Meet Our Board & Staff
Eleanore Tapscott (she/her) is a classically trained metro-DC-based actress and director. She is looking forward to supporting the mission of the Actors Center — Connecting actors to resources needed for success.
Darren Marquardt started his career more than 4 decades ago in Minneapolis, MN. He regularly collaborated with the Red Eye Theater including a touring performance at the La Moma Theatre in NYC. He was a performing and teaching artist at several dance studios in the area specializing in Ballroom and Latin Social and Theatrical dance.
Adiyb Muhammad is an actor/producer/director, who developed his acting skills by studying with some of the top coaches in the industry: Vera J Katz, Stephen Mitchell, John Pallotta and others whom he identified through his Actors’ Center membership. He has appeared in over 30 stage plays in his 17 years as an actor and has been seen on TVOne, BET, Netflix, HBO and Amazon Prime in various film and TV projects.
Yvonne Paretzky (she/her) is a stage, film, tv, and voiceover actor represented by Bona Fide & Emerging Artists and Avery Sisters Entertainment. Recent projects include CW’s Black Lightning, the short series Coronaville, and To the New Girl. Her play Funny You Don’t Look Jewish premiered at Women’s Voices Theater Festival in 2018.
Evan Crump (he/him) has worked in the DMV area as an actor, director, playwright, producer, and theatre instructor for more than fifteen years. He is the Founding Artistic Director of Unstrung Harpist Productions and has performed in over sixty productions with local companies. He has a Doctorate of Education from GW and a Master of Fine Arts in Shakespeare in Performance from Mary Baldwin University. He currently teaches English and Theatre at Montgomery College.
Nishi Chawla (she/her) is an academician and a writer. She has ten plays, three feature length movies, two screenplays, six collections of poetry and two novels to her credit. Her plays have been staged both in USA and in India. She has written and directed three independent art house movies: “Mixed Up”(released on Amazon Prime in June 2021), “The Strange Case Of Normalcy” and “Techno.” She also co-edited an anthology of poems, “Singing in the Dark” with K Satchidanandan which was published by Penguin Random House in 2020. Another poetry anthology, “Greening the Earth” will be published by Penguin in May 2023.
Dara Gold (she/her) is a Washington D.C. based actor, playwright, and director who works in new play development, musicals, and short films. She is the co-founder and co-leader of the women-led, D.C. based theater company Too Much Damn (“TMD”) Theater. Dara has presented her original pieces at the Kennedy Center, Capital Fringe Festival, the D.C. 48 Hour Film Project, and JaYo Théâtre. Outside of theater, Dara is an education attorney advocating for children’s rights.
Ken Stancil Jr. (he/him) is a Creative on a mission to build relationships with people who are passionate about creating diverse and impactful media. He works as an actor, model, writer, photographer, and videographer. Ken has performed in short films, commercials, industrials, and television shows. His special skills include spending money on comic books and binge watching sci-fi shows.
Boneza Valdez Hanchock (she/her) is an actor and playwright as well as a long standing member of the Actors’ Center. She has had the privilege of working with Prologue Theatre, St. Mark’s Players, Two Strikes Theatre Collective, Nu Sass Productions, Prince George’s Shakespeare in the Parks, Fractal Theatre Collective, Eclectic Mayhem Productions, The Rude Mechanicals, and Castaways Theatre. She has also lent her voice to several podcasts and radio plays including Pomegranate Room, Between Acts, and I Am Project. Outside of theatre, Boneza is a Program Manager with over 20 years of experience in life cycle logistics and program management.
Ginger Moss (she/her) has been managing the Actors’ Center since November 1985. She has also worked with Arena Stage, Source Theatre, Horizons Theatre and Trice Talent Services. As an actor, she has done film, industrial, commercial, and theatre work in the DC area and is a member of SAG-AFTRA.
Rebecca Kiser (she/her) an actor and singer performer based in Washington DC. She holds a BA in Theater Performance with a minor in music from George Mason University. She has worked with many theatres in the area including Studio Theatre, Adventure Theatre MTC, and Imagination Stage. Rebecca is excited to be joining the Actors’ Center staff and is looking forward to connecting and helping all its members.
Kristra Forney-Wright (she/her) is an experienced, passionate and creative leader, with an extensive background in sales and customer service. Kristra has maintained a passion for the arts throughout her life and has worked with several nonprofit arts organizations throughout DC, in various capacities. Kristra hopes that she’ll be able to make a significant impact at the Actor’s Center by growing its membership and expanding the scope of resources offered by the organization.
Elena Anderson (she/her) is an actor, voiceover artist, and grant writer based in Washington, DC. She has an M.F.A. in Acting from The Catholic University of America, and a B.A. in Drama and History from the University of Virginia. She has been a member of the Actors’ Center since 2018.