Nueva has established a multitude of community partnerships with local theaters, directors, businesses, advertising agencies, photographers, community theater groups, actors, dance companies, graphic artists, and publishers. These consultants allow students to gain a more in-depth understanding of the Arts, Media, and Entertainment industry and the experience of working with industry professionals.
BRONWEN SHEARS Bronwen Shears has been a professional theatre artist for the last 25 years garnering critical acclaim acting, directing and teaching in theaters and schools across the Bay Area. She holds a BFA in Theatre and has trained internationally in a broad range of theatre styles and traditions. Bronwen previously directed NUEVA productions of Zoot Suit, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Alice in Wonderland, and Life in Three. She also teaches/directs at Montgomery High, Hillcrest School, Main Stage West, and 6th Street Playhouse as well as acting and directing professionally in the grater Bay Area.
MELECIO ESTRELLA Melecio Estrella is a bay area born and raised dance artist. He has enjoyed working with the Joe Goode Performance Group since 2004. Melecio currently performs and teaches aerial dance with Project Bandaloop. He is thankful to have worked with Scott Wells, Rachael Lincoln, Lizz Roman, Frieda Kipar, Jesse Hewit and others over the years. Lately he has been choreographing original works alone and with Fog Beast, a project that he co-directs with Andrew Ward. Melecio believes in the power of live art to support and connect individuals and communities.
BEN JUODVALKIS Ben is a freelance musician and composer. He accompanies at studios and school all over the bay area and has composed for Company C Contemporary Ballet, Lines Ballet School, UC Berkeley Dance Ensemble, and the San Francisco School of the Arts. Ben also plays in local band Battlehooch and lives in San Francisco
ANDREW WARD Andrew dances with Joe Goode Performance Group, Project Bandaloop and is co-director of Fog Beast. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in Peace and Conflict Studies. In his youth, Andrew left the world of competitive gymnastics to find joy and satisfaction in the modern dance program at Berkeley High School. Along with dancing, he now teaches and choreographs in the greater Bay Area.
CLARK HOUSTON LEWIS Founder and Artistic Director of Roustabout Theater, received his graduate degree from The Juilliard School and established himself as a professional coach in New York. Clark also acted Off-Broadway and at regional theaters along the east coast, directed theater and produced documentaries in Los Angeles, and continues to coach leading performers on Broadway, films and television shows. Client and Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei says: “I can tell you from personal experience, Clark knows how to get the best out of you – he’s so smart about actors and acting!” In 2006, Clark founded Roustabout Theater, resident theater of the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, with the mission to create a world-class regional theater and unparalleled training program in Sonoma County where he now lives. Clark is a member of Theater Services Committee, an advisory board to Theater Bay Area, the service organization for the 9 Bay Area counties
REBECCA MARTIN Rebecca is passionate about teaching the power of theatrical processes in the service of personal growth, skill building, and group transformation. Her background is 20+ years on stage. She now work with professionals and consults with local schools and educational theater programs in an innovative way to encourage a greater presence and fuller self expression. She is a professional actress, commercial and voice over artist, director and licensed WholeSpeak Public Speaking Coach. She received my M.F.A. from The National Theater Conservatory at the Denver Center and B.A. from Middlebury College, and is the Educational Director at Main Stage West in Sebastopol, CA.
DAN SASKI Dan has been a Teaching Artist/Director for the past 10 years. As Education Coordinator at Sonoma County Repertory Theater, he established Artist Residencies at many schools in Sonoma County, including: Orchard View High School; Salmon Creek and Hillcrest Middle Schools; Brook Haven, Pinecrest, and Park Side Elementary; and was also in charge of Rep on Tour, an outreach program bringing children’s productions to schools in the North Bay. Dan also led Sonoma Rep’s summer program, The Young Actors Conservatory. He was the head of Drama Departments at Ursuline High School and Rincon Valley Charter School; and currently leads the Drama Program at Sonoma Charter School. Dan also teaches and directs student productions at Cal Shakes, Marin Theater Company, Redwood High School, and Berkeley Playhouse. Favorite directorial productions include: Peter Pan Jr., Into The Woods, Suessical the Musical, Willy Wonka Jr., Guys & Dolls, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, Comedy of Errors, The Phantom Tollbooth, Back to the 80’s, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), and Jon Tracy’s Planet Z!
