Alex Nicholson- Founder & Managing Director
Alex Nicholson moved to New York City from Ottawa, Canada in September of 2011 to take Circle in the Square Theatre School's 2-year Professional Musical Theater Workshop. He immediately fell in love with the city and all the opportunities it had to offer.
His biggest accomplishment to date was performing as part of the ensemble of Ragtime at Barrington Stage Company, where he worked alongside Broadway professionals Anne Nathan, Elizabeth Stanley, and Allison Blackwell. He also had the honor of working alongside Kate Hamill and Eric Tucker for the Pearl Theatre Company's last production, Vanity Fair, where he understudied and performed a leading role. Other credits below.
Regional: "As You Like It" (White Plains Performing Arts Centre), Off Broadway: Drama League nominated "The Mutilated" (New Ohio Theatre), "Anansi The Spider" (New World Stages), "Wanda's World" (Laughing Giraffe Productions), Taming of The Shrew (Players Theatre)
Film work includes a couple of NYU music videos and shorts, a guest spot "Cat Planet", and a past host and correspondent on a developing entertainment news web series called "The Buzz NYC". He is also the Lead Producer on "BROKE", the Artist's Sandbox's first full-length episodic.
Amanda Wilson- Artistic Director
Amanda Wilson is a proud graduate of Circle in the Square Theatre School after earning her B.A. in Theatre from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Recent stage credits include Courtney in New Dawn (Secret Theatre), Samantha Standby in He Said She Said (Laughing Giraffe Productions, 1st Regional Tour), Super! The Musical (MITF), The Ded Sullivan Show (End Times Productions), Cory in Wanda's World (Laughing Giraffe Productions, Off-Broadway and 1st Regional Tour), Gabriella in Boeing Boeing (Brookes Stage Co.), Nance in Female Transport (Circle in the Square PW), and Cinderella in Into the Woods (Circle in the Square PW). You can also catch her in Starting Note the Webseries.
Kahley MacLeod- Executive Director of Online Media
Kahley is mostly a degenerate that says funny things on Facebook. Thus, her English degree from The University of New Hampshire has been adequately millennialized (that piece of paper also permits her to make up words when and wherever she sees fit). Her bachelor’s emphasis was screenwriting and acting, her professional experience is predominantly print and digital copyediting, and her personal specializations include reading the first and last pages of many books, hating the word ‘ricochet’, and disappointing her Nana. She is incredibly honored and excited to join the ASB team as the Executive Director of Online Media, aka The Next Supreme.
Aubrey Lace Taylor- Resident Director
Aubrey is incredibly proud to be a part of The Artists’ Sandbox as Executive Producer of the Children’s Theatre Division. Aubrey is an alum of Circle in the Square Theater School, and the Co-Founder of Brookes Stage Company. Aubrey has professional experience working with children on stage and in the classroom- she currently teaches preschool in Murray Hill and has extensive training in working with special needs children in Seattle and in NYC area. Aubrey is a trained actor and has toured with Laughing Giraffe Productions performing in an Anti-Bullying show, “Wanda’s World.” Favorite roles include Helena in Midsummer, Baker's Wife in Into the Woods, and Sweet Pea/Sindela in Circle in the Square's children shows!
Bryan Songy- Resident Director
A Louisiana native, Bryan studied English at LSU before succumbing to a life of debauchery and musical theatre (synonyms, really). He was most recently seen as Aunt Bee (swear to God) in Sour Grapes' original parody CSI: Mayberry at the FRIGID Festival. NYC: Rod Serling, A Fifth Dimension; Richard/Robert, Countess Dracula (Sour Grapes); Various Roles, Bastard Blood (Sybilline Prods, world premiere); Robert, Boeing-Boeing (Brookes Stage Co). Bryan is a proud graduate of Circle in the Square Theatre School, where he played, among others, Sorin in The Seagull and The Mysterious Man in Into the Woods. Other favorites include Rev. Hale in The Crucible and El Gallo in The Fantasticks. Regionally, he has directed A Grand Night for Singing (The Castle Players, IL). tick, tick...BOOM! will mark his NYC directorial debut. Look for him next as Lysander in Sour Grapes outdoor production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Allaire State Park, NJ. Thanks to Alex for the trust and the chance!
Daniela Hart- Resident Director
Daniela Hart studied at The ECU School of Theatre & Dance and is now a director and sound designer based in Manhattan. She spent 2013-2015 as a resident director with the Flea Theater and has been a Literary Wing member at the Lark Play Development Center for 3 years. In the past year Daniela co-founded UptownWorks NYC with Amanda Black as a platform for explorative story-telling through film and theatre. Daniela has designed or directed for Spookfish Theatre, Harvard Radcliffe Dramatic Club at A.R.T, The Flea Theater, HERE Arts center, Savage Detectives at Soho Rep Walker Space, C.O.W, La Mama, Vermont Shakespeare Co., Theatre for the New City and more.
Xavier Demar - Resident Choreographer
Xavier Demar is excited to join The Artist's Sandbox as the Executive Director of the Dance Branch! Xavier recently relocated to New York from Atlanta, GA, where he danced with the Atlanta Ballet, Georgia Ballet, Dance Canvas and The Atlanta Dance Connection. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Xavier performed with his family's West African Drum and Dance Company. Xavier dabbled in sports, but recognized his two left feet on the basketball court and decided to embark on classical dance training. He trained with such companies as Butler Ballet, Cincinatti Ballet, and Atlanta Ballet. Xavier also studied with renowned choreographers such as Alexander Proia (New York City Ballet), Ray Mercer (The Lion King on Broadway), and the late great Petrus Bosman.