OUR BOARD
LAURA
HOPE-LONDON
President, Artistic Director
Laura Hope-London is an actor, writer, producer and theatre academic currently based in the Southeast. She holds a BFA in musical theatre from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and an MFA in acting from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, UK.
As an accomplished actress of stage and screen, favorite credits include A Christmas Carol (National Tour), Little Women (London, UK Premiere), Spring Awakening (London, Bridewell Theatre), Mean Girls (London, reading), John & Jen (New York, Artists Salon), the world premiere of Elizabeth Swados' Atonement and RakheLeah, and the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremonies directed by Danny Boyle.
Laura was the winner of Best Screenplay Pitch at the 2013 Raindance Film Festival. She has written and produced and co-starred in two short films, Homeward and Departures, and is currently developing a feature. Laura is also the co-Executive Producer of the Award-Winning web series, Seeking, which recently launched its second season.
In addition to her artistic work, Laura is Assistant Professor of Directing in the Theatre Department at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she is creating a brand new Musical Theatre certificate program. She is also pursuing her PhD at Florida State University School of Theatre. Her research interests include race and gender portrayals in musical theatre, theatrical adaptation, and the evolution of musical theatre training at academic institutions. Publications include chapters in the books Hamilton, History and Hip-Hop: Essays on an American Musical and Queen Mothers: Articulating the Spirit of Black Women Teacher-Leaders.
NAOMI LONGSHORE
Treasurer
Naomi Longshore is an experienced theatre manager who is passionate about cultivating opportunities for transformative, theatrical experiences that reflect diverse voices. She is currently based in Washington, DC where she is the Marketing and Communications Manager at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Naomi holds a MFA in Theatre Management from Florida State University. While in Tallahassee she served as Associate Director of Marketing at The School of Theatre at Florida State and worked as a consultant for arts organizations such as Goodspeed Musicals, Lee Street Theatre, and Cornelius Arts Center.
CHARI ARESPACOCHAGA
Creative Director
Chari is a director for theater, film, multimedia, special events and concerts; and Assistant Professor in Performance at the School of Theatre of Florida State University.
Chari’s theatrical direction credits include Birthmark, Love’s Labour’s Lost the Musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (University of California), Amadeus and Stupid Kids (Phoenix Theatre, Victoria), 9 Minutes (for PopUP Theatrics NYC). She has also worked with Susan Stroman in the Vineyard Theatre’s production of Dot, and with Jeff Whiting in NYMF’s Single Wide through the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation.
Chari continues to work on the development of theatre which tells new stories and experiments with new ways of telling them, consciously committed to diversity in casting and creative methodologies; and, translating these experiences into training practices for actors. She is presently the Director of Creative Development for several projects which include, Princess Ten Ten and The Dark Skies: A New Musical, Missing and Em. chariarespacochaga.com
HOLLY STONE
Vice President, Resident Choreographer
Holly Stone is a dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker with an MFA in Dance from Florida State University. Originally from Vermont, they specialize in ballet and ballroom dance. Recent theatre choreography credits include Cats and South Pacific for Quincy Musical Theatre, A New Brain for FSU School of Theatre, and Candide for FSU Opera. They are a professional ballroom instructor currently through the Fred Astaire studios, and they are passionate about safe and inclusive partner interactions in all aspects of their work. They love teaching all levels, and often draws on their background as an engineer to defuse the tension between science and the arts in teaching and in choreography.
CARRIE FRYMER
Secretary
Carrie Frymer is a Creative Producer and Consultant, most recently doing Creative Development and Producing for Warner Bros Theatre Ventures, the live stage division of WarnerMedia. While with WB she worked on Broadway productions including Beetlejuice, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Misery (starring Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf), Dave, 17 Again, The Great Gatsby, Dog Day Afternoon, as well as previously working in Creative Development at Warner Bros Pictures. She was on the Programming Team for the 2019 Los Angeles Dance Film Festival and worked as an Artist Docent on the Bio-Digital/Immersive Stage at the Sundance New Frontier Festival in 2019 and 2020. She has been a Nominator for the Kilroys (promoting underproduced new work by female-identifying and trans playwrights), and as an Organizational Grant Panelist for the LA County Arts Commission. In her past life, she worked as a professional dancer/singer. She continues to perform with LA Unbound Dance Company in Los Angeles, the Community Chorus at the Women’s Center for Creative Work, and volunteers as a Community Ambassador for Planned Parenthood.
MICHAEL D. JABLONSKI
Trustee
Michael has been a successful musical theatre dancer for over 20 years. He has taken his experience on the stage and transitioned it into the classroom where he has taught master classes for many universities and dance centers across the globe.
MIchael has been on Broadway in Cry-Baby, West Side Story, and Book of Mormon. He has also toured the world with 8 different National Tours including Matilda, The Book of Mormon, West Side Story {50th Anniversary world tour), Saturday Night Fever, Doctor Dolittle, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas starring Ann-Margret, Victor/Victoria, and Brigadoon. Michael performed 4 years with the Radio City Rockette's in the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. On film, he can be seen as a featured dancer in the movie version of The Producers starring Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane. Michael has also performed at many prestigious theatre's across the United States.
On the creative side, Michael recently Assistant Directed and Choreographed West Side Story at the New London Barn Playhouse in New Hampshire of which he was a finalist for Best Choreography at the 2017 New Hampshire Theatre awards. Michael assisted David Marquez in the Pre-Broadway Workshop of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer that opened at The Minskoff Theater on Broadway. He also created additional choreography for the National Tour of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Michael recently assisted Karen Azenberg for her musical staging of Les Miserables at Pioneer Theatre Company in Salt Lake City. He has also supervised 4 national tours and multiple regional productions as their Dance Captain.
Michael has a Bachelor of Arts from SUNY at Buffalo and has been a Guest Lecturer and Master Instructor of dance & Musical Theatre audition technique at many Universities and academic programs across the U.S and Canada. Michael is currently attending Florida State University to attain his MFA in Directing.
SHAUNA GOODGOLD
Trustee
Shauna is a social media and brand strategist who is currently the Digital Media Director at RRR Creative. After spending nearly a decade in the entertainment industry — where she voiced campaigns for such companies as HBO, Nickelodeon, Pantene Pro V and iHeartMedia — she transitioned into the field of marketing and social media. Shauna has led content teams for the tech startups Strayboots and Bobbypin, sister companies in the recreational space that innovated travel technology across the U.S. and Europe, as well as directed social media campaigns for luxury brands Fred Leighton, Kwiat and Nicole Schumann Designs. She is currently the head of social media for Phillip Jeffries, Ltd. and resides in Washington DC, where she continues to consult for startups and burgeoning entrepreneurs.