Join Head of School, Kim Samson, for a conversation over breakfast with Fedna Jacquet ’06, Will Van Dyke ’02, and Tina Farrell.
March 14
8:00 to 10:00 a.m.
Monarch Rooftop
71 W 35th St, New York, NY 10001
There will also be an opportunity to catch up on what’s happening now at Beaver (and spoiler alert: there is a ton of exciting news to share!).
Read more about our industry leaders below and RSVP here.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Fedna Jacquet ’06 was born in Boston to Haitian parents. She recently starred as Passenger 1 in Ain’t No Mo on Broadway. She is a National Black Theatre Playwright in Residence, an Inaugural Still I Rise Documentary Fellow, a Huntington Theatre Playwriting Fellow, and a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Playwriting/Screenwriting. Written work for the screen includes Isaiah (ABFF/TVOne Screenplay Competition Finalist, Homebase (Juilliard/NYU Showcase)), Inheritance (Tribeca Chanel Through Her Lens Finalist, Urbanworld Film Festival), Circus (HollyShorts Quarterfinalist) and Going Home. She is also currently working on two pilots: Model Minority (a half-hour dramedy centered around an Asian American male lead) and Pefeksyon (a half-hour comedy centered around a Haitian American family). Written plays include Black Mother Lost Daughter (Commissioned by National Black Theatre, Breaking Ground Festival, O’Neill Finalist), Pefeksyon (Playwright’s Realm Finalist, DVRF Finalist, Studio Tisch), Inheritance (Classical Theatre of Harlem Playwright’s Playground, Studio Tisch), Civic Duty (Commissioned by Suny Purchase), Girlfriend (The Fire This Time Festival, O’Neill Semifinalist) and Heroes (Developed as a Huntington Fellow). Fedna is currently recurring as an actor on FBI: Most Wanted (CBS) and City On A Hill (Showtime).
BA: Brown University MFA: NYU/Tisch Grad Acting. Her short film Murika premiered at the Brooklyn Film Festival, and her short film Chante Maman Mwen (My Mother’s Song) recently premiered at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival and will be screening at HBO-sponsored Urbanworld Film Festival in New York City.
Will Van Dyke ’02 is a Grammy-nominated composer, songwriter, music supervisor, orchestrator, and arranger working in theatre, television, and film. Most recently Will served as the Executive Music Producer on the film Theater Camp, which recently premiered at Sundance and will be released through Fox Searchlight later this year. As a composer, Will penned the score to The Messenger at Pioneer Theater Company, where he has also written the scores to Ass and i. His musical Ten Brave Seconds is currently in commercial development with Avalon Road Productions. Other composition credits include The 64 Keys (Cleveland Playhouse), The Gravedigger’s Lullaby (off-Broadway), Straight (off-Broadway), and The Lion King Experience titles (Disney), among others. Will has also freelanced with various projects for Sesame Street and PBS television. Will currently serves as the Music Supervisor/Orchestrator/Arranger for the hit revival of Little Shop of Horrors. Will also Orchestrated and Arranged Fly at La Jolla Playhouse and Pretty Woman on Broadway and continues to Supervise worldwide. Other credits: Kinky Boots, Rent, The Addams Family, Grease, and Wicked. Will is a frequent collaborator with many of New York City’s finest talents including Annaleigh Ashford with whom he created her Live from Lincoln Center special, as well as Jeff Talbott, who he has written multiple musicals and albums with. Will also has a band. For more info and music: www.willvandyke.com or @wvdmusic.
Tina Farrell is an arts educator who has worked and studied in Boston, Los Angeles, The Netherlands, and Spain. She co-founded a theater company in which she performed as well as oversaw the artistic vision and business management. While working with her own company, she acted professionally in Boston and choreographed and performed with a modern dance company, RedShift. She has taught in the classroom and directed and choreographed plays in several schools. Tina has presented workshops for educators both arts and non-arts educators most notably at the British Educational Training and Technology Show in London and the Schools of the Future Conferences in Hawaii. Tina has a BFA in Acting and a Master’s in Theater Education, both from Emerson College and she is currently the Head of Performing Arts at Beaver Country Day School.