To contact a staff member just use their first name @theatreactionproject.org

Staff
Florinda Bryant— Programming Specialist

Freddy Carnes—Artistic Associate

Heather Davis—Senior Grant Writer

Megan Fullen—Community Relations Manager

Chelsea Gilman-Business and Development Associate

Natalie Goodnow—Artistic Associate

Nitra Guitierrez—Middle School and High School Artistic Associate

Amanda Hashagen—Middle and High School Program Director

Elizabeth Kohout—Programming Assistant

Karen LaShelle—Executive and Artistic Director

Sarah Rinner—Elementary School Program Director

Francisco Rodriguez—Program and Marketing Coordinator

Emily Tindall—Program Manager

Dustin Wills—Programming Specialist

Teaching Artists
Theatre Action Project is proud of the talent, diveristy and professionalism of the teaching artists and educators working with us. Our teaching artists this season include: Epsie Randolph III, Natalie Holmes, Amy Downing, Chris Hatcher, Chase Crossno, Ignacio Cruz, Frank Nappi, Lillie Hollingsworth, Johnna Weaver, Erin Meyer, Peter Mendoza, Erika Gonzalez, Aron Taylor, Andy Dolan, Bryan J Ko, Keri Boyd, McArthur Moore, Braden Hunt, Kate Shaw, BethAnn Bacon, Derrick Washington, Mikyaka Cochrane, and Celina Aguilar.

Florinda Bryant — Programming Specialist
Florinda Bryant is an interdisciplinary artist and educator. Florinda is the Artistic Director of the Austin Project Performance Company, supported by the Center for African and African Americans Studies Department at the University of Texas. Florinda has worked with Theatre Action Project for over four years, and has been working with at risk youth for over ten years. Florinda currently servers as the Theatre Action Project After- School Program Specialist. Florinda recently directed and performed in the Artspark Festival 2008,award winning play "HUSH" and starred in the world premiere of Sharon Bridgforth's new work delta dandi.

Freddy Carnes — Artistic Associate
Freddy Carnes is an actor, producer, director, writer, composer and teacher who has won awards and recognition for his work with children including special recognition from Mayor Will Wynn and a B. Iden Payne award. He has co-written and directed over 40 operas with elementary school children and has produced several CD's of his original songs. Freddy's work with TAP includes "The Hamlet Project" which introduces at-risk youth to the joys of Shakespeare.  This year he is not only helping with his third First Night Austin parade, but he will be working on a year long after-school video project at Wooldridge Elementary based on "The Odyssey" by Homer with giant puppets and masks.

Heather Davis — Senior Grant Writer
Heather Davis has been working with TAP as a Teaching Artist and Programming Assistant since 2005. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy and the History of Math and Science from St. John's College and a Master's Degree from Goddard College. Her studies at Goddard combined coursework on youth development, arts education, and creative writing with her experience as a Teaching Artist for TRUCE, a nationally recognized after school arts program within the Harlem Children's Zone, Inc. in New York City. She has put her commitment to after school programs and arts education to use in Austin by teaching for the Dougherty Arts Center at local Rec Centers, working with Heart House's after school program, and volunteering for Communities in Schools. Heather brings her familiarity with innovative arts programming, her extensive experience as a teacher and writer, and the knowledge she's gained as a founding member of a local nonprofit to her new position as TAP's Senior Grant Writer, where she is very happy to be supporting TAP's mission and its crucial role in the local community.

Megan Fullen —Community Relations Manager
Megan Fullen began volunteering with Theatre Action Project in the Spring of 2009, assisting a Teaching Artist in TAP After School.  She quickly began devoting more time through participating in community events and became TAP Volunteer of the Month in June 2009. Megan is now working full time recruiting volunteers and managing community outreach.  She is passionate about the arts, civic engagement and fostering collaboration within the community.  Before joining TAP, Megan worked in Student Affairs at Austin Community College overseeing student activities and student clubs and organizations.  Megan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Purdue University.

Chelsea Gilman —Business and Development Associate
Since receiving her BA in Theatre at The University of Texas, Chelsea has worked abroad raising funds for Te Whaea in Wellington, New Zealand; in the artistic and management offices at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, CT; marketing for The Meadows Schools of the Arts at SMU in Dallas, TX; and she spent the last two years as Assistant Director for Greene Family Camp, a summer camp north of Austin, where she focused on camp development, among many other tasks.  She's very excited to have joined the TAP team and to be back in Austin, where she can be seen regularly performing in various improv comedy theatres around town.  

Nitra Gutierrez —MS/HS Artistic Associate
Nitra Gutiérrez is an interdisciplinary teaching artist with an  MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth from the University of Texas at Austin. She is the Artistic Director for the Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble.. She is also involved with the Voices Against Violence, a program that serves students at the University of Texas. Other applied theatre projects include teaching artist work with Hospital Audiences, Inc. in New York City and residencies in south Texas and rural Alaska. Nitra is also an active improviser, actor and playwright. She is a charter member of the 3Graces Theatre Co. (NYC), who received the 2007 Lucille Lortel Award  for the achievement of women in theatre.  She is also the co-creator of the Kidnapped by Craigslist play series, nominated for an Emerging Comedy New York Award.  Kidnapped by Craigslist has been produced in New York, Los Angeles, Austin and Phoenix.

Amanda Hashagen — Middle and High School Program Director
Amanda Hashagen is an artist, educator and facilitator who has used theatre for social change for more than 12 years.  In 1996 she obtained BA degrees in English and Theatre, and Secondary teaching certification from Benedictine College in Atchison, KS.  In 2000, she obtained an MA in Applied Theatre from the University of Manchester, UK.  There she studied TIE, Theatre of the Oppressed, and Prison Theatre under Tony Jackson and James Thompson. In 2005 Amanda obtained an M.Phil. in Drama from the University of Manchester. From 2001 – 2005, she used 4 field visits in Uganda to research how theatre can be used to involve women in the process of addressing their own development issues.  She has facilitated over 100 theatre programs, workshops, and trainings which incorporate Theatre of the Oppressed techniques with marginalized groups in the UK, Uganda, US, and Canada.  These groups have included teen prisoners, unemployed persons, newly immigrated persons, adjudicated youth, youth raised in foster care, and development workers. 

Elizabeth Kohout —Program Assistant
Elizabeth Kohout is an AmeriCorps VISTA. A native Austinite and lifelong arts enthusiast, she graduated from Williams College in 2008 with a B.A. in English and then moved to San Francisco. In the Bay Area, she worked as a tutor, grant writer, admistrative assistant, editor, volunteer coordinator, and freelance writer. She could not be more excited to be back in Austin and working with TAP. 

Karen LaShelle — Executive and Artistic Director
Karen LaShelle joined Theatre Action Project in 2003.  Since then, Karen has helped TAP grow from serving 800 young people to more than 15,000 each year.  She developed many of our current programs and projects, including TAP After School, The Heroes/Los Heroes and the current version of The Courage to Stand, amongst others.  Before joining TAP, Karen worked in the field of arts and education in both Chicago and New York where she developed her love of community-based work and youth development through the arts.  Karen holds a B.F.A. in Performance, Directing and Design from Illinois Wesleyan University and a M.A. in Community Based Arts from New York University. Karen was a member of the Create Austin cultural planning task force, is a member of Leadership Austin 2010, and in 2009 was a finalist for the 2009 Austin Under 40 Awards.

Sarah Rinner — Elementary School Program Director
Sarah Rinner works as the Elementary School Program Director for Theatre Action Project in Austin, TX, a nonprofit educational theatre company, where she oversees the after school program, teaches K-8th grade theatre arts throughout Austin in after school classes, and coordinates special projects, workshops, and programs. She graduated in May 2006 with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin.  In Lufkin and Victoria, Texas, she trained and mentored teachers in using drama as a teaching tool in the classroom, as well as assisted a peer theatre middle school group in devising and facilitation for performance techniques.  From 2005-2007, she directed plays for young audiences with Second Youth Family Theatre in Austin and coordinated their 2007 summer camps.  She developed curriculum and taught summer camps, after school classes and workshops for the Des Moines Community Playhouse in Des Moines, IA for over 6 years.  In December of 2000 she graduated from The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) with a BA in Theatre in Education and Design & Production. Most recently, Sarah co-coordinated a cross-generational outreach program for the 30-year anniversary of the UNI Theatre Department.

Francisco "Frank"Rodriguez — Program and Marketing Coordinator Frank graduated with a B.A. in Theatre and Dance from the University of Texas at Austin in December of 2005.  He is an actor, writer and a founding member of The Debutantes & Vagabonds, a local theatre troupe.  In 2007, Francisco won Austin’s ArtSpark Festival with an original production entitled “Hubris”.  Since 2008, Francisco has worked with Theatre Action Project as an actor in “The Heroes/ Los Heroes” and as a resident artist at Perez Elementary.  In late 2009 he became a happy addition to TAP’s full time staff and his excitement can best be described with the phrase; Gung-Ho!

Dustin Wills — Programming Specialist
Dustin Wills comes to Theatre Action Project from the Teatro L'Arciliuto/English Theatre of Rome in Rome, Italy where he worked as a playwright and director. His plays, Ophelia and The Hercules Cycle have been presented both in Austin and internationally. Dustin is a graduate of the University of Texas, with degrees in Theatre and Dance, English, and Italian. He won the 2006 Best Director award from the Austin Critics Table for his production of Cymbeline, or what i will and also is the recipient of the George H. Mitchell Award from the University of Texas Co-op. Additionally, Dustin serves as the Artistic Director of Tutto Theatre Company (working both in Austin and Rome). His specific interests in teaching include world cultures, theatre production, Shakespeare for youth, and large-scale puppetry. As the Interactive Program Specialist he works closely with the in-school touring programs as well as large-scale community projects like First Night and the Summer Pageant in the Park.

Emily Tindall — Program Manager Emily attended the University of Texas where she obtained a Bachelor's degree in Theatre with a focus in English. Since graduating, she has been working as an interdisciplinary teaching artist in community settings, bringing accessible art to our community and inspiring lifelong learning, growth and change in youth and their educational community. She also works with Tutto theatre company as an actress, and has received several Austin Critics Table and B. Iden Payne Award nominations for her work. This summer Emily joyfully took her work with Tutto overseas! Emily Tindall recently joined Theatre Action Project as the CYD program manager, and is so excited to bring new programming to her community!

Natalie Marlena Goodnow— Artistic Associate
Natalie Marlena Goodnow is a theatre artist, educator and cultural activist from Austin, Texas. She uses theatre as a tool for education with both youth and adults, utilizing dialogical, arts-based methods with which she nudges students and audiences towards deeper reflections on our relationships to place, in terms of: relationship to our own bodies, to our communities, and to the Earth. Natalie performs, directs, and writes; she's been doing some combination of those things for 15 years.  Recent projects include her solo, autobiographical play "Muntu," a reading in Vicki Grise's "blu," and directing Stamp Lab's "T.A.G.," which was awarded "Best of the Fest" in February 2009.  She is a proud alum of Southwestern University (2007), an Associate Company Member of Teatro Vivo, and looks forward to joining the 2011 cohort of the Austin Project.  This is her third year working with Theatre Action Project; she performs in "The Heroes/Los Heroes," teaches at T.A. Brown Elementary School, and writes curriculum.  Natalie is particularly excited to be working on TAP's First Night "Neighborhood Project" this year.