Our mission matters... to ignite the artistic freedom of performing artists of the Global Majority (85% of the global population) who are poised to create new artistic works, new ideas, and a new world in which ALL people can flourish.
Due to persistent and longstanding inequitable systems and structures, artists and institutions of the Global Majority remain the underinvested communities of the 21st century and yet...
Harlem Stage is forged in a crucible of a creative fire whose flames and embers may waver, still — undeterred by overwhelming odds — we will continue to be a conduit for freedom, a lens to focus the issues of our time, and a light to illuminate any darkness.
Dr. Indira Etwaroo | CEO & Artistic Director | Harlem Stage
WATERWORKS EMERGING ARTISTS SPOTLIGHT
Saturday, December 7 at 7pm ET I Harlem Stage
Running Time: 120 mins
For nearly 30 years, Harlem Stage’s WaterWorks Emerging Artists Program, formerly Fund for New Work (FFNW), has provided commissioning grants to emerging artists of the Global Majority. Today, the program continues this tradition by providing foundational support and a creative home. The year-long program offers a commissioning grant, peer-to-peer learning among a multidisciplinary cohort, mentorship, critical feedback, and professional development workshops. Throughout the duration of WaterWorks, artists develop an original performance piece, presented as part of a work-in-progress showcase at the historic Harlem Stage.
The 2024 WaterWorks Artists cohort comprises: dancer, vocalist, choreographer, and writer Marie Lloyd Paspe; kathak dancer, choreographer, and educator Barkha Patel; actor, author, podcaster, playwright, and storyteller Christopher Rivas; writer, independent producer, and director Marie Thomas; and saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins.
The WaterWorks Emerging Artists Program is supported by a grant from the Jerome Foundation. Other supporters of the WaterWorks Emerging Artists Program are the Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Thompson Family Foundation, and the Leonard & Robert Weintraub Family Fund.
STONE BELLY
By Marie Lloyd Paspe
STONE BELLY is a biomythographical work that re-turns the mga katawang lupa (Tagalog for “earthly bodies”) dis-membered from their homelands, back home. Taking place inside the stone-filled belly of the Philippine crocodile, the work re-myths the Philippine legends surrounding the crocodile as an ancestral vessel between this world and the next, and the bodies of land/spirit swallowed in their migration to the next life. Through this fellowship, we explored the protection of sacredness, and the invisible, tectonic labours of our ancestral mothers (of body/of earth) that have shaped our worlds.
We want to thank Harlem Stage for this opportunity for this first excerpt of STONE BELLY.
Marie Lloyd Paspe (she/her)
Marie Lloyd Paspe (she/her) is a Filipina-American choreographer, dance and vocal artist, educator, and writer re-rooting the brown Asian body in the liberatory practice of kapwa (Tagalog for “I and the Other are One”). Her practice re-imagines forgotten memories that are sown into the genetic manuscripts of the body’s fascial maps. She is of Batangueña and Ilonggo lineage of Philippine islands Luzon and Panay. She is a former performer with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, having received a Bessie for Outstanding Choreography with the company for contributions to Deep Blue Sea (2021). She has been a Target Margin Theater Institute Fellow, GALLIM Moving Artist Resident, Asian American Arts Alliance Jadin Wong Fellow, and Creatives Rebuild New York GIA recipient. https://www.marielloydpaspe.com
Luna Beller-Tadiar (she/they)
Luna Beller-Tadiar is a queer Filipinx-US-American multi-media artist and performer who works on kinesthetic processes of gender, colonialism, diaspora, and new media. With a movement background in aikido, capoeira, tango, and contemporary dance, her work across media investigates a chameleon-like body that transforms through linguistic and socio-kinesthetic forms. Luna’s work has been shown at Mark Morris Dance Center, the 92NY, ADF’s Movies by Movers, and in 2024 earned her recognition as a Jadin Wong Artist of Exceptional Merit from the Asian American Art Alliance.
Ching-I Chang (she/her)
Made in Taiwan, active in America and quiet places. She has a deep love for dance and nurturing harmony. She has worked with Gesel Mason, Michel Kouakou, Punchdrunk, Susan Marshall, Wendy Jehlen and many brilliant artists. She received her MFA from University of Utah in 2017. She is a Certified Laban/Bartenieff Movement Analyst, Yoga and Yoga Nidra Meditation Facilitator. And she loves bananas. https:// www.chingichangbigelow.com/
Paulina Meneses (she/they)
Paulina Meneses (she/they) is a Filipino-American dancer, choreographer’s assistant, and arts administrator hailing from Las Vegas, NV. She graduated magna cum laude from SUNY Purchase with a BFA in Dance and minor in Arts Management. During their time in college, they performed works by Kimberly Bartosik, Shannon Gillen, Xan Burley, Sue Bernhard, Alexandra Beller, and Trisha Brown. Now based in New York City, she has worked with esteemed artists including Doug Varone and Dancers, Dylan Crossman, Periapsis Music & Dance, Hannah Garner’s 2nd Best Dance Company, and Kyle Abraham on his New York City Ballet premiere, “The Runaway.” In addition to Marie Lloyd Paspe, Paulina currently collaborates and dances for MeenMoves, Peter Stathas, Johnnie Cruise Mercer, and Julia Antinozzi.
Annie MingHao Wang (she/they)
Annie MingHao Wang (she/they) is a freelancer based in New York. She is a 2024 LMCC Manhattan Arts Grantee, a 2022-2024 Movement Research Artist-in-Residence, and a 2024 Marble House Project Artist-in-Residence. Other residences awarded include Leimay Foundation, BRIC, and the Atlantic Center for the Arts. Their work has been presented by Pioneers Go East’s Out-FRONT! festival, Movement Research @Judson, Leimay’s OUTSIGHT series, Five Myles, Brooklyn’s Center for Performance Research, the Exponential Festival, and BRIC. Annie currently performs with Reggie Wilson/Fist and Heel Performance Group, Marie Lloyd Paspe, Sugar Vendil, 水素co. (suisoco.), and Same As Sister.
treya lam (they/them)
treya lam is a composer, interdisciplinary performing and recording artist whose intersecting identities ignites their work. lam’s voice culminates in liberation-oriented songwriting and environmental scores throughout solo and collaborative work that “perfectly captures the mixture of love, loss and hope” (Smithsonian Magazine). treya’s debut Good News was released via Kaki King’s label. Their song “Dawn” was featured on the RRC’s album This Joy released on Righteous Babe Records. They’ve been a OneBeat Fellow and Joe’s Pub Working Group resident. lam has shared stages with Ani DiFranco, Valerie June, Allison Russell, and has headlined at Lincoln Center and MASS MoCA. https://www.
Sugar Vendil (she/they)
Sugar Vendil is an award-winning Filipinx American composer, pianist, and interdisciplinary artist. A mother, partner, and notebook fiend, she lives in Lenapehoking/Brooklyn. Vendil’s work spans acoustic and electronic music, and performance that integrates sound and movement. “Antonym: the opposite of nostalgia,” a memoir of a Filipinx American, will be premiered by Vendil and her ensemble, isogram, in 2026. Vendil loves to collaborate. Her “Simple Tasks 2” is on Jennifer Koh’s GRAMMY-award winning album “Alone Together.” She scored Jih-E Peng’s “May We Know Our Own Strength” and “GATHER,” short films based on Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya’s installations. Her album, “May We Know Our Own Strength: is out on Gold Bolus Recordings. https://sugarvendil.com/
Cate
McCrea (she/her)
Cate McCrea is a scenographer specializing in collaborative development of new works. Her designs are inspired by and drawn from craft techniques, recycled materials, and archival collections. Recent work off-Broadway: The Keep Going Songs (LCT3), The Good John Proctor (Bedlam), Corsicana (Playwrights Horizons, co-design with Lael Jellinek). Other work at the Kitchen, Danspace Project, the Brick, New Ohio Theatre, the Tank; and with The Acting Company, Little Opera Theatre of New York, and the Drama League. Cate is a New Jersey native and a member of USA 829.
