Staff
Executive Artistic Director
Founded En Garde Arts in 1985. As its Executive Artistic Director,
Expand Bio.she is responsible for pioneering site-specific theatre in New York using its streets and historic landmarks as her stage. Hamburger has produced the work of artists that are now internationally renowned: Anne Bogart, Charles L. Mee, Tina Landau, Jonathan Larson and Reza Abdoh, with large scale predominantly outdoor work. As its Executive Artistic Director, her leadership model is highly collaborative and anti-hierarchical while leading the creative and strategic vision of the company. She is committed to bringing up a new genration of theatrical risk takers, encouraging artists to explore the deeply personal meaning of the projects they embark upon. En Garde’s relationship with its artists is not only about the work, it is also about caring for their self esteem as a mentor and friend while understanding that mentorship goes in both directions.
For her work, Hamburger has won 6 Obies, 2 Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lee Reynolds Award and the Exceptional Merit in Media Award from The National Political Women’s Caucus. She graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama and is the proud mother of two children Hannah and Owen Jenney.
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Consulting General Manager
is an arts producer, consultant and advocate, working with a wide variety of theater and music companies around New York City and beyond.
Expand Bio.Alongside her work with En Garde Arts, companies she has, or has recently worked with include: Pearldamour, DNAWORKS, The Bushwick Starr, Concrete Temple Theatre, Sinking Ship, and The Prototype Festival, among others. Previously she was the General Manager for HERE, a multi-disciplinary arts space in Manhattan. She has also held positions at The House Foundation, Symphony Space, Theatre Development Fund, Voice & Vision Theater and the Look + Listen Festival, where she has been serving as the President since 2014.
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Creative Producer in Residency
co-founded The Lark in 1994 as a community of theater professionals dedicated to the playwright’s vision.
Expand Bio.Last June, he collaborated with En Garde Arts on “A Dozen Dreams,” a response by 12 playwrights to the isolation of pandemic times. He divides his time between working directly with playwrights and creating strategies with artistic leaders in the United States and abroad to advance new plays into the repertoire. Trained as an actor, he began his transition to directing and producing through his experiences at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference, the National Theatre of the Deaf, the Denver Center Theatre Company and Williamstown Theatre Festival (where he acted in one of Tennessee Williams’ last plays, Gideon’s Point). He has led workshops at many universities and served as advisor for CEC Artslink, the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, Theatre Development Fund, Theatre Communications Group, National New Play Network, TheatreForum Magazine, Transport Group and the Lucille Lortel Awards Committee and on the boards of the National Theatre Conference and the Shakespeare Theatre Association of America. He received degrees from Amherst College and the National Theatre Conservatory and lives in New York City with his wife, actor Jennifer Dorr White.
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Marketing & Development
is a marketing strategist, product and project manager and believer in the arts as a way to transform the world.
Expand Bio.She was born and raised in Madrid, Spain and spent almost 6 years in Munich, Germany. She has a strong multicultural background and has developed her career in the automotive world.
Clara has a Masters Degree in Translation and Interpreting and an MBA in Marketing and Sales Management. She started working in En Garde Arts in January 2022.
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Assistant Producer
is a Brooklyn-born and raised theatermaker and administrator.
Expand Bio.She graduated from Bard College with a BA In Theater & Performance.
She most recently worked as the Post-Baccalaureate Producing Fellow at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. She is also a playwright and producer whose work is curious about exploring racial performance theory and ancestral legacy through theater, food, movement, words, and song.
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Co-Chair
is the Managing Partner and head of Business Development for Mosaic NYC.
Expand Bio.From overseeing production on Red Bull Music Festivals in NY to producing Spotify and Slack’s Investor Days to serving as the Managing Director of Harlem’s Apollo Theater, Cynthia has over 20 years of experience working in the arts, entertainment, and brand marketing spaces.
Prior to forming Mosaic NYC in 2020, she led production for seven years on the Red Bull Music Academy and Red Bull Music Festivals NY while serving as COO for Trevanna Entertainment, where she also produced multiple events for Spotify and Slack and oversaw the event execution of several large live video gaming events for Streetfighter, Super Smash Bros, and Starcraft II.
