ABOUT US

Teaching Artist

Jasmin Abernathy

Jasmin Abernathy is an actor, spoken word artist, and youth educator.
Originally from New York City, she began performing when she was a child. Acting was an outlet for her to share her emotions and connect with others in a deeper way. During high school, she was selected to be a part of Roundabout Theater Company’s first youth division, called “Voices.” The Youth Division wrote, directed, produced, and acted in original plays. She and the other members performed the original works at Roundabout’s Black Box Theater. Her love for acting and working with young people inspired her decision to pursue the field of teaching. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a Minor in Theater from Lehman College, graduating magna cum laude. She is also a SAG-AFTRA member. She is passionate about working with the youth and helping them with the process of authentically expressing themselves, through the performing arts and beyond.

Teaching Artist

Precious Alfaro

My name is Precious Alfaro; I am a Gay, Black, Mexican, and Native woman from Highland Park, Los Angeles. Struggling with a speech impediment, I often felt too embarrassed to speak; so I wrote poetry. Little scribbles in a notebook. Studying theater is high-school changed my life. It gave me hope and allowed me the confidence to pursue writing as a playwright.

My whole life, I felt as if I needed to swallow the sensation to create and instead continue with the ebb and flows of mundane life. To swallow, in fear that I would be unable to provide for myself and follow in the footsteps of my parents Instead, it only grew inside me; it became a world of its own. I grew trees, forests, oceans, even slums inside this 5’5 frame. My bones are a city, each it’s own feeling. Everything that I write is me; it pulls from those roots and expands through the pen.

Teaching Artist

Christopher Baker

Christopher Baker, the rising star in the entertainment and theatre industry. With a BFA in Acting and a Minor in Education, Christopher has honed his craft through years of experience in community, regional, and educational theatre. Originally from Florida, Christopher’s passion for storytelling led him to Los Angeles where he’s making waves as a resident teaching artist at Dramatic Results, The Advot Project, Improv it Up, and recently joined the team of The Unusual Suspects. His dedication to his craft and infectious enthusiasm have gained him a reputation as one of the most personable and talented performance artists in the industry. Keep an eye out for Christopher Baker, as he continues to make his mark on the entertainment world.

Teaching Artist

Blythe Baten

Blythe graduated with a B.A. from Colorado College and received her graduate training at the New Actors Workshop conservatory program where she studied with renowned directors Mike Nichols, Paul Sills and Geoorge Morrison. She was chosen to participate in master classes taught by Michael Howard and Wynn Handman. She began her professional career in theatre playing Anne Frank in multiple regional productions and went on to understudy the Broadway production starring Natalie Portman. Blythe worked extensively Off-Broadway with The Irish Repertory Theatre before moving to Los Angeles. Since then she has worked in commercials, voiceover, film and television. She worked as a teaching artist with ENACT theatre company in NYC and has been the lead Teaching Artist and Program Manager for Los Angeles Repertory Theater for 15 years. She is very excited to be working with USTC and in having the opportunity to make an impact on the communities it serves.

Program Coordinator

Marcus Baldwin

Marcus Baldwin earned a BFA in acting from the California Institute of the Arts in 2020 and went on to successfully pursue acting full-time in Los Angeles, appearing in a variety of projects across Film, Television, and New Media. His experience as a Program Manager for Sages & Seekers and as a Marketing Assistant for HartmanBaldwin Design/Build both provided him with vital skills in outreach, program development, and social media management. But his first introduction to administrative work, as well as to education and social justice, began with an internship for The Unusual Suspects back in 2019. Since then, he has been a frequent supporter, Volunteer Mentor, and Teaching Artist for the company, and looks forward to making a greater impact in this new role as a Program Coordinator. Above all, Marcus is passionate about serving under-resourced and incarcerated youth, and hopes to be instrumental in carving out a path for their future success in the arts and beyond!

