ANGELA "ANGY" ABREU (ADVISORY BOARD) is a Dominican-American writer and founder of Dominican Writers Association (Est. 2015). DWA is a 501c3 non-profit organization solely dedicated to highlighting/promoting the works of Dominican Writers (both non-traditionally and traditionally published) but also provides them with the tools and resources necessary for the growth and development of their craft. Angy is the Creative Director of Dominican Writers and along with the Board manages and creates content that serves a large population of writers. For more information visit the Dominican Writers Association's website. 

ANDRES PIÑA (ADVISORY BOARD) is an actor and writer. Acting credits include: The Sun Always Shine for the Cool (Jacob Theater), Comedy of Errors (The Shakespeare Theater of NJ), La Puta Vida (La Tea), The Seagull (Circle in the Square Theater School), Tracks (Davenport Theater), Othello (St. Katherine Theater), Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (St. Katherine Theater), Balm in Gilead workshop (The Labyrinth Theater Company), Medea (American Theater of Actors), Hamlet (St. Katherine Theater), Life is a Dream (The Inner Circle Theater). Andres graduated from the Columbia University M.F.A Acting Program. Proud member of the American Theatre Group Play Lab.  advocates for social justice and is intentional on creating art that reflects that.  

 CARLOS ANDRICKSON Born and raised by a single mother in Brooklyn and went directly into the M.F.A. program at American Conservatory Theatre after earning his BA in Psychology at Queens College. During his time at A.C.T. he appeared in productions of Three Sisters, The Royale, The River Bride, Fuente Ovejuna, Both Your Houses, The Changeling, Twelfth Night, The Motherfucker with the Hat, Animals Out of Paper, Promiscuous Cities and An Octoroon at Berkeley Rep. Since graduating he’s been cast in roles in Blue Bloods and Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector. 

ADRIAN COSTA graduated with a dual degree in Political Studies and Theater & Performance. His work has been hosted in venues like the LATEA Theater, The Fisher Center for Performing Arts, The Old Gym, Performance Space 122, Mabou Mines, and New York Live Arts. Adrian is currently a Target Margin Resident Artist, where he is collaborating on an original, full length play entitled, HOLD YR TERROR CLOSE. “Using the radically egalitarian space of the theatre, my work unapologetically wades through the theoretical in hopes of enlivening its real-world applications and confronting the politics of love it aspires to embrace.” 

 MELISSA CRESPO is a NYC based director of new plays, musicals and opera. Favorite past credits include: Promenade by María Irene Fornés and Al Carmines (Artist-in-Residence at NYU Tisch), world premiere of Charly Evon Simpson’s form of a girl unknown (Salt Lake Acting Company) and her production of Karen Zacarías’ Native Gardens co-produced by Syracuse Stage, Geva Theatre Center and Portland Center Stage. Fellowships & Residencies include: Time Warner Fellow (WP Theatre), Usual Suspect (NYTW), The Director’s Project (Drama League), Van Lier Directing Fellow (Second Stage Theatre), and the Allen Lee Hughes Directing Fellow (Arena Stage). 

ZAHAIRA CURIEL (COMMITTEE), a New Yorker with Dominican and Puerto Rican roots, is a LA-based artist—a singer, actress, voice actress, writer, and producer with a BA in Music from Hunter College. Her journey began in 2011 with an off-Broadway debut in Platanos and Collard Greens, followed by touring with Collard Greens and Mexico Beyond Mariachi's: Sugar Skull. Zahaira flourished at the Upright Citizens Brigade in improv, musical improv, and sketch groups. Co-producing CrazySexyCruel and Mama Always Said in 2018 showcased her creativity. Recently, she made her TV debut on FBI: Most Wanted. She is obsessed with cupcakes and rollercoasters. 

 DANIELLA DE JESÚS is an actor/writer from Bushwick, Brooklyn. As an actor, she is best known for her role as Zirconia on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black. A member of the Public Theater’s 2018-19 Emerging Writers Group, her plays include Mambo Sauce, Pa’ Ti Tengo De Todo, Untitled Puppet Show (or On The Other Side of Anchovy Avenue), Get Your Pink Hands Off Me Sucka and Give Me Back, and The Thief Cometh. She is the creator of the web series "Talk To Me” (IGTV). De Jesús is a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Drama. 

 GUADALÍS DEL CARMEN is an Ars Nova Resident Artist and Co-Artistic Director of the Latinx Playwrights Circle NYC. Her plays include Not For Sale, My Father’s Keeper, Bees and Honey, Daughters of the Rebellion, A Shero’s Journey or What Anacaona and Yemayá Taught Me, Blowout. She has performed as an actor in Chicago, NYC, and most recently with The Repertory of St. Louis in Luis Alfaro’s Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles. 

