MARELLA MARTIN KOCH
FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
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MUSIC SUPERVISOR
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Aferdian is a musician, and holds degrees from Montclair State University, Tisch School of the Arts, and The Mannes School of Music. His “Overture Oneiric” was premiered by the New Jersey Youth Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Helen Cha-Pyo. He is currently at work on several projects.
ARTISTS COUNCIL
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Randall Eng’s music lies at the intersection of opera, music-theatre, and jazz. His opera Florida premiered in 2018 at UrbanArias in Washington, DC. His other operas include Before the Night Sky, Henry’s Wife, and The Woman in the Green Coat, and his work has been presented at Lyric Opera Cleveland, New York City Opera’s VOX Festival, American Opera Projects, Virginia Arts Festival, Center for Contemporary Opera, Opera America. Non-dramatic works: MasterVoices, Albany Symphony Orchestra’s Dogs of Desire, Mirror Visions Ensemble. Education: Harvard, Cambridge, NYU/Tisch’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, where he is an Associate Arts Professor and runs the GMTWP Opera Lab.
ARTISTS COUNCIL
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Tony- and Emmy-nominated director and playwright, and recipient of the National Medal of Arts from President Obama, Moisés Kaufman has led Tectonic Theater Project since its founding in 1991. His Broadway directing credits include the revival of Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song, The Heiress with Jessica Chastain, 33 Variations (which he also wrote) starring Jane Fonda; Rajiv Joseph’s Pulitzer Prize finalist Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo starring Robin Williams; and Doug Wright’s Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning play I Am My Own Wife with Jefferson Mays. His play The Laramie Project (which he wrote with the Tectonic Theater Project company) is among the most performed plays in the United States.
ARTISTS COUNCIL
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Jeffrey LaHoste founded Tectonic Theater Project with Moisés Kaufman. He was nominated for a Best Play Tony Award for 33 Variations and an Emmy Award as a writer of the HBO film adaptation of The Laramie Project. Laramie won the Humanitas Prize, the National Board of Review, and the GLAAD Media Award, and was the opening night selection of the Sundance Film Festival. Jeffrey wrote The Very Extraordinary Mr. Law, which was presented at the Colorado New Play Festival. He teaches Moment Work, Tectonic’s method for devising theater.
YOUNG ARTISTS COUNCIL
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Rehaan Bicha is a rising freshman at UC Berkeley from Bangalore, India. During his high school years, he gained an affinity for the dramatic arts. He looks forward to interacting on all endeavors for the Young Artists Council!
YOUNG ARTISTS COUNCIL
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Marella Martin Koch is a director, playwright, and librettist from Los Angeles now based in New York City. Her mission is to create healthy collaborative environments that foster connection, innovation, courage, and love. As a director, she specializes in new work and has directed readings, concerts, and productions throughout Los Angeles and New York, most recently at Dixon Place, Hudson Theatre's Dress Circle Lobby, The Tank, and Two River Theater. Her writing for the stage has been presented at 54 Below, 46th Street Theatre, Barrington Stage Company, The Duplex, The Electric Lodge, NYU/Tisch, National Opera Center, Pocono Mountains Music Festival, Two River Theater, and Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center. B.A., Theatre and Performance Studies, UC Berkeley. M.F.A., Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, NYU/Tisch School of the Arts. www.marellamartinkoch.com
AFERDIAN
MOISÉS KAUFMAN
JEFFREY LAHOSTE
REHAAN BICHA
RANDALL ENG
RACHEL COLEMAN
Rachel Coleman is a playwright/dramaturg who began mentoring under The Rally Cat in 2021. She is studying theatre at the University of Houston and though her focus is research and writing, Rachel finds herself interested in almost all areas of theatre. Her writing focuses on using unconventional happenings and settings to tell true human stories. She hopes to bring open mindedness, organization, and creativity to the Young Artists Council.
ELIANA THEOLOGIDES RODRIGUEZ
YOUNG ARTISTS COUNCIL
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Eliana Theologides Rodriguez is a writer, dancer, director, and Dance Moms historian. She graduated from the NYU Dramatic Writing Department in 2020, where the faculty granted her the John Golden Award for Excellence in Playwriting. Her work has been showcased at The Kennedy Center, Clubbed Thumb, and Rattlestick, and she's received honors from New Dramatists and Playwrights Realm. She is working on a commission for Adventure Theatre MTC and has an upcoming production of her play Marble Rooftop, Emma Has Church at Broken Nose Theatre in Chicago.
