Friday morning, 9:00 am Session
Keynote Speaker Howard Sherman
Howard Sherman is presently the managing director of the Baruch Performing Arts Center at Baruch College in Manhattan, as position he has held since March 2022. In February 2015, he was named director of the new Arts Integrity Initiative at the New School for Drama, focused on creative and academic freedom in the arts. Since 2017, that work has continued on an independent basis.From 2013 to 2017, he was Interim Director of the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts in New York, dedicated to creating opportunities for artists of color and artists with disabilities in theatre, film and television.
Since 2011, he has become an influential advocate for high school theatre, notably taking an active role in content challenges by school administrations in numerous communities nationally, and he writes extensively about intellectual and creative freedom in academic, community and professional theatre. He was named one of the “Top 40 Free Speech Defenders of 2014” by the National Coalition Against Censorship. He received the Dramatists Legal Defense Fund 2015 “Defender” Award for his work on artists rights and theatrical censorship and began serving on the organization’s board in 2025. He was named “Honorary Thespian of the Year” by the Educational Theatre Association/International Thespian Society for his advocacy on behalf of high school theatre. Howard was executive director of the American Theatre Wing from 2003 to 2011.
Friday Morning, 9 am session
Kim O'Rourke, Reflections on CETA and the Pasadena Playhouse
Kim O’Rourke is a retired actor and acting teacher, having worked for 40 years in high school, community colleges, and universities in California. Ms. O'Rourke has a master's degree in History and Literature of Theatre. She has done graduate studies in Theatre History at the University of Southern California and has a certificate in classical Theatre, and previously held a teaching licentiate from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Ms. O’Rourke is a former American representative for LAMDA and the LAMDA examinations program. She received the Hall of Fame Award from the California Thespian Society in 2000, the Hall of Fame Award from the Educational Theatre Association in 2001, and the Teacher of the Year Award from the California Educational Theatre Association in 2002. Ms. O’Rourke has served as the Los Angeles County representative on the California State Thespian Board of Directors, vice president of high schools for the Drama Teachers’ Association of Southern California, and vice president of high schools for the California Educational Theatre Association.
Sunday Morning, 9 am session
Andy Crocker, Professional Development Intensive
Andy Crocker is a live experience designer and director known for highly participatory, fun-forward pieces. With expertise in innovative storytelling, she’s worked with collaborators of all scales, from intimate theaters to giant theme parks. Specializing in playful genre exploration and interactive comedy, Andy excels at bringing audiences together by instilling heartfelt shenanigans into the theatrical experience.
To read more about Andy and Mister & Mischief, visit the Professional Development Intensive page.
More speakers to be announced! Check back soon!