The Staff Ensemble

The staff ensemble has been collaborating consistently over many years and multiple projects; this group leads and guides the co-creation, evolution, and growth of A Host of People.

Hover or click on the photos for full bios!

Karilú Alarcón Forshee (she/her) - Co-Creator/Performer

Karilú Alarcón Forshee was raised in Juárez, México. She began her performing arts education at a young age at La Academia Municipal de Arte and has been performing ever since. Forshee is an interdisciplinary performing artist with a degree in Theater Arts and English-Spanish translation from the University of Texas (2009). She has been a Detroit-based performer since 2011 and was recognized as a Kresge Arts Fellow in 2020. Her work with youth from the Metro Detroit area dates back to 2011. Forshee’s work directing youth theater includes collaborations with Living Arts Detroit, University Musical Society, Matrix Theatre Company, Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and most recently The Detroit Opera House. In 2019 she received support from the Knight Foundation to found the Latiné bilingual youth program La Carpa Theatre, which she currently directs now a program of A Host of People. She is invested in uplifting the lives of Detroit's Youth through La Carpa and the Bloomberg Arts Internship program she manages for CultureSource. She is incredibly thankful to AHOP her artistic home, and always inspired by the Detroit's kids she has guided for over a decade.

Sherrine Azab (she/her) - Co-Director/Founder

Sherrine Azab co-conceives and directs AHOP’s productions and facilitates the ensemble’s day-to-day workings. She is a theater maker and director focused on creating new works, as well as a producer and educator who has worked nationally and internationally in cities such as Detroit, Seattle, New York, Berlin, and more. Sherrine holds a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle and a postgraduate certificate from the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance at Wesleyan University. She was a member of the 2008 Lincoln Center Director’s Lab,  a 2017-18 UMS Artist in Residence, and a 2018 Kresge Arts in Detroit Fellow. In addition to numerous directing credits with A Host of People and other theaters, she has also worked with the Arab American National Museum, New Arab American Theater Works, Wayne State University, The Foundry Theatre (NYC), the Network of Ensemble Theaters, Ping Chong + Co (NYC), as well as Target Margin Theater (NYC)  of which she is a proud Associate Artist. Woven into her artistic/theater life is ongoing training in subjects intersecting and supporting art for social change, such as Emergent Strategy Immersion Training and Restorative Practice. Sherrine is also a proud new board member of the MENA Theater Makers Alliance.

Dorothy Melander-Dayton (she/her) -  Co-Creator/Designer   

Dorothy Melander-Dayton is a theater maker and artist. She obtained her Bachelor’s in Visual Studies from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011 and her Master’s in Performance Design and Practice from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London in 2014. Dorothy has been working as a designer and core ensemble member with A Host of People since 2015. In addition to working with AHOP, Dorothy is a freelance film and theater designer and artist, maintaining a practice that encompasses live and mediated performance, video, and installation. She has worked internationally in Greece, the UK, Germany, Poland, Japan, Taiwan, Italy, and Mexico.

Website: surrenderdorothy.org Instagram: dorothy505

Aja Dier (she/her) - Co-Creator/Performer

Aja Dier (aka Salakastar) is a Detroit born and based actor, singer-songwriter, poet, and teaching artist working in theatre, television, film, and music. She earned her BFA and completed her classical acting training at the State University of New York at Purchase College. She is an artist-in-residence at Poetic Societies, a member of the touring company of I, Too, Sing America at the Michigan Opera Theatre and a founding member of iii Sisters, a Detroit-based feminist writing ensemble. Previous AHOP credits include Re-Release Party (The Golden Record), Neither There, Nor Here, and Cleopatra Boy. She is a 2018 Gilda Award Winner and a 2020 Kresge Artist Fellow in Live Arts awarded by the Kresge foundation. Outside of her professional artistic practice she loves fashion, spending time with her cat, listening to records, being an auntie, and making delicious vegan meals. Follow her on Instagram @shestoopstoconquer.

