Executive Team
Marjuan Canady
Executive Director / