Our People
Management Team
Elaine leads the Chickenshed NYC team, having brought the pioneering inclusive theatre company to New York after relocating from London in 2016 with her husband and two children. A longtime champion of Chickenshed’s mission, Elaine has been involved with the organization for over a decade, with both her children growing up immersed in its inclusive community from infancy. With a deep belief in the transformative power of theatre, Elaine’s vision is to ensure that every child—of every identity, experience, and need—has access to creative expression. As Chickenshed NYC grows, her focus remains on ensuring the company’s impact continues to empower individuals, strengthen communities, and build a culture where everyone belongs and is valued.
Contact Elaine (Admin@chickenshednyc.org)
Elliot brings to Chickenshed NYC his combined backgrounds as a not-for-profit executive, theatrical producer, strategic consultant, and legal professional.
He is responsible for the financial, business, and planning aspects of the company, and he serves as secretary to the board of directors.
He has worked for many internationally-related organizations, including Royal Shakespeare Company America and the Mariinsky Foundation of America.
Cyndi's role encompasses a wealth of experience as an actress, teacher, director, producer, and mother of a child with mixed abilities. She has had the pleasure of directing and teaching acting, musical theatre performance, and private voice for over 25 years in New York City, London, Russia, and around the globe. She was one of the founding instructors of the performing arts academy at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma - beginning with just 20 students. By the end of her tenure, the enrollment had grown to over 300.
Returning to New York City with her family, Cyndi worked as a director - leading over 60 productions at regional theatres across the US; and around the world, including a bilingual production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Russia and a Chickenshed production of Arabian Nights in London.
In addition to her role at Chickenshed NYC, Cyndi serves as the Artistic Director of The Studio & The Studio AP, a pre-professional musical theatre company at Shuffles Tap and Musical Theatre School.
Cyndi's acting credits include Off-Broadway, National Tours, Television, Film, and Commercials. She volunteers for the Broadway Cares / Equity Fights Aids Easter Bonnet Competition, which raises millions every year to fund medical care and research.
Cyndi believes that students of all abilities should be exposed to all facets of the arts to discover what makes them unique. She feels that there are no small parts; one should be prepared to perform any role – ensemble, supporting, or a lead – with no one being greater than the other. By pursuing this philosophy, her students work in every aspect of the entertainment industry, including acting, casting, producing, and directing.
Cyndi holds a Bachelors in Musical Theatre, and has completed her studies for a Masters in Creative Writing, from the University of Central Oklahoma. She is a member of Actors Equity Association.
Contact Cyndi (Artistic@chickenshednyc.org)
Theatre Practitioners
Nikki (she/her) is an actor and teaching artist currently based in NYC. She grew up in northern Virginia and graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Drama and a minor in History. While at NYU, she studied musical theatre and screen acting and completed intensive training in commedia dell’arte and clown. She has built and implemented curriculum for theatre classes and camps across the NYC and DC areas, and on computer screens across the country. Recently, she helped found Soft Brain Theatre Company and produced and performed in "The Raven" by Carlo Gozzi at The Chain Theatre. She takes a process-oriented approach to teaching and seeks to uplift student ideas while nurturing the development of creativity, confidence, and collaboration.
Mollie Frankel is a multi-hyphenate theatre artist who is thrilled to be a practitioner with Chickenshed NYC. At Chickenshed, she excels in fostering individual voices, nurturing a strong sense of community, and incorporating artistic sign language into devised performances, ensuring every player is seen, heard, and celebrated. With a diverse career both on and off the stage, Mollie has established herself as a force in the world of inclusive theatre. Her work as a director and stage manager for a wide variety of experimental, experiential, and culture-driven works has made her highly regarded and respected, renowned for her commitment to providing accessible and transformative theatre experiences for all backgrounds, skill levels, and passions. Her extensive history in theatre, as well as intensive backgrounds in education and psychology, allow her to continue breaking down creative and artistic barriers. Mollie's work has proudly helped redefine making and experiencing live theatre.
Katie Hardin is a choreographer, dancer, and educator who is proud to be a part of the Chickenshed family! Her journey began as part of the pilot program to bring Chickenshed from the UK to the United States in 2018. Since 2021, she has been a Practitioner and Project Manager at Chickenshed NYC; you might have seen her in the Adventures from The Shed shows starring as Mary Jo, the chicken who leads the adventure every week. Katie has assistant directed and choreographed past productions including "JACK", "Don't Stop Believin'", and "4Minutes28Seconds". She also assisted in the development of our preschool program, My Little Adventure, as well as the Tuesday Afterschool Program.
Outside of Chickenshed, Katie teaches jazz, tap, and musical theatre classes weekly. She has performed and assisted regionally in productions of "Anything Goes" and "Crazy For You", choreographed "Little Mermaid Jr" and "Annie Jr" at Helen Hayes Youth Theater, and made her Off-Broadway choreography debut with "The Giant Hoax" at Theater Row. She is currently studying Directing at the Barrow Group and in her spare time, teaches at Barre3 West Village and loves to spend time at the pottery studio!
Dalton is an original Chickenshed NYC practitioner who received training from Chickenshed in the U.K. before its launch in 2018. Dalton is a dancer and choreographer, trained in ballet and tap, and uses his skills to help empower and encourage students to tell their stories through movement and dance. As a project manager, Dalton is responsible for the development and execution of Chickensheds’ community projects. Dalton is an Assistant Director and choreographer, and recent shows include The Tigon and The Liger, Ever After, Don’t Stop Believin', JACK, and 4minutes28seconds. Dalton is a proud graduate of the drama studio at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and of the Performing Arts. Dalton has worked professionally as an actor, choreographer, producer, and director on stage and screen for 18 years. Some Film/T.V. credits include “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” (winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize), “NOS4A2”, and “Second Act”starring Jennifer Lopez. Broadway/Off-Broadway credits include The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, On Your Toes, Spring’s Awakening, and The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd. Dalton is so honored to be able to grow and collaborate with this groundbreaking Chickenshed NYC community. It is his greatest joy to bring Players stories to life and know that we are changing many lives throughout this city that shaped him.
Jaymie is a practitioner with Chickenshed NYC, as well as the Adventures Community Partners Outreach Coordinator. She is passionate about bringing Chickenshed programming to our youngest players and inviting them to explore, create, and imagine together. Early Childhood Education is an important focus of Jaymie’s work and outside of Chickenshed she is an associate teacher with the 2-3 year old classroom at All Souls School. Jaymie strives to be an intentional, reflective, and continuously growing educator and regularly attends trainings to strengthen her pedagogical practices. She completed her Master of Arts in Applied Theatre in 2022, where she embarked on an Independent Study to examine impactful practices of interactive reading with early learners. Jaymie believes that humor can be a powerful way to express ideas and connect with each other and when she’s not trying to evoke laughter from young audiences, she’s trying even harder (sometimes less successfully) to make adults laugh through standup comedy. She has performed at various venues in NYC including Q.E.D. and Broadway Comedy Club. Jaymie is continuously grateful for the opportunity to weave her experiences in theatre, early childhood education, and comedy together through her work at Chickenshed.
My name is Michael. I work for assistant manager Front of House at Chickenshed NYC for 2 and a 1/2 years since October 2022. I set up the lobby and help out the front desk to give children backpacks and name tags every Saturday mornings before the performances start at 10am.
Lance has been with Chickenshed NYC since 2018, as one of its original practitioners. He is a talented dancer, choreographer, and the project manager for the Youth Leaders program, ensuring they have the resources to succeed. Lance’s passion for dance began as a teenager with hip hop and soon expanded to Jazz and Lyrical styles through formal training.
