Research Committee

Director & Dramaturg (she/her) - Natalie Kane is a New York-based director and dramaturg passionate about introducing resonant plays and transcendent writers to new audiences. She has also worked with Hedgepig as a stage manager, and serves on the ETC Research Committee. In varied artistic and literary capacities she has worked on recent seasons at Roundabout Theatre Company, Gloucester Stage, The Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, National Playwrights Conference, National Women’s Theatre Festival, and Premiere the Play podcast. Natalie is a proud alumna of Kenyon College and National Theater Institute, and loves ballroom dancing in her free time. NatalieKaneDirector.com.

Associate Professor (she/her) - Kathy Bischoping is an Associate Professor of Sociology and member of the Graduate Programs in Sociology, and Gender, Feminist & Women’s Studies York University, in Toronto, Canada. Her research concerns qualitative sociological methods, particularly narrative analysis and interviewing methods. Having playwriting experience and having co-curated events for Nuit Blanche (an all-night contemporary arts festival), she strives to integrate arts-based methods into her teaching. A member of the Reading Committee for Hedgepig’s last three Expand the Canon lists, Kathy also found herself using her research skills to dismantle the patriarchy… one newly-located script at a time.

Dramaturg, Director, Scholar (she/they/ella) - Karina is a Latinx dramaturg, director, and writer. She is a freelance dramaturg and currently the dramaturg at GableStage in Miami, FL. Recent dramaturgical projects include La Gringa (City Theatre), SolFest 2023 (Festival Dramaturg), The Thanksgiving Play, How I Learned What I Learned, Native Gardens, El Huracan. (GableStage). Karina assistant directed The Thanksgiving Play (GableStage) and directed new work as part of the Summer Jam Playwright Fellows for SolFest at Pregones/PRTT. Karina is a Silver Palm Award recipient for Dramaturgical Excellence in the South Florida theatre community. Karina is guided by a profound belief in the power of storytelling as a catalyst for societal change and dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices on the stage.

Actor (she/her) - In her fifth year on the ETC reading committee, Desirée advocates for Hedgepig's mission because she thrives in a collective where all voices – past and present - are sought out and amplified. With Hedgepig she has performed in The Stone Host (Donna Mercedes), War and Mercy (Velasco), When the Lights Go Out (Healer/Ensemble), Little Women (Marmee) and The Gift of Giving: A Little Women Holiday Experience, All’s Well That Ends Well (Countess). Other roles include: Parent/Lear in Lear with Shakespeare Forum, Gertrude in Hamlet, Ranevskya in The Cherry Orchard, Hope in Be a Good Little Widow and Dauber in The Cradle Will Rock. A classically trained mezzo-soprano, she has performed in operas, oratorios and concerts in the U.S. and Europe, and premiered works by several North American composers. AEA, SAG-AFTRA, AGMA. www.DesireeBaxter.com

Director & Teacher (she/they) - Alex is a US and UK based theater teacher, director and actor. She is currently Director of Avenues New York’s Drama Program, nurturing and encouraging young theater artists as well as teaching middle and high school humanities. Alex graduated from Barnard College with a degree in Theater (Directing) and History, and from Oxford University with a Masters in English Literature (1550-1700). She is passionate about women’s history and Shakespeare and has directed a variety of productions in the UK, including As You Like It for the Oxford Theater Guild , All’s Well That Ends As You Like It and Sylvia at the Edinburgh Fringe, the world premiere of David Maskell’s Orlando Furioso at Pusey House in Oxford, and most recently Shaina Taub’s musical adaptation of As You Like It for the Avenues Drama Program. Recent acting credits include Hermione in Winter’s Tale and ensemble roles in The Tempest. She also served on the Oxford Theater Guild’s Board of Directors from 2020-22, designed costumes for Nicholas Nickleby at the Oxford Playhouse, and was for four years an examiner for Oxford, Cambridge and the Royal Society of Arts’ Advanced Level English Drama and Poetry pre-1900 course.

Actor (she/her) - Tia Cassmira is a first generation Trinidadian-American actress from Queens, New York. She is a 2019 graduate of Mason Gross School of the Arts and has also spent time studying in London at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and in Oxford with the British American Drama Academy. When she's not acting, she can be found miming alongside Broken Box Mime, and working amongst non-profit theaters in NYC.

Performer & Producer (he/him) - James is a performer, producer, linguist, and Doctor Who fan committed to shining a light on forgotten histories and telling stories together. He makes audio dramas for children with the First Ditch Collective, and feels very strongly about the importance of eighteenth century English theatre culture as a precursor to modern society.

Playwright, Dramaturg, Actor (she/her) - Rhiannon is a multi-industry artistic professional, specializing in the creation and development of politically-driven, community-engaged story across mediums. Graduating Magna Cum Laude from CAP21 Conservatory in 2021, she is trained in stage, screen, and new media. Her work often revolves around gender and sexuality and its entwining with history, politics, the arts, and identity; she is passionate about amplifying the voices of those silenced, providing unity in discomfort, and sparking genuine query between opposition. O’Neill and SheNYC Arts Semi-Finalist. NAPSeries Finalist. Recipient of the Mayor’s Arts Award, the NEA ArtWorks Grant, and the RedLine Arts in Society Grant. Proud member of Ring of Keys, the RISE Directory, LMDA, Parity Productions, and In Repair Media. rhiannonling.com

Visiting Assistant Professor (she/her) - Julia Moriarty holds a PhD in theatre from Wayne State University in Detroit, an MA in theatre education from Emerson College and dual BAs in Theatre and Psychology from Drake University. She is also a certified teacher of the Michael Chekhov Acting Technique with the Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium. She is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre History at Millikin University. She has worked as a director, dramaturg, performer, and teaching artist throughout the country, notably at Hope Repertory Theatre, the Jewish Ensemble Theatre in Detroit, Lyric Stage Company of Boston, and Heart of America Shakespeare Festival in Kansas City. Julia is the co-founder and co-editor-in-chief of Etudes, a theatre and performance studies journal for emerging scholars. Her research focuses on the integration of narratology and feminist theory within contemporary performance.

Actor / Playwright / Producer (she/her) - Shubhra recently wrote and performed a solo work Fontwala in India and the US. Based in New York City with connections to Bay Area, CA and India where she travels often to present and create work. Working towards a goal of "stories of India in America and stories of America in India."

Playwright (she/her) – Regina Robbins is the author of several plays, including Quicksand (Everyday Inferno Theatre Company), It's Just the Radio (Looking Glass Theatre) and Not a Dream (Six Figures Theatre). She has had plays developed by Teatro LATEA, the Directors Company, and Everyday Inferno, and has directed plays for Manhattan Theatre Source, UTC #61, and the Looking Glass Theatre. Regina is also a filmmaker whose work has been screened at venues in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Cleveland and Asheville, NC. She is a graduate of Yale, Columbia and the City University of New York; a freelance journalist covering New York theatre; and a four-game champion on Jeopardy!

Actor (she/her) - Rachel is a multi-hyphenate artist based in Denver, CO. As an actor, she’s been seen with Hedgepig, The Public Theater, the box collective, Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, and Titan Theatre Company. She has created 2 original films that both had great festival circuit runs (Apply Ever After & Delivery Failed) and she currently writes a blog called Grounded Living. Rachel is also a finance coach and especially loves helping artists & independent contractors get their finances in order. She is a proud Hedgepig Ensemble Theatre alum and is excited to join the reading committee for her 4th year!