CF School
Fall 2026 – Spring 2027
$0 – $275
Throughout the 2026/2027 Season, guest curator Gundega Laivina will reimagine The Chocolate Factory Theater as a kind of alternative “school”, organizing a series of thoughtful artistic encounters between current season artists and “non-professional” members of The Chocolate Factory’s diverse local geographic community.
Details TBD.
Curated by Gundega Laivina.
AKI SASAMOTO
Aki Sasamoto (born in Kanagawa, Japan; lives and works in New haven/Brooklyn, USA) works in sculpture, performance, video, and more. In her installation/performance works, Aki moves and talks inside the careful arrangements of sculpturally altered objects, activating bizarre emotions behind daily life. Her works appear in gallery spaces, theater spaces, and odd sites. Her works were shown at Queens Museum, SculptureCenter, The Kitchen, The Chocolate Factory Theater, Whitney Biennial 2010, MoMA PS1, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Aichi Triennale 2022, National Museum of Art-Osaka, Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art, Yokohama Triennale 2008, Japan; Busan Biennale 2022, Gwangju Biennial 2012, South Korea; Shanghai Biennale 2016, China; Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016, India; Kunsthal Rotterdam, Netherlands; Studio Voltaire, U.K.; Pirelli Hangar Bicocca, the 59th Venice Biennale, Italy. She is a professor at Yale School of Art, Sculpture Department.
NELSON DOWNEND
Nelson Downend is an award-winning screenwriter and lighting designer based in New York City. Recently named one of ISA’s “Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2026”, he is currently staffed on a television series with Beach House Pictures, that is in development with Netflix. Nelson’s written work explores emotional and psychological trauma and the power of the human connection in the aftermath. Informed by his experience in lighting, Nelson’s feature and television scripts often employ a grounded surrealism to enhance the visual storytelling. His projects include dramas, psychological thrillers, political thrillers, crime dramas, and dark dramatic comedies, but are always character driven.
In addition to stage lighting, Nelson was an Associate at architectural lighting firm Domingo Gonzalez Associates (2000-2006), and a Senior Designer at Lumen Architecture (2007-2013). His architectural projects have included galleries, hotels, restaurants, transportation facilities, offices, monuments, schools, theatres and residences, and have the recipient of several G.E. Edison Awards & IIDA Awards. Nelson has decades of experience as a creative team leader and collaborator. Nelson is the proud father of Celestial and Galileo.
NUNALLY KERSH
Nunally Kersh is a seasoned curator, producer, and arts advocate with a long track record of commissioning, developing and presenting both visual and performance-based work across a broad range of genres and settings throughout her career.
Currently, she serves as Senior Producer for Live Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where she oversees the artistic planning and production of site-specific performances that engage in dialogue with the Museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions, including at The Cloisters. Recent projects have spanned music, dance, opera, and multimedia performance, and have featured such artists as Hamed Sinno (Westerly Breath), The Clarion Choir (Ockeghem Marathon), and Jacolby Satterwhite, whose work included a six-channel video installation and accompanying performance series.
Previously, Kersh served for over 15 years as Executive Producer and Director of Artistic Planning at Spoleto Festival USA, where she curated and produced a wide range of nationally and internationally recognized artists and productions across opera, dance, theater, experimental performance, and diverse musical genres. She also worked as producer at the renowned Bard SummerScape Festival, where she developed and produced large-scale productions of rarely seen operas as well as a series of staged concerts.
In addition to her institutional work, Kersh has worked independently as a producer and curator with a wide range of organizations in New York City and beyond. She frequently serves as a panelist and consultant for prominent philanthropic institutions, including the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, Rockefeller Foundation, and others.
