A Community for the Development of Young Playwrights and Dramaturgs
23-24 Storyteller Studio Cohort
Applications are now closed for the 23-24 Cohort. Any questions or comments can be directed to storytellerstudio@njplaylab.org. Thank you!
Jump ahead to the program information.
Meet the 23-24 Cohort Members
Grace Ahlin is a New Jersey based writer, performer, and dramaturg. A recent graduate of Brandeis University, she has performed with theaters in New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts and has worked as a dramaturg at her alma mater and on independent new works. With a background in Shakespeare and classics, she is passionate about facilitating engagement with time-enduring stories through adaptation and production.
Moira Armstrong is a PhD student in American Studies at Rutgers University, with research interests in queer and disability theory and history, asexuality, aromanticism, singlehood, and the COVID-19 pandemic, specializing in archival research, oral history, and cultural studies methodologies. They also work frequently on public history projectsThey earned a dual BA in English and history from Kent State University in 2022 and an MA in Gender, Sexuality, and Culture from Birkbeck, University of London in 2023. They are new to theatre and became interested in dramaturgy while working as a researcher for Burning Attic Theatre Company’s research and development process on a play about asexuality. https://moiraparmstrong.carrd.co
Lana Kurimoto is a New Jersey based theatre artist and poet. She is a recent graduate of Montclair State University with a Bachelors and Masters in Theatre Studies. During her time in university, she has had the wonderful opportunity to dramaturg for several shows such as Top Girls and Elephant’s Graveyard. As a poet, she utilizes the medium to better understand her experience as a child of immigrants, a woman, and reminisce on the nostalgic. In her free time she is learning new recipes, tidying up, and playing the same four chords on guitar.
Nicole Martinez (she/her) is a versatile writer, indie filmmaker, professional communicator, and avid D&D player based in New York. She holds a B.A. from Brown University in Literary Arts.
Nicole is a showrunner on Dead-Enders, an internationally award-winning comedy series about finding human connection in the zombie apocalypse. Dead-Enders has won awards at Astoria Film Fest, London Web Fest, New York International Film Awards, and more. Nicole’s plays have been produced through Match: Lit, Turn to Flesh, and Production Workshop. Her films have been produced through Brown Motion Pictures (Quite the Star, Wales International Film Festival Finalist) and Sixth Floor Productions (Continental Drift, 2023 PANO Showcase). Her comedy and prose can be found in The Belladonna Comedy, The Rib of Brown, and Wizards in Space. She is a member of the Filmshop’s 2023 Fall Cohort and staff writer for season 2 of the REALM podcast, Feminist Fairytales.
Saphire Oshun grew up in Bayonne, New Jersey where she developed her love for Theatre at a young age. She majored in Musical Theatre at High Tech High School in North Bergen New Jersey and graduated from University of Miami with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. Most recently she was teaching and writing plays at Nimbus Arts Center in Jersey City. She is very excited to be a part of the NJ Play Lab Storyteller studio and build worlds and community with her fellow cohort members.
Mikaela Simon (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Jersey City, NJ. She graduated in 2019 from Drew University with a BA in Theatre Arts. While in college, Mikaela’s work was performed a number of times in the Plays in Process series, and she was also a recipient of the Robert Fisher Oxnam Award for Playwriting in 2018, resulting in a staged reading produced by the Ensemble Studio Theatre. Since graduating, she has taken on the role of teaching artist for the theatre program at Yavneh Academy in Paramus, NJ. Mikaela is also a multi-media visual artist, and is very involved in the Jersey City arts community with her small business (@doodlealldayy). For the past three years, Mikaela has been a Woman In STEM, working at Liberty Science Center in various roles. In her free time, she loves bullet journaling, making crock-pot stews, and watching A24 movies from the comfort of her own couch. www.doodlealldayy.com
Emilia Siracusa is an emerging dramaturg with a deep passion for new play dramaturgy. She graduated from Montclair State University in 2022 with a BA in Theatre Studies, earning herself the Citizen Artist Award from the Department of Theatre and Dance. Shortly after, she graduated from Montclair State in 2023 with her MA in Theatre. During her time at MSU, Emilia has served as the Production Dramaturg for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Artistic Director and Dramaturg for the 2021 Student New Play Fest, and Dramaturg for Paterson Echoes Thru Time. Emilia has returned to her alma mater as an instructor for the BA Theatre Studies program, teaching the course Theatre in Society. She believes that theatre holds the power to uplift authentic human experiences and empower artists and audiences alike to create positive change, striving to incorporate this philosophy into her work as a theatre artist.
Alexis Telyczka is a writer creating out of Somerset and Newark, NJ. She is a graduate student in Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism at The New School in New York City, and an alumna of New Jersey Institute of Technology, where she completed degrees in both the Theatre Arts and Technology program and the Science, Technology and Society program. Her research and writing interests broadly include psychology, philosophy, ethics, and the natural world. Her creative projects often incorporate the themes of legacy, familial relationships, gender and femininity. She is a lover of devised theatre and a novice dramaturg— and after working with NJ Play Lab’s Storyteller Studio, she is now comfortable identifying as a beginner playwright! At her deepest core, she is a cupcake connoisseur, pin collector, and waterfall enthusiast; she is easily drawn to anything that is pink, and she is excited for every chance she gets to create.
