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Calling all emerging New York City theatre artists! Join us for a night of conversations around producing new work.
Young Producers Day highlights the work of early-career and experienced producers currently navigating the complex landscape of NYC theater and performance. Sharing their own experiences with bringing innovative projects to audiences, our panelists discuss the different ways in which independent theater artists and ensembles can have their work presented across the city.
The day consists of a collection of panels with theatre professionals who will address an array of issues: from finding spaces to negotiating contracts to fundraising and outreach.
Afternoon: The Logistics of Producing
3:30 p.m. EDT
PR + Marketing with Blake Zidell and Emily Owens
4:00 p.m. EDT
Finance and Budgeting with Sonia Kozlova Clark
4:30 p.m. EDT
Contracts: Thomas O. Kriegsmann (ArKtype)
5:00 p.m. EDT
A Case Study in Creative Producing: The Wind and the Rain: A Story about Sunny’s Bar with Anne Hamburger (En Garde Arts)
Evening: Conversations with NYC Producers
6:30 p.m. EDT
Producing after COVID
with Sophia Engelsberg (Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research), Anne Hamburger (En Garde Arts), Sam Morreale (SoHo Rep), and Sami Pyne (Under the Radar + ArKtype)
7:00 p.m. EDT
Producers + Self-Producing Artists: Building Relationships
with Ann Marie Dorr (The Brick), Tess Howsam (Culture Lab), and Lai-Lin Robinson
7:30 p.m. EDT
What I Wish I Knew before I Produced My First Show
with Genée Coreno (WAM Theater), Eric Emauni (PAC), Molly FitzMaurice (The Tank), and Thomas O. Kriegsmann (ArKtype)
Participants
Sonia Kozlova Clark is a seasoned creative event producer with over 30 years of experience in managing, producing, and presenting live performing arts. Her expertise spans outdoor festivals, concerts, drama and musical theater, cirque, and interactive art exhibitions in venues ranging from intimate gatherings to large-scale productions with up to 10,000 attendees. Currently, Ms. Clark works with the Martin E. Segal Theater Center in New York City and owns Unicycle Productions LLC. She is a member of the Marche Internacional de Cirque Contemporain in Montreal and the International Society for Performing Arts, International Society for Performing Arts (ISPA).Previously, Sonia Kozlova Clark served as the Executive Director and President of Artpark for eight seasons, where she oversaw over 500 concerts with renowned artists such as Dolly Parton, Earth, Wind & Fire, Barenaked Ladies, Jeff Beck, George Clinton, Ben Folds with YMusic, Trombone Shorty, Boy George, B52, A Tribe Called Red, DakhaBrakha, Alarm Will Sound, So Percussion, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. Sonia revitalized Artpark’s diverse artistic programming by bringing in world-renowned theater and street performance groups like Fura dels Baus (Spain) with a sold-out production of Carmina Burana conducted by Gil Rose with the Buffalo Philharmonic and over 200 performers on stage, and a musical production Odyssey by Lear Debessonnette and music by Todd Almond directed by Roger Danforth. Other acclaimed acts included Cirque Inextremiste (France), Art Move Concept (France), Bale de Rua (Brazil), three U.S. premieres by Plasticiens Volants (France), and the Earth Harp Collective with William Close. She also reenergized Artpark’s interactive installations program, featuring works like “Bower” by Ellen Driscoll and Joyce Wang, curated by City As Living Laboratory, and “Murmuration” by Studio SO-IL, with other public space pieces by Muhammad Zaman and Carin Jean White. Prior to Artpark Sonia managed international touring and NYC productions by Meredith Monk/House Foundation. Sonia was an Executive Producer at Stage Entertainment having transferred a commercial musical production of Zorro directed by Christopher Renshaw with music by Gipsy Kings from Paris to Moscow; was Managing Director at Urban Stages in New York for eight years having developed dozens of new productions and hundreds of stage readings, and was Finance Associate to Senior Accountant at New York City Opera in 1990s. Sonia is educated with a BA in Business Management from Marymount Manhattan College (class of 1997) and an MFA at the Columbia University School of the Arts, Theater Producing class of 2011. You can learn more about Sonia’s work here: https://www.unicycleproductionsllc.com/about-sonia-kozlova-clark/
Genée Coreno (She/Her) is the Artistic Director of WAM Theatre, director and a non-profit professional with a proven track record of effective management of not-for-profit organizations with over 10 years of experience providing creative and skillful leadership to high-profile female founders, artistic directors, and artists Past experience includes: four and half years in operations, development and engagement at Every Mother Counts a maternal health organization dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safe, respectful and equitable for everyone. Prior to Every Mother Counts, Genée was predominantly a company manager at The Public Theater and Big Dance Theater, as well as an Artistic Associate for Ripe Time and a Marketing Intern at Third Rail Projects. Genee founded Fringe and Fur, a theater company that creates performances that examine the way identity and fantasy are transformed by gender, violence and environment. Fringe and Fur devised and produced over five original works presented in Downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Genée has an MA in Performance Studies from NYU and a BA in Drama Studies from Purchase College. She has trained with Theater Mitu, Song of the Goat Theater, SITI Company, and New York State Theater Institute (NYSTI).
