Space Pirates Theatre Collective
Directors
Ben Zingos (he/him) is a multidisciplinary theatre artist who studied at San Francisco State University where he earned his B.A. in acting and M.A. in theatre arts. His main focus as a director and as a designer is working in found spaces, using an immersive design methodology he codified during his thesis work. As an actor, he specializes in Meisner technique; and as a playwright he explores themes of masculinity and trauma, along with the effects they have on children. As fight choreographer, he draws on his extensive weapon-based martial arts background for inspiration, practicing a variety of HEMA fighting styles for over 17 years, particularly two-handed longsword and broadsword with shield. He is interested in how intricate historical and fantasy combat sequences can tell stories through movement synced with thematically relevant music. As a producer, he is interested in activating unconventional spaces to serve plays while reducing production costs. Recent work includes staging John Logan’s Red immersively in SFSU’s scenic paint shop, directing Lynn Mari’s Glue in a Venice, CA wine bar, and fight-choreographing She Kills Monsters with real steel weapons. He is ecstatic to be producing and designing SPTC’s inaugural 2026 season.
Molly Anders (she/her) recently graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Communication and a Minor in Drama, focusing on directing immersive, collaborative, and safe theatre spaces. Originally from Seattle, Molly has long been active in the PNW theatre scene. Recent directing projects include How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (UW Stage Notes) and the debut production of Thirst (Lowbrow Opera Collective). Now based in Los Angeles, she works as a freelance stage manager, collaborating with Neil Gooding Productions, Valley Opera and Performing Arts, Poets Road Gallery, and Native Voices. She teaches a stage management course at the California School of the Arts – San Gabriel Valley. Molly worked with Space Pirates on their debut production Glue and now serves as Operations Director.
SKYE LAFONTAINE OUTREACH AND PARTNERSHIPS DIRECTOR Skye (she/her) is an LA born and raised actor and director and is so excited to be working with SPTC! Coming from a showbiz family, Skye has been involved with the arts her whole life, studying at both the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, and CalArts, before going on to create her own theater company with her sister, NOTASCAR. Having directed previously, Skye jumped in with both feet and produced, directed, and acted in Rent as the kickoff show for NOTASCAR. To date she has directed 6 shows, including Rent and Dog Sees God, working with the Skylight Theater in Los Feliz. Skye has been performing since preschool, but has only continued her love of the craft as time has gone on. Notably she has been seen in shows such as The Vortex, Company and multiple productions with the Delusion interactive theater company. She has made TV guest appearances on NCIS, and has lent her voice to video games Elder Scrolls, World of Warcraft, and Ace Force 2. Skye can also be heard on children’s series Mermaze, and promos for Apple TV. She couldn’t be more excited for the upcoming SPTC season and all the amazing work ahead!
NICOLE FARRELL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Nicole Farrell (she/her) is a seasoned grant writer, nonprofit consultant, and social entrepreneur based in Akron, Ohio. As the founder of Rubber City Development Consulting, she has helped emerging nonprofit organizations across the country secure over $25 million in grant funding. With a background in animal welfare and a deep commitment to equity-focused work, Nicole brings a wealth of experience to organizations serving youth, the environment, social justice, and more. She is also the creator of “Unlocking Funding,” a nonprofit education platform inspired by her first published book, offering accessible and practical resources to early-stage nonprofit leaders. Nicole is the founder of multiple mission-driven initiatives, including the Northeast Ohio Collective for Bodily Autonomy and Just Cats Rescue. In addition to her consulting work, she actively volunteers on several nonprofit boards and facilitates educational programs through the Akron Nonprofit Learning Lab and Nonprofit for Newbies. Nicole’s multifaceted expertise in fundraising, strategic planning, and organizational development makes her a powerful ally for grassroots organizations seeking sustainable growth.
