EDI Mentorship Program

2024 LORT Mentorship Program - Announcement

The LORT Mentorship Subcommittee is excited to announce the 2024 Mentorship Program cohort.

The intention of the LORT Mentorship Program is to address the barriers that have inhibited greater racial and gender diversity in LORT managing and executive leadership. This year, the mentorship program focused on pairing Mentors with BIPOC LORT Mentees interested in administrative leadership including aspiring Executive Directors, Managing Directors, General Managers and Senior Department Managers including but not limited to Marketing, Production, Development and Human Resources.

We were thrilled with this year’s applicants, who ranged in all manner of career points and concentrations. The Mentorship Subcommittee selected and matched the following 10 pairs of participants. Please see all participant bios on the pages that follow.

LORT Mentorship Program 2024 Cohort

  • Ciara Ayala, General Management Office Assistant at the Alley Theatre will be mentored by Kate Liberman, Executive Director at Trinity Repertory Company;
  • Kaaron Briscoe, Associate Artistic Director, LCT3 at Lincoln Center Theater will be mentored by Eric Keen-Louie, Executive Producer at La Jolla Playhouse;
  • Tatiana Godfrey, Literary Manager at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park will be mentored by Marissa Lynn Jones, Executive Director at League of Chicago Theatres;
  • Carla Jackson, General Manager at Yale Repertory Theatre will be mentored by Jennifer Bielstein, Executive Director at American Conservatory Theater;
  • Israel Jiménez, Director of EDIA & Community Engagement at Round House Theatre will be mentored by Mike Schleifer, Managing Director at Alliance Theatre;
  • Vanessa Lopez-Moratalla, Payroll Manager - Administration at Roundabout Theatre Company will be mentored by Rebecca Ende Lichtenberg, Executive Director at Studio Theatre and incoming Executive Director at Shakespeare Theatre Company;
  • Zevity Lopez, Contracts Coordinator at Dallas Theater Center will be mentored by Samantha De La Riva, General Manager at Two River Theater;
  • Logan McDowell, Scenic Carpenter at Arena Stage will be mentored by Lawrence Bennett, Director of Production at Alliance Theatre;
  • Natajia Sconiers, Artistic Associate & Company Manager at Delaware Theatre Company will be mentored by Tricia N. Patrick, Director of Education at Ford's Theatre; and
  • Amanda Tralle, Producing Assistant at Pasadena Playhouse will be mentored by Andy Chan Donald, Associate Artistic Director at American Conservatory Theater.

MENTEES

Ciara Ayala is the General Management Office Assistant at the Alley Theatre in Houston, TX. She went to college at the University of Houston and got her degree in Stage Management, while there she started working summers at the Peterborough Players in New Hampshire where she eventually became Production Stage Manager. Post-grad Ciara moved from coast to coast, working at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and The Juilliard School. She stepped away from stage managing for a while when there was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. She was the Operations Manager for an incredible non-profit in NYC: The Possibility Project. The Possibility Project is an organization where teenagers change the negative forces in their lives into positive action through the performing arts. Here she really learned what it means to run an organization from board relations to selling tickets, all while keeping the mission and vision on the fore front. Ciara eventually moved back to Texas to be closer to family and got back into stage managing, working at Houston Shakespeare Festival, Stages, and Houston Grand Opera. Ciara made a pivot into general management after four years at HGO. She hopes to continue to learn from the awesome team at the Alley and grow as a leader in the American theatre scene.