Teaching Artist

Daniel Bisuano

Daniel Bisuano is an actor, writer, poet, and advocate. He continues to pursue his dreams and goals to pursue his creative goals while also empowering his community through his advocacy work. Daniel has been an advocate for seven years and has worked with and been a part of organizations like; Homeboys Industries, Arts for Healing Justice Network, California Justice Leaders, and Inside OUT Writers. Daniel continues to strive to not only better himself but also the community around him. Having spent seven years in the justice system as a youth he has a strong passion for the empowerment and advocacy of the formerly incarcerated community. Living as a former foster youth. Daniel believes that many different communities intertwine and have a strong passion for creating awareness and change amongst each one. Currently Daniel is on the board and committees of different community advocacy organizations like; Reproductive Health and Equity Project for Foster Youth, Integrated Health community with the Los Angeles Regional Reentry Partnership, and the BUS ambassador program with U.C Berkeley.  He also served a term as a Youth Commissioner for District 3 and, along with his different engagements with advocacy, Daniel is a part time student at Cal State University of Los Angeles majoring in English. Daniel continues to explore different ways to help the community through his work as well as different ways to share the stories of people impacted by the various barriers associated with being involved within the justice system.

Chief Executive Officer

Abiram Brizuela

Abiram Brizuela is a Venezuelan-born arts executive and a multidisciplinary artist whose work straddles theater, film, music, and themed entertainment. Before joining The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company as its Executive Director, Abiram served as Director of Artist Community at the Sundance Institute, overseeing a community of over 20,000 independent artists emerging from the world-famous Sundance Film Festival as well as the institute’s ongoing programs, grants, and funds.

Since 2007, Abiram has worked as a Director and Composer on more than 30 international productions, including Wartime Stories to Sleep in Peace by Karin Valecillos, winner of the Municipal Theatre Award for Best Original Score in 2008, and an ambitious adaptation of Jules Verne’s Journey To The Center Of The Earth, winner of three Municipal Theatre Awards for Best Director, Best Original Score, and Best Children’s Play in 2010.

Since relocating to the United States in 2010, Abiram has led multiple arts education programs, including Miami Music Project, MusicWorks, and The Harmony Project, has served as an advisor and keynote speaker for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and El Sistema USA and continues his support for diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the arts through his work with Peter Golub at the Film Music Lab as well as Antigravity Academy with actor Kelly Marie Tran and Academy Award nominee, Carlos Lopez Estrada.

Manager of Corporate Partnerships

Susan Cardosi

With a personal mission of providing artistic and expressive opportunities to all, Susan is thrilled to join the team at USTC and get back to her roots of performing arts.

Originally from the Midwest, Susan earned a B.A. in Communications from Otterbein University with additional studies in Literature, Film, and Dance. She fell in love with the art of storytelling at a young age, everything from the page to performance. That passion has guided her many careers as a dancer, writer, advocate, and nonprofit strategist. 

She’s had the privilege of working with an eclectic range of organizations over the last two decades, giving her the opportunity to wear many hats and build relationships within our artistic and nonprofit communities. Some of the organizations she’s had adventures with are the Los Angeles Zoo, COSI, Kidspace Children’s Museum, California Association of Museums, and HaGomel. Her specialty has been outreach for community building and strategic planning, which makes her eager to design a blueprint for corporate partnerships at USTC.

Teaching Artist

Chris De La Cruz

Chris De La Cruz is an Afro-Latino comedian, storyteller, and educator. He’s hosted for The Moth, SoulPancake, and Spotify’s morning show “The Get Up”, but the only thing his students care about is that he once handed a bunny to Kevin Hart on The Tonight Show. In 2021, he won the Yes, And Laughter Lab with his show “Getting Schooled with Chris De La Cruz,” the news satire talk show for young people about what’s wrong with school and what they can do about it. Outside of his work in comedy, he has taught theater and storytelling in every borough of New York City, was a Keynote Speaker at SXSWEdu, and was a high school teacher at South Bronx Community Charter High School. Now pursuing acting and comedy in Los Angeles, he was featured in the HBO Max Pilot Presentation “Sherlock Homies” and is a regular performer at the UCB Theater.