Jake Hooker (he/they) - Co-Director/Founder

Jake Hooker is a writer, director, projection designer, scholar, and educator. With A Host of People, his work ranges from generating text, including many poems, designing and creating video, projections and technology, dramaturgy, co-directing, and even occasionally performing. He is a 2018 Kresge Artist Fellow and an Associate Artist with Target Margin Theatre in NYC. Prior to co-founding A Host of People, his work had been seen in Seattle, New York, Berlin, and the UK. He was the Company Manager and Assistant Director for Big Dance Theatre (NYC), as the recipient of a 2005-2007 TCG New Generations Grant. He holds a BFA in Original Works from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, an MA in Performance Studies from the University of Wales, and a PhD from the City University of New York Graduate Center. He has taught in the theatre departments of Oakland University and the University of Michigan and currently is the Head of Drama at UM’s Residential College.

Amanda Grace Ewing (she/her) - Connectivity Manager

The throughline of Amanda’s career as an artist, parent, and educator is connection and advocacy. She is a Diversity & Inclusion educator by day, and a dramaturg and intimacy choreographer by night. Amanda’s current creative passion is parenting where she tells stories, plays pretend, and problem solves every day. She has a Master of Arts from King’s College, London in Theatre & Performance Studies, is a third generation Arab American, and is based in Dearborn, MI. Selected credits include: Fire in the Theatre (Dramaturg, AHOP), BoxFest Detroit (Artistic Director), Detroit ‘67 (Intimacy Choreographer, Detroit Public Theatre).

https://amandagraceewing.com 

Oliver Jakob - A Host of People Ensemble Representative

Oliver Jakob [FKA Chris Jakob] [they/them] is a queer, non-binary, interdisciplinary multi-hyphenite born and raised in Detroit, MI, and based in Chicago. Holding a BA in Theatre from University of Detroit Mercy, they are an actor, singer, mover, poet, playwright, and teaching artist focused on the creation of fresh, thought-provoking, experimental work. They have performed at Detroit Repertory Theatre, Ringwald Theatre, Jewish Ensemble Theatre, Planet Ant, Shakespeare in Detroit [SiD], and Matrix Theatre to a name a few. Oliver is a 2020 Kresge Artist Fellow and recent work includes the world premiere of Dot’s Home as 4D with AHOP in Detroit 2023, including touring performaces in Chicago and Nashville 2024, The Tempest as Trinculo with SiD summer 2023, the world premiere of Cleopatra Boy with AHOP in Detroit 2019, including touring performances in Philly and Texas A&M 2021; previews of LOGOS, their new solo-performance-choreopoem, at Sidewalk Festival 2019; and the tour of their play, I, Too, Sing America, produced by the Detroit Opera Theatre. They have also been a part of artist residencies at Cleveland Public Theatre, Fury Factory Festival in San Francisco, and North American Culture Lab in the Catskills of New York. Art is long, life is short.

IG: @_oliverjakob // www.oliverjakob.com

Morgan Hutson (she/her) - Co-Creator/Performer

Morgan Hutson is Supercoolwicked, a freedom-focused interdisciplinary artist finding joy as a singer, actor, dancer, teaching artist, and proud member of A Host of People. She made her debut with the show, Cleopatra Boy, in 2019. Her layered identities have manifested into various art forms in diverse spaces ranging from opening up for Jack White at the Detroit Bernie Sanders rally, a feature in the Dazed, Carhartt WIP, and Motown documentary “Showing Up Showing Out”, collaborating with Grammy Winner Esperanza Spalding and other Detroit artists for the 2020 Allied Media Conference, and gracing the cover of the “2020 Bands to Watch” edition of The Detroit Metro Times. Morgan is also a proud Artist in Residence at Assemble Sound. Be sure to follow the fire @Supercoolwicked on Instagram and find Morgan on the world wide web at WWW.SUPERCOOLWICKED.COM.