BENJAMIN STARK
Benjamin Stark is a Clinical Psychologist working in private practice in Brooklyn NY. He studied psychology at the CUNY Grad Center & City College of New York and completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the Pratt Institute Counseling Center where he was a therapist for undergrad and graduate students studying art. This was by design. Before pursuing his PhD, he worked for nearly a decade in the entertainment industry, first as a film editor and then as a development executive, creating scripted and unscripted series and films. While covering theater in NYC for his development job, Ben fell in love with downtown, avantgarde productions, discovering a world that challenged his understandings of what theater, dance and performance could be. His favorite moments in a theater tend to be when he feels terribly uncomfortable, confused, sad, annoyed and out of his depth. In his practice, Ben works with a number of artists of various stripe and age, from a psychoanalytic orientation.
NILE HARRIS
Nile Harris is a performer and director of live art. He has done a few things and hopes to do a few more, God willing.
MOE YOUSUF
Moe Yousuf is a Pakistani-American arts leader, creative consultant, and theatermaker. He’s currently the Director of Development at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and has 12 years of experience in non-profit arts management, including BRIC Arts Media, Abrons Arts Center / Henry Street Settlement, Target Margin Theater, SPACE on Ryder Farm, The Foundry Theatre, and The Billie Holiday Theatre. He has sat on panels / advisory groups for the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, HERE Arts Center, WP Theater, and Silk Road Rising Theater and is a former Board Member of The Alliance of Resident Theaters of New York (ART/NY). MFA, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, 2011. MBA, Columbia Business School, 2025.
JIMMY VAN BRAMER
Secretary
Jimmy Van Bramer is a dedicated public servant and community advocate, known for his unwavering commitment to improving the lives of residents in New York City. Born and raised in Astoria, Queens, Jimmy’s passion for public service was ignited at a young age, driving him to pursue a career focused on serving others.
With a background in public policy and community organizing, Jimmy Van Bramer has dedicated his career to advocating for progressive change and amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities. As a former New York City Council Member representing the 26th District, Jimmy played a pivotal role in shaping legislation and initiatives aimed at promoting social justice, affordable housing, LGBTQ+ rights, and cultural diversity.
Throughout his tenure, Jimmy Van Bramer has been a fierce advocate for equity and inclusivity, championing causes that empower marginalized groups and promote equality for all New Yorkers. His leadership and vision have earned him widespread recognition as a tireless advocate for social change and a steadfast ally for those in need.
Beyond his professional endeavors, Jimmy Van Bramer is deeply passionate about the arts, culture, and education. As a strong supporter of the local arts community, including the Chocolate Factory, he has worked tirelessly to promote cultural initiatives and expand access to the arts for all residents. Jimmy believes in the transformative power of education and is committed to ensuring that every child has access to quality educational opportunities – including the arts – that unlock their full potential. During his 12 year stint as chair of the Cultural Affairs and Libraries Committee, the arts and libraries saw record increases in funding.
Jimmy Van Bramer is guided by a firm belief in the importance of empathy, compassion, and justice in creating a more equitable society. He believes in the power of community engagement and collaborative action to address the most pressing challenges facing our city and build a brighter future for generations to come.
Currently, Jimmy Van Bramer continues his advocacy work through various initiatives aimed at promoting social justice, youth and economic empowerment, and civic engagement. His ongoing public service includes his role as an executive with the Girl Scouts of Greater New York, serving as Vice President of the City’s Public Design Commission, as well his service on the boards of the Queens Public Library and the Chocolate Factory.
Whether through grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, or community outreach, he remains dedicated to fighting for the rights and well-being of all New Yorkers.
Jimmy lives in Sunnyside Gardens with his husband Dan Hendrick. Legally married in 2012, the couple are together for over 25 years.
SHANA CRAWFORD
Production Manager
Entangled as a lighting designer, production manager, teacher and dance artist, Shana Crawford’s work in all forms cultivates structures of support and celebration. She collaborates with Lime Rickey Intl, Jessie Young, Juliana May, Jaamil Olawale Kosoko, Laurie Berg, Madeline Best, marion spencer, Stephanie Acosta,, and Yanan Yu, among others. You can find her at the Chocolate Factory Theater, producer of three of LMCC’s River to River Festivals and frequent collaborator with AUNTS. She has worked with Body Cartography, danceBARN and Hyp-ACCESS, and was a guest teaching artist at Young Dance, Headlong Institute, Sarah Lawrence and Bennington Colleges for performance and lighting. Her visual work has been presented with Slow Burn, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, LINOKINO and with ANTE mag’s Home Room group shows. Shana has a degree in dance and mathematics from Bennington College, a certificate in Mathematics from BSME in Budapest, Hu., and a masters of science in education from the Bank Street Graduate school. Shana orchestrates the Sometimes Together group and her work has been shared in NYC, MN, VT, HA, PA, MA, Italy and Spain. See more at sortofhere.com.
DIANA MANALANG
Hospitality industry veteran Diana Manalang brings more than a decade of experience to her two Long Island City businesses, Little Chef Little Kitchen and Little Chef Little Café. Building on expertise developed in marketing for brands like Swarovski and restaurant management, Diana brings a passion for food and customer care to everything she does. Prior to launching her own businesses, she helped develop restaurant and food hall concepts while also playing a pivotal role in the success of the Bareburger Group, where she rose to the position of Managing Partner. Ready to build something of her own, Diana started working as a private chef and caterer, launching Little Chef Little Kitchen in 2018. Working as her own boss allowed Diana to take a personalized approach to creating dishes and menus that are tailored to every type of event from intimate celebrations to large catered affairs. Launched in 2019, Little Chef Little Café brought a new breakfast and lunch option to fast growing Long Island City, where she also introduced dishes drawing on her Filipino-American heritage. Showing Diana’s resilience in the face of business challenges, she pivoted to selling prepared meals for adults and kids during the pandemic while the café became a to-go destination. Building on the success of the prepared meals, Diana now supplies healthy lunches to a number of neighborhood schools. Diana’s charity work includes sitting on the board of Sprouting Scholars, an organization dedicated to children’s education abroad, since 2015 and as a current member of the junior board of the Food Education Fund, a nonprofit supporting culinary-focused public high school students in New York City.
JERRY LASPISA
Jerry LaSpisa is a Vice President, Branch Manager for M&T Bank’s Business Banking Center located in the rapidly growing areas of Long Island City, Queens. He has been an active community member since the office broke ground back in 2007. He supports organizations such as the Long Island City Partnership, Queens Chamber of Commerce, Queens Economic Development Corporation, and the Sunnyside Chamber to name a few. Currently responsible for Business Development, Commercial and Residential Lending, Consumer Banking, and the daily operations of the Long Island City branch. He is very well respected and loved by his colleagues, clients, and by all the local communities he has helped and served. For over the past 25 years in Banking, his successes are attributed to all the hard work and the wealth of knowledge he shares with others seeking his guidance. Not to mention, a proud resident of Queens for 50 years – born and raised. He earned a degree in Finance from Baruch College – Zicklin School of Business.
NEIL GREENBERG
Neil Greenberg came to New York from Minnesota in 1976 and danced with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company from 1979-1986. He is known especially for his “Not-About-AIDS-Dance,” which employs his signature use of projected words as a layering strategy that provides doors into “meanings” in the dance, while also raising questions about the nature of meaning-making. He has received a Guggenheim Fellowship and two Bessie Awards, repeated fellowships from the NEA and NYFA, a fellowship from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, a NDP Production grant, a Doris Duke Creative Exploration Award, and repeated support from the MAP Fund and NYSCA. He has created two works for Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project. Greenberg was Professor of Choreography and co-directed the dance program at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts from 2010-2025, and previously taught at Purchase College, Sarah Lawrence College, and UC Riverside. He served as dance curator at The Kitchen from 1995-1999. His most recent projects continue his utopian desire to ignite an experience of the performance moment in and of itself.