Program Coordinator

Arcadia Eckmayer

Arcadia Eckmayer is a passionate arts advocate and Southern California native. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a BA in Social Welfare and minors in Theatre and Education. While she first engaged with theatre via acting, she quickly grew impassioned about theatre education and its intersections with social justice. She began her work as a Student Ambassador with Center Theatre Group and later served as an Intern at the San Francisco Opera.

Teaching Artist

Erik Escobar

Erik Escobar is a professional comedian, actor, and teaching artist born and raised in Los Angeles. He began his journey with The Unusual Suspects in 2010 as part of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission’s Internship Program, and has been a regular teaching artist with the organization since 2012, providing in-depth theatre-arts education and mentorship to middle- and high-school students, as well as incarcerated and system-engaged minors. During this time, Erik has also taught with a variety of additional local arts organizations and schools, such as Center for the Arts Eagle Rock, University of Portland, and Spokane’s The Blue Door Theater. He is a comic who currently performs all over the United States at clubs, colleges, and festivals, both individually, with the Almost Asian Comedy Tour, and opening for acts such as Rex Navarette and Jerry Seinfeld. You can hear him tell jokes on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, Comedy Central, and Vh1. Erik has a B.A. in Film, Theatre, and Management from Whittier College and is currently working toward his M.F.A. from Goddard College.

Teaching Artist

Jeanette Godoy

Jeanette Godoy is an Interdisciplinary Artivista (Actor, Costume Designer, Director, and Social Justice Educator). She was raised in Inglewood, California, and received her BA in Liberal Studies with a Specialization in Chicana/o Studies from San Diego State University.  In addition, Jeanette holds a BCLAD Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and an MFA in Theater with a double focus in Acting and Costume Design from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television. Jeanette is the founder of TIZAPAPALOTL Productions, which works with community and professionals in film, television, and theatre to create content that promotes healing through the understanding of cultura (culture), community, and decolonization in order to create social and systematic change, and owner of LA PACHUCADA, which specializes in vintage and recycled clothing. You can follow her work via IG: @misskahlo.

Chief Operating Officer

Michael Halpin

Michael has been a longtime supporter of The Unusual Suspects and has a fierce belief that the arts are an important piece in a child’s development of confidence, collaboration, and success – no matter where their future takes them. For many years he has been involved in the Los Angeles arts community as an actor, singer, and long ago, a dancer. Michael has also been active, as a volunteer, with the non-profit organizations; Hearts In Motion and Meals on Wheels.

His business background comes with more than 20 years’ experience in Operations and Facility Management, and he is a certified LEED AP (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design). He began his career as general manager of a wholesale bread manufacturing company where he was eventually promoted to VP of Operations, then moved to a software telecommunications company, and recently worked at a global, commercial real estate organization. Joining The Unusual Suspects is the perfect place to share his passion for the arts and experience in business management.

Director of Community Partnerships

Anisa Hamdan

Anisa A. Hamdan is a passionate teacher, director, producer, and actor. As an educator, she enjoys creating innovative arts experiences for youth to empower them to be themselves, use their voices and make choices. Recently, she directed arts-integrated leadership workshops for teens to develop their social-emotional skills. As the Program Manager at Inner-City Arts, she was delighted to work with dedicated and talented Teaching Artists, supportive schoolteachers, and curious students who gained confidence through the programming. After graduating from UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and TV, she became the California Science Center’s Education Theatre Director and produced a touring Spanish bi-lingual musical. Her vast experience comes from running multiple theaters and developing youth programs for the City of Los Angeles. She is a recipient of a HERO award presented to her by LA Mayor Eric Garcetti for service to the Los Angeles community.

