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ART THAT AWAKENS
we are...Conch Shell Productions
OUR MISSION
At Conch Shell Productions (CSP), our mission is to infuse new Caribbean Diaspora & Caribbean voices into the American theater and film industry. To do so, we create a space to develop, workshop and produce new plays and screenplays.
We believe that art can and should provoke social change. Our productions create an opportunity for diverse audiences to explore and celebrate the unique culturally diverse voices of our community of artists.
Our seasons include both readings and full productions of new short and full-length plays, as well as our annual film festival -Conch Shell International Film Fest. Our theatre presentations include Hear Her Call Caribbean-American Women's Theater Festival, Conch Shell New Works Series, Reset Series and #Bluelightseries.
Conch Shell Productions is a Queens, New York-based, fiscally sponsored organization, and a member of the Alliance of Residence Theatres/NY.
Founder/Producing Artistic Director
Magaly Colimon-Christopher is a first-generation Haitian-American actress/playwright/director/producer. She writes new works from a viewpoint heavily influenced by research and the stories her family members shared about the complexities and wonders of Haitian culture and history. She founded Conch Shell Productions to support/showcase new works by Caribbean Diaspora & Caribbean artists who have an expanded view of reality and a passion for innovative story telling.
A native New Yorker, she received a B.A. from Columbia University, an MBA from Binghamton University, and an MFA in Acting from Yale School of Drama. Magaly is a member of SAG/AFTRA, AEA, The Actors Center, The Dramatist Guild, The Actors Studio Playwrights & Directors' Unit, Theatre Resources Unlimited, & Black Theatre Network. She is a two-time O'Neill National Playwright Conference Semi-Finalist.
Most recently, Magaly played the role of "Antoinette Pierre" in Netflix original series GRAND ARMY
To learn more about Magaly, visit www.magalycolimon.com
Dramaturg
Jasmeene Francois is a Haitian-American theatre artist, storyteller, Applied Theatre Practitioner, and dramaturg from Riverside, California. She specializes in facilitating workshops centered around oral storytelling, devising, and creative writing that address home and belonging. Jasmeene is currently an instructor with The Moth Community and Education program and an adjunct lecturer at Brooklyn College.
2022 ARTIST COLLECTIVE
DEVELOPING NEW PLAYS/SCREENPLAYS
This year we have convened our first ever Artist Collective of Caribbean Diaspora multi-hyphenate writers.
BUILDING COMMUNITY
The CSP artist collective members include Magaly Colimon-Christopher (Haitian American), Jasmeene Francois (Haitian American), Tanya Perez (Puerto Rican American), Evan Parke (Jamaican American), Rivka Rivera (Jew-Yo-Rican), and Gretchen Suarez-Pena (Puerto Rican American).
SHARING NEW IDEAS, UNIQUE VOICES
The members will meet monthly to share and discuss new works. Members will have the option of a private reading of their new work (not part of the New Works Series) or a public live or online reading of a work-in-progress (as part of the CS New Works Reading Series 2022).
ABOUT OUR MEMBERS
Evan Parke is an actor, writer, producer, minister and media entrepreneur with over 24 years of experience in the entertainment industry. He has been a principal performer in over a dozen feature films, hundreds of episodes of television as well as Broadway, Off-broadway and regional theaters productions. Evan is the founder of Arimathea Media Capital Inc., a media content company that highlights the voices and perspectives of people on the margins, people of color and people of faith in content that appeals to the global marketplace. www.arimatheamedia.com IG @evantheconqueror FB @evan.parke
Tanya Perez is an actress, writer & activist currently living in NYC. Notable TV and film credits include Orange Is the New Black, Jessica Jones, Blue Bloods, Madam Secretary & Hal Hartley's Ned Rifle opposite Parker Posey. Comedy content creation has brought her web series Itty P & DJ Model-T nominations for two StayTuned TV-ITVF awards for Best Comedy and Best Actress in a Comedy, her comedy short, Peep Show, was an official selection at the 2018 Women in Comedy HBO Insider Competition, her short, Veronica, won 2018 Best Actress at Story Mode Shorts Festival, Best Screenplay & Best Actress at Outlanta Con and Best Latinx short at IndieFest. She has received an Audioverse Award nomination in writing in Cocotazo’s CAT festival. She has received an Audioverse Award nomination in writing in Cocotazo’s CAT festival. Proud member of NYWIF, Brown Girls Doc Mafia, SAGAFTRA & Actors Equity. www.tanyaperez.nyc IG @tanyaperezrulez FB @tanyaperezisawesome
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
IG @therivkarivera FB @rivkarivera
Gretchen Suárez-Peña is a Puerto Rican playwright who is an MFA candidate in the Dramatic Writing program at Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama (Class of 2024). Her musical, Melina: A Steampunk Musical Tragedy was an official selection of the 2020 Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival. Other successes include winning the writer's grant and best play at the 2019 Be Original Festival for her play, Trafficked. Also, winning best full-length play at the 2018 Tampa Bay Theatre Festival for her show Conversations in the Car, and first prize for her short play, Dry Spell, at the 30 by Ninety Theatre’s 2018 Night of One Acts Competition Her short play, The Arithmetic of Memory, was produced by Conch Shell Productions as part of Blue Light Series Fall 2020; and her play Moonwalker was featured in Reset Series 2021. www.gretchensuarezpena.com FB @playsbygretchen