Throughout his career, Lance has performed with various dance companies in the San Francisco and Oakland area, where he also had opportunities to direct and choreograph. At 21, he moved to New York to pursue further dance opportunities and joined the hip hop company WRT (We Run This), competing in showcases around NYC and working with artists on their development.
In 2018, Lance spent three months in China teaching Jazz and Hip Hop at the popular fitness studio Mei Du`. Currently, he is a full-time choreographer in the Performing Arts department at York Preparatory School, where he has choreographed musicals including 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Chicago, Cabaret, Little Shop of Horrors, and Bring It On.
Reflecting on his time with Chickenshed NYC, Lance often says, “I always leave happier than I came.”
Madison is an inclusive educator, choreographer, and dancer who is so thankful to be at Chickenshed. Madison's goal is to help all children find their passions and joy. Through her education, she is knowledgeable about inclusive theatre and is now able to share this ideology with the Chickenshed community and learn from them as well. Since moving to NYC in 2022, Madison has been with Chickenshed and loves the community she gets to be a part of. Madison is proud to be Chickenshed's Inclusion Coordinator and ensures that all players are heard, cared for, and most importantly- having fun! Madison supported Chickenshed in piloting summer camp and after school programs in Harlem at the school she works at and has loved combining her two groups of kids. Since living in New York, Madison has proudly impacted many families' lives through her work.
Before moving to NYC, Madison produced and choreographed high school theatre and show choirs. She has always had a passion for teaching and caring for others-she even used to make her sister sit and play school when they were younger. Madison has a Bachelor of Science in human development and developmental disabilities and minored in dance- she was able to read and research inclusive arts education and is so thankful to be using all of her degrees. Madison hopes to use her education and experience to create a more inclusive art making process for all children.
Jacob (he/they) is a writer, director, and theatre educator. He has loved every second of the past two years working with Chickenshed NYC. His favorite part has been watching the Players grow and gain confidence in their own abilities and ideas. Jacob moved to New York from Pittsburgh where they earned a BFA in Drama from Carnegie Mellon University. Since graduating, they have worked as a director on several regional productions across the nation. Some of their highlights have been working with Princeton University, Front Porch Theatricals in Pittsburgh, Next Stop Creatives NYC, and Southern Plains Productions in his hometown, Oklahoma. Since moving to the city, they have worked in both theatre and film. Jacob’s most recent film credits include “Bupkis” starring Pete Davidson on Peacock and “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” on AMC. Theatrically, Jacob has developed and directed two New York City premieres and is working on his next project going up in April 2025 as a part of the New York Fringe Festival. Find out more about Jacob and their work on their website: jacobmusgrove.com.
Shaina (she/they) is a dedicated teaching artist with 9 years of experience, having worked mostly in Chicago. She has taught with companies such as Emerald City, Porchlight Music Theatre, Actor Training Center, Special Olympics, and Chicago Public Schools where she created and led in-school residencies. She also served as a facilitator with the A.B.L.E. Ensemble, creating accessible theatre experiences for diverse communities. Shaina graduated from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University with a BFA in acting. As an actor, she has worked for over a decade both in Chicago and regionally. Recent credits include Romeo and Juliet at Oak Park Festival Theatre, Another Marriage at Steppenwolf Theatre, and in NBC’s Chicago Med. You can see her full resume on her website www.shainaschrooten.com
A recent transplant to New York City, Shaina is thrilled to be working with Chickenshed, a company whose values of inclusivity, community, and play align deeply with her own. She is committed to helping foster confidence and a strong sense of belonging, creating space for every voice to be heard.
Hannah (she/her) is a singer, songwriter, director and theatre educator. She is so honored to be a part of Chickenshed NYC and is looking forward to what her third year with this company has in store. She loves seeing each Chickenshed player shine and grow throughout each year.
Hannah is originally from Virginia, and received a BFA in musical theatre from Auburn University.
