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Stage Lighting at Concert

A BIT ABOUT US

Who We Are

MICHAEL FELDMAN, the Facilitator and co-Founder of the Theater and Policy Salon (TPS), curates and moderates policy discussions that investigate themes raised by theatre and other art forms. He launched the Talk Tank series to explore policy issues underpinning plays in Forum Theatre's 2016-2017 season, and again organized Talk Tank discussions for Forum’s final 2017-2018 season. Michael served as an Editorial Team Member at Createquity–a virtual think tank and online publication–through its sunset in 2017. Michael is Principal at Transitions International and also serves as the board Director for Cultural Diplomacy of the Alliance for New Music Theatre.

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Group of Advisors

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TOM MINTER is a playwright, librettist and author, whose work specializes in issues of diversity, and the tapestry of identity in creating community.

Tom studied playwriting at Pomona College, and -after a side tracked career in the hospitality industry- moved to London to immerse himself in theatre. He was nurtured by The New Playwright’s Trust, who also presented his first play at The Theatre Museum in Covent Garden. He subsequently has had commissions and productions of his work in London, Berlin, New York, Philadelphia.

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JOE MARTIN is a novelist and theatre director, whose works comprise an international and experimental exploration into the border regions between the spiritual 
cosmos and the cultural-political world. He is also senior lecturer in the Department of Theatre Arts and Studies, Johns Hopkins University; and Creative Writing at George Washington University. He has also served as Fellow in the Arts and Peace at the Center for Global Peace, Washington DC.

He is the recipient of various grants and awards as a writer and director, including a Fulbright Senior 
Fellowship in Theatre, and grants from the Rockefeller Foundation, the American Scandinavian Foundation, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, among others. In 2002 Martin was selected to serve on the roster of Senior Fulbright Senior Specialists, as a theatre artist 
in Eastern Europe. He was reappointed in 2011, for work in the Middle East.

Also active as a translator of drama from Swedish, Norwegian and Spanish, he has translated many works of 
August Strindberg, as well as Jens Bjorneboe, and Juan Tovar.

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NJ MITCHELL, co-Founder of the Theater and Policy Salon (TPS) and Chair of the Group of Advisors,

is the granddaughter of a pastor, born to a gospel recording artist and professional sports family, a film, TV, Commercials actress and 2012 Billboard Actress for Mother’s Against Gun Violence Campaign and 2008 CA Regional Committee Member Women for Obama campaign.

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NJ Mitchell is also a Teaching Artist for Creativity First, Creative Kids Drama elementary school program. NJ has worked in DC with amazing leadership at Mosaic Theater, Theater J, Woolly Mammoth Theater, Alliance for New Music-Theatre, THEARC Theater, Theater and Policy Salon and has created community social justice eduTainment programs such as FROM SELMA TO FERGUSON TO BALTIMORE, SALT and Blacks & Jewish Unity Poetry Slam hosted at facilities like Mt Gilead/National Baptist Educational Conference and John Wesley AME Zion Church.  She is co-facilitator of Theater & Policy Salon (TPS) and founder of SALT, Social Justice & Art Lessons using Theater, and Blacks and Jewish Unity Poetry Slam productions.

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