2018 Institute Class introduces themselves

Amanda Chandler. I am a resident of Harrisonburg, Virginia and graduated from Eastern Mennonite University in 2014 with a B.A. in Theater and History.  I have been a member of Inside Out Playback Theatre since 2014, using Playback and Theatre of the Oppressed techniques with groups such as migrant farm workers, refugee and immigrant students in English language learning classes, and students returning from study abroad semesters. I am an active member of the Blue Ridge Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and am currently serving on a committee to revitalize Gemeinschaft Home for recently incarcerated men re-entering society.  In my spare time, I enjoy cycling around the Shenandoah Valley, reading, writing and any and all live music.  

Paul DeFilippo is currently a Queens College student double-majoring in English and Drama/Theatre, and the Treasurer of the Queens College Theatre Guild. He has written about theatre and hip hop music/culture for the Queens College student blog, QC Voices. As a theatre actor, Paul has appeared in theatre productions such as: Twelfth Night, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, An Octoroon and, most recently, The Tempest. Last month, he directed his first full-length production of Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters.

Stephen Earnhart.  Hi folks!  I’ve been working in the New York film & theater worlds as a director/writer/performer for over 20 years. As a theater maker, I focus on visual storytelling to create cinematic stage productions. My last full-scale production was a multimedia adaptation of Haruki Murakami's best-selling novel “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.”  In the film world, I was previously Director of Production for Miramax Films and did three seasons at SNL. Documentaries I directed include “Mule Skinner Blues” and “Source of Pride: The Making of Pride & Glory.” I produced video content for David Byrne, Barnes & Noble, IBM, American Express, Kenneth Cole, and Radio City, and internet content for artists such as Santana, KD Lang, The Who, Seal, Sammy Hagar, Sheryl Crowe, and The Wallflowers.  I just finished my first year at Naropa University’s MFA program for theater performance. I’m also a Kundalini yoga teacher. I’m searching for new ways to use my skills at the intersection of art, wellness, healing and social impact, and I’m super excited to be a part of the summer intensive!

Eliot Feenstra. I am a theatre-maker as well as an organizer, facilitator, scholar, and farmer. I'm currently finishing up an MA in Performance Studies at York University in Toronto. My work as a theatre-maker focuses on theatre, ritual, and rural communities--arts in collaboration with rural community economic development and particularly rural queer/trans and marginalized communities and how people forge a sense of place/belonging/stewardship. I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA; my dad is the child of Dutch immigrants to British Columbia and my mom's from the South; and have been living and making theatre in rural southern Oregon in collaboration with the Oregon Humanities, Ford Foundation, Oregon Community Foundation, and Rural Organizing Project for the past several years. 

Starleisha Michelle Gingrich is a theatre professional who lives and works in Lancaster, PA and yes there are more than just Amish there! She works in a box office, teaches beginner acting to 8-14 year olds, and does publicity for a local theatre non-profit. She is excited to be joining the Cornerstone family for what will be an enriching and exciting experience in Queens this summer!

Hi, I'm Jack Jackson! I'm a senior theatre major at Reed College in Portland Oregon. I've dabbled in every aspect of theatre making, but have the most experience as a deviser and dramaturg. When I'm not studying, I spend my time reading or playing D&D. 

Claire Kostova is currently majoring in Drama and Theatre at Queens College. Her areas of concentration are Acting, and Lighting Design and has experience with various theatre-related positions. She looks forward to meeting and working with everyone at Cornerstone Theatre!

Sarah Meister. Hello all! I am a director and theatermaker originally from the suburbs of New York City, and I'm thrilled to be participating in this year's Cornerstone Institute. After graduating from Carleton College in 2016, I spent two years working for a college access nonprofit and making community-based theater in Minneapolis/St. Paul, where my interest in the relationship between social justice and the arts grew significantly. This fall, I will begin the Master's program in Applied Theater at the CUNY School for Professional Studies. 

Haawka (Greetings)!  My name is Kenny Ramos and I am Diegueño Iipay/Kumeyaay from the Barona Band of Mission Indians; I grew up on the Barona Indian Reservation in San Diego County before attending UCLA where I graduated with a BA in American Indian Studies.  I've been involved with Cornerstone Theater Company since 2014 and was in the cast of their production of Urban Rez, which literally changed my life and continually inspires me and the work I do as a theater artist within my community!  I studied at the Center for Theater of the Oppressed in Rio de Janiero and am in the Artist Ensemble of Native Voices at the Autry, the country's leading professional Native American theater company, as well as a company member of Dancing Earth Creations, a professional dance company specializing in Indigenous Contemporary dance!  As an actor, I have worked on Native-written theater work at Cornerstone Theater Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Ashland), The Rose Theater (Omaha, NE) and the John F. Kennedy Center (Washington, DC).  I love Cornerstone and I can't wait to meet everyone and I am looking forward to growing through this experience together!

