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Ron Russell

Executive Director

Melissa Friedman                                                           James Wallert

Co-Artistic Director                                           Co-Artistic Director

Bria Holness                                                                    Debra Morris

Development Manager                                     Operations Manager

Christina Gonzalez                                                         David Naranjo

Alumni Producing Associate                 Communications Associate

Epic Theatre Ensemble, founded in 2001, is dedicated to creating bold work with and for diverse communities that promotes vital discourse and social change. Epic builds thoughtful citizenship in communities throughout NYC by producing award-winning, socially minded plays and connecting these plays to schools via curriculum-integrated in-school and elective beyond- school program.

 Epic makes theatre that empowers. Epic’s artists are equal parts cyphers and mentors: they create and amaze; they teach and inspire; they translate the struggles of history into lessons for our future; they fight their way into the center of the civic dialogue. We value youth voice deeply, because we share a youthful passion for justice; we believe that theatre that embraces this passion transforms audiences from passive bystanders into active participants forging a more inclusive and collaborative vision of America. 

Off-Broadway, Epic has commissioned and developed 39 new works of socially-minded theatre, including 10 U.S. premieres and 13 world premieres such as nationally-known plays like Kate Fodor’s Hannah and Martin and Nilaja Sun’s No Child... and in 2015, Nilaja’s next solo piece PIKE ST., now on tour across the nation and even the world, winning numerous awards at Edinburgh in summer 2017. They’ve presented this new work alongside engaging productions of classics from Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Shaw, and New York premieres of acclaimed work from around the country and world, such as Sarah Ruhl’s Passion Play in Brooklyn and Vern Thiessen’s Einstein’s Gift. Epic is the recipient of OBIE, Lucille Lortel, Drama Desk, Drama League, and OTTO Awards, among many other honors.

EPIC THEATRE ENSEMBLE

epictheatreensemble.org

410 WEST 42ND STREET

NEW YORK, NY 10036

(212) 239-1770