MIRANDA GOHH

Miranda Gohh is producer and manager originally from Providence, RI. Most recently, she served as the Company Manager at New York City Center with MTC. Miranda has also worked with companies such as 101 Productions, Arena Stage, The Playwrights Realm, Goodspeed Musicals, and Trinity Repertory Company. She is a member of ATPAM and serves on their Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. She is also the Founder of Theatre Producers of Color (TPOC) and a Founding Member of The Industry Standard Group (TISG). She is a graduate of the Commercial Theatre Institute and an alumna of Wesleyan University.

LEAH HARRIS

Leah Harris (she/her) is a theater practitioner with years of experience in education, community engagement, artistic producing and program management. She received her Bachelors in Theater Arts, with a focus on directing and education, from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas. Shortly upon receiving her Bachelor's degree, she returned to Dallas and joined the Education & Engagement team at Tony Award Winning Dallas Theater Center (DTC) and began to focus her work on community engagement and partnerships, while gradually laying the groundwork for Public Works Dallas, a participatory, community engaged program for all citizens of Dallas. Leah served as the Public Works Dallas Manager until 2019, when she transitioned into the role of Director of Community Engagement at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Leah has presented at numerous universities in Texas on racial equity in the arts and community engagement practices. Currently, Leah is the Program Manager for The Theatre Leadership Project, which specifically aims to transform the commercial producing space on Broadway by supporting Black leadership in key management roles. Leah is also a 2020/2021 American’s for the Arts, Arts & Culture Leaders of Color Fellow. Lastly, you can find her writings in the form of a manifesto published to howlround.com.

TONI R. ISREAL

Toni R. Isreal is the CEO and Founder of REALEMN Productions LLC, Broadway’s leading multicultural marketing and PR support team, run by Black Women. Just a few REALEMN clients include 2019 8 Time Tony Award Winning HADESTOWN, Broadway Bound - MJ THE MUSICAL, and New York Theatre Workshop, and the upcoming HADESTOWN Tour 2021. In addition to being a proud member of New York Women in Film & Television, Isreal is also a consultant with New York’s World-Famous Apollo Theater, where she has secured over a million dollars in sales. Previously, Isreal was the Managing Director of Walker International Communications Group (WICG). In that role, she led a team providing all aspects of marketing consultation to arts organizations including audience development, media support, and socially & technology driven initiatives. A proud member of CTI – Commercial Theater Institute, Isreal was instrumental in multiple projects inclusive of, 2018 Tony Award Winning ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, Disney’s ALADDIN and THE LION KING, HUGHIE, A RAISIN IN THE SUN, A TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, BABY IT’S YOU and STICKFLY, Boston’s BORN FOR THIS at ArtsEmerson Theatre and Off-Broadway’s SMOKEY JOE’S CAFÉ, LITTLE ROCK, THROUGH THE NIGHT, ONE NIGHT, BOOTYCANDY, KING LIZ, WHORL, INVISIBLE THREAD, SMART PEOPLE, DOT, and AUTUMN. Israel is adding to her portfolio as REALEMN Productions is prospecting producing and marketing opportunities for film, television and/or theater. As a sincere advocate for BIPOC, Isreal further enjoys promoting the arts and entertainment to multicultural communities and delivering engaging experiences that encourage audiences to secure their seats and tune in! www.RealemnProductions.com follow @realemnproductions.

Added to her arsenal, COVID-19 Theatre Think-Tank (CTT Member) https://www.covidtheatrethinktank.org/ 

HEATHER SHIELDS

Heather is an award-winning producer and theatre manager. She received her undergraduate degrees at the University of Richmond and later graduated from Columbia University with her Masters in Arts Administration. She made her Broadway producing debut in 2017 with the Tony Award-winning Bandstand and was most recently a lead producer on A Christmas Carol. She is also a producer on the Off-Broadway hit Puffs! (Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic). Heather serves as the General Manager of the long-running, downtown sensation BATSU! NYC and opened BATSU! Chicago to critical acclaim in 2016. She is a Co-Founder of The Business of Broadway.

CYNTHIA J. TONG

Cynthia J. Tong is a creative producer working across commercial (Broadway and off-Broadway), non-profit, and regional theatre. Rich collaborations with artists feed her soul, where process matters as much as product. Currently, she is the Associate Producer at Tom Kirdahy Productions, Line Producer for A THOUSAND WAYS by 600 Highwaymen (Drama League 2021 nom.), a Fellow of WP Theater’s 2020-2022 Lab, and a founding member of The Industry Standard Group, the first BIPOC commercial theatre investment and producing organization. Recent highlights include NYCLU’s Sing Out for Freedom Fundraiser (Virtual, 2020), Playbill’s Women in Theatre Concert (Virtual, 2020), and LORDES (New Ohio Theatre, 2019). B.A. in Sociology, Wesleyan University. www.cynthiajtong.com

