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ART THAT AWAKENS
The Story Behind the Name of our Company
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The conch shell holds deep symbolic and cultural significance across the Caribbean, making it a powerful namesake for Conch Shell Productions.
In Caribbean traditions, the conch shell is far more than a sea creature’s home — it’s a call to attention, a summons to gather, a signal of change, and a vessel of ancestral memory. Blown at ceremonies, protests, and celebrations, the sound of the conch shell carries far and wide, rooted in African, Indigenous, and island customs.
By naming our company Conch Shell Productions, we declare our mission to:
Amplify unheard voices — especially those of Caribbean and Caribbean Diaspora artists.
Call audiences to engage with stories that challenge, uplift, and transform.
Honor cultural roots while inspiring bold new expressions of storytelling.
Resonate with truth and power, like the conch’s echo across the water.
We are a company that believes in the enduring vibration of the Caribbean spirit — fierce, resilient, and visionary — just like the conch.
Magaly Colimon-Christopher President/Artistic Director
Magaly Colimon-Christopher President/Artistic Director
Magaly Colimon-Christopher President/Artistic Director
Magaly Colimon-Christopher is the Founder of Conch Shell Productions. Magaly is first-generation Haitian-American, and she established the company to create a space for the development and showcasing of new works by Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora playwrights and screenwriters who have an expanded view of reality and a passion for innov
Magaly Colimon-Christopher is the Founder of Conch Shell Productions. Magaly is first-generation Haitian-American, and she established the company to create a space for the development and showcasing of new works by Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora playwrights and screenwriters who have an expanded view of reality and a passion for innovative storytelling that inspire social change. A native New Yorker, Magaly received a B.A. from Columbia University, an MBA in Arts Administration from Binghamton University, and an MFA in Acting from Geffen School of Drama at Yale (formerly known as Yale School of Drama). Her acting career includes numerous roles in Primetime and Daytime television series as well as in Off-Broadway and Regional Theatre productions. She has been producing theater and film projects for over 25 years.Magaly is a member of SAG/AFTRA, ART/NY, The Actor’s Studio Playwright and Directors Unit, The Actor’s Center, The Dramatist Guild, and Latinx Consortium. To learn more about her go to www.magalycolimon.com
Jeffrey A. Bartos Treasurer
Magaly Colimon-Christopher President/Artistic Director
Magaly Colimon-Christopher President/Artistic Director
Jeff Bartos has been a labor lawyer for almost 30 years, representing international labor unions in cases across the U.S. Jeff serves by appointment on a committee of the DC Court of Appeals, and has had leadership roles in local and national labor law committees as well. Jeff received his BA from Columbia University, his JD from Yale
Jeff Bartos has been a labor lawyer for almost 30 years, representing international labor unions in cases across the U.S. Jeff serves by appointment on a committee of the DC Court of Appeals, and has had leadership roles in local and national labor law committees as well. Jeff received his BA from Columbia University, his JD from Yale Law School, and his LLM (Advocacy) from Georgetown University Law Center. Jeff lives in Arlington, Virginia with his family; his firm website is www.geclaw.com.
Donna Rosetta Tracey Francis, OH
Donna Rosetta Tracey Francis, OH
Donna Rosetta Tracey Francis, OH
Donna Francis was born in St. John’s, Antigua on 6th of May. She attended Christ the King High School, then graduated with honors, Magna Cum Laude, from Wesley College, USA in 1994, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting. She also held many prestigious positions: • President of the International Student Assoc., JCI Antigua a
Donna Francis was born in St. John’s, Antigua on 6th of May. She attended Christ the King High School, then graduated with honors, Magna Cum Laude, from Wesley College, USA in 1994, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting. She also held many prestigious positions: • President of the International Student Assoc., JCI Antigua and JCI West Indies • Vice President of Alpha Chi Honor Society • JCI Vice President assigned to Dutch West Indies, Haiti, Columbia, Canada & U.S.A. • Chairman of The Jaycees Caribbean Queen Show • Co-founder of the Cancer Awareness Campaign Donna is a Financial Controller by profession, employed by Kennedy’s Group of Companies Ltd. She was a Director of State Insurance Company Ltd. and currently a Director of Antigua Brewery Ltd. and DKD Enterprises. During the Covid19 Period 2020 to 2022, Donna became a Student of HB Studio New York, in pursuit of an Acting Career.