Board Of Advisors
DR. SUKANYA CHAKRABARTI ADVISOR Born and raised in Kolkata, Dr. Sukanya Chakrabarti (she/her), an artist-scholar-teacher, received her doctoral degree in Theater and Performance Studies from Stanford University. She is an Associate Professor of Theatre Arts at the Department of Film and Theatre, at San Jose State University. Dr. Chakrabarti is the author of In-Between Worlds: Performing [as] Bauls in an Age of Extremism, which examines the performance of Bauls, ‘folk’ performers from Bengal, in the context of a rapidly globalizing Indian economy against the backdrop of extreme nationalistic discourses. Her works have been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Indian Theatre Journal; Asian Theatre Journal; Modern Drama; Urban Geography; Ecumenica: Performance and Religion; and Emergency Index. She published a chapter in Troubling Traditions: Canonicity, Theatre, and Performance in the U.S. published by Routledge. She currently serves as a Member of the Executive Committee at the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR), and as the Co-editor of the journal Theatre Topics, published by Johns Hopkins University Press. Her current and ongoing research project is on performances of the South Asian diaspora across generations of immigration in California. As an artist, she has worked as a playwright, director, dramaturg, and performer in New York, the Bay Area, and Kolkata. Most recently, she served as the Cultural Dramaturg for Public Obscenities (Pulitzer Prize finalist) written and directed by Shayok Misha Chowdhury, produced by Soho Rep and NAATCO, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. More details about her projects can be found on her website: www.sukanyac.com .
ANNE GALJOUR ADVISOR Anne Glamour (she/her) is a playwright, actor, producer, and playwriting teacher. Her playwriting credits include Turtles and Alligators, Okra, Bird in the Hand, Queen of the Sea. Solo performance credits – You Can’t Get There From Here, Alligator Tales, Hurricane, and The Krewe of Neptune. Her theatrical works have been produced by Berkeley Rep, Seattle Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Manhattan Theatre Club, Southern Rep in New Orleans, the Magic in SF, Climate Theatre and numerous college and theatre festivals around the country. She has won numerous awards for her plays and solo performance work. Her recent collaborations with Robert Moses Kin Dance Company’s, Fable & Faith and The Cinderella Principle, both premiered at Yerba Buena Center For The Arts and received subsequent tours. She is lecturer emerita in the Creative Writing Department at San Francisco State University. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Sam Mazza foundation, working to support the next generation of artists and arts educators in her community.
ALEECYIA HOLLMAN ADVISOR Aleecyia Hollman (she/her) began her career in the film and television industry as an extra on Victorious, but quickly found her passion behind the scenes. She transitioned into production, starting as a Production Coordinator for Universal Studios. It was there that her journey into casting began, overseeing and managing talent for iconic theme park experiences such as Halloween Horror Nights, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and live dance performances, among others theme park elements. While casting was a major focus, she also played a key role in managing production across all theme park entertainment elements. Leveraging that hands-on experience, she moved into the freelance world, working as a Production Coordinator on a wide range of television shows, films, and social media content. Today, she runs her own production company, where she handles the packaging and producing of content across film, TV, and digital platforms. With a great deal of experience in both the creative and logistical sides of the industry, she tries to act as the glue for each project she works on, helping to successfully bring everything together with a positive atmosphere for every team member involved. Although her focus is casting, she loves to create and will work every stage from pre production to distribution, while encouraging everyone involved to stay creative.
