RECIPIENTS

Luis Garcia (he/él) is a Peruvian-American lighting and video designer whose work blends storytelling and technology to create immersive theatrical worlds. Based in the DMV, he holds an MFA from the University of Maryland and has designed for venues such as Woolly Mammoth, Studio Theatre, and Maine State Music Theatre. Dedicated to equity in the arts, Luis mentors young BIPOC artists and works to shape a more inclusive future in the performing arts.

Mary YoungMi Lee is a New York-based Hair, Makeup & Wig Designer who trained in NY, LA & the UK.  She aims to redefine the hair industry in tv, film, editorial, & theater not only through her creations but through community, education & mentorship (while having fun)!

Alex Meyer is a Portland-based set designer and artist. Her stage design focuses in new work, premiering plays at Artists Repertory Theatre, Third Rail Repertory Theatre, Shaking the Tree Theatre, and more. Other credits include with Portland Center Stage, Profile Theatre, Orpheus PDX, The Theatre Company, and clients such as The Portland Timbers and Visit Seattle. Her art has been shown at Blackfish Gallery, Lunaria Gallery, and The Remains Gallery. More at www.designbyalexmeyer.com.

Erica Lauren Maholmes is a Kansas City based storyteller, lighting designer, assistant, and associate for live theatre and dance. She made her Broadway debut as Assistant Lighting Designer of The Notebook and Associate Lighting Designer of Mary Jane (Manhattan Theatre Club). She holds an MFA from Illinois State University and is a proud member of USA829, Black Theatre Network and Design Action. You can find more of her work at: ericalaurenmaholmes.com | IG: @ericalaurenmaholmes

Germán Martínez is the proud son of immigrant parents, he is a Honduran-American, award winning freelance Theatrical Sound Designer based in NYC/NJ. He received his degree in Sound Design from Montclair State University in May 2018. As a designer, he seeks original and enticing plays to help develop, and bring forward the stories of bold playwrights through innovative sound design and composition. His work has been featured at: La Jolla Playhouse, Lincoln Center Theater, Perlman PAC NYC, Atlantic Theatre Company, Northern Stages, Ogunquit Playhouse, Everyman Theatre, Northern Stages, Intar Theatre, TheaterWorks Hartford, Women's Project, MCC, American Repertory Theatre, Repertorio Español, George Street Playhouse, Two River Theater, and Trinity Rep. Keep up with his work on Instagram: @GermanTheSoundDesigner

Rodrigo Muñoz is a New York–based Costume Designer originally from Mexico City.
Recent credits include : “Sally & Tom” (The Public Theater); “What Became of Us” (Atlantic Theater); “Bernarda’s Daughters”( The New Group), “Counterfeit Opera” (Little Island); House of India (The Old Globe) He holds a BFA in Scenography from the National School of Theatre and Arts (Mexico) and an MFA in Costume Design from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.www.rodrigomunozdesign.com  @rodrigomu.mo

Earon Chew Nealy, a New York–based but Texas-born artist, is an Obie Award–winning and Drama Desk–nominated hair, wig, and makeup designer. She made her Broadway and international debut with the Pulitzer Prize–winning play Fat Ham. Her recent credits include Almost Famous (A.C.T.), Huzzah (The Old Globe), Fat Ham (Royal Shakespeare Company), Camelot (Barrington Stages), Two Strangers (A.C.T.), The Grovel (The Huntington), and Bad Kreyól (The Signature). IG: @earonchewnealy

Jacqueline (JQ) Reed [they] is a visual creator. Their work can be seen in the form of vj sets in the dark of a club, in tandem w experimental performances, installations, or theatrical productions. Their latest projects include Angela Dimayuga's ‘Angels World’, The Outsiders Broadway musical, Saks Fifth Avenue/Dior 5ave Christmas display, Mariah Carey's LA Pride performance, and Disney Cruise Line's onboard entertainment. ~ jqreed.com // project.jq ~