Clark Jackson
Donna Rosetta Tracey Francis, OH
Donna Rosetta Tracey Francis, OH
Clark Jackson is an award-winning actor, writer and producer who’s appeared on Broadway and starred in numerous TV series and films, most recently in the upcoming film Eugene The Marine with Scott Glenn, Annette O’Toole and Jim Gaffigan. A graduate of Stanford University and Yale School of Drama, Clark has served thousands of NYC publi
Clark Jackson is an award-winning actor, writer and producer who’s appeared on Broadway and starred in numerous TV series and films, most recently in the upcoming film Eugene The Marine with Scott Glenn, Annette O’Toole and Jim Gaffigan. A graduate of Stanford University and Yale School of Drama, Clark has served thousands of NYC public school students as a teaching artist in the areas of theatre, movement, creative writing and improvisation. He has also taught at HB Studio, Hunter College and St. Francis College in NYC. Clark is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and a proud company member of The Actors Center in NYC. To learn more, visit www.clarkjacksononline.com.
JR Roache
David Yick-Koppel
David Yick-Koppel
JR Roache is Jamaican and considers himself an Observational Storyteller. Curiosity and imagination led him to studying Engineering Sciences in Ontario, Canada and an underlying love of politics and economics steered him towards his MBA from Edinburgh, Scotland. While his first love is storytelling, writing was the furthest thing from his
JR Roache is Jamaican and considers himself an Observational Storyteller. Curiosity and imagination led him to studying Engineering Sciences in Ontario, Canada and an underlying love of politics and economics steered him towards his MBA from Edinburgh, Scotland. While his first love is storytelling, writing was the furthest thing from his mind after graduating. However, through his employment, he visited many diverse places, which inspired “human” stories that he feels he has to tell. “Sweet Rind” is JR’s first published literary work. Coming up are a book of poetry, “Ok... Now Where To?”, another short, "Silver Silhouettes", and other movies.
David Yick-Koppel
David Yick-Koppel
David Yick-Koppel
David Yick-Koppel is a Bay Area native and serves as the drama director at Washington High School in his hometown of Fremont, California. Prior to his role as the drama director, David founded Arclight Repertory Theatre and the San Jose "Shakespeare on the Square Festival" in 2006. The company was dedicated to producing multicultural th
David Yick-Koppel is a Bay Area native and serves as the drama director at Washington High School in his hometown of Fremont, California. Prior to his role as the drama director, David founded Arclight Repertory Theatre and the San Jose "Shakespeare on the Square Festival" in 2006. The company was dedicated to producing multicultural themed interpretations of Shakespeare's plays as well as multicultural original play development. David also served on the artistic boards of a variety of Bay Area nonprofit theatre organizations including: Crowded Fire Theater and the Altarena Playhouse. He was a program coordinator for HMO Kaiser Permanente's HIV/STD prevention play SECRETS, which is part of their Educational Theatre Outreach Programs that tour high schools throughout Northern California. David is a member of Actor's Equity Association and has performed, directed and stage managed with a number of Bay Area and New York based theatre companies. He received his MFA in acting from the Yale School of Drama in 1998 and graduated with "distinction in the acting specialist program" in 1994 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He lives in San Jose, California with his life partner, Julie Yick-Koppel, EDD (San Francisco State University, 2021) who serves as the ethnic studies coordinator and teacher at Mountain View High School.
CSP ARTIST COLLECTIVE
DEVELOPING NEW PLAYS/SCREENPLAYS
DEVELOPING NEW PLAYS/SCREENPLAYS
DEVELOPING NEW PLAYS/SCREENPLAYS
Conch Shell Productions new work development incubator, CSP Artist Collective (guided by co-resident dramaturges Jasmeene Francois and Marissa Joyce Stamps) is a supportive creative space for writers to share pages, receive feedback from peers, discuss the craft, take masterclasses led by industry experts, and build community.
SHARING NEW WORKS WITH AUDIENCES
DEVELOPING NEW PLAYS/SCREENPLAYS
DEVELOPING NEW PLAYS/SCREENPLAYS
Members present their work in our new work series: Bluelight Series and/or CSP New Works Fest.
We have supported the creative processes of 15 Caribbean heritage writers since the collective was founded in 2022.
Meet our CSP Artist Collective 2025 Members
Brendon Alekseii is a Trinbagonian writer, director, performer, and teaching artist. A 2018 resident of the Cropper Foundation Residential Writers Retreat, his work has been featured in Into The Void Magazine, the Pitkin Review, the 2013 NDATT National Drama Festival and the 2016 New Play Festival.
Petron B. is an inaugural DGF National Playwriting Fellow and an NC Black Rep Mabel P. Robinson Emerging Artist Awardee. He has also received a Distinguished Achievement for the Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award and runner-up for the David Shelton Playwriting Award. @petron.brown
Shana L. Darabie is a Brooklyn-based Trinidadian-American and former fashion designer turned award-winning filmmaker and passionate storyteller of horror, sci-fi, and thrillers. Much of her work can be found at mybotworks.com.