MICHAEL SCHWEIKARDT ADVISOR Michael Schweikardt (he/him) enjoys a successful career as a set designer for opera and theater companies across the United States and abroad. Off-Broadway productions include: Bloodsong of Love (Ars Nova); ReWrite (Urban Stages); The Black Suits (The Public Theater); The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks (Theatreworks USA); Things to Ruin (Second Stage, The Zipper Factory); and Tryst (Irish Rep). American Regional Theater Credits include productions at The Old Globe, Cleveland Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Virginia Stage Company, Cape Playhouse, Papermill Playhouse, Santa Cruz Shakespeare, and numerous productions for Goodspeed Musicals. Michael has had the honor of designing multiple large musicals for the MUNY, America’s oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre. Michael has designed over 50 musical productions at California Musical Theatre in Sacramento, California creating new productions of classic musicals in-the-round with some of the most talented professional actors and directors available. Internationally, Michael has designed the long-running productions of Marie Antoinette the Musical for TOHO in Tokyo, Japan (10th anniversary), and The Phantom for EMK International in Seoul, South Korea (9th anniversary). He has been awarded multiple honors for his design work including the Broadway World Award, Carbonell Award, Connecticut Critic’s Circle Award, St. Louis Critics Circle Award, and the Kevin Kline Award. He serves as managing editor for design at thetheatretimes.com and is co-editor of Prompt: A Journal of Theatre Theory, Practice, and Teaching. His work can be viewed on his website: www.msportfolio.com
M. GRAHAM SMITH ADVISOR M. Graham Smith (he/him) is a freelance Director, Educator and Producer. He was raised just outside New York City and has been based in San Francisco since 2004. Recent directing credits include World Premieres of Obie winner Christopher Chen’s Home Invasion, Kevin Rolston’s Deal with the Dragon at Magic Theatre & Edinburgh Fringe, and Kait Kerrigan’s Father/Daughter at Aurora and the West Coast premieres of Mia Chung’s You for Me for You at Crowded Fire and James Ijames’ White at Shotgun. His most recent World Premiere is the new musical, The Mortification of Fovea Munson, which premiered at The Kennedy Center in March ‘23. He is currently developing a new play, FDR’s Very Happy Hour for The Perelman Center for the Arts in NYC, centering Disability and Access in an immersive environment. He teaches at American Conservatory Theater and Berkeley Repertory Theatre. He’s a graduate of the Dell’arte School of Physical Theater and Wesleyan University where he directed the first workshop of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights. https://www.mgrahamsmith.com/
ELEANORE TAPSCOTT ADVISOR Native Californian Eleanore Tapscott (she/her) is a metro DC–based director and actor. A graduate of the University of California—Berkeley, she moved to NYC to study classical theatre in the National Shakespeare Conservatory’s training program. She worked at various off-off-Broadway theatres, including serving as artistic director for Westside Repertory Theatre, which specialized in presenting plays from the classical canon before relocating to metro DC. In the DC area, she is an award-winning actor and director, who has had management or leadership roles with various performing arts groups, most recently as the executive director of the Actors Center, an organization providing resources to theatre artists at various stages of their careers. She currently manages seasonal planning for the Little Theatre of Alexandria.
NITA WHITAKER ADVISOR Nita Whitaker (she/her) is a multi-talented performer and artist, who recently made her Broadway debut as Wiletta Mayers in Alice Childress’ Trouble in Mind in 2021. She was the 2019 NAACP Best Supporting Actress award winner for her role of Mom Winans in the Broadway-bound musical Born For This. Nita is also a favorite singer of legendary producer David Foster, having sung with some of the most famous voices of our time—including duets with Andre Bocelli, Michael Bolton and Josh Groban. She also sang the original demos for Whitney Houston’s standards “I Will Always Love You”, “I Have Nothing”, and “I Look to You”; and worked with greats such as Carol Bayer Sager, Walter A. and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Burt Bacharach, James Ingram, Steve Tyrell, Patti LaBelle, Lionel Ritchie, Yolanda Adams, Nathan East, and Barbara Streisand. She has entertained crowds of all sizes, from stadiums to Broadway theaters to intimate one woman shows, charity galas, and corporate events; her expansive talent and humor continues to find new avenues to be expressed. Nita has recorded 4 independent records, appeared in movies, television shows and multiple studio recordings. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, this former ICU registered nurse, former Miss Louisiana and Star Search Hall of Fame Grand Champion continues to champion literacy through her 501(c)(3) non-profit In A World With Books (www.inaworldwithbooks.org ) which has put 18,500 new books in the hands of 8,500 underserved children and counting. She continues to expand as an artist having performed in four world-premiere musicals; Ragtime, Ten Commandments: the Musical, Breaking Through, and Born For This. Nita has contributed articles for the online magazine Inspired Women, and penned an independent, award-winning memoir entitled: Finding My Voice: My Journey from Grief to Grace. She recently released her newest book, When Your Hand is in the Lion’s Mouth: The Life and Wisdom of a Man named Green, available online everywhere in print and audiobook.