MARK ARMSTRONG is the Artistic Director of The 24 Hour Plays, which brings together creative communities to produce plays and musicals that are written, rehearsed, and performed in 24 hours. Highlights from his tenure include annual productions of The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway, the Broadway and Los Angeles debuts of The 24 Hour Musicals, the growth of The 24 Hour Plays National Fellows program and The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues, a socially-distanced sensation that has brought over 350 free new theater pieces to global audiences since the March 2020 onset of the coronavirus pandemic. As a director, he has developed and directed plays by Emily Mann, Dan O’Brien, Christopher Shinn, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Jason Kim, Liz Meriwether, Qui Nguyen, Max Posner, Laura Jacqmin and many others in theaters including The Public Theater, Williamstown Theater Festival, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Keen Company and more. Mark previously served as the Director of New Work for off-Broadway's Keen Company and Artistic Director of The Production Company. His writing has appeared in American Theatre, HowlRound and the Brooklyn Rail. Proud member SDC and Ensemble Studio Theatre. Instructor, The New School for Drama.

MICHELLE A. BANKS, a native of Washington, DC, is an award-winning actress, writer, director, producer, choreographer, motivational speaker, and teacher.  Former Artistic Director of Onyx Theatre Company for over 11 years in NYC.  Her other achievements include the 2017 recipient of Gallaudet University’s Laurent Clerc Award, the 2002 recipient of the Christopher Reeve Acting Scholarship, an Individual Achievement Award from the National Council on Communicative Disorders, and a featured article in the February 1998 issue of ESSENCE magazine. Michelle’s most recent producing/directing credits:  a short film of A RAISIN IN THE SUN, Gallaudet University’s A RAISIN IN THE SUN, LOOK THROUGH MY EYES, SILENT SCREAM, Z: A CHRISTMAS STORY, WHAT IT’S LIKE? (One Man Show) and IN SIGHT AND SOUND: DE(A)F POETRY I, II, & III.   Her acting appearances include SOLE (TV Pilot), THE C.A. LYONS PROJECT (Alliance Theatre), SOUL FOOD (Showtime Series), STRONG MEDICINE (Lifetime), GIRLFRIENDS (UPN), COMPENSATION (Independent Film),  FOR GIRLS WHO CONSIDERED SUICIDE WHEN RAINBOW IS ENUF) (NY & LA) and BIG RIVER (Mark Taper Forum & Ford Theater). Currently, Michelle Banks is the Artistic Director of VOCA - Visionaries of the Creative Arts, Inc. - www.visionariesofthecreativearts.org.

IYVON EDEBIRI (she/her/hers) is a Nigerian-American independent creative producer, company manager, and dramaturg hailing from Brooklyn, NY. Iyvon is the co-founder, Artistic Director, and Host of The Parsnip Ship. She is a recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship, Gilman International Scholarship, and The DO School’s Future of Audio Entertainment Fellowship in Berlin. Iyvon was the recipient of the 2019 Mark O’Donnell Prize awarded by The Actors Fund and Playwrights Horizons for emerging, anomalous theater artists. Iyvon has worked at Joe’s Pub, Sundance Institute Theater Program, The Public Theater, The Civilians, and as an Associate Producer at ArKtype. She is a proud member of the Creative and Independent Producer Alliance (CIPA), the WP 2020 - 2022 Producers Lab, and is an associate member of Beehive Dramaturgy Studio. B.A. Brandeis University. M.A. Baruch College (CUNY) Arts Administration. @iamiyvon

KATI GIGLER, Ph.D., serves as director of education and community engagement at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and has dedicated her career to education and advocacy. Her graduate work at Northwestern University has provided her with extensive experience in research design and data analysis, including behavioral interventions related to mindfulness and movement in older adults and caregivers. Kati served as executive director of the Women’s Center at Elizabeth City State University and was integral in the formation of the first LGBTQ+ community organization in the region, and has also worked as an educator and victim advocate for both Pittsburgh Action Against Rape and the YWCA of Greater Chicago. She seeks to continue Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s transformative work in community education, accessibility and equity.

Amanda Cooper (ALC Management) is a freelance arts manager, producer and consultant, working with a wide variety of theater and music companies around New York City and across the U.S. Recent and current companies she works with include: Pearldamour, DNAWORKS, En Garde Arts, Aaron Jafferis, Working Theater, Trinity Church, Concrete Temple Theatre, Sinking Ship, and more. Amanda has worked at HERE, The House Foundation, Music Before 1800, Symphony Space, and the Look + Listen Festival, where she has been serving as the President since 2014.

Joey Monda is a Producer with Sing Out, Louise! Productions where he produced the digital holiday Christmas musical The Nice List and is a Producer on the currently running Broadway productions of Hadestown and Mrs. Doubtfire and the previous productions of The Inheritance, Slave Play, Mike Birbiglia’s The New One (also on Netflix), and The Cher Show. With fellow Sing Out Louise partners Lorenzo Thione and Jay Kuo, Sing Out Louise Productions shepherded actor and activist George Takei’s true-life experience of WWII Japanese American internment camps into the Broadway musical and subsequent film Allegiance, which starred Takei and Tony Award winner Lea Salonga.