Since graduating, she has worked and performed all around the world. Some highlights are performing AND directing with the REV Theatre Company, Swing and dance captain for The Office Musical Parody off-broadway, choreographer for Friends the Musical Parody off-broadway, universal swing for the Girls Night national tour, and Resident Guest Entertainer for Princess Cruises.
Hannah is currently working on releasing an album, and currently has an EP and two singles out on all streaming platforms. For more on what Hannah is up to you can visit her website at hannahmspaulding.com
Celebrity Allies
Consultants
Nathalie is a UK based team member. She has been involved with Chickenshed NYC since its inception. Nathalie liaises between the UK and NYC teams and she works across a range of areas including Marketing, A/V production, Website, Strategy and Donor Engagement.
Nathalie is also one of our founding Board members. She is a passionate believer in the transformative power of the performing arts on children's lives. She has a background in television production and as an event coordinator.
Contact Nathalie (Artistic@chickenshednyc.org)
Harley leverages her diverse background to support Practitioners and Youth Leaders at Chickenshed NYC. Her career spans musical theatre, where she toured nationally and internationally, and television commercial work. Academically, she holds a B.A. in Theatre from Binghamton University, an M.S. in Childhood and Special Education from Touro University, and a J.D. from New York Law School, where she was a published writer who championed LGBTQ+ rights. Currently, Harley serves as the Special Education Lead Teacher at P.S. 183, a Manhattan public elementary school, and a Literacy Intervention Specialist at LXD Research. As an educator, she collaborates with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and acts as an Adobe Creative Educator.
Eric is a graphic designer and art director, and is currently the Senior Manager of Creative Services at Disney Theatrical Group. He has developed artwork and created campaigns for Roundabout Theatre Company, New York Theatre Workshop, Ars Nova, Huntington Theatre Company, Vineyard Theatre, and more. ericemch.com
Paul is a Board Member of Pixl Evolution, a UK based video & audio live events business, operating primarily in the corporate and special events sectors, working closely with production agencies to deliver exceptional solutions. They are part of Entertainment Technology Partners (ETP) group, where Paul serves as President of their European operations. ETP owns a number of event brands in the USA including LMG Show Services, LMG Music Touring, LMG System Innovations, Event EQ, Premier AV, BrainHub & COIL Learning.
Contractors
Morgan is a graphic designer, currently based in Pittsburgh but always somewhere in between a window seat and an orchestra seat. She works full-time at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, developing artwork for everything from children's theater festivals to touring Broadway.
Sam (he/him) is a multidisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn originally from Providence, Rhode Island. As a theatre artist, Sam has worked on stage and off at companies across the country including MCC Theater, Chickenshed NYC, Infinity Theatre Company, Barrington Stage Company, Dramatist Guild Foundation, FRIGID New York, Missoula Children's Theatre, Ithaca Shakespeare Company, Culture Lab LIC, HERE, IRT, MITU580, The Flea, the cell theatre, Theatre Row, Brooklyn Art Haus, Strongbox Theater, and Audible.com.Sam is a Founding Co-Artistic Director of What Will the Neighbors Say? Theatre Company, the Associate Producer & General Manager for the Vineyard Arts Project, is a member of the Adjunct Faculty at Marymount Manhattan College and an Artist-in-Residence at NYU's Espacio de Culturas, and a member of the Board of Directors at A.R.T/New York.
He is the recipient of the 2021 BroadwayWorld Award for Best Director of a Regional Production for his direction of The 39 Steps at Strongbox Theater. Sam is a published playwright whose works have been called "heartbreaking...complex...and thought-provoking" (Theatre is Easy), have been presented in NYC at HERE, The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and IRT Theatre, toured to Providence and Toronto, and produced as a radio play by the Cleveland Radio Players. Recent TV credits include Search Party and Law & Order as well as a print campaign for Santander Bank.