Playwrights 2026 Season
RENA PATEL PYAR AUR COFFEE Rena Patel (she/her) is a Los Angeles-based writer and producer whose work spans the page, stage, and screen. Her writing often explores themes of identity, culture, and ambition through a contemporary South Asian lens. She was a writer on Peacock's The Warehouse Phase. She was a Finalist for the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles Launchpad Pitch Competition in 2025 and for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival in 2023. As a playwright, her work has been produced in various theatres across the country. She has also produced numerous plays, most recently Mayuri Bhandari's The Anti-Yogi at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2025. Her fiction and poetry have been featured in South Asian SOAR's Sanctuaries Anthology, The Sunflower Station Press, and The Calendula Review. She earned her BA in English from Scripps College and her JD from Loyola Law School with a concentration in Transactional Entertainment Law. Along with continuing to develop her own projects, Rena is part of the creative team at Bootleg Universe Media Group/Shankar Animation where she helps bring cutting-edge animation to the screen. During what little free time she can find, Rena enjoys rock climbing at her local climbing gym, geeking out about Shakespeare and Arthurian Literature, and finding new coffee shops to write in around the city.
BRIAN JAMES POLAK THE MEETING Brian James Polak (he/him) was born and raised in New Hampshire. His plays include Welcome to Keene, NH, The Patient (The Kennedy Center’s Jean Kennedy Smith Award), Last To Die For a Lost Cause (The Kennedy Center’s John Cauble Award), Here Rests the Heart, The Gravediggers Union, The Call List, The Meeting, and others. His work has been published by Smith & Kraus, Talon Review, Commonplace Books, No Passport Press, Next Stage Press, and Canyon Voices. Since 2015, Brian has hosted a podcast, called The Subtext, where he interviews playwrights. The Subtext has been presented monthly by American Theatre magazine since 2018. In 2025, he was commissioned by Son of Semele in Los Angeles to write a memoir play titled This is the Subtext about his experiences as a playwright/podcaster. Brian currently resides in Minneapolis, MN with his wife, Heather, and their dog, Hercules Mulligan.
LANIE ROBERTSON LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL Lanie Robertson (he/him) is an Iowa-born playwright. His first plays The Insanity of Mary Girard and Back County Crimes are frequently performed by schools and community theatres. His play about Billie Holiday, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, was produced on Broadway and in London’s West End with Audra McDonald. Many of his works are about iconic artists and the societal issues they faced: Nasty Little Secrets (Joe Orton), Woman Before a Glass (Peggy Guggenheim), Alfred Stieglitz Loves O’Keeffe (Georgia O’Keeffe), Nobody Lonesome for Me (Hank Williams), The Gardener (Claude Monet) and Blythe Coward (Noël Coward). His works have been produced at the Alley Theatre, the Alliance Theatre, Annenberg Center, Arena Stage, Barrington Stage, the Edinburgh Festival, Festival d’Avignon, George St. Playhouse, Kennedy Center, Old Globe, Primary Stages, Playwrights Horizons, Theatre de la Huchette, Theatre Petit Montparnasse, Theatre Silvia Montfort, Vineyard Theatre, Virginia Stage, the Walnut Street Theatre, Westside Arts Theatre and Williamstown Theatre Festival. His first novel was published in 2024. He is a member of the Dramatist Guild, the Society des Auteur et Compositeurs Dramatiques and the Writers Guild, East.
AMY TOFTE CARDBOARD CASTLES HUNG ON WALLS Amy Tofte (she/her) is a Los Angeles-based playwright and screenwriter. She won a Nicholl Fellowship in screenwriting from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Her play Righteous Among Us won the 2020 Todd McNerney Playwriting Award. Recent productions include the short opera The Course We Set (Boston Opera Collaborative) and her plays Cardboard Castles Hung on Walls (Wild Imaginings in Waco, TX) and Parts & Pieces (Larking House in Santa Ana, CA). Her short The Vagina Read was at the 2022 Samuel French Off Off Broadway Play Festival at Playwrights Horizons in NYC. She has been in residence at the Autry Museum of the American West, Brush Creek, Monson Arts, The Kennedy Center and Yaddo with work produced and developed throughout the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and twice at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She is a proud member of The Dramatists Guild. MFA, CalArts. She was raised on a farm and lived her best summers on a tractor or selling sweet corn from the back of a pick-up.