Ann Marie Dorr is a theater maker who often works on big-little shows with adventurous and ambitious ideas. Recent producing projects include Dark Disabled Stories by Ryan J. Haddad. They are the Interim Producing Artistic Director at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn. Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab 17/19 with Paul Ketchum on an ever evolving piece, Good and Noble Beings. Associated Artist of Target Margin Theater. Currently they are in the Brooklyn College MFA Playwriting program.
Eric Emauni is a Tony nominated producer, world builder, and Founder of Iconic Vizion Productions; creating transformative spaces for artists and fueling truth. Originally from Milwaukee, WI, he has been fortunate to work with esteemed cultural institutions such as Harlem Stage, The Public Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, LAByrinth Theater Company, The TEAM, National Black Theatre, And PAC NYC. He has also worked with several commerical producing offices including Maximum Entertainment Productions. Eric is an alum of TedxBroadway Young Professionals, Theater Producers of Color, and Beth Morrison Producers Academy. He is also the recipient of the AKA 500 Hour Producers of Color Initiative, the I AM SOUL Producer in Residence at National Black Theatre, Petri Project Artist with The TEAM, Prince/TTLP Fellow, and Member of the Broadway League. Eric graduated from Morehouse College with a BA in Psychology and Theater and earned an MFA in Acting from LIU Post. Credits: Off-Broadway: Kinky Boots. Broadway: Is This A Room, Dana H (2 Tony Awards®️), A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, FAT HAM (Pulitzer-Prize Winner, 5 Tony Nominations). For more please visit www.iconicvizion.com; IG: @iconicvizion
Sophia Englesberg is an actor and theater producer based in New York City. Alumna Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. Sophia is a founding member of the Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research based in Greenpoint. Producing credits include ZOOMERS by Matthew Gasda, Invasive Species (Off-Broadway) by Maia Novi, and more. @sophengles
Molly FitzMaurice (she/her) is a dramaturg, producer, and theater maker. She is the Managing Producer of The Tank, a home for emerging artists in Manhattan. Molly holds an MFA in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism with a certificate in Theater Management from Yale School of Drama, where she is currently a doctoral candidate, writing a dissertation on the conceptual turn in American new plays. Previously, she served as co-artistic director of Yale Cabaret, producing director of the Dwight/Edgewood Project, and in the artistic offices of Yale Repertory Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, and Huntington Theatre Company. As a production and new play dramaturg, she’s collaborated with artists including Nambi E. Kelley, Erika Dickerson-Despenza, Carl Cofield, Rory Pelsue, Aneesha Kudtarkar, Genne Murphy, Shadi Ghaheri, Alex Lubischer, and many others. She has also produced gatherings for The Foundry Theatre, Theater Magazine, the City of New Haven, and Salonathon. BA, University of Chicago.
Anne Hamburger founded En Garde Arts in 1985. As its Executive Artistic Director, she is responsible for pioneering site-specific theatre in New York, using its streets and historic landmarks as her stage. Hamburger has produced the work of artists that are now internationally renowned: Anne Bogart, Charles L. Mee, Tina Landau, Jonathan Larson and Reza Abdoh, with large scale predominantly outdoor work. As its Executive Artistic Director, her leadership model is highly collaborative and anti-hierarchical while leading the creative and strategic vision of the company. She is committed to bringing up a new genration of theatrical risk takers, encouraging artists to explore the deeply personal meaning of the projects they embark upon. En Garde’s relationship with its artists is not only about the work, it is also about caring for their self esteem as a mentor and friend while understanding that mentorship goes in both directions. For her work, Hamburger has won 6 Obies, 2 Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lee Reynolds Award and the Exceptional Merit in Media Award from The National Political Women’s Caucus. She graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama and is the proud mother of two children Hannah and Owen Jenney.
