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MEET THE NWT STAFF!
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Andrea Assaf,
Artistic Director
Phone: 413-545-1972
andrea@theater.umass.edu |
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Andrea Assaf is New WORLD Theater's Artistic Director. She is a performer, writer, director and educator. She has a Master's degree in Performance Studies and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting, both from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Before joining NWT, Andrea was the Program Associate for Animating Democracy, a program of Americans for the Arts. Andrea has taught Acting Technique, Voice and Creative Movement in New York, Boston, and Washington DC, and was a founding member and faculty of the Meisner Extension studio in the Undergraduate Drama Department at NYU. Her performance work ranges from original, interdisciplinary solo and collaborative productions to spoken word. Recent directing and new works include: Shekadii Walaalo (Sister-Story) by the Walaalo! Somali Sisters Collective (2008); breaking letter(s) by Suheir Hammad (2008); Womb-Words, Thirsting by Lenelle Moïse (2007), Parang Sabil by Kinding Sindaw (2007); Eleven Reflections on September (poetry series, 2007), Fronteras Desviadas/Deviant Borders by Mujeres en Ritual (2005-06). In 2007, she was awarded a residency at the Hedgebrook retreat for women writers. Andrea serves on the National Steering Committee of CAATA (Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists) and is a member of Alternate ROOTS and RAWI (Radius of Arab American Writers). |
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Nadine Mazard
Interim Managing Director
Phone: 545-9601
nadinemw@admin.umass.edu |
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Nadine Mazard, Interim Managing Director, joined the New WORLD Theater staff this October. She has extensive financial experience at UMass, and she is the proud parent of Hurston St. Claire Leon Mazard Wallace. She received her undergraduate business degree in Accounting with a minor in Criminal Justice from California State University-Fullerton and is a Certified Public Accountant. She is also an attorney with her own law practice in Amherst. She is an active member of the community and loves to host parties and travel.
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Yvonne Mendez,
Director of Design & Publicity
Phone: 413-545-4161
yvonne@admin.umass.edu |
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Yvonne Mendez is a multimedia artist and graphic designer. Since 1987 she has worked at New WORLD, first as Managing Director and now as Marketing and Outreach Director. As a senior staff member, she helps with organizational development and policy and procedures as well as overseeing marketing, publicity and community outreach for all NWT programs and events. She also designs all our publicity materials and the NWT website. We credit her with NWT's strong visual identity and visibility in the community.
Yvonne earned a master's degree in Media Studies from The New School (NYC) and bachelor's degree in graphic design from Hampshire College. She maintains a growing freelance design business, Visual Concepts 123, offering video and web design to artists and non-profit groups. Some of her clients include the United Way of the Greater Pioneer Valley, Westfield State College, UMass Everyowman's Center, and others (visit www.visualconcepts123.com) In addition to her design work, Yvonne is a music producer. For many years she was the producer of the Bright Moments Music Festival. Last year she co-produced the 2nd Annual Pioneer Valley Latin Jazz Festival in Holyoke, MA. |
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Priscilla Page
Program Curator
Phone: 413-577-0567
pmpage@theater.umass.edu |
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Priscilla Page is dramaturg whose main interests include new play development and translation. Her current dramaturgical explorations include working with Migdalia Cruz on PELO, a Spanish language translation of the play FUR, Un/Knowing Desire and Empire by Mango Tribe, and production dramaturgy on Lydia on the Top Floor by Terry Jenoure. She is also in the early stages of editing an anthology of plays by Migdalia Cruz. Priscilla also teaches in the Department of Theater at UMASS and is developing a Multicultural Theater Practice Certificate with Andrea Assaf and Harley Erdman. She has served as the chair of the Advisory Board for the Women of Color Leadership Network, a program of the Center for Student Development.
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Chris Rohmann
Grants Coordinator
Phone: 413-577-0569
crohmann@acad.umass.edu |
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Chris Rohmann is responsible for writing and tracking the grant proposals that fuel our projects and programs. In his multifaceted career, he is also the theater critic for WFCR 88.5 Public Radio and the Valley Advocate, a theater director, teacher at the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts High School, and author of A World of Ideas: A Dictionary of Important Theories, Concepts, Beliefs & Thinkers. Beginning this spring, he is also the new host of "As Schools Match Wits," a TV quiz show that tests the knowledge of teams of high school students. |
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Nicole Young
Audience and Community Engagement Coordinator
Phone: 413-545-9591
nmyoung@acad.umass.edu
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Nicole M. Young began her journey into the recently created position of Audience and Community Development Coordinator in late August of 2007. In this role, she will cultivate new audiences through organizing educational and engagement activities, guide grassroots fundraising efforts, coordinate volunteers and foster community partnerships. In addition to having extensive experience in arts management, Nicole is a classically trained musician (clarinet, flute, viola and sax) and a theater director, dramaturg and actor who has done both stage and film work. She recently received her M.F.A. in Theatre Management from Wayne State University in Detroit, her hometown. She trained in audience development through her work with Classical Roots, a major fundraiser for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's African-American programming and outreach, and served on its steering committee for three years. A writer and performer, she also writes a column for the local community newspaper, An African American Point of View. |
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