James La Bella '27 MFA is a writer and dramaturg. James’ writing has been seen onstage at NYU Skirball, The Prelude Festival, Joe’s Pub, WNYC’S Greene Space, PS21, Life World, The Brick, ART/New York, Art Bar + Cafe, Lost Bag, and in print in The Washington Square Review, McSweeney’s, The Maine Review, Motif Magazine, and Emerge Anthology. James is a former Lambda Literary Fellow and a member of 2023/24 Civilians R&D Group. He’s a recipient of the Betsy Carpenter Playwriting Award, the Rod Parker Playwriting Award, the EVVY Award for Best Writing for the Stage, a finalist for the INKubator New Play Program and New Roots' Artist Residency, and a semifinalist for The Bay Area Playwrights Festival and Ars Nova's ANT Fest.
As a dramaturg, James is a frequent collaborator of The Civilians (8+ shows) and recently co-wrote their show Sex Variants of 1941, which premiered this fall at NYU Skirball. He's done other dramaturgical work with Playwrights Horizons, New Georges, The Mercury Store, Hedgepig Ensemble, PlayPenn, Brown Arts Institute, New Repertory Theater, Guerilla Opera, Fresh Ink Theater, The Bay Area Playwrights Festival, and Clubbed Thumb, where he works as deputy literary wrangler and assistant directed the Obie-award winning Grief Hotel at The Public Theater. James is the primary historian for Smith's Point, a partially "lost" 1970s sitcom. He'd like to revive The Brady Bunch Variety Hour someday.
Daniel Shtivelberg '26 MFA is a Ukrianian-Jewish theater artist from Chicago, IL. Daniel has developed new work with The New Coordinates, MUnCh at Rhinofest, and with The Sound in Chicago, as well as Available Light Theater in Columbus, OH. As an actor, Daniel was in Harley Elias’ Scourge, directed by Brian Mertes as part of the 2024 Writing is Live Festival. Other theaters Daniel has acted with include Trinity Rep, Brown/ Trinity Rep, The Artistic Home, Teatro Vista, Bramble, Redtwist, and Steep. Daniel is currently a second-year MFA Acting candidate in the Brown/ Trinity Rep MFA Programs. www.danielshtivelberg.com
