Stephanie Ybarra

Stephanie Ybarra is a theatrical producer, currently serving as the Director of Special Artistic Projects at The Public Theater in New York City.[1] Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Ybarra holds an undergraduate degree from Baylor University and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.[2]

Stephanie Ybarra
Born San Antonio, Texas
Residence New York City, New York
Education Baylor University (BFA), Yale School of Drama (MFA)
Awards Producers Chair Award - Foundry Theatre (2006), The Josephine Abady Award - League of Professional Theatre Women (2012)

Early life and education

Ybarra grew up in San Antonio Texas,[3] and identifies as multi-ethnic.[4] She completed her Bachelor's of Fine Arts at Baylor University in Waco,Texas in 1999. While at Baylor, she was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority and was a part of the Theatre Student Society.[2] In 2005, Ybarra began her MFA in Theatre Management at Yale University and completed her graduate degree in 2008.[2] While at Yale, Ybarra served as the Associate Managing Director on the Yale School of Drama's 2008 production of Romeo and Juliet.[5] She is also a former board member of the Yale Latino Alumni Association.[3]

Career

Early career

Her post-collegiate career began in 1999 when Ybarra began work at the Dallas Children's Theatre. After two years serving as the Assistant Development Director and two years as the Publications Manager, Ybarra moved to Boston. In Boston, she served as the Deputy Director of Program Operations for Citizen Schools,[2] a non-profit organization which offers academic enrichment opportunities to low-income and under-served communities.[6] After two years at Citizen Schools, Ybarra began her Masters Degree at Yale and worked as the Associate Managing Director of Yale School of Drama and New Play Development from 2007-2008. Ybarra also made her New York producing debut in 2007 with The Brothers Size by Tarrell McCraney at The Public Theater's Under the Radar Festival.[3] She then went on to work as the Interim General Manager at Two River Theatre Company and then the Producing Director at The Playwrights Realm, a nonprofit off-Broadway theater which supports new and emerging playwrights in developing their works.[7] With The Playwirghts Realm, Ybarra produced early career playwrights including Anna Ziegler, Jen Silverman, and Gonzalo Rodriguez Risco.[3] Some of Ybarra's other producing credits include the following: "Mentor Project" at Cherry Lane Theater, Finding Ways by Snehal Desai at HERE Arts Center, We Play for the Gods, by the 2010-2012 Lab at Women's Project Theatre, One Night With Rael, by Timothy Charles Brown at Ars Nova's A.N.T. Fest, Billy Witch by Greg Moss at Studio 42, "The HPRL Writers Group" at INTAR.[3]

Public Theatre

Stephanie Ybarra is currently Director of Artistic Projects at the Public,[1] where she began as an Artistic Associate in 2012.[3] In her current position, Ybarra leads the Mobile Unit and Public Forum Programs. The Mobile Unit is the branch of the Public Theatre based on the notion that "culture belongs to all," which performs free Shakespeare plays across the five boroughs in prisons, homeless shelters, and community centers.[8]

Producing Style

In her work, Ybarra seeks a delicate balance of creativity and business acumen, explaining that, in her opinion, producers ought to have a place in the room where creative processes and decisions are occurring.[9] She speaks openly about the Producers' role in both facilitating and contributing to the artistic process and notes that in her 2012 production of We Play Gods, collaboration was essential to her ability to serve the artists working on the piece.[9] At the Public, Ybarra has focused her energies on "radical inclusivity" [10] with the Mobile Unit and, in 2017, has brought a Cuban-inspired version of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to venues including New York City's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center and Rikers Island Correction Facility.[10]

Those who have worked with Ybarra describe her as a collaborator who brings a sense of humor to the theatrical process.[4] Ybarra, whose theatrical roots are in acting, claims that she is still figuring out the relationship between her artistic interests and her organisational and leadership skills. She self-identifies as a Creative Producer, a title which helps describe the artistry of her work. She has a talent for facilitating artistic processes through a strong emphasis on collaboration and involvement in artistic conversations.[4] Furthermore, in her work with the Mobile Unit, Ybarra works under the philosophy of "be[ing] humans together" which she uses to guide actors as they make art in spaces, including correctional facilities, which are actively working to oppress people.[4]

Awards

  • Producers Chair Award - Foundry Theatre (2006)[2]
  • The Josephine Abady Award - League of Professional Theatre Women (2012)[11]

References

  1. 1 2 "The Public Theater Staff". www.publictheater.org. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Ybarra, Stephanie. "Stephanie Ybarra". LinkedIn. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 directorssalon (2012-04-17). "Meet Public Theater's Artistic Associate Stephanie Ybarra, one of tomorrow's panelists!". The Working Theater Directors Salon BLOG. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Stephanie Ybarra: Socially Sound". SoHumanity. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  5. ↑ "Romeo & Juliet | drama.yale.edu". drama.yale.edu. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  6. ↑ "Our Model". Citizen Schools. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  7. ↑ "Mission". The Playwrights Realm. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  8. ↑ "Mobile Unit". www.publictheater.org. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  9. 1 2 "Confessions of a Creative Producer". HowlRound. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  10. 1 2 Desk, BWW News. "Cast Complete for The Public's Free, Cuban-Inspired Mobile Unit TWELFTH NIGHT". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  11. ↑ "The Josephine Abady Award | League of Professional Theatre Women". theatrewomen.org. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
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