Joey and Sing Out Louise are passionate about extending the brand, reach, and impact of Broadway through cinema-quality stage-to-screen films and Joey has served as the Executive Producer on the films of Allegiance and Bandstand and oversaw the full marketing and distribution of the Broadway musical Kinky Boots film. Joey is General Manager/Co-Founder of Dailey-Monda Management, a full-service production and management office to bring a fresh and innovative approach to theatrical business management. Specializing in new work and self-producing artists. Originally from Youngstown, Ohio, Joey proudly holds a BFA from Wright State University. He is a member of the Broadway League, Off-Broadway League, Off-Broadway Alliance, and National Alliance for Musical Theatre.

Rachel Sussman is a Tony Award-nominated producer committed to cultivating dynamic, inclusive theatrical work through meaningful collaboration. She is a co-founder of The MITTEN Lab, an emerging theatre artist residency program in her native state of Michigan, as well as The Business of Broadway, a new educational venture designed to democratize commercial producing knowledge and develop more transparency between artists and producers. Prior to joining the Plate Spinner Productions team as a Producer, she worked with such companies as Audible Theater, The Sundance Institute Theatre Lab, Second Stage Theatre, RKO Stage, and Lincoln Center's American Songbook. Broadway and national tour: co-producer on Heidi Schreck's Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony Award-nominated play, What the Constitution Means to Me. Other producing credits include the Obie Award-winning production of The Woodsman (New World Stages/ 59E59), Saturday Night Seder (Story Course), Eh Dah? Questions for My Father (Next Door at NYTW), Endlings (NYTW), and The Rug Dealer (Women's Project Pipeline Festival). In development: Suffragist by Shaina Taub, Devotion by Mark Sonnenblick. A past Women's Project Lab Time Warner Foundation Fellow, Rachel was the recipient of the 2019 Geraldine Stutz T. Fellowship in Creative Producing, founded by Hal Prince in conjunction with Columbia University. She is a graduate of the Commercial Theater Institute and a University Honors Scholar alumna of NYU Tisch. She is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University's School of the Arts. www.rachel-sussman.com

Rika Iino (she/her) is the founder of Sozo Media, a collective of creative companies: Sozo Artists, a dynamic roster of artists in dance, music, spoken word, new media and film focused on innovation and social justice; Sozo Impact, a non-profit organization dedicated to incubating work by BIPOC artists and producers; and Sozo Vision, a consultancy which partners with institutions to design social impact-facing programs and strategies, with clients ranging from Yale University to The Apollo Theater. Rika’s work as producer/manager spans two decades and hundreds of live and digital projects with artists and organizations globally. Rika plays an active role in arts advocacy and leadership development across the industry including work with Creative & Independent Producer Alliance, Association for Performing Arts Professionals, and International Society for the Performing Arts. Rika was raised in Japan, spent formative years at Phillips Exeter Academy and studied music at Mozarteum in Austria before graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University. She is based in Oakland, CA. www.sozomedia.com

Emily Johnson is an artist who makes body-based work. She is a land and water protector and an activist for justice, sovereignty and well-being. A Bessie Award-winning choreographer, Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of the Doris Duke Artist Award, she is based in Lenapehoking / New York City. Emily is of the Yup’ik Nation, and since 1998 has created work that considers the experience of sensing and seeing performance. Her dances function as portals and care processions, they engage audienceship within and through space, time, environment, and place in acts of futurity. Emily is trying to make a world where performance is part of life; where performance is an integral connection to each other, our environment, our stories, our past, present and future.

Emily hosts monthly ceremonial fires on Mannahatta in partnership with Abrons Arts Center and Karyn Recollet. She was a co-compiler of the document, Creating New Futures: Guidelines for Ethics and Equity in the Performing Arts and is part of an advisory group, with Reuben Roqueni, Ed Bourgeois, Lori Pourier, Ronee Penoi, and Vallejo Gantner - developing a First Nations Performing Arts Network.

Andre Perry is a writer and arts worker based in Iowa City. His debut nonfiction book, Some of Us Are Very Hungry Now, was hailed by NPR as "extraordinary" and Foreword called him "a fresh American voice that demands to be heard." His work also appears in The Believer, Catapult, Granta, The Paris Review, Guernica, and other journals. He co-founded and continues to produce Iowa City's Mission Creek Festival, a celebration of music and literature, as well as the multi-disciplinary festival of creative process, Witching Hour. He participated in the inaugural cohort of the Association for Performing Arts Professional's Leadership Fellows Program and later returned as a group leader for Cohort III. He currently serves as the Executive Director of The Englert Theatre in Iowa City.