Sasha Jin Schwartz is a theater scenic designer and artist driven by empathetic and collaborative processes. Selected designs: The Hobbit (Arden Theatre Company), Dragon Lady (Pittsburgh Public Theatre), Fat Ham (City Theatre Company), The Heart Sellers (Virginia Theatre Festival), DANCEFLOOR (The Voxel), Off Peak (59e59). Her understanding of space and how and where we feel 'at-home' is shaped heavily by her mixed immigrant family and queer community. BFA Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama. sashaschwartzscenic.com

Cassie Janay Ann Williams is a Brooklyn based Hair, Wig, and Makeup Designer. Credits include Nina Simone: Four Women (Geva Theatre), Divine Intervention (Web Series),  Arms and the Man (Theatre Row), Otherworld (Delaware Theatre Company), Glimmerglass Opera Festival 2021 Summer Season. Co-Design credits include Waitress (Olney Theatre), Sally and Tom (Public Theatre). Broadway productions as an Associate Hair and Wig Designer: Our Town, Prayer to the French Republic, and Purlie Victorious. BFA: Costume Design at State University of New York at Fredonia https://cassiejwilliams.com/ @cassiejanaywigs

Emily Duncan Wilson is a sound designer, public radio host/producer and educator who is passionate about the intersection of sound and story, acoustic ecology, and deep listening. She has taught at Smith College and Interlochen Center for the Arts, and has designed and assisted regionally. She was the associate sound designer for the Obie Award-winning production of Between Two Knees by the 1491s. BA: Smith College | MFA: Yale School of Drama | emilyduncanwilson.com

Haydee Zelideth is a NYC-based costume designer and storyteller whose work explores identity, image, and narrative through clothing. A Chicana artist raised on both sides of the US–Mexico border, she examines how appearance shapes how we are seen and understood across race, class, gender, and culture. A 2024 Obie Award winner, Haydee has designed for Boston Lyric Opera, The Old Globe, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theater, MCC Theater, and more.

Emma Deane is a New York based Indigenous lighting designer and citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. Credits include: For the People (Guthrie Theatre),Confederates (Signature Theatre), 9 Kinds of Silence (PlayCo), Jane Eyre, Dial “M” for Murder, Newtown (Geva Theatre), The Chinese Lady (Everyman Theatre), Trouble in Mind (Hartford Stage), Peter Pan and Wendy (KC Rep), On the Far End (Round House Theatre), Manahatta (Yale Rep). MFA - Yale School of Drama emmadeane.com

Emmanuel Delgado is a New York City based lighting designer from Puerto Rico. He holds a MFA in Design from NYU Tisch. Recent credits include: Fish in a Tree (Theatre Row), Aloha Boricua (Pregones/PRTT), Triple Threat (Theatre Row), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Two River Theater). Recent Broadway productions as an Assistant Lighting Designer: Funny Girl and Ohio State Murders.

Camilla Dely is a South African costume designer and visual artist, based in Brooklyn, NY. Recent work includes: King Lear (Almeida, UK), Mary Gets Hers (Playwright’s Realm), Hurricane Diane (People’s Light), Attempts on Her Life (TUTA, Chicago). Upcoming: Diary of a Tap Dancer (A.R.T) and Importance of Being Earnest (Portland Center Stage). She is a Watson Fellowship Recipient and an alum of Headlong Performance Institute in Philly. BA: Bryn Mawr College. MFA: NYU/Tisch www.camilladely.com

Dee Etti-Williams [They/Them] is an up-and-coming Chicago-based Sound Designer/Composer from Dallas, Texas. Dee’s work explores Sound as an intentional yet flexible heightening of storytelling. The core of their artistry is a deep interest in people and the artistic community they’ve thoughtfully cultivated. Select credits include; The Brothers Size (Oklahoma City Repertory Theater); The Island (Court Theatre), Lavender Men (About Face Theatre); I Ought To Be In Pictures (Peninsula Players) www.deemakesnoise.com

