTACHE which won 5 awards at the Chicago and SF Fringe Festivals, and MISS STEP which received a first draft commission from 5th Avenue theater. Kit’s work has been supported by Playwrights Horizons, MCC, OSF, Keen Company, and San Diego Repertory Theater. Their work has been produced by the American Repertory Theater, the Smithsonian, NAMT, Musical Theater Factory, the New York Musical Festival, Mixed Blood, and Diversionary Theater. @kityanpoet

KO (f.k.a Karen Olivo) (they/them)

KO (they/them) is a multi-hyphenate living/working on the unceded ancestral lands of the Ho-Chunk Nation in Madison, WI. They are most widely known for their acting work that spans the last 25 years on Broadway and TV. In the Spring of 2020, KO transitioned into teaching to refocus their energy on the future. They co-created Mosaic Training, a bi-annual 8 week workshop for young artists from minoritized identities to build community and engage in training free of charge in partnership with Project Broadway and Broadway workshops. KO works at the collegiate level facilitating workshops on culturally responsive teaching practices, characterization and approach, critical analysis of the Musical Theater canon, and education ethos retooling while mentoring artists privately. KO supports grassroots organizations like NYACLU, Pay Equity Standards, The Joy Jackson Initiative, The Industry Standard Group, PAAL, Broadway for Racial Justice, and Groundwater Arts.

L Morgan Lee (she/her)

L Morgan Lee (she/her) is a Tony Award® nominated actress and storyteller known for her history-making turn in *A Strange Loop* on Broadway - a performance which also garnered her an Antonyo Award and a Drama League Distinguished Performance nomination. In London, she was seen playing artist Lili Elbe in a musical adaptation of *The Danish Girl* (currently in development). Other work includes well over a decade of Off-Broadway, Regional, International/National tours and concerts with artists from Paul McCartney to Our Lady J. In the studio, L Morgan was the voice of Ornate Williams in the *Sugar Maple Series* w. Fred Savage (Osiris Media) and can be found on Joe Iconis' *album* (Ghostlight Records), *The Rainbow Lullaby Album* (Broadway Records), and more. For more: @lmorganlee | lmorganlee.com

MJ Kaufman (he/they)

MJ Kaufman (he/they) is a writer from Oregon currently living in New York City. Their plays have been seen at the Public Theater, WP Theater, National Asian American Theater Company, Colt Coeur, Williamstown Theater Festival, InterAct Theater, Yale School of Drama and numerous other theaters and schools around the country as well as in Russia and Australia. They have held residencies at the New Museum, MacDowell Colony, and SPACE on Ryder Farm and are currently a resident playwright at New Dramatists. MJ co-founded Trans Lab Fellowship, a program to support emerging transgender theater artists. MJ has also written for Netflix.

Qween Jean (she/her)

Qween Jean (she/her) is a New York City based Costume Designer who has designed over 50 shows and counting. She has fully committed her voice to the advocacy of marginalized communities, emphasizing Black Trans people. She is currently among few costuming professionals in the NYC theatre who live their trans identities out loud- while making an effort to ensure she is not the last. Qween founded the Black Trans Liberation in 2020. The organization aims to provide access and employment resources for the TGNC community. Through this work, she has organized community events, protests, and mutual aid drives to denounce the actions of a disenfranchised system and call for an end to racism and white supremacy. She is a firm believer in the preservation and support of Black Trans people and a testament to how one can thrive when adequately paid, supported, and loved. “Hire the girls” is her motto. In 2021 Qween was MOMA PS1’s artist in residency and co-curated Memoriam and Deliverance. This installation called awareness of the last five years of transphobic and fatal violence while celebrating Black Trans leaders in the community. She was also the opening speaker for the March on Washington March on for Voting Rights. Qween has an MFA in Design from NYU Tisch.

Risa Shoup (they/them)

Risa Shoup (they/them) has almost 20 years experience in senior leadership roles with NYC cultural and community development nonprofits. They have a strong track record of working with cross sector partners to inform strategic policy for the equitable growth of accessible and inclusive cultural services in NYC, in support of the self-determination of NYC's cultural workers, and to co-create subsidized workspace for workers in the creative and cultural sector. In May 2022, Risa was announced as the Co-Executive Director of A.R.T./New York, where they had previously served as Interim Executive Director since August, 2020. Prior to their tenure at A.R.T./New York, Risa served as Senior Consultant at Karp Strategies, with previous tenures as the Executive Director of Spaceworks, Fourth Arts Block (where they consulted on CreateNYC, the City’s first cultural plan), and the Invisible Dog Art Center among others. Risa chairs the board of the Invisible Dog Art Center, is the Treasurer of the Board for Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts New York, and is a Trustee and Co-Chair of the Planning Committee of the American LGBTQ+ Museum. They live in Brooklyn with their family.

Tomás Matos (they/them)

Tomás Matos (they/them). Stepping into the spotlight, non-binary Afro-Latiné actor Tomás Matos is making waves as the iconic Keegan in the unapologetic, modern day rom-com FIRE ISLAND, inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice - directed by Andrew Ahn and starring Bowen Yang, Margaret Cho & Joel Kim Booster. Born & raised in NYC, Tomás attended and graduated from the renowned “FAME” Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in Lincoln Center. They were an original broadway cast member of, DIANA THE MUSICAL and made history as one of the first non-binary performers to play the role of a ‘Fate’ in HADESTOWN on Broadway. Tomás was also the face of this year’s Savage x Fenty’s Pride Campaign! During the pandemic, Tomás and their grandma started a food delivery service called ‘Empanada Papi’ which gave 15% of profits to homeless LGBTQ youth in NYC. A true artist & advocate bringing gender inclusivity & awareness to the industry, Tomás uses their voice to empower and uplift those around them. They advocate for those living with HIV/AIDS and have been candid about leading a sober lifestyle and past struggle with addiction. They take pride in constantly growing, evolving, learning and sharing their fabulous light with the world.

Ty Defoe (he/we/ty)

Ty Defoe, (he/we/ty, Giizhig) Indigiqueer citizen of Oneida + Ojibwe Nations. Interdisciplinary storyteller, writer/director + world-builder + badass for liberation. Grammy Award, 2021 Sundance Fellow, Helen Merrill Playwriting Award, Jonathan Larson Award, Cultural Capital Fellow w/ First People’s Fund, + Kennedy Center Next 50. www.allmyrelations.earth/present & www.tydefoe.com

Will Davis (he/him)

Will Davis (he/him) is a transgender director and choreographer focused on physically adventurous new work for the stage.