who we are

Jim Niesen has served as Artistic Director of the Irondale Ensemble Project’s since its founding in 1983, directing more than eighty plays among them nine by Brecht including the three play cycle Brecht in Exile and sixteen by Shakespeare

Terry Greiss is a co-founder of Irondale, where he is also an actor and the Executive Director. He has performed in more than 60 roles with the company, and he is a creator of most of Irondale’s original works and education programs...

Maria Knapp spent a month with Irondale while working on her MFA thesis on Stage Management in 1997.

Ken Rothchild has been a member of the Irondale Ensemble since 1983; designing scenery for all its productions, save the very first. He has been a design assistant on a number of Broadway productions; has designed for film and television...

Sam is an artist and educator with a background in educational programming and freelance production. He’s been a company member with Irondale since 2014 and has acted in the ensemble’s productions of Saint Joan of the Stockyards and 1599 Project...

Hilarie Blumenthal has been a member of Irondale since 1989, first as its Lighting Designer and then for the past 30 years as its Costume Designer. She has designed costumes for Off-Off-Broadway, dance,regional opera, and television...

Emilio Maxwell Cerci is a Director and Lighting Designer who has been a member of the Irondale Company for 6 years in many different capacities. He currently resides at The Space at Irondale as the Production Manager and Resident Lighting Designer...

Renata Soares (she/her) is a passionate theater maker with a B.A. in Arts Education (Theatre Studies) from the University of Brasilia (Brazil). Actor, director and producer, she's a graduate of the William Esper Acting Studio in New York City and ...

Jacqueline is an actress/writer/director originally from rural Maine. She studied at the Gaiety School of acting in Dublin, Ireland and received her BA in Theatre & Dance from Manhattanville College in 2017 where she graduated Magna Cumme Laude...

Kimberly is a PR professional with deep media experience and resonant relationships with press influencers in the arts, culture, society, business, and fitness spaces...

Victoria was born and raised in Argentina and received a B.A. in Theater and Film Studies from the University of Buenos Aires. She also studied Arts Administration at NYU’s School of Professional Studies.

Kaya Blumenthal-Rothchild is a 2020 graduate from Connecticut College where she majored in Dance, and minored in Gender, Sexuality, and Intersectionality Studies. During her time at Conn Coll she had the opportunity to perform in many pieces...

Barbara Chen is a program advisor and co-producer of To Protect, Serve and Understand, working closely with its creator and Irondale Ensemble executive director and founding artist facilitators to expand TPSU.

Michael-David Gordon is an Irondale Senior acting company member. Mr. Gordon has performed in all of Irondale’s Off-Broadway productions since becoming a member in 1992; Working artist, director, arts educator and vocal coach for 35 years...

Rivka Rivera (she/her) is an award-winning Jew-Yo-Rican actor, playwright, and filmmaker. Her work explores the intersection of grief, capitalism, and human behavior and seeks to highlight the complex nuances that make being alive so damn spectacular...

Nolan Kennedy is an actor, musician, improviser, teaching artist, producer, Soundpainter, and playwright. He is a co-founder of Letter of Marque Theater Company and Brooklyn Improv Training, as well as a core member of Strike Anywhere Performance Ensemble

Sam Day Harmet is a mandolinist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, improviser, and music educator based in Brooklyn, NY. A musician of diverse tastes, Sam's projects range from deconstructive folk and jazz, to free improvisation...

Joey Collins Irondale: ALICE, Alice, Alice!, Galileo, Mother Courage (radio production), 1599, The Good Soul of Setzuan, St. Joan of the Stockyards, Dead End.

Vicky was recently seen on stage as Mother Courage in Mother Courage and Her Children and as Alice in Irondale’s fall 2021 production of alice…Alice…ALICE! Prior to that, she was the voice of Mother Courage in Irondale’s pandemic podcast series...

Dominic Galiotto is a Scenic Technician and Electrician who has been a member of the company since 2022. He is currently residing as the Technical Director...

Tim is an educator, theatre artist, and researcher who works across the world to bridge cultural divides, promote civic engagement, and explore issues facing communities in innovative ways.

Crystal-Marie (she/her) is a theatre artist based in NYC. Working primarily in ensemble theatre bringing new and unknown works to life.

Michael Galligan is an actor, producer, and teaching artist. He has taught with Irondale since 2017. Michael's theatrical work has been developed and performed at Irondale Center, The Deep End, The Tank, BCC, 59E59 Theater, the Upper Jay Art Center...