Hi, my name is Kayla Rivera and I am 20 years old. I'm a proud member of the LGBT+ community, and I love to express myself through theater and improv. I'm very excited to bring this community piece to life both as a collaborator, and as a born and raised Queens native. 

Taylor St. John. I am a current M.F.A. Directing Candidate at The University of Memphis. Prior to returning to grad school, I was based in Kansas City, MO where I taught theatre and worked as a freelance actor and director developing new plays. My work explores the questions: How can we create experiences and events that could only happen through the medium of theatre? How can art be a vehicle for creating community and seeking justice for voices not always given a seat at the table? I love working with young people, devising original work, and entering worlds not available to me in my every day life. Currently, I live in Memphis, TN with my fiancé Mary, dog Opie, and cat Olive. 

Anissa Weinraub is a public school educator, theater-maker and organizer, living and working in Philadelphia. Currently, her best work can be viewed during any school day at the Academy at Palumbo HS, where she is lucky enough to teach students about speculative fiction, visionary theater, and how to claim their fullest selves in order to push back against structural oppression.  She loves facilitating ensemble-based devising processes, telling stories to live audiences, and convening groups of people to strategize toward collective change.  She is very excited to learn and grow alongside everyone this summer. 

Hi, I'm Ariella Wolfe, Northern California born-and-raised (but currently based in Los Angeles). I have loved performing in musicals and playing music since I was a little kid, but my experiences directing, stage managing and working in community and Applied Theatre spaces have really helped shape who I am. I graduated from the University of Oregon (Theatre major, Psychology & Spanish minors) in 2015 after also studying abroad in Buenos Aires and then spent a year in the fellowship program at A.C.T. in San Francisco. I am passionate about social justice, and you can usually find me eating yummy food, reading (plays), singing, or spending time in nature. 

-->

Cornerstone and Guest Artists at 2018 Institute

this list is in-progress. a few more people will be added and maybe more bios for some whose stories aren't included here.  *most recent updates: 6/28/18.

Check back again later...  

Cornerstone people who will be in residence (or otherwise be present) in Queens this summer--
Nephelie Andonyadis, Costume Designer & Community Engagement Associate.

Michael Garcia, Company Manager. 

Geoff Korf, Lighting Designer.

Cameron Squire, Associate Producer.

Juliette Carrillo, Director, is a nationally recognized theatre director, writer, and award-winning filmmaker from Los Angeles, CA. She is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama. As a Cornerstone ensemble member, Juliette has directed community collaborations including Los Faustinos by Bernardo Solano, As Vishnu Dreams by Shishir Kurup, Touch the Water by Julie Hébert, Lethe by Octavio Solis and It's All Bueno by Sigrid Gilmer and Bliss Point by Shishir Kurup.  She wrote Plumas Negras for the 10^th Cornerstone Institute with the East Salinas, CA community and Ghost Town for the Venice, CA community. She is very happy to be collaborating once again with Cusi Cram and is thrilled to be learning about a community she has lived next to, but knows little about.

Sage Clemenco, Associate Institute Director, is Cornerstone Theater's Manager of Community Partnerships, supporting playwrights and collaborating communities as they get to know each other and work together to create new plays. This is Sage's eighth Summer Residency and she is excited to be returning to New York City, where she lived before moving to Los Angeles in 2013. She will be in residence with her wife Julia Taylor (2009 Institute alumni) and their daughter Mira.  

Paula Donnelly, Institute Director, was a union stage manager before she joined Cornerstone’s staff.  I plan and produce the Intensives and Summer Residencies; I’ve been in residence at all of the previous Institutes. As Director of Engagement, my broader focus includes strengthening our relationships, engagement practices, and efforts in contributing to expansion of the field of community-based theater. While I feel most at home on the west coast, I’m very excited about being a temporary resident of Queens.

Michael John Garcés, Artistic Director, has been an ensemble member since 2006.  He's directed two summer residency projects for the Cornerstone Institute, attraction by Page Leong in downtown Los Angeles and Plumas Negras by Juliette Carrillo in Salinas.  He also directed Alison Carey's California: The Tempest, which was created in collaboration with community members from the first ten communities of the Institute, from Holtville on the border with Mexico to Eureka in Humboldt County.  Michael lived in Queens for many years and is excited that Cornerstone will be in residence there.  

