About
Thank you for helping to make Electric Pear Productions one of nytheatre.com's 2007 “People of the Year.”
NEWS
nytheatre.com is an active and comprehensive organization that covers all aspects of New York live performance, both on and off Broadway, and has been instrumental in supporting independent theatre artists like Electric Pear. We're honored to be included in this year's crew! Click here to read the full article, the list of honorees, and listen to the podcast.
We send our most sincere thanks to our patrons, board members, volunteers, and especially all of the artists that we have had the pleasure of working with over the past year. We would not be here without your encouragement and inspiration!
MISSION STATEMENT
Electric Pear Productions is a non-profit theater company committed to deepening the scope of the American performance landscape by supporting, creating and showcasing both:
- Original American plays of superior quality and originality
- Cross-genre and cross-border collaborative projects for the stage
The goal of the company is to be a cultivator, backer and presenter – a true hub – of original and persuasive creative endeavors that find their base in the live theatrical experience, but pull together influences and inspirations from the world at large.
Each season the company produces two new plays, one collaborative international piece, and one cross-genre composition.
Electric Pear: At home on the stage, at play in the world.
ELECTRIC PEAR IS
click for bio:
Ashlin Halfnight
Executive Producer
Ashlin Halfnight
Ashlin Halfnight was a 2006 Fulbright Award winner and an artist in residence at the National Theatre of Hungary. His plays include God’s Waiting Room (Best Play, 2005 NYFringe Festival), Diving Normal (Plays and Playwrights 2007), Mud Blossom, Baby Face, and The Stars Above Balaton. He was named one of nytheater.com’s People of the Year in 2007 for outstanding contributions to New York theatre. He is the recipient of a TCG Travel Grant, a Ludwig Volgelstein Artist Grant, and the Howard Stein Playwriting Fellowship. His work has been developed at New York Theater Workshop, the Cherry Lane Theater, and The Lark. He was a member of the Royal Court’s (UK) 2006 New York Residency and holds a BA from Harvard and an MFA in Playwriting from Columbia. He is a member of MCC’s Playwrights’ Coalition and is currently at work on a commission from Second Stage.
Melanie Sylvan
Executive Producer
Melanie Sylvan
Melanie started her arts career as a dancer at Ballet Metropolitan in Columbus, Ohio. She was a recipient of a National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts scholarship, and received a BFA in Musical Theatre with Academic Honors from Emerson College. Since 1999, she has worked as a producer with various other theatre groups in NYC. She produced Ashiln Halfnight’s award-winning play, God's Waiting Room in the 2005 Fringe NYC, and transferred the production to the Merlin International Theatre in Budapest, Hungary in 2006. She is the recipient of two grants from The Foundation for Contemporary Arts and won a 2007 TCG Travel Grant to develop a new bilingual play with artists from the National Theatre of Hungary. She was named one of nytheater.com’s People of the Year in 2007 for outstanding contributions to New York theatre with Electric Pear Productions.
Emily Long
Literary Director
Emily Long
Emily Long completed her M.F.A. in Dramaturgy and Script Development from Columbia University in 2006. Some favorite dramaturgy credits include: Henry V, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Ivanov, Drums in the Night and The Cherry Orchard (AtlanticTheatre Company). Her criticism has been published in Village Voice (online edition), and she presented her paper, "Edward Harrigan and the Development of American Theatre" at the New England Theatre Conference. With Electric Pear, she has designed and facilitated the Outlet, a playwriting workshop series. She received a TCG Travel Grant to work on the development of an original play with the National Theatre of Hungary in 2007. Ms. Long is also the Communications Director for the LAMP (Learning About Multimedia Project).
Jayd McCarty
Director of Creative Development
Jayd McCarty
Jayd is an actor, director, teacher and private coach. He has served for the past three years as Director of Programs and Conservatories for The Actors Center where he placed actors in classes and workshops with some of the most respected names in theater and actor training. Jayd attributes the core of his teaching to the training he received from RonVan Lieu, Lloyd Richard and Earle Gister. Jayd spent two years with Mr. Gister as a teaching assistant before joining the faculty at The Actors Center in 2004. While at The Actors Center, Jayd also completed a three year mentorship with J. Michael Miller (founder of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts) in Actor Training & Development. Jayd has been coaching privately and teaching in New York City for the past three years. He also enjoys a career as a professional actor.
Colleen Katana
Associate Producer
Jamie Forshaw
Associate Producer
Chris Jessup
Technical Supervisor
ELECTRIC PEAR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ellen Cammer
Rebecca Frank
Michael Nachbar
Jayd McCarty
Jennifer Rhodes
Adam D. Schaffner, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Seth Soloway
Donald Sylvan, PhD
Carl White
Natalie Judelson