Bailey Udin has recently graduated from Montclair State University with a Master’s degree in Theatre Studies, as well as a Certificate in Theatre of Diversity, Equity, and Social Inclusion. Before that, they achieved two Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in Theatre Studies and Psychology. While they have done a little bit of everything in theatre, including acting, assistant stage managing, and producing, they found their stride when they discovered dramaturgy! They have previously dramaturged on Black Snow and Dance Nation (2022), as well as a new play currently in development (2023).
Bailey focuses on melding their scientific knowledge with theatre, making complex information easy to understand, and developing new works for the stage. They enjoy working on politically relevant works, especially regarding LGBTQIA+ individuals, mental health, and disability/accessibility. When not in the theatre, you can usually find them dog sitting and/or over analyzing video games and books.
Devon Villacampa is a screenwriter and playwright from Randolph, New Jersey. His ten-minute play, Kidneys, was performed at the Chatham Playhouse last year. He has also seen his horror and cartoon screenplays place in competitions like the HorrorOrigins Film Festival and Screencraft Animation Competition. Devon hosts a True Crime podcast called Check the Woods. Outside of his creative work, he enjoys playing the piano, traveling, skiing, indoor rock climbing, and visiting the Jersey Shore.
Jack Waller is an actor, director, and playwright. He received his BA in Acting from Ramapo College and his MA in Theater Studies from Montclair State University. His acting credits include the world premiere of Bottle House, All New People, and Macbeth at Ramapo College, and he made his directing debut there as well, with Jennifer Haley’s The Nether. He also starred as Dennis Shepard and other roles in The Laramie Project. He became a playwright by total accident when he first started writing a work in an undergraduate playwriting course, and expanded on that piece in graduate school for another class. He is very interested in using theater as a means for cultural and social commentary and social change, horror theater, the Theater of Cruelty, avant-garde performance, and how technology can be integrated into a theatrical work. Some of his favorite works include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Pillowman, Fairview, SubUrbia, and Sweat. He is a huge fan of anime, video games, enjoys exercising, bike riding, and learning about new and different cultures.
Angelle Whavers is a graduate of Drew University with a bachelor’s degree in Theater and History. She has co-written for the show 4320p: Immersion with the Tectonic Theater Project, as well as had her full-length, Incubator, in the New York Theater Festival. In addition, Angelle won the 2020 New Play-Reading Festival at The Growing Stage in Netcong, NJ, and was given a production for her winning play, Boogie, in February of 2022. In June of 2023, her show Collar’d was a part of the inaugural North to Shore Festival. Furthermore, Angelle wrote for and performed in readings of From Unterus: From You to Us with Red Mic Rep and Unidentified Stages. Her other plays, monologues, and staged readings have been produced by T-Squared Production Company, Vivid Stage, Vulcan Theatre Company, Ghost Light Theatre Company, and the Columbus Black Theatre Festival.
Meet the Leaders
Emma O’Mara (she/her) is the Studio Coordinator, having been an intern with the 22-23 Cohort. She is a dramaturg and theatre artist; her full bio can be read here.
22-23 Cohort Portfolio Website
Congratulations to this year’s Storyteller Studio Cohort on a year well-spent. We are happy to share their final digital portfolio – please enjoy getting to know these artists and their work!
About the Studio
What is the Storyteller Studio?
The Storyteller Studio is a collaborative space for young playwrights and dramaturgs under 30 to hone their craft through peer and professional support, and to develop the skills and work ethic necessary for success as they transition into professional careers.
This program is intended for those who have graduated from university programs or those who have established their initial interests in these art forms through alternative avenues. It is limited to artists who consider New Jersey a literal or artistic home.
The Storyteller Studio places the focus on artistic process, not product. Although a shared goal is for each Cohort member to move forward on their own project, the primary focus of the program is to foster a community of artists who collectively grow an expanded awareness of their own artistic approach. The group will also explore, in community, various possibilities and career trajectories within the fields of playwriting and dramaturgy.
Why the Studio?
Playwriting and Dramaturgy could be considered the backbone of theatre. Yet, there are often gaps in learned experience in these disciplines. Student playwrights in a university setting often leave without the chance to fully explore their work off the page, and student dramaturgs often fall through the cracks of curriculum and production opportunities. Often, the expectations placed upon students do not align with what will be expected of them in a professional setting, leaving them unprepared and ill-equipped as they embark on their emerging careers.