Hannah Tran is a Brooklyn-based projection designer with a passion for new works and movement. With community at the root of her work, she strives to push for accessibility in the arts. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, her love for storytelling started by watching dubbed Chinese dramas with her grandmother. She holds a BA from the University of California, Irvine and MFA from the Yale School of Drama. https://hannah-tran.com/

Miguel Urbino (he/him) is a NYC-based, queer, first generation Filipino-American scenic designer. Select credits include: Harold Pinter’s Betrayal (Repertory Philippines, Manila); The Light In The Piazza (New York City Center Encores!); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Yale Repertory Theatre, CT Critics Circle nom.); The Motherf**ker With The Hat (T. Schreiber Studios). Training: MFA, Yale School of Drama; BA, Marymount Manhattan College. Proud member of United Scenic Artists Local USA 829, IATSE. murbinodesigns.com | @murbinodesigns  

Teresa L. Williams is a set designer originally from New Orleans, LA and currently based in New York City. She has a background in architecture and received her MFA in Design from NYU Tisch school of the arts. Recent design credits include John Proctor is the Villain (Booth Theatre), Wonderful Town (New York City Center Encores!), The Preacher’s Wife (Alliance Theater), Triple Threat (T32 Theatrical), The Cotillion (New Georges/The Movement) www.tlwilliamsdesign.com IG: t_louise_ 

Ebony M. Burton (she/her) is an Oakland-born, Brooklyn-based artist and lighting designer. She holds a BA in Psychology from Oberlin College and MFA in Design from NYU. Recent projects include the end/the beginning (NYLA), The Book of Lucy (Brown/Trinity), Marie It’s Time (Minor Theater), Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play (Brown/Trinity), and various collaborations with dance performer Blaze Ferrer, including Diamond Desert Cuck and Gusher. www.ebonyburton.com, IG: @thecolorcarmine

Mextly Couzin, Lighting Designer, recent design credits include: Das Rheingold (Seattle Opera); Merry Wives of Windsor (The Old Globe); Incendiary (Woolly Mammoth); West Side Story (Centro de Bellas Artes Puerto Rico); Straight Line Crazy (The Shed); La Belle et la Bête (Opera Paralléle); Tambo & Bones (Playwrights Horizons & Center Theatre Group). MFA University of California, San Diego ’20. mextlycouzin.com

A Maryland native now based in New York, Mika Eubanks received her MFA in Costume Design at the Yale School of Drama. Her theater design credits include King Lear, starring Andre De Shields (St. Louis Shakespeare Festival); Lessons in Survival: 1971 (The Vineyard Theatre); The XIXth (Old Globe); Flex (Lincoln Center Theater); and Twelfth Night (Yale Repertory Theatre/ Classical Theater of Harlem), for which she received the Connecticut Critic Circle Award for outstanding costume design.

Wilberth Gonzalez is a Mexican American costume designer based in NYC. Credits include Costume Designer for “The Tempest” Shakespeare in the Park, and associate costume design on Broadway's Moulin Rouge and Mrs. Doubtfire. He received an Emmy nomination for his ACD work in Marvel's Moonknight, and has designed specialty costumes for HBO's Watchman, Oceans 8, and  Rupaul's Dragrace. Upcoming work includes co-designing Real Women Have Curves at A.R.T. and The Little Mermaid in Sweden. 

Kathy Ruvuna is a New York based sound designer and composer. Recent credits include Bernarda’s Daughters (The New Group), Amani (National Black Theatre), Dark Disabled Stories (Bushwick Starr), Circle Jerk! Live (Fake Friends), In the Southern Breeze, Ni Mi Madre (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater). She holds a B.F.A. in Sound Design from The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University and an M.F.A. in Sound Design from the Yale School of Drama 

Gerardo Díaz Sánchez (he/they) is a NYC-based scenic designer from Guayama, Puerto Rico. Theater credits include: Notes on Killing… (Soho Rep), La casa de la laguna (GALA Hispanic Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Two River Theater), Pride and Prejudice (Long Wharf Theatre), El Huracán (Yale Repertory Theater), Twelfth Night (Two River Theater), TJ Loves Sally 4 Ever (JACK). Gerardo received their MFA from the Yale School of Drama, and BA in Design from the School of Architecture at the University of Puerto Rico. gerardodiazsanchez.com

Destinee Steele is an Orlando Based designer who has had the privilege of designing wigs, hair and makeup from coast to coast. With a passion to establish equity in wig and makeup rooms across the country, she passionately serves as an advocate for actors and teaches supplementary skills to working artists. Destinee is the founder and CEO of the Beauty Menagerie LLC and is extremely honored to be awarded this grant.