Kaaron Briscoe is the Associate Artistic Director of LCT3, a home for innovative new works. In her short time at LCT3, she has co-created Working Title: Director/Designer Mixer, a low-pressure social event to foster creative collaborations between directors and designers at all experience levels. As a playwright her work has been featured by Project Y, Classical Theater of Harlem, InViolet Theater, and others. She is a former member of Project Y's Playwriting Group. Her play, “Tallahassee,” was a semifinalist for the O’Neill Playwright’s Conference. Recently, “How Can I Help You?”, a 2021 semi-finalist for Seven Devils Playwright’s Conference, was workshopped at Pioneer Theater in Salt Lake City, Utah. Kaaron is also an accomplished actor, having performed on stages in London and Moscow, as well as on screen. She often works with Little Lord and the Working Theater. She has directed for various organizations around New York, as well as the Playwright’s Center in Minnesota. A member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and the Dramatists Guild, she is also a member of the 52nd Street Project. Kaaron is a New Orleans native with an MFA from ART/MXAT/IATT at Harvard University.

Tatiana Godfrey was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. She received a BFA in Drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Tatiana has had a varied career in theater. She served as the assistant director of the off-Broadway premier of No Dog’s Allowed, by Sonia Manzano; she is a founding member of New York’s Pipeline Theatre Company and Atlanta’s Fabrefaction Theatre Company; she was featured in HBO’s David Mamet film Phil Spector; she co-wrote and produced Josh-n-Tati’s Racist Comedy Special. After graduating with an MFA in dramaturgy from the University of Massachusetts, Tatiana worked as the Company Dramaturg for WAM Theatre in the Berkshires and as co-Artistic Director of Impro Theatre in Los Angeles. She currently works as Literary Manager at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

Carla Jackson: A seasoned marketing and public relations professional with over twenty years of experience, Carla Jackson creates favorable business-to-consumer and heart-to-heart/heart-to-mind relationships for clients including Nike, Austin Community College Center for Public Policy, the California Wellness Foundation, the California African American Museum, the “Hip-Hop International Dance Championship,” and for “Bright Now Beyond,” by the multi-award-winning, multi-hyphenated artist Daniel Alexander Jones. Previously, Carla served as a Program Manager at Center Theatre Group, the Administrator of the Theatre Program at Fordham University, Lincoln Center, and as the marketing manager on award-winning Broadway and off-Broadway productions, including August Wilson’s Jitney and King Hedley ll. She received her BA in Theatre Summa Cum Laude from Fordham University, her MFA in Theatre Management from the Yale Drama School, and her MSMI (Marketing Analytics) from Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business. Currently, Jackson serves at the David Geffen School of Drama, where she is the Assistant Dean and General Manager of the Yale Repertory Theatre, as well as Assistant Professor Adjunct of Theater Management.

Israel Jiménez is the Director of EDIA & Community Engagement for Round House Theatre. Prior to joining Round House, Israel served as Director of Community Engagement, where he oversaw community partnerships and programming including Public Works Houston, The Tommy Tune Awards Program, TUTS Spotlight Series, and the The Arts in Medicine Program, a collaboration of the preeminent Child Life and Expressive Therapies team at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. Israel is an immigrant from Mexico City. His play, Yo Soy Frida, won a Dorothy Webb Playwright Award at the Write Now symposium and was selected to be published as part of the second edition of the anthology, Palabras del Cielo: An Exploration of Latina/o Theatre for Young Audiences.

Vanessa Lopez-Moratalla (she/her) has held several positions in Finance and HR at Roundabout Theatre Company over the past 7 years. During her time at Roundabout, she has served as an apprentice mentor, a member of the Programs and Communications Committees, and as an inaugural member of the EDI Transformation Team. Vanessa moved to NYC from Florida, where she grew up after immigrating from Venezuela. Prior to settling into her career at Roundabout, she held various positions at Berkshire Theatre Group, Maine State Music Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Studio Theatre. The performing arts have always been a focal point of her life, drawing her in after a performance in a middle school play. Quickly learning she was not meant for the stage, she embarked on her career behind-the-scenes as an arts administrator. She is a proud FSU alumna (Go 'Noles!) where she received a dual degree in both Finance and Theatre.