Jana Lynne (JL) Caldetera Umipig (she/her/siya)
Jana Lynne Caldetera Umipig, Lawag Nakem, Sidlan Laya, mother of Kalilaya Amorosa Umipig-Candelario, life partner of Enmanuel Candelario and daughter of Rosemarie Caldetera Umipig (Pagudpud, Ilokos Norte) and Godofredo Peralta Umipig (Santa Maria, Ilokos Sur) was born and raised in Honolulu on the Kingdom of Hawaii. She uses multidisciplinary artistic expression, bodywork healing, and decolonial education for liberation to support her work in cultural organizing. She is the Director of Arts and Cultural Organizing at El Puente succeeding founder Frances Lucerna, founder of Center for Babaylan Studies’ Decolonization School and Artistic Director of Raised Pinay. Creative works include Journey of a Brown Girl and Kapwa Tarot.
yuniya edi kwon (she/her)
yuniya edi kwon is a violinist, vocalist, and interdisciplinary performance maker based in New York City. Her practice connects composition, improvisation, movement, and ceremony to explore transformation & transgression, ritual practice as a tool to queer space & lineage, and the use of mythology to connect, obscure, and reveal. She is a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Robert Rauschenberg Awardee, Arts Fellow at Princeton University, Civitella Ranieri Fellow, Van Lier Fellow & Resident Artist at Roulette Intermedium, Johnson Fellow at Americans for the Arts, and United States Artists Fellow. www.edikwon.net
Photo credit: Titilayo Ayangade
Photo credit: John Robert Hurley
Maxine Ann Evangelista (she/her)
Maxine Ann Evangelista creates pathways intersecting her various artistic interests - movement, writing, film, and live performance. Her passions lie in tending to her Filipino ancestral roots through storytelling, creatively documenting authentic voices, and nurturing her relationship with her daughter. Maxine is a Producer for stage and film, focusing on projects examining the Philippine identity (Raised Pinay, bumalik: sirkulo, MAARTE). She was previously a Booking Agent for national & international touring productions, Fundraising & Event Coordinator for dance companies and choreographers, and has performed professionally in NYC and CA. She is also a Manager, Video Editor, and Producer of media company Dream But Don’t Sleep.
Nikaio Bulan Sahar Thomashow (they/he)
Nikaio is a Jewish and Filipino-American dancer, composer, and educator originally from Northern NY. They graduated from Oberlin College in 2018 and then served as the Shansi Fellow at Universitas Gadjah Mada (Indonesia). They’ve worked with companies such as Daloy Dance Company (Philippines) and EMERGE125 (NYC). Nikaio is currently a teaching artist for the Misty Copeland Foundation BE BOLD program, as well as the director of KAŌS Dance Collective. Nikaio and KAŌS have presented works for organizations such as NYS DanceForce and Movement Research at the Judson Memorial Church, and have held residency at TOPAZ ARTS and Green Space.
Director, Choreographer, Co-Composer, Performer: Marie Lloyd Paspe
Contributing Choreographers and Performers: Luna Beller-Tadiar, Ching-I Chang, Paulina Meneses, Annie MingHao Wang
Composers and Live Musicians: treya lam, sugar vendil
Set Designer: Cate McCrea
Knowledge Bearer, Doula: Jana Lynne Umipig and Kilusan Circle
Mentor: yuniya edi kwon
Producer: Maxine Ann Evangelista
Rehearsal Assistant: Nikaio Bulan Sahar Thomashow (they/he)
Costume Design: Marie Lloyd Paspe, Ching-I Chang
Music Influences: “Kahit Limutin Mo” by Diomedes Maturan; “Luksampati (Song of Grief and Courage” from Philippines: Bangon! Arise! Songs of the Philippine National Democratic Struggle
Inspired by stories told by Myla T. Luna of Taal Volcano in Mataas Na Kahoy, Batangas and Marcelino G. Paspe of Iloilo City, Iloilo; the birth of my nephew Skyler, mythology from JL Umipig’s Kapwa Tarot; essays from Babaylan: Filipinos and the Call of the Indigenous by Leny Mendoza Strobel; and my mga minamahal na kapwa from Kilusan Circle.
STONE BELLY is commissioned by Harlem Stage and developed with funding from Creatives Rebuild New York Guaranteed Income for Artists and Target Margin Theater Institute Fellowship. It is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC). Marie Lloyd Paspe is a TOPAZ ARTS 2024-25 AAPI Artist in Residence which supports and celebrates new works by Asian American and Pacific Islander dance artists.