MARIA ISABEL CASTILLO (she/her) is a Dominican-American multifaceted artist based in NYC. María Isabel earned her BA from Muhlenberg College where she double majored in Theatre and English-Passionate about the arts, she focuses on acting, producing, modeling, teaching, activism, and creative writing, while using fashion as a form of self-expression.María Isabel has trained at Harlem School of the Arts and The Barrow Group. Maria Isabel is currently earning her MFA from Pratt Institute in Fashion Design. Some of her recent credits include “Spotify Wrapped Ad Campaign 2023” and Cinderella (Harlem School of The Arts). IG: @themariaisabel 

PAMELA DIAZ is an actress, writer, director and filmmaker born and raised in the Bronx. 

She’s always been ambitious and determined to accomplish anything that she set her mind to. She recently graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a Bachelor in Drama and is now pursuing a full-time career as a multi-hyphenate creator. Pamela also does her best to give back to her community through the youth as well as creating policy that would benefit those in her community that have often been at a disadvantage by the current social-economic policies in place.

RAIN DIAZ is an actor and performer based in Philadelphia. A graduate of Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts, he recently starred as Sam in the independent short film Sugar (directed by Evan Galiffa) which premiered in Kevin Smith’s Smodcastle Film Festival this past December. He also has experience performing live theatre at renowned venues such as City Theatre, The Kimmel Center, The Pittsburgh Playhouse and The Mann Music Center of Performing Arts. 

YOHANNA FLORENTINO (RESIDENT ACTOR) is a Black artist born in Dominican Republic who intends to represent the broadness and brilliance of Black people from the diaspora to help unite, heal and inspire. Select credits: The Old Settler (Morningside Players Theater, AUDELCO Award), Fractured (New Circle Theatre Company), The Cooking Project (New York Theatre Workshop), 48 Hours in…El Bronx (Harlem9), Luciérnagas (The Parsnip Ship Podcast), Pegao (HartBeat Ensemble), Zooman and the Sign (Frederick Loewe Theatre), Dark Seed (Deep Water Productions, Peacock) and FBI: MOST WANTED (CBS). Yohanna is a member of AEA, trained in Capoeira and is an aspiring writer. 

  XAVIER GALVA is a Dominican-American writer/performer/teaching artist born in Washington Heights and raised in the Bronx. He trained as an actor at the Atlantic Acting School. He is a founding member of The Rattlestick's apprentice company: The Middle Voice. He’s a member of the 2014-2015 Clubbed Thumb Early Career Writers Group and Gingold Theatrical 2017 Speakers Corner Writers Group. He is a recipient of The Lark’s 2019-2020 New Voices Fellowship. His plays have been developed by MCC Theater, Clubbed Thumb, Rattlestick Playwriting Theater, The Lark, and The Middle Voice.  

  KATHERINE GEORGE is an Afro-Latina performer, director, writer, and educator from the Bronx, NY by way of the Dominican Republic. She received a BA in Theater from Brooklyn College and is currently getting her MFA in Acting at Columbia University. Recent acting credits include: Locked Up B*tches (Flea Theater), The Unusual Tale of Mary and Joseph’s Baby (NYC Fringe Festival). She is also starring in the web-series, #LoveMyRoomie. As a director, she has assisted directors, Liesl Tommy and Niegel Smith, and recently made her debut with, This Is How We Heal (Wild Project).  

KELVIN GRULLON is a Dominican American actor and filmmaker from Washington Heights, NYC. An architecture graduate from UVA (2013), he launched his theater career with the SOLO-show The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a performance in which he plays 10+ characters from Junot Diaz's Pulitzer Prize winning novel.  You may have seen him on indie films such as Ivanna en Elias Piña, La Tierra, and A Nice Guy, on various national commercials, as well as on the YouTube web series DominicanYork. He is a multi-talented artist with interests in various art forms, including spoken word, visual arts, and modern deejaying.  

DILSON HERNANDEZ (COMMITTEE) talents include playing various instruments, spoken-word, singing, audio engineering, and beat making. Though self-taught in many of these skills, he received a BA in both English and Music from the University at Albany. He received a certification in audio engineering from the Institute of Audio Research. Dilson wishes to change the world with his art and community work, striving for a more progressive future. In addition to music, Dilson facilitates artistic workshops for NYC youth and is employed by Friends of Island Academy, an organization that provides services and advocates for sixteen to twenty-four year olds who are justice-involved people.  

GLENÍS HUNTER is a New York actress, writer, and filmmaker. From a young age she discovered the performing arts as a way of freedom and self-expression. Growing up in the Dominican Republic and then moving to New York in 2001, she got the opportunity to embrace her half-Dominican, half-Black culture through spoken word and activism. After graduating from SUNY New Paltz she decided to pursue acting full-time and has appeared in dozens of commercials and indie films. Years later, she is on a new journey that involves not only expressing herself in front of but also behind. 