Zevity Lopez (she/her) is a proud Latina from Texas who is a theatre maker/administrator that specializes in producing and general management. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater Arts with a minor in Business Management from Molloy University/CAP 21 (NYC). Following graduation, she originated a role in a new, immersive musical, The Imaginaries, at the Bay Area Children's Theatre (CA). She is proud to have been the first Diversity Producing Fellow at Dallas Theater Center (TX). After her fellowship, she became the Assistant Producer for His Story: The Musical working alongside a Broadway team bringing commercial musical theater to Texas. Since the show closed, she is currently working as the Contracts Coordinator at Dallas Theater Center. She is passionate about producing new works from voices that have been silenced, unheard, or underrepresented and wants to bring them to the forefront of the theater industry while also creating accessibility/equity to those wanting to see theater. Outside of theater, you can find her playing board games, taking walks, going to bingo nights, and spending time with loved ones.

Logan McDowell (he/they) is a Black and Indigenous transgender artist from Prince George's County Maryland, home of the Piscataway and Nacotchtank peoples. With a lens focused on queer and gender non-conforming people оf color, he uses visual art, carpentry, photography, and collaborative projects to create work that reflects the authenticity and beauty within his intersecting communities. Logan has a heart and passion for creating physical and visual space for Black and brown people of all gender representations to feel seen, uplifted, loved, and affirmed. He is a self-taught painter with strengths in oil, acrylic, and watercolor paints. In high school, Logan was the student body president and the chair of the newly founded Equity Club, where he was granted the opportunity to attend the National Association for Independent School's People of Color Conference in New Orleans. It shaped his passion for IDEA work and propelled him down the rabbit hole in pursuit of helping others like him. As an undergraduate student at Temple University, Logan majored in Theater Technology and Design in pursuit of a degree in set design and scenic painting. Though most of his time was spent in the scene shop, Logan and a group of other Black students felt there was a lack of diversity represented in the productions on Temple’s main stage. The collective of students founded Each Other for Each-Other, a Black and brown led student organization that was formed to create equitable opportunities for all actors in the department, and they put on a production of “A Day of Absence” by Douglas Turner Ward. Logan is currently a full-time scenic carpenter and an active member of the IDEA Committee at Arena Stage in Washington, DC.

Natajia “Tay” Sconiers (she/her) is a Black theatre and teaching artist from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. She graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in theatre arts. A former Arden Apprentice (class 26) and Acting Apprentice at Delaware Shakespeare, she started out in Costume Design and quickly developed a love for all aspects of theatre. Working onstage, backstage and administratively at multiple theaters, including McCarter Theatre Center, and Freedom Theater. She is currently the Artistic Associate and Company Manager at Delaware Theatre Company, Board member of Philadelphia Artists’ Collective and a member of Theatre Contra. Forever grateful to her family for always supporting her artistic endeavors.

Amanda Tralle (she/her) started her theatre career 10 years ago as a stage manager in New York. She received her BA in Theatre Design & Production from Fordham University at Lincoln Center. After stage managing various productions, she moved to Los Angeles in 2018 to pursue makeup artistry. Since then, she's designed for music videos, commercials, short films, and theatrical productions. Amanda found her next opportunity coming out of lockdown at Pasadena Playhouse, where she's been incredibly grateful for the staff, teams, and artists she works with. When not at the Playhouse, you can find Amanda roller skating, finding a new boba tea spot, or at home with her two cats.