She was born in Maryland, grew up in Lebanon, Jordan, and Kuwait, and as a teen came back to California where she connected to her Mexican heritage and learned to speak Spanish. As a seven-year-old, she fell in love with the community of theatrical artists who gave her confidence to always be herself. Today, her focus is on serving the larger community by providing exceptional experiences that connect people, bring awareness and have a positive impact.

Volunteer Engagement LACDAC Intern

Cameron Johnson

Cameron is a recent graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Geography and French. Hailing from Southern California and following in the footsteps of her family of musicians and teachers, Cameron is a musician and advocate who is thrilled to be starting her career in the arts after a lifetime of being involved in theater and music. Cameron is passionate about arts accessibility and education and cares deeply about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ educations.

Teaching Artist

Bonnie Kaplan

Bonnie S. Kaplan is an educator, poet, and artist born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. She is thrilled to begin her journey with The Unusual Suspects in the VIP Program. Bonnie has over two decades of experience working full-time as a teacher with programs of parole and probation in California. She believes art and acting are central to healing in individuals and communities. She has studied improv and storytelling with Ann Randolph and character-based comedy with Steve and Barb North. She has performed comedy with the Valley Rep at LA Connection and produced and starred in a series for Public Access Television. She holds an MFA in Performance Art from California College of the Arts (formerly CCAC, Oakland). As a Writer in the Schools for Redhen Press, she currently teaches poetry to middle schoolers.

Program Manager

Rachel Kilroy

Rachel Kilroy (she/her) is a Los Angeles native who uses her strong foundation in the social responsibility of art and culture to advance the ubiquity of arts education.

Rachel graduated from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) with her Bachelor’s in Fine Art. She has worked with many arts institutions, including Los Angeles County Department of the Arts and Culture (LACDAC) intern at Get Lit – Words Ignite where she grew to full time staff as Program Coordinator, with the Cayton Children’s Museum as School Program Coordinator where she wrote the highest enrolled and longest waitlisted week of arts education curriculum, and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts as Education Manager where she increased student matinee performances by 220% and in-school teaching artist residencies by 45% in three years.

In addition to her full-time job, Rachel is the President of Museum Educators of Southern California (MESC) where she oversees 10 volunteer board members, manages internal operations to align with the mission & Cultural Equity statement, oversees project management and strategic planning, and works towards long-term fiscal sustainability while providing members with high-quality professional development opportunities.

Rachel has her certificate of Nonprofit Management from the Center of Nonprofit Management (CNM), she has been an Arts for LA ACTIVATE Delegate fellow, LACDAC Art of Leadership fellow, served as an Arts Education Exposure & Creative Youth Development grant panelist for the California Arts Council (CAC), as an OGP Visual Arts Education grant panelist for LACDAC, SAIL-CAPE grant panelist for the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), and on the Leadership Council of Emerging Arts Leaders / Los Angeles (EAL/LA).

Teaching Artist

Gloria De Leon

Gloria De Leon is an actress and writer, from Santa Paula, CA. She graduated from UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television with a degree in theater and has performed bilingually in Spanish and English in LA and Ventura counties. She is a founding member of the sketch comedy team FATCH, and you can hear her voice-over work on Netflix’s El Chapo, Gentefied, and Nailed It!. Gloria LOVES the DRAMA, and she is the producer and host of Noveleando, a podcast all about telenovela fandom.

Director of Communications

Angie Lee

Angie Lee is an experienced creative storyteller with a passion for the arts and creating accessible community spaces, both digitally and offline. She has a background in advertising and has worked with clients such as Amazon Prime Video and Disney on award-winning social campaigns. Angie is the cofounder of a few humble projects, including the Biggest Little Zine Fair which aims to give new authors a platform to showcase their work. In her spare time, Angie enjoys printmaking, writing, and spending time in Asia.

