THEATRE BY AND ABOUT WOMEN

NOELLE BECK BROWER (she/her) (Playwright) is a writer/ director who has worked in both theatre and film. She has worked at numerous off-Broadway theatres, wrote and directed an award-winning short film that toured the festival circuit, and was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for her short script, Everything is Ordinary. She's thrilled to be working again with Speranza, presenting a lens into our feminist forebears, Mary T. Norton and Eleanor Roosevelt.

​

MIKAELA KAFKA (Director) Her true passion has always been ‘New Works’, celebrating new voices emerging in theatre. With Speranza Theatre Company, she can explore her other passion for History: directing Unveiling Liberty, History Alive: The Revolution Comes to Jersey City, Votes for Women, and A Chain around the World, the Nellie Bly story. She is very excited to be delving into Mary T. Norton's life. Other directing credits: Backward Forward Back, Apples in Winter (World Premieres, Centenary Stage), Wendy’s Shadow (PERRY Award for ‘Best Original Musical” 2016), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Circle Players), Murder on the Nile, Selfish Giant, and The Unexpected Guest (Players Theatre NYC). Mikaela is the Program Director of the Women Playwrights Series at Centenary Stage Company and also a proud member of The Forge Theatre Company. Her most recent acting credit was Spring Awakening alongside her favorite leading man and husband, Osborn Focht. 

 

 

GRACE AROUNE (she/her) (Stage Manager) is so excited to be working with Speranza Theatre Company for Mary & Eleanor. Additional credits include Shakespeare in Delaware Park, Hudson Guild Theater, Theatre Row, Theatre of Youth, Ridgewood Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, and Irondale Ensemble Project. She holds a BFA in Directing from Hofstra University.

​

 

JENNIE CONTUZZI (Production Manager) is the Managing Director of Speranza Theatre Company and a member of New Perspectives Theatre Company Women’s Playwriting Lab. Recent shows for Speranza include A Chain Around the World, Votes for Women, Unveiling Liberty (co-written by Charlotte Rahn-Lee), History Alive: The Revolution Comes to Jersey City, and Women Rising: Stories of Hope. Jennie holds an MFA in Playwriting from The New School for Drama.

​

MARCI ELYN SCHEIN (Costume and Props Designer) wears many hats in the arts, this time as a costume and prop designer. She is thrilled to be back with the esteemed Speranza Theatre Company. Marci is a proud member of the Actors Equity Association as an actor and a stage manager.

She is a full-time employee at The Montfort Academy in Mount Vernon, NY, as the Director of Performing Arts and Creative Media. She uses her expertise as a performing art professional to mentor students in the arts. Currently, she is directing and designing the world premiere of Kristen Doherty’s The Playhouse. Furthermore, she is a sought-after instructor of Cabaret and Musical Theatre Technique and a private voice teacher and workshop leader. As a result, her students have gone on to star on Broadway and in professional regional productions.

 

Marci is also a highly talented artist. As a jazz vocalist, she has performed with esteemed Jazz Royalty. Additionally, she produced four Off-Broadway shows in NYC. Marci has also entertained audiences of over 14,000 at Tavern on the Green for the NYC Marathon multiple times! Moreover, she has performed her Cabaret Show in Atlantic City and Foxwoods Resorts, among other NYC and East Coast venues. Finally, she continues to perform and record for Composer Philip Springer (Santa Baby, How Little We Know) while being featured on various CDs such as Hot Mama's: Live from New York and The Hopeless Romantic Collection - The Songs of Michael V. Ficocelli. Marci resides in Pomona, NY, with her husband, award-winning composer/lyricist Michael Ficocelli.

​

 

SMARTY SKIRTS MEDIA (Design and Marketing) is a boutique design and marketing company with a diverse client base, from family offices and private equity firms to streaming startups and nonprofits. Founded and led by Diana Basmajian, Smarty Skirts Media specializes in digital content production, notably the film adaptation of Votes for Women for Speranza Theatre Company and a behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the film.

 

.