Sharon "Rain" Young
Rain is a Texas-born artist who has been writing and performing for as long as she can remember. In addition to being a nationally known slam poet, playwright, and published writer (with accolades including poems at the Grammys, Super Bowl, and winning a number of awards), Rain is the coach and 2018 slam champion for the "Gawd Slam!" Poetry Team, a four-year Word Around Town touring artist, and is currently a teaching artist at WITS and Alley Theatre.
Esme LeJeune Wu
Esme is a Houston playwright, actress, and educator who received her MA in Playwriting from Royal Holloway, University of London, where she graduated with Distinction in 2012. Her original works include The Visit (Landing Theatre/Houston), Tuning In (White Bear Theatre/London), In the Absence of Grace (MISK Theatre/London, Bierkeller New Writing Platform/Bristol), and Metanoia (MISK Theatre/London), All of This Seems True (workshop reading at Soho Theatre/London), and The Mariner (Cohen New Works Festival at UT Austin). In addition to playwriting and acting, she is one of two playwriting instructors for the Alley Conservatory, and manages in-school programs for the Alley Theatre, which delivers over 800 hours of Arts Education programming in the Greater Houston Area each school year.
Elizabeth "Nikki" Andrews
Nikki Andrews is the Theatre Director at Tanglewood Middle School in Houston, Texas. She holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, and an MFA in Acting from Louisiana State University's Professional Actor Training Program. Nikki also completed an international studies program at Birkbeck College, University of London, England. She has worked in arts education for the past 14 years with professional arts organizations and in a public school setting.
Alesha Tatum-Howe
Alesha is Digital Theatre+’s Head of Secondary Education, commissioning and curating all content and resources for 11-18 year olds and their teachers. She works directly with educators to ensure that our resources are aligned with teaching and learning goals and can be easily integrated into your curriculum. Originally from Texas, Alesha graduated from Pace University with a B.F.A. (Magna Cum Laude) in Acting. She then spent several years studying and teaching acting at Playhouse West in North Hollywood. She spent 13 years as a theatre director and district secondary lead theatre educator.