FRANK WU
Vice President
Frank Wu has lived in NYC the last 9 years, being in LIC/Queens the last four years. Prior, he lived 2 years in Boston, 3 years in Chicago, and usually tells folks he’s from California/Bay Area where he went to college/high school, although he also grew up in the MidWest for part of his life. He strongly feels NYC is the best City having lived and traveled in a lot of places, and is a busy single parent raising a 6 year old while also involved in local community issues, learning muay thai, and working in a fast-paced software technology industry that is constantly changing.
REGINE PIETERS
Director of Development
Originally from the Caribbean island of Curaçao, Regine Pieters is an arts administrator, producer, choreographer, dancer, and woodworker, currently serving as Director of Development at The Chocolate Factory Theater. With a background in both performing and organizing, Regine brings a holistic perspective to the arts—supporting artists not only through creative collaboration but also through meaningful infrastructure and development work. She holds a BFA in Dance from Belhaven University and has performed in works by Elizabeth Dishman, Vincent Hardy, Marc Wayne, Sung Yong Kim, and Faizah Grootens. Regine also studied contact improvisation with the late Nancy Stark Smith. She has served on panels for NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, DanceNYC, and Brooklyn Arts Exchange. Since relocating to NYC in 2018, Regine has discovered a deep passion for the logistical side of performance-making. She’s held roles in administration, producing, development, and management at Gibney Dance Center, Center for Performance Research, Dishman + Co. Choreography, Brooklyn Arts Exchange, The Bessies, and New Yorkers for Culture and Arts. In her current role, Regine longs to make nonprofit funding more equitable, with a focus on supporting underrepresented communities. With a deep appreciation for both the performing and visual arts, she is committed to fostering sustainability and expanding opportunities for artists within arts institutions.
MADELINE BEST
Managing Director
Madeline Best grew up in Durham, North Carolina, and has lived in New York City for the last 17 years. She studied dance at Bennington College and has been a lighting designer for over 20 years. Her recent design projects include collaborations with Moriah Evans, Yve Laris Cohen, Heather Kravas, Ursula Eagly, Milka Djordjevich, Efrian Rozas, luciana achugar, Andrea Kleine, Anne-B Parson/Big Dance Theater, and many others.
Madeline brings her many years of experience working collaboratively with dance, theater and interdisciplinary artists to her administrative practice – using project management, collective visioning, and creative problem-solving as the bases for her approach to organizational operations.
In more than 15 years at The Chocolate Factory Theater, Madeline has held diverse roles ranging from Production Intern, to Production Manager, to her current role as Director of Operations. In addition, Madeline brings her experience as a working theater artist to The Chocolate Factory Theater’s current capital design and renovation project. Her unique perspective has helped to guide the project while simultaneously prioritizing ease of use and optimized functionality of the facility.
DANIEL FISH
Daniel Fish is a New York-based director who makes work across the boundaries of theater, film, and opera. He draws on a broad range of forms and subject matter including plays, film scripts, contemporary fiction, essays and found audio. His 2019 production of OKLAHOMA! transferred to Broadway from St. Ann’s Warehouse and won the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival. His work has been seen at theaters and festivals throughout the U.S. and Europe including The Walker Arts Center, PuSH, Teatro Nacional D. Maria, Lisbon/Estoril Film Festival, Vooruit, Festival TransAmériques, Noorderzon Festival, The Chocolate Factory, The Public Theater’s Under The Radar, Opera Philadelphia/Curtis Opera Theater, American Repertory Theater, Richard B. Fisher Center at Bard College, Yale Repertory Theater, McCarter Theater, Signature Theater, The Shakespeare Theater Company, and many more. He is graduate of Northwestern University’s Department of Performance Studies and has taught at The Juilliard School, Bard College, Princeton University, and The Department of Design for Stage and Film at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Daniel is the recipient of the 2017 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts for the Theater.
The Chocolate Factory Theater supports the creation of new work by interdisciplinary performance artists from its post-industrial facility in Long Island City, Queens. We encourage risk-taking and innovation within the experimental performing arts community by responding to artists’ needs with space, time, money and administrative support throughout their careers.