BRITTANY BLAND is a storyteller who has dedicated her life to the proliferation of empathy. Bland’s work explores emerging media and technology’s role in performance. Originally from Atlanta GA, she holds a BA from Catawba College & MFA in Design from the Yale School of Drama. Her recent design credits include Goddess (Berkeley Repertory Theater), Twelfth Night (Classical Theater of Harlem), A Dozen Dreams (En Garde Arts), and Seize the King (Classical Theater of Harlem).

Everett Elton Bradman’s 2021-2022 composer/sound designer credits include West Coast premieres (Trayf at the Geffen Playhouse), audio dramas (Aurora Theatre’s The Bluest Eye), student productions (UC Riverside’s Red Oleanders), Zoom theater (Actors Theatre’s Romeo & Juliet: Louisville 2020), podcasts (Z Space/Word for Word’s Retablos trilogy), filmed theater (San Francisco Playhouse’s Hieroglyph), hybrid visual/audio (New Conservatory Theater Company’s Interlude), and outdoor performances (Oakland Theater Project’s The Waste Land). Stop by and say hello at eltonsounds.com!

Stefania Bulbarella is a Video and Projections Designer from Buenos Aires, Argentina based in Brooklyn, NY. Off Broadway credits include: Space Dogs (MCC), Semblance (New York Theatre Workshop),  The Watering Hole (Signature Theatre), Will You Come With Me? (The Play Company), Turtle on a Fence Post (Theatre 555), Eva Luna (Repertorio Español). Opera: Letters You Will Not Get (American Opera Project). Regional: House of Joy (St Louis Rep), The Mountaintop (Weston Playhouse). Nominations: Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding Video/Projection Design for Space Dogs. www.stefaniabulbarella.com

Jessica Alexandra Cancino Gonzalez is a multidisciplinary Venezuelan artist, with a background in scenic design, scenic art, sculpture, and art installation. She explores how space sculpts our experiences and reframesstories to invite access to other’s perspectives. She was nominated for the Helen Hayes for outstanding Set Design in 2020 and was the Scenic Design Kenan Trust Fellow at the Kennedy Center in 2016. She is a USA829 Scenic Designer and Scenic Artist member based in NYC.  www.jessicacancino.com

Frank Cazares is a costume designer known for his imaginative use of unconventional materials and a fine eye for detail.  Frank has been a finalist in the national Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest for several years (including this year) and was a featured contestant on the Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Challenge on TLC in 2019.  Work experience includes Walt Disney Entertainment, Royal Caribbean Entertainment, independent feature films, and regional theatre companies.

Jordan McCree (he/him) is a percussionist, producer, composer, sound designer, and teaching artist based in Philadelphia. His recent collaborations include: Cherdonna Shinatra, Bearded Ladies Cabaret, Arden Theatre Company, Ninth Planet, Wilma Theater, Theater Horizon, and Care Not Control Campaign. He is also a member of Philly-based hip hop collective, ILL DOOTS. ILL DOOTS’ latest album, The Message, is available now on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and more! 

Jingyi Johanna Pan is a Costume and Scenic designer for Theatre, Film, Dance and Opera, a textile and visual artist, host and co-producer of the podcast “Dirty Laundry: Unpacking the Costume Closet”. Born and raised in Singapore, Johanna’s artistic practice is centered around decolonizing the imagination, breaking down the notions of feminized labor, and anti-racism. They continue to harbor hope for a more sustainable humankind in the face of adversity and dreams of a future of a better world.