Archives: Team

Lauren Ihenachor is an educator and director based in Washington, DC. Originally from South Carolina, Lauren has worked at Arena Stage as a Community Engagement fellow and Teaching Artist. She has also worked in After School programs all across the District. Lauren received her BA in Theatre and Education from Converse University, and her MFA from Texas Tech University. She is interested in Theatre for Social Change, and loves bringing theatre to students with limited access to the arts.

Brigitte Winter has more than fifteen years of experience in nonprofit leadership, arts administration, financial management, fundraising, and strategic communications in the DC region. She is also a writer, a photographer, and a co-founder of Scryptid Games, a small press publishing story games for people who love books. The capacity of storytelling to connect, disrupt, inspire, and incite is central to Brigitte’s art and her activism.

Brigitte holds a BFA in Theatre from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), summa cum laude, a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University, and a Masters in Public Relations and Corporate Communications from Georgetown University, where she continued to work as an Adjunct Instructor through 2017.

She is the proud recipient of the 2022 EXCEL (Excellence in Executive Leadership) Award from the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, the 2013 Outstanding Alumni of the Year Award from the UMBC Alumni Association, the 2013 Outstanding Student Award from Georgetown University, and the 2012 Georgetown Social Impact Award for her commitment to creating positive social change as a communicator.

Tristan B Willis is a playwright, administrator, and game creator interested in queer, trans stories, and the intersection of theatre and games – including making meaningful, interactive experiences for audiences. They are currently a member of the Playwrights’ Center and Freelancer’s Union and lead the Theatre Washington Mentoring Program for DC-area theatre practitioners. As a former resident of the Orchard Project’s Liveness Lab and CultureHub’s Writing for Electronic Formats, they discussed and cultivated new ways of presenting theatrical work in digital spaces. You can learn more about Tristan and their work at tristanbwillis.com.

Matt is a writer, musician, and AMS Montessori-certified educator with a passion for empowering youth voices through artistic expression. Matt has worked in a variety of educational and administrative roles at schools and art centers in DC, Pittsburgh, and Chicago. He holds an M.Ed from Xavier University and BAs in English and Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh, where he also studied Jazz Performance with the late Geri Allen. Matt is also a regularly performing drummer and is highly invested in the DC-area performing arts scene.

Matt loves to cook, bike, and listen to the latest in hip-hop, jazz, punk, and folk. Matt is particularly passionate about performing arts as a venue for storytelling, improvisation, and activism, and is proud to advocate for YPT’s programs in his role as Development Manager.

Jared is a DC-based playwright/director/actor. In 2014, he wrote and performed his first one man show, 12, featuring several solo pieces he created as a founding member of Brave Soul Collective. Jared is most proud of his work in HIV prevention, including his travels throughout the country using theater to educate students on the importance of sexual health and responsibility. He considers himself an “artivist,” combining his artistic sensibilities and his activist spirit.

Keta Newborn is an ambitious, tenderhearted, and compassionate poet, self-published author, and mother of two daughters. Keta entered the world of theatre in 2006 after spending the previous 12 years as a computer engineer. Before joining YPT in October 2018, from 2006 until 2018, Keta focused primarily on becoming a household name within the arts industry as a freelance artist. Working throughout the DMV as well as New York, Boston, and Atlanta areas, Keta’s involvement within the theatrical world allowed her to hold many different titles on many different levels for over a decade.  Keta is recognized for being a detail-oriented person who is deeply committed to her work. Highly skilled at working with a diverse group of people to build effective creative solutions by using well-developed interpersonal communication skills, Keta would like to thank her Father above for the opportunity to be used as one of HIS vessels, working to bring HIS work of art into the hearts of many.

To learn more about Keta and her work, please visit www.newbornketa.com.

With more than ten years of experience in nonprofit development, Brenna Hill is a fierce advocate for the performing arts and how nonprofits can be a partner in dismantling white supremacy. She is drawn to YPT’s mission through her passionate commitment to social justice and to ensuring that young people are empowered to share their voices and create meaningful societal change.

Prior to joining YPT, Brenna worked in Development roles at The National Center for Children and Families, Ocean Conservancy, and The John. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Brenna holds an MFA in Dramaturgy and Script Development from Columbia University School of the Arts. She also has a BA in Drama Studies from SUNY Purchase, summa cum laude, and received the Drama Studies Award for Outstanding Student in her senior year. Originally from New York City, her theater background includes interning under Oskar Eustice at the Public Theater and working at the Ohio Theatre’s Ice Factory Festival. She now lives in Maryland with her partner and two young children and has deep connections with Queer and polyamorous communities in the DMV metro area.

Farah Lawal Harris is a well-dressed poet, artistic leader, and breast cancer survivor who overcomes obstacles with grace, and inspires others to do the same. She is also a Kilroys’ List playwright whose work has been performed at Arena Stage, The Kennedy Center’s Theatre for Young Audiences, The University of Texas at Austin, Round House Theatre, and multiple festivals and universities along the East Coast.

Farah is an emeritus member of Theatre Washington’s Advisory Board and Helen Hayes Award Adjudication Committee. She also co-chaired the 2020 and 2022 DC Theatre Summits. She is a proud co-founder of the Washington, DC-based theatre companies, The Saartjie Project, and Wild Women Theatre, and a three-time individual artist grant recipient from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

She lives her life by the following “I Am” statement: “I am divinely connected to all there is, with the power to shift my energy to embody all that I am. I am love, power, resilience, compassion, beauty, intelligence, and vulnerability–ever-evolving with infinite possibility.” Farah gives infinite thanks to God, her family, ancestors, friends, and mentors who shaped her into the woman she is today. To learn more about Farah, visit www.farahlawalharris.com.