Peter Howard, Cornerstone Actor.  Peter is a founding member of Cornerstone Theater Company. He graduated from Harvard College with a degree in English and American Literature and holds an M.F.A. from the Department of Drama of the University of Virginia. With Cornerstone, Peter has performed in, written or otherwise collaborated on scores of productions in Los Angeles and around the country. As a playwright, his Cornerstone credits include Zones (an interactive play exploring interfaith themes), an American Muslim adaptation of You Can't Take It with You (the first adaptation ever approved by the Kaufman and Hart estate), a bilingual adaptation of Lorca's Blood Wedding (Boda de Luna Nueva: New Moon Wedding), and Lunch Lady Courage, inspired by Brecht and set in the world of public high school food service.  His regional theater work includes productions at the Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Repertory, Woolly Mammoth, American Repertory Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf, and the Guthrie.  Peter has served on staff of the National Conference for Community and Justice, and works as a facilitator, playwright and director in a variety of youth arts programs that use theater as a springboard for dialogue on challenging human relations topics.

Lynn Jeffries, Puppets Designer. Hi all!  I'm a founding member of Cornerstone Theater Company, and I will be designing puppets for this Institute production. In my Cornerstone career, I have designed sets, costumes and puppets for over 60 shows.  These days, it's mostly puppets.  Outside the company, I work as a freelance puppet designer at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory, and other places.  I also create satirical puppet spectacles with my artistic partner, Paul Zaloom.   In my free time, I'm an avid birdwatcher, and I'm trying very hard to learn Spanish

Page Leong, Cornerstone Actor, Hey ~ I’m Page, originally from San Francisco. Migrated to Los Angeles to get degrees in dance. Started talking and ended up in theater. Been a Cornerstone ensemble member 25 years now, mostly performing, also writing, directing and choreographing. Time flies! I have a 15 year old daughter, Tala, who will be at the Institute for most of the time as well. Looking forward to creating and sweating with you all in Queens!

Amanda Novoa, Stage Manager. Amanda was introduced to Cornerstone Theater Company during graduate school at UC Irvine. Her passion for community-engaged theatre led her to work with Cornerstone. Her first production with the company was Urban Rez - an experience she will never forget. Since then, she has joined the Ensemble and worked with Cornerstone on Ghost Town, fellowship, The Magic Fruit, and What Happens Next. Amanda believes that theatre is a powerful art form with the capacity to change our communities and our world and she is excited to be on this journey with the Cornerstone family.

Imogen Wanlass, Puppets Intern. Hi, I am a upcoming sophomore at Polytechnic High School in Pasadena, CA. I lived in New York for the first ten years of my life before moving to California but never really got around to Queens much. At school, I enjoy studying english and math as well as the arts programs provided. On my own, some of my favorite things to do are write and illustrate; however, I prefer to tell a story with my art and paint a picture with my words. As for my work in theater, I have been associated with it my whole life and aspire to bring my knowledge of storytelling to any and all productions that I participate in. 

Megan Wanlass, Managing Director. joined Cornerstone as Managing Director in January 2014. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Ms. Wanlass was the Executive Director of SITI Company. In her nineteen-year tenure with SITI, Megan helped to create over 35 productions touring to 88 cities, 32 states and 19 countries. She began working with Anne Bogart and SITI Company during The Adding Machine at Actors Theatre of Louisville during the Modern Masters Festival. She has an Arts Administration Certificate from New York University, attended the Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders at Stanford University Business School, was a member of the Arts Leadership Institute Charter Class at Teachers College, Columbia University, participated in the National Arts Strategies Executive Leadership Program, and holds a B.A. in Theater from Occidental College in Los Angeles. Megan has served on the board of Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and as the PTA President for the Pearls Hawthorne School in Yonkers, NY. Megan currently serves on the board of the Kathryn Caine Wanlass Foundation.

New York Artists & theater-makers who will mostly commute to spend the summer with us--- 

Jimmy Amor, Technical Director.

Meghan E. Healey, Scenic Designer. 

Nelly Reyes, Properties.
Megan Rutherford, Costume Design Assistant.
Kyle Soble, Lighting Design Assistant.
Edisa Weeks, Choreographer.

Ralph Carhart, Production Manager, is a professional production manager and baseball historian. He has worked at Queens College for 11 years and shepherded over 60 productions in that time. For four years he served as the artistic director of the Queens College Summer Performing Arts Festival. His baseball-themed photo essay entitled, “The Hall Ball Project,” has been featured in the New York Times and on the CBS Evening News. www.thehallball.com 

Cusi Cram, Playwright. is a playwright, screenwriter, educator and an advocate for women in the arts. Her plays have been produced by: Primary Stages, LAByrinth Theater Company, The Denver Center, Princeton’s Lewis Center for the Arts, The Echo Theater, The Williamstown Theater Festival, South Coast Repertory, The Atlantic Theater, New Georges, and on stages large and small all over this fine country. She is a 2018 recipient of a NYSCA commission in collaboration with Rattlestick Theater for her play, Novenas for a Lost Hospital, which looks at the closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital in NY’s West Village. She's also written many teleplays for both kids and adults. She received three Emmy nominations for her work on children’s program, Arthur. Cusi recently directed her first film, Wild and Precious, through AFI's Directing Workshop for Women where it won awards and played at over twenty festivals nationwide. She has taught at Fordham, Columbia University, and Primary Stages Einhorn School of the Performing Arts, where she was recently honored for her dedication to the school and its students. She is an Assistant Arts Professor at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Cusi is a graduate of Brown University and the Lila Acheson American Playwright’s Program at Juilliard.