Young artists who have foregone higher education face numerous barriers to artistic development, and artists at an entry-level point in their careers often do not have a consistent support network of peers who share their goals and skill sets. There are few spaces for young playwrights and dramaturgs to create that aren’t classes, internships, fellowships, or jobs, and many of these existing programs for emerging artists have education requirements or present financial barriers. This reality can leave young artists isolated and with a fractured, unproductive path in which to continue to grow and learn.
The Storyteller Studio was conceived with all of these challenges in mind as a uniquely and radically accessible, virtual, no-cost opportunity, structured to champion self-determination by each artist while offering community support, targeted mentorship and professional development.
What does the Studio offer?
Community support
- Each artist will benefit from hearing diverse perspectives and feedback on their work.
- Although cohort members may come from varying backgrounds and educational and artistic paths, the program is designed so that members of the cohort can find support and camaraderie as they navigate the challenges and obstacles of pursuing their art at their specific point of life.
Targeted mentorship
- Each Cohort member engages directly in an ongoing one-on-one process with a Lead Mentor throughout their time in the program. This mentorship focuses on the artist’s chosen project, as well as the overall development and advancement of their artistry and professionalism.
Professional development
- The Studio offers an introduction to the unique approach to playmaking of the New Jersey Play Lab, insights into various paths open to young artists when considering the next steps in their careers, and assistance and guidance with taking these next steps post-Studio experience.
- A number of Guest Artists from the greater NJ theatre community are invited to meet with the cohort at various points throughout the year. These Guest Artists are carefully selected based upon the interests and needs of the members of the Cohort. The goals are to expose the Cohort members to the wide range of possibilities of career trajectories available to them, introduce them to players in the NJ theatre scene, and to establish some initial professional connections.
How does it work?
The Storyteller Studio operates on a yearly basis with an open application and selection process occurring in the summer, and the work of the Cohort taking place over the course of eight months from mid-fall to late spring. Each Cohort is led by a dramaturgically experienced Lead Mentor.
Artists selected to participate in a Cohort begin their Storyteller Studio experience by identifying specific goals for an artistic project to work on throughout the course of the program. For example, playwrights’ projects may take the form of a reading of a play or play excerpt, or the discussion of a treatment. A dramaturgical project may take the form of a collaboration with a playwright on a work in process, the designing and presentation of a research packet, or exploring an audience engagement concept. This identification process, like every aspect of The Storyteller Studio, is artist-driven. The Lead Mentor is there to ask questions, but ultimately to support the artist in articulating their goals.
The Cohort meets virtually two times per month over the course of the program. The majority of these meetings are dedicated to artists’ presentations of their work, where the Liz Lerman Critical Response Process is utilized to gain feedback from the group as a whole. Cohort members have pre- and post presentation check-ins with the Lead Mentor to talk more in-depth about the work, digest feedback, and discuss their desired steps forward.
Periodically, the meetings are reserved for visiting professional Guest Artists. These individuals are brought in to offer their perspective and experience around topics which are relevant and resonant to the needs of the specific Cohort, as well as to serve as prospective professional connections.
The final component of the program is professional support. At the close of the program, the Lead Mentor meets individually with each artist to discuss what the artist has gained over the course of the Cohort experience, and what opportunities would most benefit the artist moving forward. Whether through referrals, digital promotion, or collaborating on other in-house opportunities, the staff of The New Jersey Play Lab aims to invest in the next generation of young literary artists and assist them in taking these necessary next steps.
Who is this for?
The Storyteller Studio is a no-cost opportunity for young writers and dramaturgs early on in their artistic careers who want to dive headfirst into their craft, creating alongside a community of their peers, while being guided by experienced mentors. This program was conceived as a transitional program for young artists who want to position themselves to be successful in a professional and collaborative setting.
The criteria for selection of a Cohort is based primarily on a commitment to one’s art form, regardless of the formality of experience or scope of a resume. That said, playwrights should have some writing experience and be able to share some examples of their work. Cohort playwrights will engage with dramaturgical concepts to deepen their craft and receive actionable feedback on their writing, but the Studio is not a place to come to learn how to write, or a writer’s group. However, the Studio may be the first place Cohort dramaturgs explore the art of dramaturgy in a formal way.
All applicants should articulate a willingness and desire for participation in a dramaturgically-focused creative process, and demonstrate the ability to create the time and space to meet the demands of the program. The Studio experience is about process, not product. Although Cohort artists will move ahead in their chosen projects, the primary goal of the program is discovering and sharing a process of learning and developing work through collaboration with other artists.
The Storyteller Studio is for you if:
- You consider yourself a playwright or dramaturg, even if you have yet to have the opportunity to fully explore these art forms.
- You want to build your craft and your artistic process, and connect with peers.
- You are open to giving and receiving feedback about your work, and to discovering the value of this process.
- You are organized and can keep self-imposed deadlines.
- You are able to commit to a 10-month process. Showing up is important to success.
- You thrive in a supportive group of artists your own age, and also welcome the support of more experienced professionals.
- You’re under 30 years old
- You consider NJ a literal or artistic home.
The New Jersey Play Lab 