A moderated discussion between prominent makers in our field. Audience members are encouraged to come with questions! How did you make that show, that venue, that movement? The more practical the question, the better.

Moderated by Ryan J. Haddad

Noel Allain is the Founding Artistic Director of The Bushwick Starr Theater.  He is a graduate of Skidmore College and the Juilliard School’s Drama Division.  As an actor, he has performed in various theater, television, and film productions in and out of New York City. At the Starr, he has presented over 50 companies and served hundreds of artists including Dave Malloy, Half Straddle, The Debate Society, Daniel Fish, Julia May Jonas, Clare Barron, The Mad Ones, Phillip Howze, and Kate Benson.  He is proud of the youth writing and acting workshops the Starr conducts throughout the year within Bushwick and Ridgewood. He has served as a grant panelist for HARP and for NYSCA.

Moisés Kaufman is the founder and artistic director of Tectonic Theater Project and a recipient of the National Medal of Arts. His play The Laramie Project is among the most performed plays in America. Broadway directing credits include 33 Variations (which he also wrote), Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Doug Wright’s I Am My Own Wife, and Macbeth (The Public Theater).

Ryan J. Haddad is an actor, writer, and autobiographical performer. His acclaimed solo play Hi, Are You Single? was most recently featured in The Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival. He has performed original work at La MaMa E.T.C., Dixon Place, and The New Museum. His acting credits include The Maids and two Lucy Thurber world premieres at Williamstown Theatre Festival, “Noor and Hadi Go To Hogwarts” for Theater Breaking Through Barriers, and an appearance on the Netflix series “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” Ryan was a member of the The Public Theater’s 2016-17 Devised Theater Working Group. ryanjhaddad.com