Tess Howsam is a queer international director and installation artist. An artistic maverick, Howsam has worked as a multi-hyphenate artist, director, and curator in NYC for over a decade. Central to Howsam’s work are questions of gender roles, audience integration, and building collaborations across artistic mediums. Howsam is a reoccurring Co-Director on projects with Germany company Das Letze de Klinode. Founding Artistic Director of interdisciplinary immersive theater company Exquisite Corpse Company (ECC), Howsam leads the development of ekphrastic immersive theater. ECC’s interactive piece, ZOETROPE, was the New York Times Critic’s Pick and featured in New Yorker Magazine. Howsam has held artist residencies at Guild Hall (East Hampton), El Centro de las Artes de Querétaro (CEART) Querétaro, Mexico, and Town Stages (NYC).. Her work has been featured throughout NYC at venues such as: The Barrow Group, Governors Island, SoHo Rep, and HERE arts center. In 2023, Tess was the recipient of The League of Professional Theatre Women’s Lucille Lortel Award.
Thomas O. Kriegsmann (Producer) Tony nominated producer specializing in new work development and production worldwide. He was shortlisted for an Oscar nomination and won best picture at the 2024 Cinema Eye Awards for Sam Green’s 32 SOUNDS, and recently premiered the Tony nominated ILLINOISE by Sufjan Stevens & Justin Peck on Broadway following runs at Fisher Center @ Bard, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Park Avenue Armory. His past work includes projects with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Peter Brook, Daniel Fish, Victoria Thiérrée-Chaplin, Yael Farber, Anna Deavere Smith, Annie-B Parson & Paul Lazar, Jessica Blank & Erik Jensen, Peter Sellars, Julie Taymor, and John Cameron Mitchell. Recent premieres include 600 HIGHWAYMEN’s A THOUSAND WAYS, nora chipaumire’s NEHANDA, Bryce Dessner’s TRIPTYCH (EYES OF ONE ON ANOTHER) directed by Kaneza Schaal, John Cameron Mitchell’s THE ORIGIN OF LOVE, Sam Green & Kronos Quartet’s A THOUSAND THOUGHTS, Big Dance Theater / Mikhail Baryshnikov’s MAN IN A CASE, and Nalaga’at Deaf-Blind Theater’s NOT BY BREAD ALONE. Ongoing collaborations include Milo Rau, Bryce Dessner, Sophia Brous, Timothy White Eagle, Big Dance Theater, and Compagnia T.P.O. He is producer of UNDER THE RADAR and planning the festival’s 20th Edition for 2025. Upcoming premieres include Bryce Dessner & Kaneza Schaal’s NIGHT SKY WITH EXIT WOUNDS from the book by Ocean Vuong, Sam Green’s UNTITLED TREES DOCUMENTARY PROJECT, and Penny Arcade’s autobiographical epic THE ART OF BECOMING. He is a founding member of CIPA (The Creative & Independent Producer Alliance). More information at arktype.org.
Sam Morreale (she/they) is a Facilitator in practice as an Artistic Producer, Director, Dramaturg, and Cultural Strategist who approaches their craft with a lens rooted in the creation of liberatory, human-centered systems. They are an avid supporter of art for social change and gravitate towards stories, people, and communities that uplift the lives of those who have been caught in the margins of society. Currently the Associate Producer at Soho Rep, Sam develops new, “risky,” innovative, and adventurous work that stirs the soul and invites change. Her work has brought her to several arts organizations - physically and virtually - including New York Stage and Film, Penumbra Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, Long Wharf Theater, Theatre Communications Group, Center Theater Group, Boston Court Pasadena, Breaking the Binary Theater, The Goodman Theater, and The New Harmony Project among others. B.A. Wesleyan University.