Teaching Artist

Katharine Lerner

Katharine is an Actor and Teacher in Los Angeles. Katharine has taught with Youth Academy of Dramatic Arts, A Noise Within, Treasure Trunk Theatre, and Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Katharine trained at the Upright Citizens Brigade, Maggie Flanigan Studio, received her BFA from Marymount Manhattan College, and studied at the British American Drama Academy. Katharine loves teaching children and opening their imaginations to all the possibilities of creation and joy.

Teaching Artist

Ali MacLean

Ali MacLean is a writer/actor/director and mental health advocate who has 25 years of professional experience in TV, radio, film, web, print, and theater. She cut her theater teeth at the Miami University Actor’s Studio and the LaJolla Playhouse Acting Conservatory where she trained with Tony-winner Des McAnuff and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Tony Church.

Ali has worked as a TV comedy writer, stand up and sketch performer, radio and TV host, and characters in teen movies she was way too old for. Her acting has been nominated by Method Fest, Broadway World, and the Monologue SlamFest at the Arcola Theatre in London. Ali is the winner of the David Sedaris Humor Prize. She is a Coverfly endorsed writer whose
screenplays have earned fellowships from Stowe StoryLabs, Writers For Writers, RespectAbility Disability Lab, 1in4 Coalition, and Black Magic Filmmakers Collective, to name a few.

Ali’s plays have won and placed in over 60 different competitions, and are published by Applause Books and Smith & Kraus. She is a member of EST/LA, The Dramatist Guild, Honor Roll, and has participated in several professional playwright labs, fellowships, and workshops, including Citadel of Playwrights (Resident Artist), Playwrights Realm, Dramatist Guild’s Footlights, and locally, Cloud Factory, Antaeus Theatre Lab, The Road’s SPF, SheLA Arts, and Ensemble Studio Theatre LA’s Playwrights Unit.

Ali teaches playwriting, acting, and public speaking. Her goal is to help each student find their own unique voice and develop the skills to get that voice on the page and the stage.

Assistant Manager of Advancement

Sierra Marcks-O’Neill

Sierra Marcks-O’Neill is a theatremaker, voice actor, and mother. She serves on the Board of Directors for Theatre of Note and has performed there, as well as numerous other theatres in NYC and LA. Her passion is working on new plays and being a part of the development process for new theatre works. She received her BFA in Acting from Marymount Manhattan College and holds a Bookkeeping Certificate from Santa Monica College.

Teaching Artist

Ayla McCarthy Combes

Ayla McCarthy Combes (they/them) is a multidisciplinary artist, poet, and educator. Their teaching philosophy is primarily rooted in an exploration of bell hooks’ idea that “education is an act and practice of freedom”. Ayla approaches hooks’ liberatory belief by striving to create spaces in which the individual and collective voices of students are celebrated through play, writing, and performance. They recently completed their MFA in Creative Writing at CalArts, and received professional training from the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England. They have had the pleasure of being a teaching artist with Yo Re Mi in New York City, and leading workshops that bridge their ever-evolving explorations as a tarot reader, astrologer, and somatic sound-work practitioner with their love of teaching performance and writing. Ayla is thrilled to join the USTC team as a teaching artist with the Youth Theatre Conservatory. 

Teaching Artist

Natasha Mercado

Natasha Mercado is an actress, director, producer, writer, and theatre arts educator. She moved to Los Angeles, became a clown and the rest is history. You can see her on Adult Swim, Amazon, HBO, TBS, and stages across LA. She created “Send in the Clowns”, the first monthly clown show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and is currently touring her award-winning solo show “Tree” —which was called “one of LA’s
Top Ten Shows” and “a must-see” by Stage Raw and the Times Colonist.  She has virtually taught adults and children at Stomping Ground Comedy Theatre along with a workshop called “Playful Mindfulness” sponsored by the National Alzheimer’s Association to implement improv into the world of caregiving. In 2020, she was named
an “Emerging Content Creator” by the National Association of Latino Independent Producers. She was a director and producer for branded events at UCB and brought customized comedy programs to groups across the country including improv, sketch, storytelling, and public speaking intensives.

