About the Project
The work doesn’t end just because HFF26 ends. Learn from arts industry professionals who are ready to provide insight about taking your show to the next level, what the touring pipeline looks like, and how to keep the momentum going after HFF26!
Panelists:
Darren Lee Cole is the Producing Artistic Director at SoHo Playhouse. Having influenced the off-Broadway landscape and the theatre industry as a whole for the past 35 years, Darren Lee Cole has built his career around producing groundbreaking works, directing stellar performances, and teaching some of the world’s finest actors. Darren truly learned about theatre from the legendary John Houseman and has been inspired by Houseman in his producing, acting, and directing. Darren has produced over 150 productions through Cole Theatricals in New York, Los Angeles, Sweden, Canada, England, Scotland, Costa Rica, and many other states and countries. Darren became Producing Artistic Director of SoHo Playhouse in 2004 and, in this role, has produced or directed an additional 50 groundbreaking works that have won many of off-Broadway’s most prominent theatre awards.
Katy Dammers (she/her) is the Deputy Director and Chief Curator, Performing Arts at REDCAT, CalArts’ center for the visual and performing arts in Los Angeles. Her curatorial practice presents, organizes, and contextualizes contemporary practice in performance commissions, exhibitions, festivals, site-specific installations, and publications. She has held past leadership positions at The Kitchen, FringeArts, and Jacob’s Pillow. Dammers has also worked as a creative administrator, and worked with choreographers Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Riener as General Manager from 2014-2022, in addition to organizing projects with Jennifer Monson, Donna Uchizono, and Tere O’Connor. A writing fellow at the National Center for Choreography Akron, her essays have been published in The Brooklyn Rail, Motor Dance Journal, and MOLD as well as edited volumes by University of Akron Press and Princeton University Press.
Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx (he/him) is the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s 2nd Artistic Director, where he leads the Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center’s Renberg Theatre, Davidson/Valentini Theatre, and Advocate & Gochis Galleries. The Center is the largest LGBTQ+ organization in the world, and under Jonathan’s leadership the organization has enjoyed the highest event attendance in its 57-year history, including a 186% increase in attendance since pre-pandemic levels. Jonathan has served on the Latinx Theatre Commons National Steering Committee, has directed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and has adjudicated on review panels for the California Arts Council, LA County Department of Arts and Culture, and others. He has been honored on American Theatre Magazine’s list of 6 Theatre Workers You Should Know, The Advocate Magazine’s list of 20 Advocates for Change and the Los Angeles Times’ LA Vanguardia list of “Latino innovators, instigators and power players breaking through barriers.” “Muñoz-Proulx has the know-how and tenacity to steer Los Angeles theater toward a more equitable tomorrow.” – Los Angeles Times
Larry Laboe is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA), an organization dedicated to supporting filmmakers and storytellers globally. He is a member of the Producers Guild of America and previously served as a faculty member at the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI). Additionally, Larry is a Board Member of the BRIC Foundation and the Film Festival Alliance (FFA), and he serves on the committee for SAGindie. He has been a grants panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, LA County Department of Arts and Culture, and City of West Hollywood. Larry has produced content featuring talents such as James Franco and Joseph Gordon-Levitt for many of the world’s leading brands, networks, and studios. Many of these productions have been official selections at prestigious festivals like South by Southwest (SXSW) and have received major awards, including a BANFF World Media Festival Rockie Award.
Production Team