Winsome Jacobs, Costume Intern. Hi everybody, I’m Winsome! I’m from Staten Island’s north shore, and am preparing to go to SUNY Purchase for Theater Design (costume) this fall. I was introduced to Cornerstone through Nephelie Andonyadis. At seventeen, I assume that I’ll be the youngest of the staff, but I look forward to working with all of you!

Heather Lindemann, Scenic Design Assistant.  Hello, my name is Heather Lindemann. I am a student at Queens College and I enjoy doing work backstage for shows. The aspect I enjoy the most about backstage work is building sets. I have helped build the past few years shows here at queens college and I am excited to be working with Cornerstone this summer.

Institute Staff 2012 - bios *updates

Evan Anderson (Master Electrician)  is a recent graduate from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Drama Production.  Lighting design was his focus and is a serious passion of his.  In addition to doing theatre, he plays in a couple of rock and roll bands.  He’s very much excited to work on this project and meet you all!

-->
Nephelie Andonyadis (CTC Ensemble/Scene Designer) is an ensemble member who first worked with Cornerstone Theater Company as a guest artist in 1995, when she designed the set for Sid Arthur, in collaboration with the community of Watts. Her approach to the design invited the community’s children and seniors directly into the process as they created dozens of paper art works that were integrated into the scenic concept, bringing a unique life into the design. Since then her relationship with Cornerstone has continued to evolve. She has designed the set or costumes for Order My Steps, 3,7,11, Los Illegals, Three Truths, The Unrequited(Between Two Worlds) and most recently for Café Vida, working with and within various communities throughout Los Angeles. Some of her favorite CTC experiences have been Institute projects, including Boda de Luna Nueva in the Central Valley for which she designed costumes, Jason in Eureka for which she designed the set and last summer’s Fowler residency for which she was company cook. In addition to her work with CTC, Nephelie has designed at South Coast Repertory and many other regional theatres from coast to coast for over 20 years. She is a Professor of Theatre Arts at the University of Redlands as well as an active leader at her son’s Charter Montessori High School in Redlands, (where she sometimes cooks lunch), a member of the Redlands Chapter of Slow Foods and a sometimes breakfast chef at the The Grove School Saturday Farmers’ Market. 

Sean Cawelti (Properties Designer) is a Designer, Builder and Director and a graduate from the University of California Irvine, where he received his BA in Drama with honors in Stage Direction. In 2002 he had the chance to live in New York for the summer and study puppetry at Tisch School of the Arts at NYU which was where he thinks he really decided he would live the artists life. He has self-identified as a puppeteer since he was just a boy after picking up his first puppet at a swap meet in Orange County when he was 3. His 'day job' is as the Artistic Director for the performance group Rogue Artists Ensemble, which creates Hyper-theatrical productions, incorporating puppetry, masked acting, original music scores and theatrical effects. Over the years he has been awarded a Technical Achievement Honor for Puppet Oriented Theater Design by the OC Weekly, a Los Angeles Drama Critic’s Circle award for his adaptation of Mr. Punch, a graphic novel written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated Dave McKean and was honored with a UNIMA Citation of Excellence for Gogol Project. Although this is his first time working an Institute project He has had the chance to see many past Institutes perform their work. He’s overjoyed to be a part of this collaboration and can't wait to roll his sleeves up, grab a water bottle and get building crazy props. 
-->
Sage Alia Clemenco (Co-Company Manager) lives in Brooklyn, NY and is currently finishing her studies as a graduate student in Applied Theatre at CUNY. A jackette-of-all- trades, she is a licensed massage therapist, arts based facilitator, and avid gardener and home cook. She works in the Education department at Vital Theatre, a children's theater company in NYC. This is Sage's fifth institute summer, first as a student in Holtville and since on staff in Eureka, Pacoima, Fowler and now Arvin. She is excited and privileged to be back for another Institute and is looking forward to meeting this years crop of exceptional students.