From 2006-2011, she was the Managing Director of Harlem’s Apollo Theater where she oversaw venue operations and institutional efforts around licensing and new business development. She worked with many artists including Jamie Foxx, Lenny Kravitz, Gladys Knight, Paul McCartney, John Legend, Aretha Franklin, and many others – often in partnership with such brands as Heineken and Coca-Cola. In 2009, Cynthia secured the world premiere of a new Broadway touring production of DREAMGIRLS, which eventually brought 50,000 new visitors to the Apollo.
Cynthia spent seven years as the General Manager of the 2700-seat Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, presenting touring Broadway shows, urban theatricals, and major concerts. Having begun her career as an arts administrator in New York with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Cynthia has had the privilege of working with many of the most important contemporary artists of the 20th century, including Twyla Tharp, Philip Glass, Richard Foreman, Roger Guenveur Smith, Spalding Gray and Elizabeth Streb.
Cynthia lives in New York City with her teenage daughter and a rambunctious cockapoo. She spends her free time studying for her private pilot’s license.
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is a combat-decorated former career military officer who holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership
Expand Bio.from Kansas State University, and is the founder and executive director of the Office of Military and Veterans Affairs and Military Affairs Innovation Center at Kansas State University. He is also founder of Invictus Consulting LLC, a Kansas-based company that specializing in assisting corporate, non-profit, and community-based organizations enhance strategic growth and operations; Over the past 15 years he has conducted research and evidence-based practice in assisting veterans to transition to higher education, the workforce and to reintegrate back into civil society after military service. His white paper, “Looking Critically at Reintegration of Post-9/11 Era Veterans (August, 2013) was lauded by the former Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a myriad of scholars and business executives for its definitive description of the challenges of transition and reintegration. He has recently completed a major human science research project to explore the lived experience of post-military transition as a life event. He actively serves as board chairman of the country’s premier Veteran Service Organizations (VSO) USO Kansas; and is recognized as a pioneer in the use of performing arts as a catalyst for social change regarding Post 9-11 era veteran’s reintegration through his role as executive producer to Hollywood-based DIAVOLO Dance Theater’s Veterans Project. In military healthcare, Dr DeGroat has been a pioneer in bringing deep transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy (dTMS) to military membersstruggling with depression and PTSD. Today two major treatment clinics have been established for the U.S. army in Kansas and El Paso, Texas. In 2020 he co-founded Great Plains Partners Innovations and Venture Groups focused upon technology transfer and development for national security-related modernization and regional economic development. He proudly serves the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division & Fort Riley as a Distinguished Trooper. He also serves as an expert witness and advisor to the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee; as well as an appointed member by the Kansas Governor’s Kansas Governor’s Military Council. He resides in Manhattan, Kansas.
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Co-Chair
is a creative leader and catalyst, cultural producer, and educator.
Expand Bio.Working with the Smithsonian Institution, The Carnegie Corporation of New York, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Buckminster Fuller Institute, The Rubin Museum of Art, the Philip Johnson Glass House, and American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), amongst others, Dorothy is recognized for launching organizations, cross-disciplinary programs, strategic partnerships, and products that promote positive engagement and stimulate creative leadership and action. She is currently launching dsgnfix, a free sharing and navigation app for the creative community.
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Board
s a familiar figure in New York’s cultural community and a fierce advocate for arts education.
Expand Bio.She has held executive and policy level positions in the for-profit, not-for profit, and government sectors, including: Assistant Director, New York State Council on the Arts under Kitty Carlisle Hart; Director of Economic Development and Cultural Adviser to the NYC Comptroller Alan Hevesi; Executive Director, Flushing Meadows Park Corporation; Special Adviser for the Arts to the Chancellor of the NYC Board of Education; President, Primary Design Galleries; and most recently, Executive Director of the award-winning storytelling organization The Moth. Joan is an independent theatre and events producer with credits for Off-Broadway productions. She has served as Chair of the Cherry Lane Theatre, championing its unique mentor project for emerging and mid-level playwrights; Vice President of Government Affairs for the New York Women’s Agenda; and Co-President of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She currently sits on the boards of The Moth and the Dramatists Guild Fund.
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Treasurer
is based in New York City as of mid-2018 working in management consulting for PricewaterhouseCoopers,
Expand Bio.From overseeing production on Red Bull Music Festivals in NY to producing Spotify and Slack’s Investor Days to serving as the Managing Director of Harlem’s Apollo Theater, Cynthia has over 20 years of experience working in the arts, entertainment, and brand marketing spaces.