MENTORS

Lawrence Bennett hails from Houston, TX. Before coming to the Alliance, he served as the Director of Production at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, where he worked with Hana Sharif, the first Black woman to be the Artistic Director of a LORT Theatre. Bennett was one of only five Black people to ever be a director of production at a LORT institution. Previous to working at The Rep, Bennett was the Associate Production Manager at Baltimore Center Stage. Prior to working in production management, he spent ten years working as a technical director at various colleges across the country, including the University of Texas, University of South Florida, and others. He has also worked all over the country at various summer stock theatres including Williamstown Theatre Festival, Utah Shakespeare Festival, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Bennett serves as commissioner of the Management Commission and as member of the IDEAS committee for the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT), a national organization that promotes dialogue, research, and learning among practitioners of theatre design and technology and includes members at all levels of their careers. Bennett is also one of the co-chairs of the IDEAS and membership committees for the Production Managers Forum, which is the network for Production Managers of non-profit theatre, dance, and opera companies and educational theatres in North America. Bennett has worked with titans of the theatrical community, including, but not limited to Kwame Kwei-Armah, Hana Sharif, Stephanie Ybarra, David Stewart, Rick Noble, Cary Gillett, Dennis Dorn, Amelia Acosta Powell, Robert Ramirez, and others. Bennett received his MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his BFA from the Sargent Conservatory at Webster University.

Jennifer Bielstein (Executive Director) joined A.C.T. in 2018. She serves on the board of TCG (Theatre Communications Group), is a member of the International Women’s Forum, the Advance SF Advisory Panel and the leadership team of the SF Arts Alliance, was part of Mayor Breed’s Economic Recovery Task Force, and is the immediate past-president of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT)—an organization that represents 80 theaters nationwide—having previously served as LORT’s vice president; chair of its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee; secretary; and on multiple union negotiating teams. She has been recognized as among the 25 Most Influential San Franciscans of 2020 by San Francisco Magazine, along with Pam MacKinnon, and as one of the Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business by the San Francisco Business Times in 2021. Before relocating to the Bay Area, Bielstein was the managing director of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, managing director of Actors Theatre of Louisville, and executive director of Writers Theatre in Chicago. She has also worked for Steppenwolf Theatre Company, About Face Theatre, Northlight Theatre, and the Lincoln Park Zoo, as well as served on the boards of the League of Chicago Theatres, the Arts and Cultural Attractions Council, and other civic boards. She has received the Center for Nonprofit Excellence’s Pyramid Award of Excellence in Leadership, has been recognized as one of Louisville’s Business First’s 40 Under 40, was named by Twin Cities Business as a Person to Know, and a Minnesota Business magazine Real Power 50 member. Bielstein is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, attended Stanford’s Graduate School of Business Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders in the Arts, and received an MBA from Bellarmine University, where she received the MBA Faculty Merit Award, was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the honor society for business programs and in 2021 was recognized as a Distinguished Alumna.

Andy Chan Donald (he/him/his) was named one of S.F. Business Times “40 Under 40.” Currently the Associate Artistic Director at the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), he oversees the producing of the mainstage season and the development of new work. He was previously Producer of Artistic Development and Community Programming at NJPAC. Highlights: Wakey, Wakey (w/ Tony Hale), The Great Leap (w/ BD Wong), Seascape (dir. Pam MacKinnon), Vietgone and Poor Yella Rednecks, The Hip Hop Nutcracker (int’l tour; U.S. cultural exchange), John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown (filmed, HBO), The Music Man (dir. Robert O’Hara); Hippest Trip-The Soul Train Musical (2023; pre-Broadway); The Lehman Trilogy (Int’l tour; National Theatre). Artistic Director, Naked Angels (4 seasons, NYC): Next Fall (Broadway, 2 Tony Nominations) and This Wide Night (w/ Edie Falco and Alison Pill, 5 Lortel nominations). Former Board Vice President: Theatre Bay Area. Education: BFA, NYU/Tisch; MFA, Columbia; Barbara Whitman Prize for Theatre Management & Producing.

Samantha De La Riva (she/her/ella) is the General Manager for Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ. Originally from San Diego, CA, Sam was most previously the Assistant General Manager at La Jolla Playhouse but held various positions, from her original start as an intern. During her tenure, the Playhouse transferred five productions to Broadway, including Come From Away, Indecent, Diana, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, and SideShow, and developed the Without Walls (WOW) Festival into an annual site-specific festival, where she served on the producing team. She is a proud mentee of the inaugural 2019 LORT EDI mentorship cohort. Other prior institutions include Asolo Repertory Theater and The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. When away from the American Theater, Sam trains in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and raises an amazing human, Ashton Mackenzie who terrorizes their dog, Princeton.