Paula Donnelly (CTC Ensemble/Director of Engagement) began working with Cornerstone in 1998. She worked as a professional stage manager for many years. In 2003 she became Cornerstone’s Institute Director, planning and producing the annual Institute Summer Residency and Intensives. As Director of Engagement, Paula's broader focus is to continue sharing Cornerstone’s methodology, to strengthen Cornerstone’s relationships post-production, and to guide Cornerstone's efforts in contributing to and facilitating expansion of the field of community-based theater. Paula loves the state of California, the city of Los Angeles and the many people and stories contained therein. She's really excited about the South Kern communities- especially the young people-- and the play that we'll create together. 

Marcenus M.C. Earl (CTC Ensemble/Actor)  first came to Cornerstone as a community member back in 1993 during the company's Watts Residency when he appeared in Love of a Nightingale and Breaking Plates. Other community collaborations M.C. has appeared in include Broken Hearts, For Here or To Go?, For All Time and the ongoing Beyond the Diagnosis, Cornerstone's partnership with Gilead Sciences, Inc. to promote HIV/AIDS awareness through theatre. M.C. is a graduate of USIU San Diego's BFA Acting Program.

Michael John Garcés (CTC Ensemble/Artistic Director/Faculty) For Cornerstone he has directed Café Vida by Lisa Loomer, Making Paradise, a musical by Tom Jacobson, Shishir Kurup and Deborah Wicks La Puma, 3 Truths by Naomi Iizuka, Someday by Julie Marie Myatt, attraction by Page Leong, and The Falls by Jeffrey Hatcher (at the Guthrie Theater). He also wrote Los Illegals, the first play of the Justice Cycle, created in collaboration with communities of day laborers and domestic workers and which was subsequently produced by Teatro Bravo in Phoenix, Arizona. Los Illegals was published in the summer, 2011 issue of Yale’s THEATER Magazine. Directing credits at other theaters include, most recently, red, black and GREEN: a blues by Marc Bamuthi Joseph, which premiered at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and which is currently toured the U.S. to venues such as The Walker Art Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival, and Oedipus El Rey by Luis Alfaro at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, DC. Other theaters at which he has directed include A Contemporary Theater, Hartford Stage, New York Theatre Workshop, The Children's Theatre Company, Second Stage, Huntington Theatre Company, Yale Repertory Theatre, The Cherry Lane, The Atlantic Theater Company and Repertorio Español. He has twice been in residence with a consensus-run collective, Sna Jtz'ibajom, in Chiapas, Mexico, collaborating in the creation of community-engaged work with members of the Mayan community. Michael is on the executive board of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. His full-length plays include THE WEB (needtheatre), points of departure (INTAR Hispanic American Arts Center) and Acts of Mercy (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater); short plays include catch (Active Cultures), hymn in three parts (Chalk Rep), in the Zone (Red Fern Theatre Co.), tostitos (Ensemble Studio Theatre Marathon of One-Act Plays) on edge and the ride (Humana Festival, "The Open Road Anthology"), audiovideo (The Directors Project) and sandlot ball (Mile Square). Michael is a recipient of the Princess Grace Statue, the Alan Schneider Director Award, and a Rockwood Arts and Culture Fellowship. He is a proud alumnus of New Dramatists. 

Raquel Gutierrez (CTC Ensemble/Manager of Community Partnerships/Faculty) 

Meghan E. Healey (Costume Designer) Recent work includes Cafe Vida (Cornerstone, dir. Michael John Garces) and the world premiere of Undone by Andrea Thome (dir. Tamilla Woodard, NYC). Also for Cornerstone, Someday (dir. Michael John Garces), Jason in Eureka (dir. Laurie Woolery) Making Paradise (dir. Mark Valdez/Michael John Garces), and THE UNREQUITED (dir. Shishir Kurup). Ms. Healey is the recipient of the 2007 ACE Award and the 2007 HOLA for Best Costume Design for Zanahorias (Duke Theater). Other recent work includes: Najla Said's Palestine (dir. Sturgis Warner, Twilight/NYTW), the American Premiere of Lars Norén’s WAR (RPT, dir. Anders Cato), and world premieres of Rob Handel’s The Knights (Target Margin, Aristophanika Festival), Milk-n-Honey (Lightbox Theater Co., dir. Ellen Beckerman), Week 52 of Suzan Lori Parks’ 365 Days/365 Plays for the Public Theater (dir. Joanna Settle), Greenzone by Rob Handel (Lincoln Center Theater Director’s Lab, dir. Alec Duffy), points of departure (dir. Ron Daniels), Kissing Fidel by Eduardo Machado (dir. Michael John Garcés, INTAR), and Blues for a Grey Sun with Nilaja Sun (dir. Louis Moreno, INTAR). She is a professor of costume and scenic design at Queens College.