We rely on the support of individuals like you continue this important work.
If you wish to donate by check, please make the check payable to The Chocolate Factory Theater and mail to the address below:
The Chocolate Factory Theater
38-33 24th Street
Long Island City, NY 11101
If you wish to donate through your Donor Advised Fund, our legal name is theater et al, inc. d/b/a The Chocolate Factory Theater, and our EIN is 13-4038993.
If you wish to donate over the phone, please email Regine Pieters at regine@chocolatefactorytheater.org to arrange a phone call to take your confidential credit card information.
To donate online, please use the link below.
Thank you for your generous support.
VALLEJO GANTNER
Vallejo Gantner is the Artistic & Executive Director of PS21: Center for Contemporary Performance in Chatham, NY. From 2019-2023, he served as Artistic Executive Director of the Onassis Foundation USA, an innovative programming foundation based in Athens with satellites in New York and Los Angeles. Artistic Director of Performance Space 122 (now Performance Space New York) from 2005-2017 and a consulting curator for BAM and Theater de Welt. A board member of Myer Family Investments, and Jianguo, both diversified investment companies based in Melbourne. He is currently engaged in driving these toward a new strategy of sustainable investment.
DIANE EISENSTAT
President
Diane Eisenstat has over twenty years of experience with digital packaging and delivery of global financial data, information and news. As Vice President of Product Management at McGraw Hill Financial she increased revenues over $100M by developing new strategies to package and price content and devising methodologies to protect intellectual property. She is President of the Board of The Chocolate Factory Theater, and Assistant Treasurer of Town & Village Synagogue in Manhattan.
CHRIS AJEMIAN
Trustee
Chris Ajemian parlayed his writing and directing career into CATES, a global advising, education, and innovation firm based in New York and London.In 2016, Chris was recognized by The Chocolate Factory with its inaugural “Artist in Industry” Award for his creative contributions to the education field. His creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and drive toward innovation find kinship at The Chocolate Factory, of which Chris has been a proud Board Member for almost a decade.
BRIAN ROGERS
Co-Founder / Artistic Executive Director
Brian Rogers is a theater and film director, video and sound artist, and performing arts curator. Since 1997, Brian has created films, performances, albums, and other time- based projects including Small Songs (2023/2024), Screamers (2018), Hot Box (2012, co-presented with FIAF’s Crossing The Line Festival / PS122’s COIL Festival / EMPAC Center, Troy NY and supported by a MAP Fund grant), and the Bessie-nominated Selective Memory (2010). Brian composed the soundtrack for Shaun Iron & Lauren Petty’s film Standing By: Gatz Backstage and has collaborated as a sound and video artist with numerous experimental dance and theater artists in NY and elsewhere. Brian is a MacDowell Fellow, and has had residencies at Yaddo and Mount Tremper Arts.
Brian is the Co-Founder and Artistic Executive Director of The Chocolate Factory Theater, an internationally recognized venue for experimental dance, theater, and interdisciplinary performance based in Long Island City, Queens, New York City. Brian serves as chief curator of the organization’s artistic programming (now in its 21st year) and leads its artistic and administrative operations.
Brian has taught at Kenyon College, University of Michigan, University of Colorado, The School at The Art Institute of Chicago, St. Johns University, Carnegie Mellon University, Sarah Lawrence College, The New School, New York University, Princeton University and others; and has served as a panelist / recommender for NYSCA, Queens Council on the Arts, Fresh Tracks, NYC Dept of Cultural Affairs, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Creative
Capital, Pew Charitable Trust, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Yaddo, Macdowell, MacArthur, Guggenheim, and others. He is a graduate of Bennington College.