Teaching Artist

Nabra Nelson

Nabra Nelson is a community organizer and theater creator from Egypt, Nubia, and California. As a teaching artist, playwright, director, dramaturg, and consultant she works with theaters, schools, universities, and community organizations across the nation to strengthen community and amplify under-heard voices. She is a founding company member of the Seattle-based MENA theater company, Dunya Productions, a founding company member of the Milwaukee-based womxn-of-color performance troupe Heard Space Arts Collective, leads the Nubian Foundation for Preserving a Cultural Heritage, and is the co-host of the Kunafa & Shay Theater Podcast (produced by HowlRound Theatre Commons). Previously, she was the Director of Arts Engagement at Seattle Rep, and the Community Engagement Associate at Milwaukee Rep. She is a professional DEI consultant with Avent Diversity Consulting and a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a voracious reader, enjoys cooking and eating equally, and has a lovely dog named Ashriya!

Teaching Artist

Marie Osterman

Marie Osterman (they/she) is a multidisciplinary theatre artist and teacher based in LA, and thrilled to be part of this team! After graduating from UCLA’s acting and directing program, they have stayed in Los Angeles, working as an actor, movement director, and teaching artist. They are also a longtime collaborator and associate managing director of Project Nongenue. Marie’s generative art combines her classically-trained background in theatremaking and her contact improvisation practice with the mission of facilitating intimate and playful creative spaces. They believe in a generous theatrical space that has room to hold what needs to be held and ignite conversation and community. Marie’s dream is a kind of artmaking that allows us to shed learned ideas and sense that magic within and between us– or just have some fun!  Other passions include birds, making silly shapes with their body, and looking at the moon.

Institutional Giving Manager

Rachel Reed

Rachel has worked with USTC off and on since 2019, and is grateful for the renewed opportunity to generate resources for USTC’s programs and demonstrate the organization’s impact on emerging artists and communities. Hailing from a family of educators, musicians, and writers, Rachel believes in the power of the arts to enhance individual and social flourishing. She is not as pretentious as she sounds.

A combination of idealism, pragmatism, and inertia has kept Rachel in the nonprofit sector for over 15 years. As a consultant, Rachel collaborates with nonprofits to identify their value, hone their messaging, and improve their fundraising and evaluation capacity. She has a BA in Anthropology from Reed College and an MA in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, and has taught the Grant Writing Practicum for USC Price School’s Masters of Nonprofit Leadership and Management program since 2021.

An aspiring novelist, Rachel has written books since 1994, but has yet to finish one. She is in perpetual pursuit of more reading time. Sometimes she sings and dances like it’s 1937, and she can probably beat you at pool.

Program Director

Joe Samaniego

Joe Samaniego holds a BFA in Acting from UC Santa Barbara, an MFA in Playwriting from UCLA, and a Diploma in DEIA Leadership from Stanford. As a playwright, his plays have been published through Samuel French and have premiered on stages such as The Rattlestick Theater in NYC, Aspen Playwright’s Festival, as well as several National and International tours. With a passion for the community-building and transformative potential of the arts, Joe has worked for the better part of the last decade educating and building curriculum to inspire and empower young people, and to create a more equitable landscape in arts education.

He most recently held the role of Director of Education where he served hundreds of students to create individualized learning plans and help close educational gaps caused by Covid-19 learning loss and subsequent resource scarcity. He continues to volunteer with initiatives such as the People’s Voice Theater which works with young women in the juvenile justice system on the explorative power of writing, as well as several other organizations that support first-generation college students at UCSB and UCLA. He is grateful to be a part of The Unusual Suspects and to continue to make an impact in the communities we serve.