Rebecca Ende Lichtenberg is the Executive Director at Studio Theatre, where she has led the institution for five seasons. She served as the Managing Director of Theater J for eight seasons, during which time she led the theatre through an Artistic Director transition and was instrumental in growing income by 29 percent. Prior to that, she worked in arts marketing at Sitar Arts Center, Theater J, and Ford’s Theatre. She previously served as the President of the Board of Forum Theatre, the Chair of the Adjudication Committee for theatreWashington, and a Helen Hayes Judge. She holds an MA in Arts Administration from Columbia University, a Certificate in Budgeting and Finance from Georgetown University, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management program.

Marissa Lynn Jones is the Executive Director of The League of Chicago Theatres, a non-profit organization serving over two hundred (200) theatres across the city of Chicago and Chicagoland area. She believes and is dedicated to the power of storytelling to transform the narrative that shapes humanity. After joining the League in 2022 Marissa instituted the organizations new Hot Tix model expanding access to discounted tickets for audiences, increased membership access for new and emerging theatres, produced the League’s first career fair, partnered with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and Choose Chicago for a mayoral declaration of fall as officially theatre season in the city, developed the Spotlight Ticket Initiative to highlight industry workers, developed the Backstage Champion grant award in partnership with Broadway in Chicago to support unsung heroes in the theatrical community, and partnered with Theatre Communications Group (TCG) to bring the national theatre conference to Chicago in 2024 serving as conference co-chair. Prior to joining the League of Chicago Theatres Marissa was the Associate Managing Director and IDEAA Director at Goodman Theatre where she managed the implementation of Goodman’s strategic plan around Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Access, and Anti-Racism and helped artists share diverse stories on and off stage around the city of Chicago. During her tenure at Goodman she led several projects including the Chicago August Wilson Festival, Goodman Theatre’s first Black Theatre Summit, the Chicago Accessibility Summit in partnership with the Chicago Community Trust and served on the Joyce Foundation’s Spotlight Grant Committee. Through her personal mission she spearheaded Goodman’s Black Words Matter Celebration and curated Goodman’s first sensory friendly and touch tour performances. Marissa served on the League of Resident Theatres EDI and Mentorship Committee, on the board for Haven Theater Company in Chicago, and held previous positions at Collaboraction Theatre, Broadway in Chicago, and American Theatre Company. She graduated from Drake University with a BFA in Theatre Acting and BSBA in International Business. Marissa was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, IL in the Woodlawn neighborhood and currently resides in Bronzeville with her husband Jay who she signs up for every show possible.

Eric Keen-Louie (he/him/his), Executive Producer, joined La Jolla Playhouse in September, 2018, after seven years at The Old Globe, where he started as Associate Producer and later became Associate Artistic Director. At the Globe, he helped guide nearly fifty productions, including the pre-Broadway productions of Bright Star, Allegiance and the Tony Award-winning A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. He co-created the theater’s new play development initiative The Powers New Voices Festival and helped launch the arts engagement programs Community Voices and Globe for All. Keen-Louie spent three years at The Public Theater as the Assistant to the Associate Producer and then Director of Special Projects, working on world premieres by Richard Nelson, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Stephen Sondheim, as well as the Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Hair and the creation of The Mobile Unit. Independently, he produced Kingdom and the GLAAD Media Award-winning when last we flew. He also assisted Broadway producer Margo Lion on Hairspray and Caroline, or Change. He is a recipient of The Edward & Sally Van Lier Arts Fellowship for Producing and an alumnus of American Express’ Leadership Academy. He serves as Secretary for the National Alliance of Musical Theatre’s Board of Directors and chairs the organization’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Committee and New Works Committee. He graduated with a B.A. in Dramatic Literature from New York University and an M.F.A. in Theatre Management and Producing from Columbia University, where he received a Dean’s fellowship. He shares his commute to La Jolla with his husband Anthony Keen-Louie, an administrator in student affairs at UC San Diego. He is a proud third-generation Chinese-American.