YAISSA JIMÉNEZ Santo Domingo, 1986. Escritora, poeta, performer y guionista adicta a la observación. Ghost writer, editora, reseñista y desarrolladora de contenido. Es reseñista musical en el medio especializado en música alternativa, discolai.com. Realiza ensayos de opinión y análisis desde la perspectiva racial en el medio Contra Narativas. Sus ensayos y artículos de opinión exploran temas de afro-descendencia, caribeñidad, feminismo y protección medioambiental. “Ritual Papaya” 2018 es su primer libro, un compendio de poesía rabiosa, leve isleña y sincrética. 

VICTORIA LINO is an Afro-Latinx actor and writer from The Bronx, NY. 

She graduated from Circle In The Square Theatre School, where she did productions of The Bear (Smirnoff), Small Mouth Sounds (Judy) and As You Like It (Orlando). They have also been featured on Netflix's Giving Voice. Especially interested in new work, Victoria has been in The Chain Theatre One Act Festival which featured Tigueraje (Zoey) as one of the productions. Her goal is to create and work on stories that focus on BIPOC and queer stories, while emphasizing intersectionality and healing. Website: VictoriaLino.com / IG: @victoriarlino

CINDY PERALTA born and raised in NYC.  An afro-Latina actor descended from the Dominican Republic has been acting since the age of 19.  With multiple lead roles under her belt such as the critically acclaimed Vámonos starring as Juana the matriarch.  She was nominated as Best Actress in a Play 2019 (Broadway New Jersey) for playing two distinguishing roles simultaneously.  Her background is mostly in theatre, short films and multiple comedic web series.

LORENA PERALTA is an actress, model and director based in the Bronx, NYC. From a place with so much grit and power, I strive to bring life to stories, to share experiences with those among us, and be able to connect with other artists establishing themselves and their work. With a background in arts management, and performance, I felt it was necessary to place my skills on one source. Welcome to Lorena's Utopia - her creative world.  

DOLORES AVERY PEREIRA is a proud Afro Latina of Puerto Rican descent from the small town of Niagara Falls! She is an actress who graduated from Syracuse University and accompanied her BFA in Acting by studying at the Maggie Flanigan Studios 2 year conservatory program in NYC. She was a top 12 Acting Finalist in the Ya Tu Sabes Monologue Slam in 2020 presented by Nosotros Org & NBC! Dolores is also a co-founder of The Fled Collective. She has always valued the power of community. She advocates for social justice and is intentional on creating art that reflects that. 

Dominican Born. New York Raised. MARIA ISABELLA ROJAS was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Jackson Heights, NY. 

Graduated from Atlantic Theater Acting School and formed a theater company called Floor Five Theatre Co. Last year, she officially co-founded a film production company called MARLEX Films. When she’s not taking classes at HB Studio with Mercedes Ruehl you can find her writing, listening to Disco or on the latest Spotify Podcast Series Parasomnia. 

CYNTHIA TOBAR is an artist, activist-scholar, filmmaker and oral historian passionate about creating participatory stories documenting social change. A first-generation Ecuadorian American born and raised in NYC, she strives to blend rigorous research with diverse artistic mediums to shed light on marginalized narratives and forgotten histories. Her work has been exhibited and screened at several venues, including the Museum of the City of New York, Flux Factory, the Greek Consulate in NYC and BRIC. Her latest bilingual documentary-in-progress, Mujeres Atrevidas, chronicles the strength of Latin American female app-delivery, domestic and construction workers as they fight for their rights. cynthiatobar.net 

 JULIE YAELI is a Dominican American actress and writer born in New Brunswick, New Jersey to Dominican immigrants. She grew up in Santiago, Dominican Republic and attended PUCMM University in Santiago, Dominican Republic for Communications; she also joined the university theater and felt inspired to pursue an acting career. After her second year, she went to The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts in Manhattan, NY where she began her training. She continues to write and work on projects based out of Los Angeles, CA and the East Coast. She is today Bi-costal. Insta: Julieyaeli 

 SASO is a Dominican artist from The Bronx, New York who is bringing a niche sound and energy like no other. From growing up in both Dominican Republic and New York, Saso brings his musical influences by mixing Brazilian Baile Funk, Jersey Club music and Trap while rapping in Spanish, English, and Portuguese expressions. With his recent record "Diaspora EP" and his Sophomore project on the way, Saso has been touring all across the country and is assured to bring his charisma, funk, and a revolutionary presence to every performance. 

GIAN SHINES is an editor, producer, content-creator, and actor; also skilled in staged combat/stunts, sports, and music.  Since younger, he was on commercials, prints, and plays; including a play at the National Theater of the Dominican Republic where he played the Steadfast Tin Soldier. In 2017, he wrote and directed a play where he also played the lead. In 2018, he won an acting competition hosted by Ulysses Terrero, and judged by the renowned Luis Guzmán, Cemi Guzmán, Danny Minnick, and Tuffy Questell.  He is the Associate Producer and Editor of ‘Broads Abroad’ streaming on Peacock and eight other platforms.