Chantel Gaidica (she/her) - Co-Creator/Producer/Lighting Designer

Chantel is proud to be a part of AHOP's Core Ensemble, she serves as both the company's producer and lighting designer. She is a graduate of New York University, Tisch School of the Arts and feels incredibly lucky to be working in with incredible artists in Detroit, New York, and elsewhere whenever possible. Selected lighting credits include Cleopatra Boy (AHOP), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Detroit Public Theater), The Moors (Aquinas College), Fred (On The Rocks/Dixon Place), Neither There, Nor Here (AHOP), and Re-Release Party: The Golden Record (AHOP). She is honored to work alongside the artists of AHOP. Her work is dedicated to her amazing partner Charlie, and their incredibly funny and boisterous kiddos Lucelenia & Claudia. www.chantelgaidica.com

Vanessa Feil (she/her) - Stage & Ensemble Manager (she/her)

Vanessa is a skilled software developer, a passionate tinkerer, and avid gamer. In her capacity as the Stage and Ensemble Manager for A Host of People, Vanessa orchestrates the behind-the-scenes magic of theatrical productions. Her responsibilities include coordinating rehearsals, managing schedules, and ensuring smooth communication among cast and crew. Vanessa's portfolio boasts several standout shows, including  La Carpa Teen Ensemble: Lost in our Roots, Dot's Home, and Good Ancestors: Peregrina. Vanessa is excited to be a part of the future projects and productions with A Host of People. 

A woman in a blue shirt smiling

Shardai Davis (she/her) -  Associate Producer/Production Manager

Shardai R. Davis is a versatile performing and teaching artist based in Detroit, MI. She finds inspiration and joy in collaborating with others to create and share stories that make an impact in society. As an actor, dancer, singer, musician, stage manager, director, scenic designer, and teaching artist she hopes her art will challenge herself and others to keep learning about themselves and others to better understand our communities. Shardai holds a Bachelors of Science in Individualized Studies with Concentrations in Anatomy/Physiology, Experimental/Technical Theatre, and Music Theory/Music Performance from Eastern Michigan University.

 

Ensemble Members At Large

Ensemble members have been working with us in deep collaboration over the last couple of years, and ensemble members at large are folks that have been undeniably important to the creation of this organization and body of work and are connected to us no matter where in the world they may be.

Torri Lynn Ashford (she/her) - Co-Creator/Performer has performed with local ensemble-based theaters including; A Host of People, The Hinterlands, Matrix Theatre, PuppetART Theater and CMAP to name a few. She has also been a teaching artist with Living Arts and Detroit Wolf Trap (2017-2019). She headed children’s puppet workshops and summer camps at PuppetART Theater (2012-2017). In 2017, she was awarded a New Leaders grant from the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs from her work leading CMAP’s Community Outreach Initiatives for their Detroit commission and residency of the world-renowned Bread & Puppet Theater. At present Torri Lynn is a resident company member and puppeteer with Bread and Puppet Theater (Glover, VT).

Corinne Donly (they/them) - Co-Creator/Performer/Dramaturgy


Corinne Donly (they/them) has had the honor of creating theater with A Host of People since 2009, having collaborated on Fire in the Theater!, The Modern Woman, The Harrowing, and several earlier pieces. Based within the traditional territory of the Munsee Lenape (Brooklyn, New York), Corinne is a playwright, an educator, and a lover of all that is liminal.

Carolyn Mraz (she/they) - Designer

CAROLYN MRAZ (she/they) Carolyn is a set designer and educator. She loves inventive yet dramaturgically sound uses of space for performer and audience alike, and spectacular yet utilitarian visual methods of story-telling. In these particular times of COVID, racial justice uprising, and political unrest, Carolyn is most interested in how we can all hear unheard stories more clearly.

With AHOP, designs include: The Harrowing, and Life is Happening to Us Again.

An Oberlin alum with an MFA from NYU/Tisch, Carolyn is an USA 829 union member and teaches at Williams College.

www.cmraz.com

John Del Gaudio -  President/Producer

John (he/they) is a past Producer for AHOP productions. He is currently the Producer of the Mercury Store in Brooklyn, NY and was previously the Producing Director of The Bushwick Starr and the Artistic Producer of Target Margin Theater. They also help self-producing theater artists, with longstanding partnerships with William Burke and Aya Ogawa.