Kate Liberman (she/her) is the Executive Director for Trinity Rep. She previously served as Managing Director of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival from 2015 through 2022. In this role she supported the company’s growth operationally, financially, and artistically including overseeing a major capital project and campaign. She previously served as General Manager at The Laguna Playhouse, where she worked on strategic planning, a fiscal turnaround, and capital improvements. She has also served as Associate Managing Director at Yale Repertory Theatre, Managing Director of Yale Summer Cabaret, Managing Director Fellow at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and as Associate Manager of Development at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC where she executed a successful $10M campaign for the 2008 festival, Arabesque: Arts of The Arab World. She holds an MFA in theater management from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, an MBA from Yale School of Management, and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, summa cum laude. At Yale, she was the recipient of the Morris J. Kaplan Prize for recognition in theater management. She is a recipient of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship and served as President of the Truman Scholars Association. In 2017, Kate received the Business Council of Westchester’s 40 Under 40 Rising Star Award. She proudly serves as the immediate past president of the Cold Spring Area Chamber of Commerce. Originally from the Boston area, Kate lives in Cranston with her wonderful husband, Eric, and her son, Toby.

Tricia N. Patrick is an arts administrator who believes in the arts as a catalyst for conversation and change. Her pursuit of a performance career took her across the country and beyond, eventually landing in Berlin, Germany. There, she discovered her love for theater for young audiences, developing her skills as an educator and workshop facilitator. Upon her return to the United States, she took on the leadership of a small children's theater company in New York City. With a desire to invest in her growing role as an arts administrator, she returned to academia. In 2019 she attained a Masters in Arts Administration and Entrepreneurship from the New School. She has worked as the Director of Community Engagement for Working Theater and the Director of Education and Public Engagement at MCC Theater in New York City. Tricia was a member of the inaugural 2020 BIPOC Leadership Circle and in the spring of 2022, she completed the Theater Producers of Color, Producing 101 certificate program. Her current role as Director of Education at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. means that she now gets to call the nation's capital her home. She is the daughter of an incredible mother, and the mother of an incredible daughter.

Mike Schleifer joined the Alliance Theatre in 2014 as the General Manager and in 2016, assumed the role of Managing Director, overseeing all operational, marketing, financial and fundraising activities. During his time at the Alliance, Mike has led the administrative and producing team on over 100 productions including bringing TUCK EVERLASTING, THE PROM and WATER FOR ELEPHANTS to Broadway. He was one of the architects of the 2018 “On the Road” season while a multi-million dollar renovation of the Coca-Cola Stage was underway. Mike is excited to have started the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee at the Alliance and to serve on the board of the League of Resident Theatres and True Colors Theatre Company. Prior to Atlanta, he spent 13 years at Baltimore’s Center Stage working in several roles including Associate Producer, Production Manager and Resident Stage Manager. While in Baltimore, Mike was an adjunct faculty member at Towson University and has guest lectured all over the country. Mike began as a Stage Manager and has over 50 stage management credits between his time in New York and working regionally. Mike is married to theater director, intimacy director and educator Laura Hackman and the proud father of two boys, Jack and Ben.

LORT EDI Mentorship Subcommittee

Caitlin Crombleholme, Associate General Manager, Alley Theatre

Amy Dalba, General Manager, American Conservatory Theater

Corinne Deckard, General Manager, Asolo Repertory Theatre

Samantha De La Riva, General Manager, Two River Theater Company

Jeff Rodgers, Member at Large & Chief Financial Officer, Showing Up for Racial Justice