STAFF

MARYA SEA KAMINSKI (Artistic Director) is honored to co-lead Pittsburgh Public Theater. She came to Pittsburgh after four years as the Associate Artistic Director at Seattle Repertory Theatre. One of the highlights of her tenure there was spearheading a collaboration with New York’s Public Theater and Dallas Theatre Center to create Public Works Seattle. This initiative was based on long-term, authentic partnerships between regional theaters and local non-profits and designed to make theater of, by, and for the people. Earlier in her career, Marya co-founded the Washington Ensemble Theatre and served as Co-Artistic Director there for five years, leading season planning and new play development. She has worked as a director, writer, producer and actor and is a proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, Actors’ Equity Association, and the Society of Authors and Dramatic Composers. Marya has taught and lectured on Theater at Hollins University, the University of Washington, and at Cornish College of the Arts, where she was awarded the Drama Department’s Award for Teaching Excellence. She has also been honored with the Genius Award in Theater from the Seattle newsweekly, The Stranger, and has been recognized as an Artist of the Year by Seattle Magazine. Marya holds a BA in English and Theatre Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and an MFA from the University of Washington’s School of Drama.

SHAUNDA McDILL (Managing Director) is honored to co-lead Pittsburgh Public Theater. Shaunda has nearly two decades of arts management and nonprofit leadership experience. She previously worked with The Heinz Endowments since 2017 as program officer for arts and culture, where she worked to promote the strength and vitality of a suite of Pittsburgh-based artists and arts. She also co-managed the Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh initiative, which received a $2 million dollar grant from novelist and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott in 2021. Additionally, Shaunda contributed to and helped found Just Arts, the foundation’s first cross-programmatic social justice initiative, and the Arts|Equity|Reimagined fund, aimed at providing an informed, equitable, and actionable response to the needs of the local arts community during and beyond the coronavirus pandemic. McDill has worked for theater companies across the country including The Goodman Theatre of Chicago, Second Stage Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, and Cornerstone Theater Company. With experience spanning dramaturgy, directing, producing, and playwriting, she also has worked as a publicist for Blake Zidell and Associates, a Brooklyn-based public relations firm representing artists, arts institutions, and festivals. In 2006, she founded DEMASKUS (www.demaskus.com), a national theater collective currently participating in the inaugural B.U.I.L.D. residency at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center supported by the Richard King Mellon Foundation. As an individual artist, McDill worked in residence with Quantum Theatre as part of the company’s inaugural InQubator class. Shaunda has an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, where she studied under Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson, was directed by Ntozake Shange, and instructed by Augusto Boal. She also holds an MFA in theater management from Yale University’s School of Drama (David Geffen School of Drama). 

Brian Pope, Casting & Literary Director
Justin Emeka, Resident Director
José Pérez IV, Resident Fight Director
Mark Clayton Southers, Playwright-in-Residence
Demeatria Boccella, Artist-in-Residence

Resident Writers

Mora V. Harris
Brian Pope
Tammy Ryan
Alec Silberblatt
TJ Young

Administration & Finance

Stewart Urist, Director of Finance & Administration
Pamela Hilliard, Accounts Receivable Coordinator
Angela Gay,Payroll & Account Payable Coordinator
Jim Overton,Finance Manager
Fred Noel, Systems Coordinator
Fatima Bunafoor, Director of Talent & Equity
Meleana Felton, Executive & Equity Coordinator

Development

Jan Fleisher, Director of Development
Ryan Ferrebee, Director of Institutional Support
Devan Mercurio,Senior Manager of Development
Lucy Jaffar, Donor Relations Associate
Maureen Keane, Board Liaison & Executive Assistant for Development

Education

Parag S. Gohel, Director of Education & Engagement

Jalina McClarin, Community Engagement Manager

House Management

Trent Wolfred, House Manager
Shawn Israel, Assistant House Manager

Marketing

Christie Jay Snyder, Communications & Marketing Content Coordinator
Jacob Punturi, Sales & Audience Development Manager

Production

Monica Bowin, Director of Production & Operations
Savannah Merrill, Company Manager
Rob McLeod, Technical Director
Lisa Harshbarger, Scene Shop Manager
Drew Palajsa, Head Shop Carpenter
Sean DeKonty, Shop Carpenter
Joe Paski, Shop Carpenter
Shannon Seibel, Shop Carpenter
Johanna Cahill, Wardrobe Head
Celeste Parrendo, Charge Scenic Artist
Gay Kahkonen,Properties Head
Kelly Yann, Properties Coordinator
Christyann Trbovich, Costume Shop Head
Venise St. Pierre, Draper
Joshua Beumer, Head Electrician
Zach Moore, Head Sound Engineer
Mikey Abate, Head Stage Carpenter

Box Office

Fred Frances, Box Officer Manager
Ali Mohammed Srour, Box Office Lead Associate
Milton Melendez, Box Office Lead Associate
Shawn Klocek, Box Office Associate
Benjamin Michael, Box Office Associate
Anna King Skeels, Box Office Associate
Rachel Ramirez, Box Office Associate
Kashmer Hall, Box Office Associate
Mike Zolovich, Box Office Associate