Ramti Aave - Her Playful Arrival
By barkha patel
Audre Lorde’s Uses of the Erotic has given barkha words for a truth about centering pleasure in a way that was previously inexplicable but that she felt deeply. barkha saw a connection between Lorde’s words and what Goddess Kali represents: that centering pleasure is not confined explicitly to sexuality. Pleasure’s knowledge is also deeply embedded in our daily activities, in “our history, our dancing, our loving, our work, our lives.”
Looking beyond herself, barkha searched within her lineage of female ancestors, to realize that those women too engaged with the erotic in ways they did not have words for. This has given way to tonight’s new work: Ramti Aave - Her Playful Arrival.
Set in a dreamscape, where barkha’s most hidden parts are revealed and released, she receives messages about the erotic from Goddess Kali who playfully arrives in the people around her who seem to have become different versions of her. barkha observes them, and attempts to embody them. She wonders what can expanding the erotic into and beyond the sexual do to account for women’s pleasures? Especially when our many tongues fail to give us language to speak about it.
barkha patel
barkha patel is a kathak dancer, choreographer, educator, collaborator, and the Artistic Director of barkha dance company (bdc) based in NYC. bdc aims to uphold the traditional lineage of kathak and mindfully create contemporary works that uncover new movement possibilities and means of storytelling within the form. patel has performed solo and ensemble works at dance festivals in India and the U.S. Her work has had the opportunity to present at venues such as Jacob’s Pillow, Little Island, and Chelsea Factory among others. patel was a recipient of the ‘23 Juried Bessie Award. She was recently named a finalist for the National Dance Project grant with NEFA and recipient of the Princess Grace Award ‘24.
Punita Patel
Punita Patel is an independent Indian crafts artist, garba performer, chef, baker, and founder of Abhita Kitchen, where she specializes in creating traditional Indian sweets. A lifelong collaborator with her daughter, barkha, Patel plays an integral role in barkha’s creative journey. At the heart of Patel’s life is a commitment to her community in the U.S. and in India, at which her culinary creations take center stage. She has had the opportunity to perform in past works created by barkha, most recently at barkha’s company showcase and at Lincoln Center’s Out of Door Summer Stage program.
Nikita Shah
Nikita Shah (b. Mumbai, India) is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and independent scholar based in Brooklyn, New York. Best known for her practice in Kalamkari (a 3000-yearold textile craft) and community, Shah has worked for over a decade spanning across techniques of weaving, embroidery, prints, paints, and craft over 13 textile clusters in India. Through her brand untitle she works in areas of design, costume, and styling at various intersections to make South Asian textiles, sarees, and fashion relevant to the contemporary world.
Anisha Ogale
Anisha Ogale is a full-time strategy consultant and parttime dancer and choreographer based in Manhattan. She is trained in Kathak, jazz, and contemporary styles of dance. Through performance and pro-bono philanthropy, she is committed to upholding and developing diasporic art forms.
Juhi Desai
Juhi Desai is a native New York City-based performer, creative producer, and journalist whose work spans dance, acting, and multimedia storytelling. She is trained in Kathak, Bharatanatyam, South Asian folk traditions, and West African movement styles. With a keen enthusiasm for storytelling across diverse mediums, Desai aims to examine the areas of self-discovery, social issues, and the intersection of art and identity. She has worked across the globe with a number of organizations as an executive and senior producer and has had the pleasure of working with barkha dance company since 2017.
Neelja Bhagat
Neelja Bhagat is a financial consultant and dancer, based out of New York City. She is classically trained in Kathak, receiving accreditations by the Prayag Sangeet Samiti institution in India. Her commitment to Kathak has acted as a foundation as she expands her portfolio to include other contemporary mediums and artistic disciplines today.