 

Collaborators

Collaborators are artists that we work with consistently and deeply on a project by project basis.

Charlie Gaidica (he/him)

Charlie Gaidica, a Metro Detroit native, is an Architect, Scenic Designer, and Educator. Before returning home to pursue his M.Arch at the University of Michigan he worked in New York, serving as Technical Director for NYU’s Playwrights Horizons Theater School for three years. During this time he managed hundreds of student productions, taught professional collaboration, and designed work for the NYC Fringe Festival, Te Ilum Theater & Arts, and MultipurposeRoom. He is currently a Senior Designer for Fielding International, a global leader in innovative educational and architectural services, but seeks opportunities for experiential design in all that he does.

Renee Willoughby (she/her)

Renee Willoughby is a multimedia artist living in Hamtramck, MI. Her work centers around collage, ghosts + telematics.

Web: reneekindling.com

IG: @_renalien_

Billy Mark (he/him)

Billy Mark is an interdisciplinary artist who lives and works in Detroit. He’s married to fiber artist, Sarah Mark. His areas of exploration lately have been embodied poetics, experimental liturgies, site-specific music and poetry, and the creative and spiritual resources found in monasticism. Billy has performed in AHOP's show Life is Happening to Us Again, and created sound and music for The Harrowing, Re-Release Party (The Golden Record), and Neither There, Nor Here.

Eleni Theodora Zaharopoulos (she/her)
Eleni Theodora Zaharopoulos has an interdisciplinary practice that spans the literary, visual, and performing arts. She draws inspiration through collaboration and dialogue, often creating relational work shaped by friends, family, and lived experience. Projects, schemes, and ideas-in-general are born from a place of curiosity and approached intuitively. Born to Greek parents, she was raised a First-Gen Americana in Queens, NY. Check out her work at happyabandon.com.

Maddy Rager (she/her)

Maddy Rager is a Metro Detroit based performer and teaching artist who received her BFA in Dance with a minor in Performing Arts Management from the University of Michigan in 2014 and graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy in 2010. Maddy began working with A Host of People in 2016 as a stage manager and now collaborates with the company as a choreographer/dance director. Maddy is ½ of the performance duo Thank You So Much For Coming alongside Scott Crandall, and is also a co-founder of the dance organization Collective Sweat Detroit. Maddy is originally from Bellaire, MI.

thankyousomuchforcoming.com | collectivesweatdetroit.org

Sam Watson (they/them) - Co-Creator/Performer

Sam Waylon Watson (They/Them) is a performer, gardener, builder, and adventurer. They received an MA in Performance Studies from King’s College, London in 2013, and started working with A Host of People pretty immediately upon their return in 2014. They worked as a performer/creator in Life is Happening to Us Again, The Modern Woman, Re-Release Party (The Golden Record), and Neither There, Nor Here. They worked as a performer, creator, and community engagement producer on The Harrowing, which is when it really hit home that they want to spend the bulk of their life outside with as many plants and bugs as possible. If interested in building radical, sustainable, intersectional, anti-racist, queer community in deep relationship to land and food, please reach out to them at sam@ahostofpeople.org.

Board of Directors

John Del Gaudio, President, Producer, Mercury Store, Brooklyn, NY

Sherrine Azab, Treasurer, Co-director, A Host of People, Detroit, MI

Jake Hooker, Secretary, Co-director, A Host of People; Leo Lecturer, University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, Detroit, MI

Brooke Harris, Voting Rights Manager, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Detroit, MI

Lindsey Robillard, Fund Development Officer, TechTown, Detroit, MI

Oliver Jakob, A Host of People Ensemble Representative, Detroit, MI

Advisory Board

Ryah Aqel, Curator of Education & Public Programming, Arab American National Museum, Dearborn, MI

Diana Konopka, Institutional and Major Gifts Director, Minnesota Opera, Minneapolis, MN

Imani Mixon, Journalist, Detroit, MI

Tony Pascente, CPA, Houston, TX

 

The photos featured on this page were taken by Garret MacLean, Andrew Miller, Dustin Drankoski, and Baraa Ktiri