SHEILA LEWANDOWSKI
Co-Founder / Executive Director Emerita
Sheila Lewandowski – Co-Founder / Executive Director Emerita and Builder of Community
Sheila Lewandowski, Co-Founder and Executive Director Emerita of The Chocolate Factory Theater for over 27 years, is a powerhouse of arts leadership, a champion for impassioned advocacy, and a builder of community. At the core of Sheila’s work is a steadfast belief in the transformative power of the arts and the resilience of communities.
Under her leadership, The Chocolate Factory secured a permanent home through a successful collaboration with the City of New York in 2017, becoming a cornerstone for experimental performance and community engagement across the borough. Sheila served as artistic collaborator with co-Founder Brian Rogers on the organization’s earliest projects and her vision and tenacity transformed a grassroots endeavor into a cornerstone of experimental performance and local engagement in Queens.
Sheila’s work at The Chocolate Factory (born out of Sheila and Brian’s earlier transient producing corporation theater et al) has directly supported 1000’s of artists and drawn 10’s of thousands of visitors to the theater since its doors opened in Long Island City in 2004. Sheila created the annual Taste of Long Island City, a local economic and community development initiative that successfully raised funds for the theater and ran for 14 years. With over 30 years of experience in nonprofit management and finance, Sheila’s impact extends well beyond the stage. She has touched the lives of so many artists, teachers, colleagues, and community leaders.
Born to immigrant parents and a product of New York City public housing and the public school system, Sheila’s civic engagement is deeply rooted in her family’s and her own journey. Sheila was inspired by the work of her mother running arts and community programming at the Stapleton Houses community center and later running for State Assembly on Staten Island. She is also inspired by her father’s journey to and in the United States after growing up in an orphanage in war-torn Poland. Sheila looks to her parents and the experiences of those before her for strength, connection and hope.
From 1987-2004, Sheila served as Associate Director of the Girls’ Vacation Fund, Inc. working alongside her sister Eva to offer summer experiential education, wellness and mentoring to girls from New York City and Greene County, New York. Sheila remains in contact with many of these young women today.
Simultaneous to the opening of The Chocolate Factory, Sheila became the first Managing Director of the Queens Council on the Arts (QCA). From 2004 to 2006 she reorganized QCA’s operations, fundraising and financial systems. She also attracted new donors to its programming, increasing its budget by over 20%, helping to expand the High School to Arts School Program among other activities.
Sheila’s leadership has earned widespread recognition. She has been named Business Person of the Year by the Queens Chamber of Commerce and Community Leader in the Arts by the Queens Council on the Arts. Other honors include the Elizabeth Coleman Visionary Leadership Award from Bennington College, the Woman of Distinction Award from New York State Senator Michael Gianaris, and proclamations from the New York State Assembly and New York City Council.
Sheila is a member of Queens Community Board 2, where she served on the Executive Committee, Chaired the Transportation Committee and By-Laws Revisions Task Force and now serves on its Land Use Committee. Sheila founded LIC Business Women which ran for five years bringing 100 local business women together to connect, learn from each other and advocate for their needs from local, state and federal agencies. Sheila served on the NYS Long Island City Downtown Revitalization Fund panel in 2024, Sunnyside Yards Steering Committee for four years, and many other community projects. She is a founding Board member of New Yorkers for Culture and the Arts and has just returned to its Board in 2025.
Sheila’s insight and leadership are often sought after on panels and in classrooms, having served as a guest professor at the Academy of Theater & Dance in Amsterdam and Marymount Manhattan College. She has also been a speaker for organizations including Van Alen Institute, Dance/NYC, LIC Partnership, Biznow, WNYC and many others.
Whether she advocates for artists, mentors future leaders, or shapes cultural policy, Sheila leads with passion, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to social impact. Her journey is far from over—she remains a vital force in the ongoing story of arts and culture in Queens.
Sheila is the middle daughter of three and remains deeply connected to her sisters and her family. Her sisters Eva and Andrea and their spouses Nathan Thompson and Louis Siegel (respectively) reside in Brooklyn. Sofia, David, Alexander and Matthew are the next generation of the family to whom Sheila is devoted.