Woolly Mammoth Announces Members of the 2nd Cohort of Miranda Family Fellows Program

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, a Tony Award-winning national leader in the creation of innovative theatre, has announced the second cohort of its transformative fellowship program in partnership and with a lead gift from the Miranda Family Fund, Lin-Manuel Miranda's family philanthropic fund. This transformative program is one of many reasons that Woolly chose to honor Luis A. Miranda Jr. at its annual gala earlier this year.

This ambitious workforce development program is designed to provide talented candidates from historically excluded communities - especially those who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color - with the resources and training necessary to build their careers as arts administrators or theatre practitioners. Each fellowship is structured as a paid year-long (June 2022-June 2023) department-specific position with benefits (including health insurance), and a housing stipend.

The Connectivity Fellow, Tania Crescencio, joins Woolly Mammoth's nationally acclaimed Connectivity department in linking Woolly's artistic mission with its social and political mission through artistic programs, community engagement, and audience enrichment activities.

The New Work Fellow, Fatima Dyfan, is immersed in the artistic team of a major new work theatre. The Fellow is exposed to Woolly's unique season planning, new work development, and production dramaturgy processes.

The Development Fellow, Malaya Press, steps into a newly created position designed for a future leader in arts and nonprofit fundraising and strategic development. They are immersed in the fundraising and development department of a nationally recognized and funded innovator in the American theatre.

While embedded in the organization, participants also receive ongoing professional development opportunities. This includes access to industry leaders, so they might identify opportunities to explore their specific areas of interest, as well as valuable career guidance. To deepen their analysis of equity, diversity, inclusion, and access - and the role arts organizations can play in furthering movements for social justice - fellows receive anti-racism and anti-oppression training and access to affinity spaces.

Fellows are also provided with opportunities to attend conferences, experience DC's vibrant theatre ecology, and network with their peers - both locally and as a part of the larger network of Miranda Family Fellows.

"We are thrilled to welcome Tania, Fatima, and Malaya to Woolly Mammoth," says Maria Manuela Goyanes, Artistic Director. "Our first cohort of Miranda Family Fellows-Autumn Mitchell, Jeremy Pesigan, and Citali Pizarro-set an incredible example for this next group of young theatre professionals. It is an honor to be part of the journeys of the next generation of leaders in American Theatre and for Woolly to gain so much from their creativity, intelligence, and passion."

"The Miranda Family Fund welcomes this new cohort of Miranda Family Fellows to Woolly Mammoth, a theatre innovator that remains close to me and my family's heart," said Luis A. Miranda, Jr. "With 300 applicants for three positions, the response to our program was astounding, and our inaugural cohort has been extraordinary. We know that this next group will continue that momentum and begin to chart their paths as future industry leaders. The energy and excitement around these Fellowships and our collaboration with Woolly Mammoth further proves our hypothesis that supporting diverse, emerging theatre artists across multiple disciplines is a necessary change for the betterment of the American theatre."

Major support for the Miranda Family Fellowships is provided by the Wilke Family Foundation, the UPS Foundation, and the Patalano Family (Lou, Jodi, Ali, and Will) with additional support from Kristin Ehrgood and Vadim Nikitine, Judith Heumann, The Venable Foundation, and the Verizon Foundation.

MIRANDA FAMILY FELLOW BIOGRAPHIES

Tania Crescencio - Connectivity Fellow (she/her)

Born in Ciudad de México, Tania Crescencio Transito was brought to the United States very young. Tania was raised in Antioch, Tennessee, and there she learned quickly that she was meant for the arts. She studied studio art at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Tania is a first-generation college graduate and a daughter of immigrants. Although her first love was the arts, she understood that there was a need to fight for her community and developed a passion for advocacy. Since then, Tania has been able to combine both design and advocacy in her work. She has been blessed with the opportunity to work with organizations such as the National Association for Latino Independent Producers, Latino Achievers, Partners of the Americas, and UnidosUS. Tania strives to help minority communities and sees herself continuing the fight while showcasing her artistic abilities.

Fatima Dyan - New Work Fellow (she/her)

Fatima Dyfan graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in Government and African American Studies with a minor in Theater & Performance Studies. A black radical feminist in the making, Fatima explores mixed medium writing that illuminates life. She served as the Executive Producer of GU's Black Theatre Ensemble for two years. With them, she directed Ntozake Shange's for colored girls... and ended her collegiate career with a performance art thesis exploring autobiographical notions of black womanhood. A performer, poet, and creative spirit who believes in healing, community, care, and the immense power of imagination.

Malaya Press - Development Fellow (they/she)

Malaya Press is excited to join Woolly Mammoth and its Development department as the first Miranda Family Development Fellow. They are a recent alum of Ithaca College, where they graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Voice with an Outside Field in Theatre Arts Management. Malaya founded the Ithaca College Musicians' Intersectionality Initiative, a student organization that advocates for representation and support of musicians from marginalized backgrounds in the School of Music curriculum and community. They have also been Subscriptions Coordinator for the Ithaca College Theatre, Development Intern for Opera Mississippi, and Administrative Intern for the International Performing Arts Institute. Malaya's advocacy for new work is rooted in their musical background, having performed and premiered many new pieces for voice, wind band, and trombone choir. Most recently, they were cast in the world premiere of We Wear the Sea Like a Coat, an opera written by Sally Lamb McCune, Rachel Lampert, and Yvonne Gray. Malaya's long-term goal is to blend their skillset to organize opportunities and resources for queer artists of color by investing in community-based solutions. They are honored to be able to support and learn from Woolly and its commitment to equity over this year.

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ABOUT WOOLLY

The Tony Award®-winning Woolly Mammoth Theare Company creates badass theatre that highlights the stunning, challenging, and tremendous complexity of our world. For over 40 years, Woolly has maintained a high standard of artistic rigor while simultaneously daring to take risks, innovate, and push beyond perceived boundaries. One of the few remaining theatres in the country to maintain a company of artists, Woolly serves an essential research and development role within the American theatre. Plays premiered here have gone on to productions at hundreds of theatres all over the world and have had lasting impacts on the field. Currently co-led by Artistic Director Maria Manuela Goyanes and Managing Director Emika Abe, Woolly is located in Washington, DC, equidistant from the Capitol and the White House. This unique location influences Woolly's investment in actively working towards an equitable, participatory, and creative democracy.

Woolly Mammoth stands upon occupied, unceded territory: the ancestral homeland of the Nacotchtank whose descendants belong to the Piscataway peoples. Furthermore, the foundation of this city, and most of the original buildings in Washington, DC, were funded by the sale of enslaved people of African descent and built by their hands.

ABOUT THE MIRANDA FAMILY FUND

For over 40 years, the Miranda Family has championed community activism. They have created and supported institutions that have served both underserved populations in Upper Manhattan and communities throughout New York City, across the country, and in Puerto Rico. Luis A. Miranda, Jr. and Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda are proud parents to Luz Miranda-Crespo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Miguel Towns. Now as adults, Luz and Lin-Manuel are married to Luis Crespo and Vanessa Nadal, respectively, with children of their own. They continue to foster the family's commitment to advocacy for education, the arts, and social justice - along with a sustained focus on relief and rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria.