ANNIE MONTGOMERY is TAG’s Co-Director, and Director of Professional Development. Based in Brooklyn, she is a career teaching artist with more than 15 years of experience.  She directs new and classical plays for young audiences, and consults for a variety of cultural organizations including Disney Theatricals, (Out)Laws & Justice, Creative Theatrics in Brooklyn, the New York Public Library, and The New Victory Theater, where she is a member of the Teaching Artist Enrichment Team responsible for peer mentoring and observation.  She founded Brooklyn Mothers & Artists Theatre Company, and has acted off-Broadway and in many regional theaters including George Street Playhouse. She earned an MA from NYU in educational theatre (‘06), and a BFA in acting from Boston University’s College of Fine Arts. Annie works for the New Victory Theater, Disney Theatricals and LifeTime Arts, among others. She often publishes copious notes on her workshop sessions. We both post occasional updates on our blog.

MICHAEL WIGGINS is the Founder and Co-Director of Teaching Artist Group. He was the Education Program Consultant and teaching artist trainer for the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater for 15 seasons. He is the founding Artistic Producer of Mud/Bone, an award-winning theatre company, which he led for seven seasons. Michael served as a proposal review panelist for the New York State Council on the Arts Theatre Program, and as a member of the writing committee for the New York City Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts (PDF). He has developed and facilitated original professional development workshops for teaching artists and classroom teachers at the Public Theater, and the New Victory Theater, among others. As an adjunct at NYU’s Educational Theatre Program he taught Dramatic Activities in the Secondary and Elementary School Classrooms. He trained as an actor, and received his MFA from the New York University Graduate Acting Program (’98). He spent two years blogging for the Association of Teaching Artists, and continues to post @ Twitter. Michael currently works at Urban Arts Partnership, and is an adjunct at The Graduate Program in Educational Theatre at The City College of New York.

LINDSEY BULLER MALIEKEL spent six seasons as the  Assistant

Director of Education for The New Victory Theater, Broadway’s premiere theater for children and families and worked as part of the team that won the 2008 American For the Arts Education award. Prior to joining the New Victory Theater, she devised curriculums for the Creative Arts Team. As the Associate Director of Summer Theater Institute, she works with youth from around the world to devise original theater. She is also a Thesis Advisor for the first American Masters program in Applied Theatre at CUNY. She received her Masters degree from the Gallatin School at New York University focusing on Theater as a Tool for Communication and Learning. Lindsey is based in Palo Alto, California.

LAUREN JOST is a storyteller, theatre artist, and arts educator in New York.  She has produced original plays with NYU, The Mae West Festival, American Place Theatre, and Spellbound Theatre, among others.  Lauren works in schools, libraries and community centers around New York creating theatre with young people and older adults and facilitating in-school arts integrated workshops.  She also is a professor at NYU, teaching arts integration strategies for childhood education.  Lauren is the director/founder of Spellbound Theatre and member of A Space Between Theatre and TAG. B.A. Theatre, Whitworth University, 2001. M.A. Theatre and Community, New York University, 2007.

Sobha Kavanakudiyil Paredes is a theatre artist, arts educator and teaching artist with approximately 12 years experience, who enjoys bringing theatre into the lives of the community and students ranging from toddlers to graduate level students.  She is a faculty member in The Graduate Program in Educational Theatre at The City College of New York. Sobha earned her B.A. in Communications from Fordham University and her M.A. in Educational Theatre from NYU.   Much of her experience in arts education includes integrating drama into core curriculum, using theatre in non-traditional community settings and using drama for violence prevention and character education. Sobha has been a Teaching Artist with the Educational Arts Team in Jersey City, NJ, The New Victory Theater in NYC, and Adjunct Faculty in the Educational Theatre Program at NYU. After completing her undergraduate degree, Sobha worked with national and local television news stations including WABC-TV, Fox 5 News, and NBC News. Sobha has also been a presenter at conferences including:  NJEA Convention, AATE, Face to Face, NYU Applied Theatre and Pedagogy Conference.   You can follow Sobha on Twitter @sobhakparedes and check out her blog.

JOSH MATTHEWS is an actor, clown and teacher in New York City. He has co-created four shows with Under the Table Theatre, touring across the country and internationally. Josh is a New Victory Theatre Teaching Artist. He currently teaches drama at the Friends Seminary in New York City and circus skills at The Point in the Bronx and has taught workshops at Sarah Lawrence College. Josh is also a member of the Big Apple Circus’ Clown Care Program and appeared in the Big Apple Circus this spring. Josh is a graduate of the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre.

ERIN RONDER received her M.A. in Educational Theatre from NYU and is currently a Theatre Teaching Artist at The American Place Theatre, The Center for Arts Education, Disney Theatrical Group, The DreamYard Project, TDF- Theatre Development Fund, and Manhattan New Music Project. She is also an Adjunct Professor at The Graduate Program in Educational Theatre at The City College of New York.. Erin specializes in integrating the arts into the education and lives of students with disabilities. Erin continues to perform throughout NYC and was last seen as Cynthia in Wild Blue (Access Theatre). Other Off-Broadway NY Theatre: Tragedian in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (MITF Festival- Outstanding Production of a Play and Outstanding Ensemble Awards), Alice in Next Week on Spring Valley (59E59), Jane in Manhattan Comedy (Abingdon), Narrator in Butterflies Are Free (Theatre Row 42nd St.), The Mother in The Giver (Player’s Theatre). Regional: Athena in The Eumenides (NYU). www.erinronder.com 

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Find TAG’s Founder and Co-Director Michael Wiggins @ Twitter.