Natalie Powers has been a professional theatre photographer and performer for the last decade, working for companies such as The American Theatre Wing (Tony Awards®), People Magazine, Disney, TodayTix and many more. She feels very lucky to be a part of Chickenshed and document the joy that it brings to so many young artists!
From New York to Nashville, Amy Sapp has managed social media for clients throughout the entertainment industry for over six years. Her portfolio runs the gamut, from NBCUniversal to The Tony Awards. Outside of digital media, Amy programmed Late Night at 54 Below for six years and now programs concerts at the historic Franklin Theatre in Franklin, Tennessee. Amy was profiled in Forbes at 22 years-old for booking and producing. She founded and runs Amy Sapp Presents, LLC. amyesapp.com
Greg is a Helen Hayes Award nominee and has directed, designed, built, or painted sets or costumes for over 150 shows in Washington, D.C., New York City, San Diego and elsewhere. Companies include Chickenshed NYC, Helen Hayes Award-winning Factory 449: A Theatre Collective (founding company member), Perisphere Theater, Rainbow Theatre Project, WSC Avant Bard, State of Play Productions, The In Series, Barabbas Theatre, UrbanArias, Actors' Theatre of Washington, Aspen Theatre in the Park, Provincetown Theater Company, Diversionary Theatre (founding company designer), Teatro Máscara Mágica, San Diego StageWorks, San Diego Actors’ Theatre, San Diego Junior Theatre, and The Old Globe. Greg earned his B.A. in Theatre from San Diego State University and his M.A.T. in Museum Education from the George Washington University. By day, Greg is the director of the MA in Museum Professions program at Seton Hall University, and principal of Purple Cow Career and Talent Development.
Sarah is an actor and finance professional, specializing in arts organizations. Over the years, she has worked in finance for a number of organizations, including Chickenshed NYC, Target Margin Theater, The Brick, Rooftop Films, Lezlie Hall Associates, and THE OFFICE. As an artist, Sarah has acted at venues in New York and all over the country, including the Utah Shakespeare Festival, the National Asian American Theater Company, and Target Margin Theater. While not acting or bookkeeping, Sarah enjoys crocheting, reading, and eati
Board Members
Brodie has a career spanning thirty years as a teacher and school leader both in the private and state sectors. He taught History, Drama and Athletics and directed many plays involving a cast over 80children on numerous occasions. He then went on to become Deputy Head of Westminster Under School and Head of North Bridge House Prep in London, and recently Principal of Wetherby-Pembridge in NYC. Brodie has developed a huge network of contacts in the elementary and senior schools’ world and he continues to work closely with a wide range of elementary and senior schools in London and NYC.
Brodie has two teenage children, a girl and a boy, affording him the ability of being able to understand the educational system from both perspectives: that of parent and educator. Brodie is a History graduate from Exeter University and later he achieved a Masters’ degree in Educational Management from Buckingham University.
Positions Held:
History, Philosophy, Drama and games teacher at Hazelwood School
Deputy Head of Westminster Under School
Principle of North Bridge House PrepSchool
Schools Development Officer for Cognita Schools Group
Founder of ‘Choiss Coaching’
Head of School Wetherby-Pembridge NYC
Jay Eisenhofer is the Co-founder and Managing Director of Grant & Eisenhofer, P.A. An accomplished lecturer and author in the field of securities litigation and shareholder rights, Mr. Eisenhofer also published a debut novel with his son Mark called “Black Shadow”. Mr. Eisenhofer serves as a member of the NYU Law School Advisory Board for the Center on Civil Justice and is a trustee of the Horace Mann School in Manhattan and serves as Chair and Member of the Ideal School of Manhattan Board.
Currently, Jay is based in New York, married with 5 Children. His son Scott has been participating in the NYC Chickenshed Youth program since 2019.