Emily Owens. Founded in 2007, Emily Owens PR specializes in representing World Premiere productions Off and Off-Off Broadway. With over 15 years of experience, Emily has built a solid reputation for representing ambitious new work, and a strong track record of securing high-profile media coverage for early-career playwrights. EOPR's clients include performing arts venues, theatre festivals, indie theatre companies, and self-producing artists. www.emilyowenspr.com
Sami Pyne is the Producing Director at ArKtype, one of the world’s leading supporters of new, experimental work. Sami is also a festival producer of the reimagined Under the Radar Festival, a long-time New York City-based platform for cutting-edge work hailing from around the globe. Through ArKtype, she’s had the pleasure of producing work with artists such as 600 Highwaymen (A Thousand Ways, The Following Evening), Bryce Dessner (Dream House Quartet), CHRISTEENE (The Lion, The Witch, and the Cobra), John Cameron Mitchell (Cassette Roulette), nora chipaumire (NEHANDA, dambudzo), Sam Green (32 Sounds), Sophia Brous (Invisible Opera) and Timothy White Eagle (The Indigo Room). Upcoming premieres include Bryce Dessner & Kaneza Schaal’s Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong, Sam Green’s Untitled Trees Documentary Project, and Penny Arcade’s autobiographical epic The Art of Becoming. In her independent practice, Sami is passionate about demystifying the process for emerging creators in New York City. Recent new work producing credits include Jeesun Choi’s To the Ends of the Earth / 땅끝까지, Alex Hare and Julia Izumi’s Capricorn 29, Jen Pitt’s TRASH BODY MONKEY HOUSE, Christina Tang’s TRAFFIC, and Keenan Tyler Oliphant’s Kyk Hoe Skyn die Son [Look how the Sun Shines]. Columbia MFA Producing 2020. Proud Advisory Committee member of the Creative & Independent Producer Alliance (CIPA). www.samipyne.com + www.arktype.org + www.utrfest.org + www.cipausa.org
Lai-Lin Ting Robinson is a Producer, Curator, Performance Artist, and Arts Advocate committed to championing work that challenges assumptions and reexamines the way we exist. Originally from Washington, DC, and now calling New York City home, her practice is fueled by a deep commitment to empathy, community, and anti-racist principles. For over a decade, Lai-Lin has been the bridge between bold visions and earthly manifestations, working with artists and organizations to envision and actualize dreams into transcendent experiences. Her collaborations span a wide range of visionary talents including Pyeng Threadgill, Paloma McGregor/Angela’s Pulse, Shayla-Vie Jenkins, Grace Galu Kalambay, Jennifer Newman, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Misty Copeland, Ali Stroker, Robert Garland, Omari Wiles, and Blood Orange (Dev Hynes). Lai-Lin has worked with forward-thinking organizations and projects. Specifically, Urban Bush Women, American Modern Opera Company, Little Island NYC FREE Festival, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and Théâtre XIV. Most recently, Lai-Lin curated and co-produced the When Black Women+ Speak series as part of Urban Bush Women’s 40th Anniversary celebration. Lai-Lin earned a BA in Communications and Media Studies from Fordham University, completed the certificate program at The Alvin Ailey School, a graduate of Broadway Dance Center’s professional program, and a 2016 NY Community Trust Fellow; all a foundation to her enduring commitment to dance education, performance and fostering creative collaboration. Lai-Lin is fiercely committed to protecting the integrity of each vision, particularly for Black and Women+ of Color, through the creation and nurturing of spaces where artists thrive and every project is infused with the care and respect all creative spirits deserve. When she’s not producing transformative art, Lai-Lin finds balance in the pleasures of life. A true city soul with a soft spot for the beach, she’s a self-proclaimed foodie, avid spinner, plant mom, and now a spiritual dog mom to her miniature dachshund, Dexter, who still runs the show.
BLAKE ZIDELL & ASSOCIATES is a Brooklyn-based public relations firm representing arts organizations and cultural institutions. Clients include St. Ann’s Warehouse, Playwrights Horizons, Signature Theatre, Soho Rep, Theatre for a New Audience, the Under the Radar Festival, National Sawdust, StoryCorps, Symphony Space, the Fisher Center at Bard, Irish Arts Center, Bedlam, Taylor Mac, The Playwrights Realm, PlayCo, and more.
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