CREDITS
Choreography: barkha patel
Performers: Punita Patel, barkha patel, Anisha Ogale, Neelja Bhagat, Juhi Desai, Nikita Shah
Visual Design: barkha patel and Nikita Shah
Original Darbaar (alter) Artist: Punita Patel
Original Textile Tongue Artists: Nikita Shah assisted by Sonya P. Saint Dic (Special thanks to Materials for the Arts)
Costume Design: barkha patel, Nikita Shah assisted by Aditya Ambole
Sound Design: barkha patel, Shweta Pandya
Sound Arrangement/Mastering: Shweta Pandya
Vocals: barkha patel, Shweta Pandya
Mentor: Kareem Khubchandani
How To Get Free
By Christopher Rivas
This immersive three-act experience by Christopher Rivas confronts the human condition, revealing how our contemporary life bears striking parallels to the enduring curses of Sisyphus, Tantalus, and Narcissus.
Exploring the chaos of a memory you can’t let go of, capitalism’s relentless drive for “more,” and the self-entrapment of our social algorithms, Rivas delves into these ancient myths as mirrors of our modern struggles. Can these timeless stories offer a path to liberation from the madness of modern life? *Tonight you will be watching Act II - Tantalus
Christopher Rivas is a Rothschild Social Impact Fellow, a Ph.d candidate for Expressive Arts for Global Health and Peace Building, and quickly becoming one of the most sought after multi-hyphenates as an actor, author, podcaster, and storyteller. His book Brown Enough explores what it means to be Brown in a Black/white world. He also hosts two podcasts: Brown Enough, which explores the parallel themes of his book through interview-style episodes; and Rubirosa, a 10-episode documentary-style investigation of Porfirio Rubirosa, a Dominican diplomat, race car driver, soldier, and polo player who was the inspiration for ‘James Bond’. On screen, Rivas is known for his work on the Fox series, Call Me Kat, opposite Mayim Bialik, Leslie Jordan, Kyla Pratt, and Cheyenne Jackson. His latest book, You’re A Good Swimmer is an enchanting exploration of the journey of conception without gendered terms and inclusive of all family dynamics. If you’ve been born you’ve already won the biggest race of your life. Visit his website www.christopherrivas.com Instagram: @christopher__rivas
CREDITS
Written and Created by Christopher Rivas, in collaboration with Matthew G. Hill
Performed by Christopher Rivas
Directed by Matthew G. Hill
Original Music by Brad Culver
Projection Design by Yuki Izumihara
Sound Design by John Nobori
Live Camera Operation by Laura Bustillos-Jáquez
Technical Operation by Diego Caoilli
Producer: Amanda Cooper/ALC Management
FORGIVENESS: A LIFE LINE
By Marie Thomas
Thomas’s one-act play, Forgiveness: A Life Line was inspired by her relationship with her Father. In this piece, the main character, Mona, a high-achieving District Attorney, is unexpectedly forced to make a tough decision; Does she keep her estranged comatose Father on life support or pull the plug?
Marie Thomas is a published writer, independent producer, and director. As a modern-day renaissance woman, Thomas has shown her original theater production The Noir Door in Denver and New York City, having sold out in both cities. She has appeared in New York Magazine’s ‘The Cut’ podcast and CNN’s Head Line News, as an advocate of women’s rights and against sexual abuse. She is a Black and Chicanisma woman from Denver, Colorado, with a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies from Spelman College. While she has written, produced, and directed projects for others, her work often mirrors her persona. Her contemporary style, use of humor, and otherwise bold and playful aesthetic can be found in her creations and brand. Her personal artistic ethos centers cultural awareness through Afro-surrealism, ancestral thought, and magical realism.
CREDITS
Cast & Crew
Written and produced by Marie Thomas
Directed by Alexander Wasserman
Cast
Mona played by Marie Thomas
The Doctor played by Liza Pross
Dad played by Fidel Vicioso
Nina played by Natasha Walfall
Musical Scoring by Nathan Gantz
Reader: Jerome Preston Bates
ANTHEM
By Immanuel Wilkins
ANTHEM is a work written for a trio of performers: percussion and wind. It examines regality as design and the power of sound to disrupt. ANTHEM is about performance as a set of conditions, and improvisation or abstraction as a means of mining history carefully.The piece thinks through instruments as form or as a score that can be read using proximity, spatiality, and movement.