Bill Honigstein (I9 Production Manager) just finished his first year in TD grad school at CalArts. He's worked every Institute Summer Residency except I-6 in Eureka, as a TD, Production Manager, Facilities Manager, carpenter/electrician/crew/etc. and he volunteered with strike in 2004 because his g.f.-now-wife was Costume Design Assistant. (Blanca is Cost Des Assist again this summer, too!) 

Blanca Honigstein (Costume Design Assistant)  has been an important part of all the Institute Summer Residencies except for one.  She’s served as Company Manager a few times as well as Costume Design Assistant.  She is a graduate of Cal State Northridge, a designer, a performer, an amazing cook and mother.

-->
Ellie Honigstein (I9 Baby in residence) 

Peter Howard (CTC Ensemble/Actor and Faculty) is a founding member of Cornerstone Theater Company. Born and raised in Massachusetts, he graduated from Harvard College with a degree in English and American Literature and holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Department of Drama of the University of Virginia. With Cornerstone, Peter has performed in, written or otherwise collaborated on scores of productions in Los Angeles and communities around the country. As a playwright, his Cornerstone credits include Zones (an original, audience-interactive play exploring interfaith themes) and an American Muslim adaptation of You Can't Take It with You (the first adaptation ever approved by the Kaufman and Hart estate). More recently, Peter has also authored rural community-specific adaptations of Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding and the Argonaut myth for Cornerstone's summer Institute.  As an actor, his regional theater work includes productions at the Mark Taper Forum, Williamstown Theatre Festival, American Repertory Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf, and the Guthrie. Peter has served on staff of the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), working as a facilitator, playwright and director in a variety of youth arts programs that use theater as a springboard for dialogue on challenging human relations topics, such as immigration, hate crimes and the Native American mascot issue. He has directed the participatory youth script development and performance programs of a number of regional theatres including the Mark Taper Forum (The Speak to Me program) and Shakespeare Festival/LA (Will Power to Youth). Currently, Peter directs the Beyond the Diagnosis program for Cornerstone. This program, a groundbreaking partnership with the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, engages communities in conversation about HIV, and uses live theater to engage and educate about the virus in cities across the United States.  As a workshop leader and teacher, Peter's experience includes: University of Southern California, CalArts, University of Virginia, Davidson College (NC), Fringe Benefits Youth Theatre, Imagination Workshop and Plaza de la Raza. Since 2004, he has served as faculty, lead artist and mentor for the Cornerstone Institute, a training program in Cornerstone’s unique community-based methodology for theatre artists from around the country.

Nikki Hyde (CTC Ensemble/Stage Manager) began her relationship with Cornerstone as a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed LA County intern in 2005 during the Faith Cycle Bridge show, A Long Bridge Over Deep Waters. Shortly after completing a stage management fellowship at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival three years later, she returned to her CTC roots by working on the stage management teams of For All Time and every Los Angeles- based production since, including the first Hunger Cycle show, Cafe Vida. She has had the pleasure of working in New York, as well as with Center Theatre Group, Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, Greenway Court Theatre and Company of Angels, among other LA theatres. A proud Michigan native and a graduate of the University of Southern California, Nikki will be arriving in Arvin straight from her first opera gig in San Francisco and is thrilled to be stage managing her second Institute.

Angie Kamel (CTC Institute Manager) came to Cornerstone as an Institute student in Fowler in the summer of 2011. She is excited to now dedicate herself to supporting this program, which she found so inspirational and rewarding. She sees the world as an educational opportunity and is proud to have received her MFA from the University of California, San Diego.

Melody Kanschat (Faculty) 

Geoff Korf (CTC Ensemble/Lighting Designer) has worked professionally as a freelance lighting designer for the past thirty years. His designs have appeared on Broadway as well as at many regional theatres including The Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Repertory, The Geffen Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, Long Beach Opera, The Minneapolis Children's Theatre Company, Actor's Theatre of Louisville, Seattle Repertory Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, and The Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Geoff first came to Cornerstone as the lighting designer for Rushing Waters in 1992. Since then he has designed 35 Cornerstone productions including: An Antigone Story, Los Biombos/The Screens, Los Illegals, and For All Time. Geoff is the head of the design program at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is a native of Southern California, and a graduate of California State University, Chico, and the Yale School of Drama.