Teaching Artist

Leonardo van Schermbeek

Leonardo van Schermbeek is a Venezuelan-born artist with over 20 years of experience in the theater world. He has worked as an actor, as well as a creative and artistic director. His notable contributions include his roles as an actor and General Producer in the International Theatre Festival of Caracas (FITC) and the National Children’s Theatre Festival (FESTÍN, 2002). Throughout his career, he has collaborated with a variety of theater groups and production companies. In 2015, he won 1st Place at the Young Directors Festival, awarded by Teatro Trasnocho.

After relocating to the United States in 2016, Leonardo developed several performances, including Las Medias de Los Flamencos and El Cangrejo Volador, both children’s plays that toured within Miami-Dade Public Schools, promoting Spanish language and culture within South Florida’s Hispanic community. These projects were collaborations with Fundación CuatroGatos. Additionally, he was part of the Miami cast of Piaf: The Musical at The Colony Theater and the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Teaching drama to children, combined with arts and storytelling, is another one of Leo’s passions. During the pandemic, he shared his storytelling sessions with kids and families worldwide through social media.

Before joining The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company as a Teaching Artist, Leonardo co-founded and served as the Creative Director of the IMAGO Theatre Group, based in Miami, Florida, for five years. This was a formative space where he fostered an environment of exploration and creativity. He directed four original plays written by a select group of Venezuelan women playwrights, including Karin Valecillos and Xiomara Moreno.

Together with his partner Jefferson Quintana, Leonardo creates powerful and imaginative visual solutions through conceptual and innovative performances. Their most recent project, The Piñata Guys, is a creative studio whose portfolio is as diverse as it is dazzling. Their work includes enchanting books, eye-popping brand identities, mesmerizing magazines, awe-inspiring sculptural art pieces, show-stopping costumes, dreamy set designs, whimsical puppets, mind-bending photoshoot concepts, and, of course, the ever-essential piñatas. They have collaborated with institutions such as The Bass, Miami Beach’s contemporary art museum.

Teaching Artist

Dani Schlenker

Dani has been a dedicated teacher of the performing arts for the last year and a half, working with companies like Theatre 360 in Pasadena and STAR Education in Santa Monica and Marina del Rey. While studying theatre and biology at Whitman College she had the opportunity to expand her education at the National Theatre Institute, and later worked as an Associate in their Theatremakers program. She’s thrilled to be a part of the Unusual Suspects Theatre Company!

Teaching Artist

Julian Smith

Julian Smith is a Los Angeles-based actor, writer and singer. He is originally from Daytona Beach, Florida, and has developed his résumé working in film, television, community, regional and educational theatre. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre, he moved to Los Angeles to make an impact in the entertainment industry. When Julian is not performing, he is a resident teaching artist in the Los Angeles area, where he shares his knowledge, experience, and passion for theatre with children and young adults.

Teaching Artist

Monique Sypkens

Manager of Institutional Giving

Jason Van Over

Jason Van Over began in the arts and transitioned to social justice work. He brings an operations and development background to USTC. He strongly believes that anyone who wants to express themselves creatively should have the resources to do it. 

Director of Institutional Giving

Nick Williams

Nick Williams is an actor, producer, and proud father. He was store director at Hollywood Video’s flagship store in Los Angeles and is the former art board President at Theatre of NOTE in Hollywood, where he still acts on a regular basis. Some of his recent performances at NOTE include Rio Hondo, Entropy (Scenie Award), I Wanna Hold Your Hand (two Scenies Awards), What May Fall (Broadway World Awards nomination), The Pity of Things (two Broadway World Awards nominations), Skeleton Stories, Nibbler and Kill Me, Deadly (Ticket Holder Awards’ Best Supporting Actor nomination). Among several non-NOTE performances in Los Angeles, his portrayal of Chris Keller in All My Sons at the Raven Playhouse was recognized for “Best Performance by a Lead Actor / Drama” (Stage Scene LA). He holds a BA in Acting from Willamette University. Nick has worked in Development for The Unusual Suspects since 2012 and is honored to play a small role in bringing the transformative power of theatre to our most underserved communities.