Prior to forming Mosaic NYC in 2020, she led production for seven years on the Red Bull Music Academy and Red Bull Music Festivals NY while serving as COO for Trevanna Entertainment, where she also produced multiple events for Spotify and Slack and oversaw the event execution of several large live video gaming events for Streetfighter, Super Smash Bros, and Starcraft II.
From 2006-2011, she was the Managing Director of Harlem’s Apollo Theater where she oversaw venue operations and institutional efforts around licensing and new business development. She worked with many artists including Jamie Foxx, Lenny Kravitz, Gladys Knight, Paul McCartney, John Legend, Aretha Franklin, and many others – often in partnership with such brands as Heineken and Coca-Cola. In 2009, Cynthia secured the world premiere of a new Broadway touring production of DREAMGIRLS, which eventually brought 50,000 new visitors to the Apollo.
Cynthia spent seven years as the General Manager of the 2700-seat Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, presenting touring Broadway shows, urban theatricals, and major concerts. Having begun her career as an arts administrator in New York with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, Cynthia has had the privilege of working with many of the most important contemporary artists of the 20th century, including Twyla Tharp, Philip Glass, Richard Foreman, Roger Guenveur Smith, Spalding Gray and Elizabeth Streb.
Cynthia lives in New York City with her teenage daughter and a rambunctious cockapoo. She spends her free time studying for her private pilot’s license.
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Board
Ronald and Amy Guttman have a shared passion for the arts and a great appreciation for the challenge and beauty of the creative endeavor.
Expand Bio.Together, they are the producers behind Highbrow, established to serve the arts as a contributor, nurturer, and advocate. Highbrow provides resources and encouragement to film and theatre production during the critical stages of development from concept to completion, and employs Ron’s breadth and depth of history in the entertainment industry as a celebrated stage and screen actor and theatrical and film producer. Ron also serves on the boards for Performa and Naked Angels and is a supporter of FilmAid.
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Board
Founded En Garde Arts in 1985. As its Artistic Director and Creative Producer,
Expand Bio.she is responsible for pioneering site-specific theatre in New York in the 80s and 90s, using its streets and historic landmarks as her stage. Hamburger produced the work of artists that are now internationally renowned: Anne Bogart, Charles L. Mee, Tina Landau, Jonathan Larson and Reza Abdoh, with large scale predominantly outdoor work. In 1999 she went on to launch and run Creative Entertainment a global division for Disney where she brought the finest theatre artists into the parks for the first time in their history. She then returned to NYC and re-launched En Garde Arts in 2014. In its second incarnation, En Garde is developing theatre that has social change at its core, assembling some of the finest most visionary artists working in the theatre today. En Garde’s producing structure is highly collaborative, encouraging artists to explore storytelling through music, movement, multimedia and site-specificity.
For her work, she has won 6 Obies, 2 Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, Lee Reynolds Award and the Exceptional Merit in Media Award from The National Political Women’s Caucus.
Anne is a member of the League of Professional Theatre Women and is the recipient of an Exceptional Merit in Media Award from the National Political Women’s Caucus. She graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama.
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Board
is an advocate, strategic communicator, negotiator and consensus builder.
Expand Bio.She has had a distinguished international career in diplomacy, with a focus on humanitarian issues. Currently, she is the executive director of a family foundation in the arts and an adjunct professor of political science. As an educator, linguist and former diplomat, she has seen the transformative power of theatre in deepening the empathy needed to achieve cross-cultural understanding and reconciliation.
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Board
is a Global Technology Sales Leader with over 20+ years of experience
Expand Bio.at Microsoft, Oracle, IBM and various high tech start-ups. Her areas of focus are digital transformation and strategic development with Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive solutions. She is an active board member of www.ASingleBite.org, a nonprofit organization in Sullivan County dedicated to alleviating food insecurity by delivering healthy meals to families and educating 7/8th grade students on the difference between “real” and processed foods. Nancy is also a member of the Village Trip Festival Board of Directors, an annual festival in September celebrating ARTS and ACTIVISM across Greenwich Village and the East Village. She is a passionate animal care advocate and supporter of shelter adoptions. On Saturday mornings, she hosted the NBC Clear the Shelters Segment on Channel 4 and continues to advocate for www.NYCACC.org animals in need of forever homes. Nancy has a Bachelor of Arts degree from DePaul University, Chicago. She continues her oil painting education at The Grand Central Atelier and NY Studio School.