Leo Korf (Electrician) 

Will MacAdams (Playwright) is a playwright and director who has worked in South Africa, Indonesia, and in communities across the United States. Past projects include: the Black Dirt Cycle, a series of three site-specific plays about farming, immigration, and local soil created with farmers, farm workers and artists in Warwick, NY; Peter Handke’s Kaspar, performed by theater students in Johannesburg at the beginning of the Mandela era (Director); Eye to Eye, an original play about youth-police relations, created with future police officers and young people from New Haven, CT (Co-Playwright, Director); Awaken New Haven, a five-hour, four- neighborhood theatrical event about death and rebirth, produced by Long Wharf Theatre (Co-Playwright, Co-Director); Naomi Wallace’s The Retreating World, produced in Louisville, KY alongside a community dialogue with activists, artists, and scholars about the politics of war and peace (Director); and Cruising the Divide, an interview-inspired play about divides of race and class during the celebration of the Kentucky Derby, performed by members of the Apprentice Company at Actors Theater of Louisville (Playwright). He is a past recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation’s Next Generation Leadership Fellowship, a civil rights award from Louisville’s Carl Braden Memorial Center, and a Bates Fellowship, which brought him to Central Java, Indonesia to train in Javanese Shadow Puppetry.

John Nobori (Sound Designer) is a graduate of the University of California in Irvine with a degree in Drama. He has been member of the theater group Rogue Artists Ensemble since 2007. He has been nominated for several awards for excellence in sound design, including an Ovation Award nomination for Best Sound Design in Intimate Theater for his work on Mr. Punch as well as nominations from both Drama Critics Circle and LA Weekly for his sound design of Gogol Project and HYPERBOLE: origins. John is also an alumni of the Cornerstone Theater Company Institute, having participated in the inaugural institute in Lost Hills. 

Christopher Pheiffer (Technical Director)

Tali Pressman (CTC Ensemble/CTC Managing Director) 

Leslie Tamaribuchi (CTC Board Member/Faculty) is a Los Angeles-based educator and consultant working with artists and creative organizations to develop strategies to become sustainable, stronger and more deeply engaged with their communities. Director of Advancement and Enrollment of the Theater School at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Leslie teaches in the MFA producing program, leading coursework on fundraising, cultural policy and the sustainability seminar. From 2005-2011 she organized the annual Arts in the One World convenings with Erik Ehn, bringing international artists, activists and academics together to share art and activist practices. Leslie has represented CalArts as a Partnership for Academic Leadership in Sustainability fellow since inception. She worked with Cornerstone Theater Company for ten years serving as managing director from 1995 to 2001, producing dozens of experimental, community-engaged, and site-specific theater projects and leading the company’s financial stabilization and growth. She serves on Cornerstone's board and on the board of the Watts Village Theater Company. Leslie holds a master's degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, an AB in East Asian Languages and Cultures from Harvard College and studied at Kyoto University as a Japanese Ministry of Culture Fellow. 

Mark Valdez (Director) is the Executive Director of the Network of Ensemble Theaters, a national coalition of ensemble-based theaters that aims to support and sustain ensemble practice. Current NET projects include the Micro-Fest: USA initiative (theater festivals in Detroit, Eastern Kentucky, New Orleans and Honolulu) and the creation of an artist-to-artist touring network. Based in Los Angeles, Mark has worked as an educator, writer and director. Current directing projects include: Learn to be Latina at Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis and the premiere of a new community-based play created with the residents of Arvin, CA for Cornerstone Theater Company. Directing credits include the first ever approved adaptation of the Kaufman and Hart classic, You Can't Take It With You, adapted to LA's Muslim community, and a bi-lingual, Spanish- English, adaptation of the musical comedy, The Pajama Game. Mark has directed world premiere plays by Erik Ehn, Tracy Scott Wilson, Jose Cruz Gonzalez, Peter Howard, Rickerby Hinds, and others. His play, Around Atlanta on $80, an adaptation of Around the World in 80 Days was recently presented through the Alliance Theater’s Collisions Project. Mark has led workshops and participated in panels for TCG, Lincoln Center, Southwest Arts Conference, Leadership for a Changing World, REDCAT, NYU, The New School, ATHE, NEA and the Ford Foundation, and many others. He received an MFA in Directing from UC Irvine and is the recipient of Princess Grace Foundation Award for Directing. 

Ashley S. Walden (CTC Associate Producer) is a theater producer and manager. Ashley started working with Cornerstone in 2010 as a Paula Altvater Fellow and then as Institute Associate. She holds a M.F.A. in Theater Producing from California Institute of the Arts and a B.A. in Theatre Studies from Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA). Ashley has recently won a Theater Communications Group (TCG) Next Generations: Future Leaders Grant that supports a mentorship between Ashley and Artistic Director Michael John Garcés. While studying, Ashley has worked with other theater organizations including Arena Stage, Virginia Stage Company and Towne Street Theater. Working with Cornerstone is a delight for Ashley because it allows her to work toward her professional mission to provide access to the arts in under served communities and populations.

Chelsea Weiss (Costume Intern) is from a small town outside of Philadelphia, PA. She attens Queens College in New York. She is 20 years old.  She has been involved in theater since 10^th grade in high school.  She is a Classical Literature major and a Textiles and Apparel minor.  She has been sewing since she was about 6 years old.  She lives with her two sisters and mother in Pennsylvania when she is not attending school. She enjoys reading, sewing, going for walks, and obsessing over tv shows.  She’s really excited for this opportunity this summer and she can’t wait to get started!