M. GRAHAM SMITH Graham is the Director of Movement and Voice in Barcelona's premiere Meisner Program (www.meisner.es). He also teaches at the American Conservatory Theater’s (A.C.T.) actor training programs in San Francisco and at Waterfront Playhouse & Conservatory in Berkeley. He has been a guest teacher at San Francisco’s New Conservatory Theatre Center, San Francisco State University, Berkeley Playhouse, and Assumption University in Bangkok and CSSSA at CalArts. His teaching incorporates principals from many different physical disciplines and traditions from around the world in the service of training a dynamic articulate physical actor. Graham trained at the Dell’arte School of Physical Theatre, Trinity University Dublin’s Leqoc program, and in Bali, Indonesia with master teachers of the Balinese Mask dance form. In addition to his teaching work, Graham is the producer of Aurora Theatre’s Global Age Project. He has directed at HERE in New York City and many venues in San Francisco, including A.C.T.’s Masters program, Aurora Theatre, The EXIT Theatre, Asian American Theatre Company, Playground, BRAVA, Berkeley Playhouse, Golden Thread, SF Opera, and New Conservatory. Most recently, he directed the West Coast Premiere of JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA in San Francisco as well as TRUFFALDINO SAYS NO at Shotgun Players which won Best Director for the Bay Area Critics Circle. He is excited to be directing Laural Meade's HARRY THAW HATES EVERYBODY this fall at Shotgun Players in Berkeley, as well as THE LIAR adapted by David Ives, at Occidental College as an Edgerton Foundation director-in-residence.
DAVE MAC NAB Dave has been performing and composing music for over fifteen years. Born in New York, raised in Los Angelos, he has been living in the San Francisco Bay area for ten years, drawing inspiration from the abundance of creative talent and the area's natural beauty. Dave has worked with many of the Bay Area's finest musicians, in a wide range of settings and styles. While he's well versed in the language of Jazz, his playing equally draws from rock, funk, latin, and blues influences, creating a soulful, intelligent sound driven by a strong rhythmic force. Dave has performed with Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Shelby Lynne (Best New Artist, 2001), supporting her album "I AM SHELBY LYNNE" (Island/Def Jam). While touring throughout Europe, Canada and the U.S., he has shared the stage with Sting, K.D. Lang, Matchbox 20, Ben Harper, Jeff Beck, Willie Nelson, Taj Mahal, Rikki Lee Jones, Bon Jovi and others. Television radio credits include Letterman, Leno, Conan, Kilbourn, Rosie, Austin City Limits, Fresh Air, E-Town as well as European and Canadian programs. Dave also has toured and recorded with Bob Wier and his band, Ratdog. Dave was busy in 2001 playing with with former Charlie Hunter drum phenom Scott Amendola, as well as playing lead guitar in the national touring productions of Rent, Elton John's AIDA, and The Lion King, Wicked, Hairspray, 42nd Street, and Pippen.
MC RADIO ACTIVE Originating from Boston, MA, Radio Active embodies the essence of hip hop. He is an emcee, beatboxer, writer, painter, and b-boy. He plays musical instruments, incorporates electronic beats with his beatbox and commands active audience participation during his fresh, soulful original live performances.Innovative to the industry, Radio Active brings hip hop into other genres, a true crossover artist. An electrifying performer, Radio Active has toured extensively the past years throughout North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan as a member of the politically charged musical group Michael Franti & Spearhead to audiences in theaters and festivals upwards of 100,000 people and appearing on national television programs such as David Letterman, Craig Kilborne and on MTV with the critically acclaimed single/video “Rock The Nation.” Along the years, he’s shared the stage with artists such as Ani DiFranco, Common, Indigo Girls, KRS-One, String Cheese Incident, Roy Ayers, Talib Kweli, O.A.R., Karl Denson, Ben Harper, Keller Williams, Trey Anastasio, Jeru The Damaja, DJ Apollo, Jonah Sharp and Meshell N’Degeocello.As featured in the ..ary films, “Breath Control” and “Freestyle, The Art Of Rhyme,” Radio Active has made a worldwide impact in this genre of beatboxing; the art of vocal percussion. This skill has translated into a new industry as a voice talent and you can hear Radio Active as announcer on two very popular video games, “Dance, Dance Revolution” and “Dance, Dance Revolution 2” as well as game announcer for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors on Fox Sports.