Stacey Feller graduated with a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of
Pennsylvania. She was a CPA and worked at Ernst and Young and then as the Chief Financial
Officer of Drake Management, an SEC registered investment advisor. Stacey joined Drake at its
inception in 2001, as CFO. Drake grew from a start-up with less than 15 employees to about 100
employees, in multiple offices, and managed over $10 billion in assets during her tenure. In
2009 Stacey decided to become a stay-at-home mom and has spent the past 13 years at home,
raising 2 very special, unique boys - Wesley (who is 17) and Noah (who is 13). Wesley and
Noah both have many strengths and some real challenges, and interestingly in a lot of ways one's
strengths are the other's weaknesses. Stacey spends her time advocating for her sons to ensure
that they are being taught in ways that meet their needs and works with all their service providers
to monitor their progress continuously adjusting goals and progress targets to help them grow.
She is often evaluating programs aiming to find the right environments at the right times. Noah
was introduced to Chickenshed when it first came to NYC and Wesley has been actively
involved during the past few years. Stacey has played roles on school PA's, has organized
fundraisers and also has been involved on the Board of The Meeting House, an organization that
offers a wide array of social emotional learning programs for all ages. Stacey lives in Manhattan
with her husband, Andrew (who she met in college), Wesley and Noah.
Nathalie is a UK based team member. She has been involved with Chickenshed NYC since its inception. Nathalie liaises between the UK and NYC teams and she works across a range of areas including Marketing, A/V production, Website, Strategy and Donor Engagement.
Nathalie is also one of our founding Board members. She is a passionate believer in the transformative power of the performing arts on children's lives. She has a background in television production and as an event coordinator.
Contact Nathalie (Artistic@chickenshednyc.org)
With over 20 years of experience in human resources, Michael is a proven leader in talent and leadership development. He specializes in designing and implementing transformative, competency-based learning strategies built on a foundation of education and experience.
As Director of Commercial Learning and Development at Cartier North America, Michael drives organization-wide growth and employee development strategies that align with business goals.
Before joining Cartier in 2012, Michael spent over two decades at Progressive Group of Insurance Companies in various human resources, talent, and leadership development roles.
Michael holds a Master’s degree in Human Resource Development from The George Washington University, with a concentration in Adult Learning, Consulting, and Organizational Development. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a Pre-Law concentration from the University of Washington. He holds numerous professional certifications including Associate Certified Coach(ACC) from the International Coaching Federation and Professional in HumanResources (PHR) from the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI).
Michael is married to Greg Stevens, Chickenshed NYC’s resident set designer since early 2020. With Greg’s involvement, Michael came to recognize the impact of ChickenshedNYC’s central belief that everyone can flourish when everyone is included. A particularly impactful moment happened during the annual fundraising event in 2022 where he met and heard from Players, practitioners, and parents on how this unique organization has positively impacted their lives. Michael is excited to be using his professional experience and passion for the arts to help advance Chickenshed NYC's mission and vision.
Angela is the Parent Coordinator for Chickenshed NYC. Previously, she served as a member of the Executive Board of the Parents’ Associate at P.S. 77, where she was the volunteer Head of After school Programming from 2016-2020. Angela lives in New York City with her husband and three children. Her oldest daughter, Evelyn, has been with Chickenshed NYC since 2019, and is currently an intern working with CP1 and CP3.
Shari Sapp, a San Diego native, graduated with a BS in Finance from the University of Colorado Boulder. She worked in New York City as a lending officer for Creditanstalt and in London as a research associate for Alta Berkeley Associates, a venture capital firm. Shari has served as a board member for a variety of organizations, among them Jack Taylor School (UK), Rancho Santa Fe Education Foundation, Torrey Pines High School Foundation, Rancho Santa Fe Women’s Fund, Miracle League of San Diego and Pacific Ridge School. Shari is currently on the board of Feeding San Diego and is Chair of the Chancellor’s Parent Leadership Society at the University of Colorado Boulder. Three of Shari’s four children participated in Chickenshed UK in the late 90’s and Shari served on the Gala committee for many years during that time.