Immanuel Wilkins
Alto saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins burst onto the musical scene in 2020 with the release of his Blue Note recording debut, Omega Although just 22 at the time of its release, his quartet had already been together for years and their musicality is reflected in both the maturity of Wilkins’ sound and the sophistication and depth of his compositions. Accolades soon followed, including Omega being named the best new jazz release of 2020 by The New York Times and the best debut jazz album by NPR. In 2022, Wilkins released his sophomore album on Blue Note, The 7th Hand . Like his debut, The 7th Hand topped year-end lists including Jazzwise, NPR, The New York Times, and The Financial Times 2022 also opened up new touring opportunities. His quartet has toured throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and South America. In 2023, Wilkins was awarded with three Downbeat Critics Poll Awards: Best Alto Saxophonist, Best Rising Star Composer, and Best Rising Star Group. Wilkins has a bachelor’s degree in jazz studies from the Juilliard School.
Adriel Vincent-Brown
Adriel Vincent-Brown is a Trinidadian born drummer and composer. He began working professionally whilst still in elementary school, playing at church and with the local steel pan bands. Since having graduated from the New School for jazz and contemporary music he has been working as a professional musician both in the New York scene and internationally. Having appeared on mtv with rapper Trinidad James, earshot jazz festival with Giveton Gelin, and Metropolis festival with Immanuel Wilkins, Adriel is already considered one of the most versatile and diverse sidemen of our time. His band The force showcases this stellar young musician in the role of a leader.
CREDITS
Immanuel Wilkins, winds
Adriel Vincent-Brown, percussion
Austin Williamson, percussion
Torkwase Dyson, set design
Austin Williamson
Austin Williamson’s interdisciplinary practice architects inimitable musical and visual terrains. The work encompasses composition, production, and transmission. Williamson’s percussive fields reveal landscapes where ancestral lineages are conscious and vibrational ground is devotional. Within his multidimensional toolbox, the attention to heightened sensitivities through the act of deep listening and deep presence is of the essence. The modular connectivity of his work spans the ceremonial and collective, with details transcending beyond the sound itself.
Land Acknowledgement
The Harlem Stage Gatehouse sits on land that was stewarded by the Lenape Tribes and was violently overtaken, leading to the death and displacement of countless original inhabitants and stewards of this land. The colonial initiative of the United States of America not only invaded the land stewarded by Indigenous tribes, it also enslaved and exploited millions of Africans stolen from their land to build a free labor force under barbaric conditions that included the separation of families, brutal beatings, rape, and lynching. Harlem Stage seeks to partner with all communities, artists, and institutions of the Global Majority in the struggle for true equity and freedom.
Harlem Stage encourages all people to see this acknowledgment as a call to action to join our efforts and our mission to ignite the artistic freedom of performing artists of the Global Majority who are poised to build new artistic works, new ideas, and a new world in which ALL people can flourish.
Our Commitment to the Planet
Harlem Stage’s values are rooted in ensuring a sustainable planet. Because we see climate change as one of the most pressing issues of our time – an issue that disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities across the globe - we will continue to honor environmental initiatives both in our operations and programming. Our efforts in using less paper, transitioning to LEDs in our tech and operational spaces, and leaning into digital communications, we have reduced our carbon footprint by 2.5 tons this 2024 – 2025 season alone. Finally, we are proud to work with artists, such as Bebe Miller, who will explore the dynamic and thriving ecology of forests, as necessary to a sustainable planet, as part of our Spring 2025 E-Moves Festival.
