Staff

dsnider@yptdc.org

David has been a director, educator, producer, administrator and actor for over 20 years. He has worked in both the classical repertory of Shakespeare, Shaw and Chekhov, and on the development of new work, with playwrights such as Kenny Lonergan, Femi Osofisan and Karen Zacarias. Over the years he has directed, acted and taught with the Shakespeare Theatre Company, the Kennedy Center, the Joseph Papp Public Theater, the Hangar Theatre (as Director of the Hangar’s Lab Company), Playwrights Horizons (as the Robert Moss Resident Director), Jean Cocteau Repertory and the Maddermarket Theatre of Norwich, England. Since joining YPT in 2005, David has reinvigorated the company’s vision and mission, raising the company’s local and national profile while improving the company’s fiscal health and expanding YPT’s infrastructure through several capacity-building projects. Fundraising, governance, board development, staff development, program planning, implementation and assessment and artistic visioning and implementation are all specialties of Mr. Snider’s. He has led strategic planning for YPT and other organizations, including the League of Washington Theaters. Under his leadership, YPT has been awarded commissions from the White House, the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Institution while establishing the company’s first-ever resident acting company and an advisory panel of nationally-recognized playwrights, including Paula Vogel, Anna Deavere Smith, Sarah Ruhl, Nilo Cruz and Charles Randolph Wright. In 2010 David was honored to receive the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from First Lady Michelle Obama, on behalf of Young Playwrights’ Theater (YPT), during a private ceremony at the White House. David has taught master classes in text, directing, acting, voice and Shakespeare in performance as a guest lecturer at the Kennedy Center, the University of Virginia, University of Maryland, Howard University, Dickinson College and as a member of the faculty at the Shakespeare Theatre Company.  David received his MFA from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts and his BA in English Literature/Russian language from Dickinson College, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. In 2009 David received the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation’s $100,000 Exponent Award for visionary and innovative leadership. He is a Directing Fellow of the Drama League of New York, the immediate past President of the League of Washington Theatres, a board member of the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative and a member of Leadership Greater Washington. In 2011 David received the Essence of Leadership Award from Hands On Greater DC Cares, an award which recognizes “a nonprofit executive who has shown exemplary leadership that has contributed to the social well-being of the community and integrated innovative and strategic leadership to make a lasting impact on their organization and community at large.” David is also a proud member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers union.  

http://meyerfoundation.org/exponent09/snider

In the 2007-2008 season, Karen had three world premieres: The Book Club Play at Round House Theater (also selected for the 2007 Eugene O’Neill conference and developed with PWC), Chasing George Washington: A White House Adventure at the Kennedy Center, and Looking for Roberto Clemente at Imagination Stage (with music by Debbie Wicks La Puma). Karen is the winner of the 2006 Francesca Primus Award for her play, Mariela in the Desert (World Premiere at The Goodman Theatre in Chicago). Mariela is also the winner the 2005 TCG/AT&T First Stages Award, the 2004 National Latino Playwrights’ Competition, finalist for the 2004 Susan Smith Blackburn prize, and short listed for 2005 Kesselring Prize. Her play, The Sins of Sor Juana won Outstanding New Play at the 2000 Helen Hayes Awards and has been produced throughout the country. Her musical plays for young people have enjoyed productions at The Goodman Theater, The Coterie, Chicago PlayWorks, The Alliance Theatre, Imagination Stage, Arden Theater, Cleveland Playhouse, and St. Louis Rep. The plays include Einstein is a Dummy (world Premiere at the Alliance Theatre), a flamenco version of FERDINAND: THE BULL, the mariachi-inspired The Magical Piñata, and salsa/hip-hop Cinderella Eats Rice and Beans:A Salsa Musical. Currently, Karen is working on commissions from Arena Stage (Emilie and Voltaire...Were Here), Round House Theater (an adaptation of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents), the Kennedy Center, and South Coast Repertory. Karen Z lives in D.C. with her husband Rett, and children Nico, Kati, and baby Maia.

bmoore@yptdc.org

Brigitte has dedicated her career to using stories to inspire positive change in hearts, minds and communities. As YPT’s Deputy Director, Brigitte is privileged to share YPT’s stories every day with a wonderful family of students, teachers, artists and supporters. Prior to joining YPT, Brigitte served as Legislative Director for two different Maryland State Delegates. She also served as Artistic Director of The Unmentionable Theatre, a Baltimore-based non-profit company dedicated to producing new plays with social and political weight.  Brigitte holds a BFA in Acting from the University of Maryland, BaltimoreCounty, Suma Cum Laude, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Public Relations and Corporate Communications at Georgetown University.

njost@yptdc.org

Nicole is a playwright, director, and teaching artist. A DC native and former YPT student, Nicole returned to her hometown to engage DC youth in the arts and creative self expression. She has worked locally with City Artistic Partnerships, Madcap Players, Roundhouse Theatre, Forum Theatre, and dog and pony dc. Nicole received her BA in Theater and Cultural Politics from the University of California Santa Cruz, Phi Beta Kappa. She is currently writing a play. It is about monsters.

lharbison@yptdc.org

Liza is responsible for graphic and web design, photography, and videography at YPT. She has previously worked as a graphic design intern at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland. Liza served as a marketing intern at Friends of the National Zoo for two summers, where she passed by the cheetahs on her way from the parking lot every morning. She also held various jobs at Olney Theatre Center for the Arts. Liza is a proud graduate of Oberlin College.

abeyrle@yptdc.org

Alison comes to Young Playwrights’ Theater following an arts management internship with the Kennedy Center. At the Kennedy Center, she worked in multiple offices within the education department assisting with the preparation and coordination of several major events, including the 2010 American College Theater Festival.  She has worked for several local theatres in both administrative and backstage capacities, including Adventure Theatre, Synetic Theater, New Galaxy Theatre Group and the Source Festival, and spent one summer working as an on-set production assistant for NuImage Studios, an American film company based in Sofia, Bulgaria.  She is thrilled to join the YPT team and contribute to their unique work in arts education.  Alison received a BA in Drama with distinction from Kenyon College, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.

lascoli@yptdc.org

Laurie has worked in professional theatre as an arts educator and administrator for nearly four years. In her native state of Rhode Island, she spent a year in production management at Trinity Repertory Company, teaching at the Sandra Feinstein Gamm Theatre, and coaching for the national Poetry Out Loud recitation contest. In 2008, she moved to Washington, DC to work in Arena Stage’s Community Engagement department, where she taught for three summers at Camp Arena Stage. Since then she has worked as a young performer supervisor on the John F. Kennedy Center’s productions of Ragtime and The Golden Age and taught for Roundhouse Theater and Imagination Stage. Laurie graduated Cum Laude from Stonehill College with Bachelors degrees in Theatre, English, and Education.