Emily Freeman is a M.F.A. candidate in the Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities program at UT Austin. She received her B.A. in Theatre from Northwestern University. Emily also studied in London with New York University’s Drama Education program. She has worked for The John F. Kennedy for Performing Arts, Imagination Stage, Asolo Repertory Theatre, and Orlando Repertory Theatre. Emily is an applied theatre artist, director, playwright, and teacher. Her practice and research focuses on theatre and social justice. Her play, "And Then Came Tango," was developed her first year of study at UT Austin and will be featured in the 2012-2013 UT Austin main stage season

Avital Stolar is a recent graduate of The University of Texas at Austin where she received her BA in Theatre and Dance. She studied playwriting with Suzan Zeder and Kirk Lynn.  She began writing for young audiences in high school when her school's homophobic atmosphere inspired her play "Sticks & Stones".

BARRY KORNHAUSER recently joined the staff of Millersville University (www.Millersville.edu) to spearhead the school’s newly formed family arts collaborative.  Prior to this new endeavor, he served 32 years as the Playwright-In-Residence, TYA Director, and sundry other positions at the National Historic Landmark Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Barry is a recipient of the American Alliance for Theatre & Education (AATE) Charlotte Chorpenning Cup, honoring “a body of distinguished work by a nationally known writer of outstanding plays for children.”

Izumi Ashizawa is a Japanese playwright/director/actor who is an artistic director of Izumi Ashizawa Performance since 2002.

Her original plays have been produced both nationally and internationally, including The Blue Rocks (presented in New York, Connecticut, Romania, Japan, and Iran), Zahak (presented in Iran, Slovenia, and Romania), Minotaur (presented in Maryland, and Iran), Gilgamesh (presented in Florida, Chicago, Colorado, Maryland, Connecticut, and Slovenia), La Morte de la Fontaine (presented in Australia), Asajigahara (presented in the Cayman Island), Volund (presented in Norway), Bakeneko Kyosokyoku (presented in Russia), Haoma and the Warrior (presented in Iran), and iKilL (presented in Bulgaria and Washington DC).

Gabriel Jason Dean’s plays have been produced or developed at Theatre Row, Hangar Theatre, ASSITEJ International, The Kennedy Center, Dallas Children's Theatre, Aurora Theatre, Dad's Garage Theatre, Actor's Express, Horizon Theatre, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, FronteraFest, Source Festival and Essential Theatre. 

Gabriel received the Kennedy Center’s 2011 Ken Ludwig Prize for a body of work and was Runner-Up for the 2011 Princess Grace Award.  His script for children, The Transition of Doodle Pequeño received the 2011 New England Theatre Conference Aurand Harris Award and was selected for the 2012 Kennedy Center  Conference with People’s Light and Theatre Company.

Y York is the proud recipient of the AATE Distinguished Play Award for The Forgiving Harvest and Afternoon of the Elves, the 2008 Smith Prize for …and LA is Burning, the 2006 Hawai`i Award for Literature for Nothing is the Same, a Berrilla Kerr Award for The Secret Wife, and the Charlotte Chorpenning award for her body of work in family theatre.