Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Reveals Members of the Third Cohort of Miranda Family Fellows Program

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company has revealed the third 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. Miranda Family 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. 

 

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, season long, department-specific position with benefits (including health insurance), and a housing stipend. 

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. 

Past fellows at Woolly Mammoth have gone on to new positions with Woolly, as well as positions with organizations such as The Public Theater and Sixth & I. 

 

Connectivity Fellow Natalia Corvoisier (she/they) 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 Marketing Fellow, Steven Franco (he/him/él), will join Woolly's industry-leading Marketing, Communications, and Audience Services department. He will assist with building loyalty for members of Woolly's innovative Golden Ticket and in creating content for social media, e-mail, and web. The New Work Fellow, Ynika Yuag (they/them), is immersed in the artistic team of a major new work theatre, experiencing Woolly's unique season planning, new work development, and production dramaturgy processes.

 

“Every year, our Miranda Family Fellows prove that the future of the American theatre is bright,” says Maria Manuela Goyanes, Artistic Director of Woolly Mammoth. “Our third cohort of fellows — Nat, Steven, and Ynika — bring an energy of optimism, passion, and curiosity that is a breath of fresh air. We're so glad that they'll be with us for the rest of the 2023-24 season, and can't wait to see what their future will be in this industry.”

 

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 
Natalia Huitz Corvoisier (she/they) was born in California and grew up nearby in Montgomery County, MD. With an AA in Theatre Performance from Montgomery College and a BA in Theatre from the University of Maryland College Park, Nat considers their theatre artistry locally grown. An actor, director, and playwright, Natalia is dedicated to creating and facilitating art for folks of the global majority and LGBTQ+ creatives, as well as creating safe spaces where boldness, joy, and accountability are always in mind. During the fellowship, Nat is excited to expand her definition of community, experience a bunch of theatre and art, and learn from Woolly Mammoth's missions and values. Nat co-founded Camp Confetti Collective (previously Bedroom Broadcast), a theatre initiative that brings theatre students and recent graduates together to read new works, go see shows at local theaters, and share their experiences in the theatre realm. She has previously worked at Keegan Theatre: Boiler Room Series 2022 (Dramaturg), Adventure Theatre-MTC: Jingle in July (Actor/Dramaturg), Theatre Alliance: A DMV I.D.E.A. (Actor) and had her work featured at Capital Fringe Festival 2023: TBD: A Devised Theatrical Celebration/Musical Love Letter (Director/Producer/Devisor) and Fearless New Play Festival 2023: Roots (Playwright).

Steven Franco (he/him/él) is a first-generation Guatemalan-American theatre artist and activist, currently based and originally from the DMV area. He is a recent graduate of George Mason University, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. At Mason, Steven co-founded Players4Change, a student organization that advocates for the existence and empowerment of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and Disabled students within the university's theatre program. In doing this, Steven has learned to make space and prioritize community building through a marginalized lens. He now focuses on pushing barriers and decolonizing theatre-making through performance, advocacy, and cultivating anti-racist practices in all theatre spaces. In addition, Steven has previously worked with Broadway for Racial Justice, and the Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment at GMU. He is also a recent alum of the Overtures Musical Theatre Institute at Signature Theatre. On stage, Steven was last seen as the Male Swing/Dance Captain for Spring Awakening at Monumental Theatre Company.

 

Ynika Pocopio Yuag (they/them) is a Filipino, Indigenous, and Queer theatre artist focusing on directing, intimacy choreography, and new work development. They center on trauma-informed and consent-based practices and feel most excited about works by and for marginalized peoples. Born in Manila, Philippines, and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan, they proudly continue a lineage of storytellers from Siquijor and the Ifugao people of Banaue, Philippines. Previously, they were a company member and Production Manager of Face Off Theatre Company in Kalamazoo, where they co-created/instructed the Youth New Play Project. Favorite directing credits include Fabulation by Lynn Nottage at Face Off Theatre Company (Kalamazoo, MI), Kokoro (True Heart) by Velina Hasu Houston (Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College, MI), and the annual devised project The Abortion Monologues at Kalamazoo College. Favorite intimacy choreography credits include Indecent by Paula Vogel at Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids (MI) and Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea by Nathan Alan Davis at Western Michigan University. BA: Psychology and Theatre Arts (Kalamazoo College). They are a Taurus sun and stellium, Virgo moon, Pisces rising, eldest daughter, and hot fries enthusiast. ynikayuag.com.

 

ABOUT WOOLLY MAMMOTH

The Tony Award-winning Woolly Mammoth Theatre 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 Kimberly E. Douglas, 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. 

 

ABOUT MIRANDA FAMILY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

The Miranda Family Fellowship Program was developed to create a pipeline for emerging artists and arts administrators from underrepresented communities to access education and long-term support that advance their careers within theatre and tv/film, and to increase diversity within leadership in the entertainment industry. Each Fellowship collaborates with partner institutions to provide paid fellowships and scholarships as well as wrap-around programming to support artistic development, increase understanding of the business aspects of the entertainment industry, and connect artistry with advocacy. The program partners with organizations that have developed or are willing to adopt non-traditional methods to recruit artists and students who have talent, but may have little to no previous exposure and training. The program has supported over 100 social justice-oriented, emerging artists and arts administrators and employed over 50 BIPOC guest artists.
 

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