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Board
was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. and recently moved to New York City
Expand Bio.after graduating from Emory University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History. She is a lover of arts in all mediums and driven by cultivating community and fostering understanding across diverse spaces. She is currently an Assistant Vice President with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, responsible for hedge fund partnerships. She is a member of Merrill’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, whose goal is to increase representation across the line of business through mindful recruiting and hiring practices and events aimed at community engagement.
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President
is the Chief Innovation Officer worldwide for Ruder Finn,
Expand Bio.where he has created global campaigns for Novartis, Citi, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Mondelez, and other leading Fortune 500 companies. As a producer, composer, director, and digital designer, he has received recognition and accolades for his work by industry leaders, including: South by Southwest (SXSW); Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED); and the Webby Awards. Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University and is a member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA).
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Board
is a world-renowned Director, Producer, Choreographer, Coach and Philanthropist
Expand Bio.whose contributions have led the way for Latinos and emerging artists in the arts.
She is an active board member for the prestigious SDC and the League of Professional Theater Women where Maria serves as a consultant and advocate for artists. Additionally, Torres also serves as a committee member for the Callaway Awards. Her Film, TV, Music Videos and Primary Stage credits include recent projects such as the 7 times nominee of the 2019 Carbonell Awards as Director / Choreographer of the new musical Havana Music Hall, and Pasion (Immersive theater). Associate Choreographer for the Tony Award-nominated, Broadway & National Tour of the hit musical “On Your Feet, The life of Emilio and Gloria Estefan”; 6 times Tony Awards nominated
Broadway & National Tour of Swing! (Featured Performer & Specialty Choreographer); So You Think You Can Dance USA, Spain & Canada (Choreographer and winner of the Choreography medal award); Global smash hit “Bailamos” by Enrique Iglesias music video; Amazon’s The Tick (Choreographer); Currently the Choreographer of the CBS new show EVIL, AMC’s TV show Turn Washington’s Spies (Choreographer); Latin Billboard Awards (Grammy award winner Don Omar Telemundo – Creative Director & Choreographer); Off-Broadway productions of Four Guys Named Jose (Choreographer) (Nominated for a Lucille Lortel & Carbonell Awards), The multiple award-winning musical The Donkey Show (A.R.T.) (Choreographer), Mambo Kings (Lead Dancer & Associate Choreographer), and Celia: The Life & Times of Celia Cruz (Director & Choreographer); Don Omar’s “King of Kings” (USA Tour) (Co-Director & Choreographer); and Disney’s Golden Mickeys (International Tour) (Choreographer). Regional credits include Ovation Awards nominated for best choreography for Luis Valdez’s “Zoot Suit” @ The Mark Taper Forum (Choreographer); “Man Of La Mancha” @The 5th Avenue Theater, (Choreographer). Additional
choreographer & performer credits from feature to independent films include the global smash and 3 times Oscar Awards, 2 Golden Globes nominated film Disney’s Enchanted (Amy Adams & Patrick Dempsey), Grammy Award winner El Cantante (Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony) (Choreographer & Performer), Fugly (John Leguizamo & Rosie Perez) (Choreographer). Maria carries an impact across new media platforms whether its creating choreography interactively on Jordan Roth’s periscope Making Mondays, or she recently launched podcast “Hourglass: Time To Talk” offering insight into the professional performing arts industry while focusing on
connections to humanity and life. Maria is a philanthropist with a strong desire to encourage aspiring artists, and create connections between supporting organizations, cultivating a reliable network that will uplift, inspire and “pay it forward.” After years of teaching, mentoring and advocating, she Co-founded with her husband John O’Connor and award-winning actress and singer Vanessa Williams the Maria Torres Emerging Artists Foundation (MTEAF) also stands for Mentorship, Teaching, Education, Action, and Fellowship.
Board
is a registered architect, urban planner and educator, and the founder of Meg Walker Collaborative
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is passionate about working with communities to transform their public spaces, downtowns,
waterfronts and neighborhoods into vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable places. She was Senior Vice
President at Project for Public Spaces, a non-profit planning and design organization in New York City
from 2004 to 2020, and she has been a Visiting Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn since 2010.
From 2019-2020, Meg was a Visiting Professor at Bauhaus University in Weimar, Germany, where
she taught a seminar on public space theory and a placemaking lab in the Integrated Urban
Development and Design graduate program. Meg is a nationally-recognized facilitator and speaker who
has led public forums and presented keynotes at numerous planning and development conferences
around the world.