Diane De La Haye is a Jamaican-Canadian Screenwriter specializing in cross-cultural and faith-based stories. A Business Partner and Board Member at MBI Productions (Toronto), Diane oversees a variety of scripted and documentary projects. https://dianecanjam.com/
Bernice González Bofill is an award-winning filmmaker and post-production expert based in NYC. She crafts compelling narratives across film and commercial projects, blending visual storytelling with a keen artistic eye.
AnJu Hyppolite is a Haitian-American actor, playwright, and educator, She works at the intersection of theater arts, technology, and social equity. She’s a Solo Performance Collective member at the historic New Federal Theatre.
Jamie McGhee is a Berlin-based novelist and playwright. Her work, which explores postcolonial linguistics, has been supported by Harvard University, Zürich University of the Arts, MIT, and Instituto Sacatar.
Carlos Outten is a Caribbean-American playwright crafting Bahamian narratives for social, communal, and spiritual change. A Morehouse BFA and Columbia MPA graduate, he's a Horizon Theater winner, O'Neill semifinalist and Davis Peace Grantee
Othello Pratt Jr. is a 2nd-generation Bahamian-American actor from Harlem, NYC. He earned his MFA in Acting from Columbia University (2020) and has performed in the Classical Theatre of Harlem's Twelfth Night. A multi-talented artist, he excels in music, writing, directing, and community-building. @helloo_othello
Rivka Rivera is a Jew-Yo-Rican actor, playwright, and filmmaker creating work that explores the intersection of grief, capitalism, and human behavior. She is an alum of Carnegie Mellon University and LaGuardia HS. To learn more visit: www.RivkaRivera.com @therivkarivera
JR Roache is a Jamaican Observational Storyteller, who blends his passions for engineering, politics, and economics with storytelling. While writing wasn’t his original path, he debuted with Sweet Rind and has more works on the way, including a poetry book and films. @jrsterlingfilms
HONORARY MEMBERS:
Cris Eli Blak, Evan Dexter Parke, Tanya Perez, Andres Pina, Gretchen Suarez Pea
Co-Resident Dramaturgs
Jasmeene Francois Jasmeene is a Haitian-American theatre artist, storyteller, Applied Theatre Practitioner and dramaturge. Jasmeene is a lead instructor in the Moth Community and Education program, co-instructor with Mothworks, an adjunct lecturer at Drew University, and a Ph.D. Candidate at The Graduate Center, CUNY. @msscholarlady
Sasha Wells is a Bahamian literature critic, poet, and a Ph.D. student at Florida International University. Sasha is dedicated to nurturing storytelling that centres Caribbean and Caribbean Diaspora narratives. She is an adjunct lecturer at the University of The Bahamas.
CONCH SHELL INTERNATIONAL FILM FEST
CELEBRATION OF CARIBBEAN HERITAGE CINEMA
A platform for artists and audiences to experience inspirational and thought inspiring films, and build career enhancing relationships.
IMPACTFUL DISCOURSE
Workshops and panels led by industry experts providing experience artist and novices with tools and resources to navigate the film industry.
new works READINGS
DEVELOPING NEW PLAYS/SCREENPLAYS
DEVELOPING NEW PLAYS/SCREENPLAYS
DEVELOPING NEW PLAYS/SCREENPLAYS
Each of our professional produced public workshop readings of new plays and films are followed by moderated audience Q&A.
SHARING NEW WORKS WITH AUDIENCES
DEVELOPING NEW PLAYS/SCREENPLAYS
DEVELOPING NEW PLAYS/SCREENPLAYS
Conch Shell Productions has presented over 56 new works since our first production in 2018.
CSP ARTIST CHAT
BRIDGE BUILDING
BRIDGE BUILDING
BRIDGE BUILDING
Hosted by founder Magaly Colimon-Christopher, CSP Artist Chat creating a space for Caribbean artists to build awareness of their talent and contributions to the arts.
INSPIRING
BRIDGE BUILDING
BRIDGE BUILDING
The untold stories of impactful Caribbean heritage artist awakens audiences to artist's creative process and inspires dreamers to actively explore their artistic potential.
Conch shell press
WE'RE NOT NEUTRAL: COLLECTED SHORT PLAYS FROM RESET SERIES
In 2021, Conch Shell Productions launched its publishing arm, Conch Shell Press, to further amplify bold, culturally rich voices from the Caribbean and Caribbean Diaspora.
Under this banner, we proudly released WE'RE NOT NEUTRAL: RESET SERIES 2020 Collected Short Plays—a powerful anthology of works developed through our Reset Series initiative. This collection features thought-provoking short plays by writers of color that confront systemic oppression and spark dialogue about social justice in America.
Through Conch Shell Press, we are committed to preserving and sharing transformative stories that inspire change, challenge perceptions, and celebrate the power of underrepresented voices.
To order CLICK HERE
PAPERBACK: $9.99
E-BOOK: $3.99