HARLEM STAGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Angela Glover Blackwell
Jenna Bond
Jamila Ponton Bragg
Jamie Cannon, Vice President
JoAnn K. Chase
Hugh Dancy and Claire Danes
Dr. Indira Etwaroo
LaChanze Sapp-Gooding
Jenette Kahn
Courtney F. Lee-Mitchell, President
Channing Martin
Rebecca Robertson
Mark Thomas, Treasurer
Tamara Tunie
Blair Washington
Michael Young, Secretary
HARLEM STAGE STAFF
Acey Anderson – Maintenance Associate
Lamont Askins – Operations Manager
Jelani Buckner – Innovation Business Operations Management Director
Bethany Cintron – Community, Education, and Social Initiatives Manager
Dr. Indira Etwaroo – CEO & Artistic Director
Julianna Friedman – Associate Director of Individual and Foundational Giving
Deirdre May – Chief Content Communications Officer
Sarah McCaffery – Programming Manager
Andre Padayhag – Marketing Manager & Graphic Design
Carl Hancock Rux – Associate Artistic Director
Shanté Skyers – Director of Development
Karlvy Smith – Strategic Planning Manager
CONSULTANTS
Das, IT
Lutz & Carr/Chris Bellando, Accountants
Katie Burk, Graphic Design
Aon/Albert G. Ruben Company (NY)/Claudia Kaufman, Insurance
Margaret Hunt, Development
Dwight Johnson, Gala Consultant
Deniz Kofteci, Social Media & Website
Madison Consulting Group, Matt Lawrence
Manchester Benefits, Greg Martin
Jess Medenbach, Digital Video Services
Squire Media & Management, Public Relations
Marc Millman, Photography
Ncheng, LLP
Donna Walker-Kuhne, Community Engagement
HARLEM STAGE FAMILY OF SUPPORTERS
Endowment
Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation
Leonard and Sophie Davis Estate
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Public Support
National Endowment for the Arts—Chair, Maria Rosario Jackson,PhD
New York State Council on the Arts—Chair, Katherine Nicholls
The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs—Mayor Eric Adams and Commissioner Laurie Cumbo
The New York City Council—Councilmember Shaun Abreu and Councilmember Yusef Salaam
Manhattan Borough President– Mark Levine
Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone
Foundation Support
Altman Foundation
The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, Inc.
The Black Seed Fund
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Columbia Community Service
Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts
Davis/Dauray Family Fund
Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation
Francena T. Harrison Foundation
The Ford Foundation
The Harkness Foundation for Dance
The Hearst Foundations
The Howard Gilman Foundation
Jerome Foundation
Jewish Communal Fund
The Diana King Memorial Fund Presented by the Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation
Lambent Foundation/Tides Foundation
Lucille Lortel Foundation
(Foundation Support continued)
Mellon Foundation
Mertz Gilmore Foundation
Metzger-Price Fund
Miranda Family Fund
Pierre and Tana Matisse Charitable Foundation
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
The Scherman Foundation, Inc.
SHS Foundation
The Shubert Foundation, Inc.
The Thompson Family Foundation, Inc.
The Leonard and Robert Weintraub Family Fund
Corporate Support
ABC7
BET Networks
Berklee NYC
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids
Citi
City Winery
Consolidated Edison Company
The Estée Lauder Companies
Hell’s Kitchen The Musical
The Interpublic Group of Companies
JoAnn Chase Company
Leuchtturm1917
LCM/247
Manhattan Beer Distributors
Penguin Random House
The Public Theater
Pure Green
SESAC
Uncle Nearest
United Talent Agency
West Harlem Development Corporation
INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT
Randy Adams
Laura Aden
Charlene Adhiambo
Benjamin Angeloni
Jamison Antoine
Ngozi Anyanwu
Deborah Archer
Bernard Aronson
Lisa Arrindell
L. Kelly Atkinson Jr.
Roland Augustine
Arno Austin
Neal Baer
Catherine Baker-Pitts
Clare Baren
Betsie Becker
Stefany & Simon Bergson
Stephanie Berry
Jacqueline Beverly
Nilanjana Bhattacharjya
Robert D. Bielecki
Susan Bird
Richard Bizier
Daniel Black
Angela Glover Blackwell*
Patricia Blanchet
David Bogen
Bill Bragin
Andrea Brecker
Enrique Brown
Ronald K. Brown
Ben Brown
Richard Buery
Khephra Burns
Terry Burrell
Todd Steven Burroughs
Angela Butler
Arcell Cabuag
Megan Callari
Mary Schmidt Campbell
Jamie Cannon*
Patrice & William Cannon
Joe Capotorto
Gayle Capozzalo Heil
Hillary Carlip
Amy Cassello
Denis Cavanagh
JoAnn Chase*
Nancy Clipper
Michelle Coffey
Honeychild Coleman
Sharon Combs
Anita Contini
Stephanie Cook
Erica Corbin
Barry Cohen
Caroline Cronson
Pat Cruz
Joan Daidone
Sandra Daley
Hugh Dancy* & Claire Danes*
Milly Hawk Daniel
Zenzele Daniels
G. Jean Davis
Dolores Day Gilliard
Paul F. Dean Jr.
Anne Delaney
Janet Dewart Bell
Vijay Dharmapuri
Ingrid Doyle
Abigail Ehrlich
Michelle Elliott
John Ellis
Lauren Elmore
Cristina Enriquez-Bocobo
Dr. Indira Etwaroo*
Sehra Eusufzai
Joni Evans
Courtney Lee-Mitchell*
Susan Feder
Tovah Feldshuh & Andrew Levy
Tanya Fernando
Laura Flanders
Joy A. Flynt
Donald G. Fornoff
Neil Fox
Ian Friedman
Vivian & Paul Friedman
Viola Fulton
Neil Gaiman
Alex Gansa
Edward L. Geffner
Stuart Gelwarg
Dolores Day Gilliard
Lyn Godley
Arlene Gooding
Indira Goodwine-Josias
Todd Gordon
Porsha Grant
Elaine L. Greene
Steve Greer
Laura Greer
Michael Greif
Agnes Gund
Sharon Hall
Yvonne Hall
Eugene & Nora Hamond
Jody Harrow
John Haworth
Patrick Heaphy
Ruth & Stephen Hendel
Leon Henderson
Robert Hill
Navasha Hill
Hallie Hobson
Kinshasha Holman Conwill
William Holtzman
Winnie Holzman
Debra James
Ginger Johnson
Melissa Jones
Edward L. Jones
John Josephson & Carolina Zapf
Jenette Kahn* & Al Williams
Jeanette Kastenberg
Michael Kenny
James King
Steven Kirkpatrick
Laurie Klatscher
Daniel Klaus
Tim Knowling
Juan Lara
Brad Learmonth & Jon
Gilman
Kenneth Lee
Kenny Leon
Karen & Danny Lerner
Paul Levitz & Jeanette Cusimano
Loida N. Lewis
Jim & Beth Lewis and Family
Yang Li
Jeanine Liburd
Todd London
Mino Lora
Carey Lovelace
Contstance Maitland
Channing Martin*
Lucinda Martinez
Richard Massey
Gay McDougall
Kevin McNeal
Sherman & Chris Meloni
Linda Meresman
John Metzner
Elizabeth Minnich & Si Kahn
Bonnie J. Monte
Colin Montgomery
Justin Garrett Moore
Carol Wood Moore
Alexis Moore
Iona Morris Jackson
Matthew Morrison
Michael Mosley
Kelly Myers
Lynn Nottage
David O’Brien
Cynthia Oliver
Courtney O’Malley
Dan Osheyack
Gina Paige
Estelle Parsons
Richard D. Parsons
Marguerite Pitts
Will Pitts
Lisa G. Podulka
Stan Ponte
Jamila Ponton Bragg* & Alvin Bragg
John & Maxine Potts
Michelle Potts
Terri Prettyman Bowles
Ben Reese
Adaa Reyes
Diana Richardson
Adam Richman
Dee Dee Ricks
Rebecca Robertson* & Byron Knief
Verdery Roosevelt
Golda Rosheuvel
Gretchen Rubin
Judy Rubin
Tyhessia Salgado Perez
Kathryn Shattuck
Robinregina Shaw
Michelle Shay
Stefanie Siegel
Barbara Simino
Catherine Slade
Kenneth Small
Fran Smith
Ted Snowdon & Duffy Violante
Cleveland Solomon
Michael Sommerfield
Jason & Beth Spector
Devon Sprunk
Kenneth Stallings
Grace Stanislaus
Elizabeth Streb
Carol Strom
Hiroko Takada
Mark Thomas*
Michelle Thornhill
Teri & Lloyd Trotter
Tamara Tunie*
Melissa Vander Plaats
Reginald Van Lee
Deborah Velazquez
Blair Washington*
Jason Watt
Erica Webber
Theis Weckesser
Carrie Mae Weems
Fran & Barry Weissler
Charles Whelan
Cherl Williams
Naina Williams
Greg Williamson
Michael Young*
*Board Members
The above list reflects gifts received between July 1, 2023 and September 19, 2024. If your name has been omitted or misprinted, please accept our apologies and contact Development Manager, Julianna Friedman at jfriedman@harlemstage.org