-->
Jeffrey Wells (Co-Company Manager) is a contemporary performance-based creator, performer, director, and composer in Minneapolis, MN. He has performed in works by Chris Schlichting (SooVAC), Paige Collette (Bedlam Theatre), Chantal Pavageaux (Red Eye Theater, Bryant Lake Bowl), Jeffrey Lusiak (Patrick’s Cabaret) and Bright Eye Productions. In 2008, Jeffrey co-founded the dance/theater ensemble SuperGroup and has created and performed in over 20 works, including: Choreographers’ Evening at the Walker Art Center (2008, 2010, 2011); SuperGroup/École de Klein, a durational improvisational installation, part of Yves Klein: With the Void, Full Powers exhibition also at the Walker (2011); Shouldwetitleitnoworwait, Minneapolis New Breed Series at The Southern Theater (2009); and works-in-progress performances at BAX (2009) and Catch 46 (Bushwick Starr, 2011) in NYC. SuperGroup was nominated for a MN Sage Award for Dance in the category of Outstanding Ensemble in 2011, and will premiere their latest full-length work The Tent Has Been Pulled Down in June 2012 in the Red Eye Theater’s Isolated Acts Series. Jeffrey is a composer and musician and has created original sound for several SuperGroup shows and is currently working with Brooklyn-based performance artist Abigail Browde on instrumental arrangements for her show The Home, By Josephine. Jeffrey holds a BFA in Theater from NYUs Tisch School of the Arts, with training in both musical (CAP21) and experimental (ETW) theater, and holds a minor in Applied Theater. Jeffrey was a participant in the first Cornerstone Institute in Lost Hills (2004) and continues to work with the company on their summer residency programming. he most recently served as Associate Institute Director in Eureka, CA in 2009. Jeffrey’s upcoming projects include two new SuperGroup projects: Hot Liquid Containers, premiering at Studio 206 in Minneapolis in 2013; and KAIROS (working title), a collaboration with Jerome Foundation Playwriting Fellow (and former Cornerstone staff member), Rachel Jendrzejewski. He is also performing in a new work by renowned choreographer Karen Sherman, premiering at Dance Place in DC in Spring 2013.

Laurie Woolery (CTC Ensemble/ CTC Associate Artistic Director/ Curriculum Director) As a director and playwright, she has collaborated on many new works including Rooted: the Greensburg Odyssey by Marcia Cebulska/music by Kelley Hunt, A Man Come to Fowler by Julie Marie Myatt, Jason in Eureka written by Peter Howard, For All Time written by KJ Sanchez, A Holtville Night's Dream written by Alison Carey, 3/7/11: A Lincoln Heights Tale written by Jose Cruz Gonzalez and the students of Loreto Elementary, Nightingale Middle School and Lincoln High School as part of Cornerstone's first Youth Community Collaboration. Recently, Ms. Woolery directed The Language Archive by Julia Cho at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the west coast premiere of Tanya Saracho’s El Nogalar and the world premiere of The Bewildered Herd by Cody Henderson. She has also directed Amor Eterno - Six Lessons in Love (an anthology by six Latino playwrights) for the grand opening of the Ricardo Montalban Theatre, Bryan Davidson's Reflecting Back at the Los Angeles Central Library as part of the National Tour of the American Originals exhibit and Richard Coca's solo piece The Day I Flipped Off Jimmy Carter for SCR's Hispanic Playwrights Project. As a director, playwright, educator and actor, Laurie has worked at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory (Director of the Theatre Conservatory), Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Inge Center for the Arts, Denver Center, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Fountain Theatre, Native Voices at the Autry, Ricardo Montalban Theatre, Deaf-West Theatre, fofo Theatre, Highways Performance Space, Sundance Playwrights Lab as well as the Sundance Children's Theatre. Cornerstone Theater Company commissioned her solo play Salvadorian Moon/African Sky for its citywide Festival of Faith. Her most recent play, Lola in Lincolnlandia had its world premiere at Plaza de la Raza and REDCAT as part of CalArts Community Arts program. Several of her plays Scouting Reality, Bliss, The Hundred Dresses and Orphan Train: The Lost Children have received world premieres at South Coast Repertory. She is a long time artist with the Virginia Avenue Project and former artist-in-residence for Hollygrove Children's Home. Laurie has served on the faculty at California Institute of the Arts, USC, Citrus College and California State University at Northridge and serves on the Board of the Latino Producers Action Network (LPAN), Network of Ensemble Theaters (NET) and the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America.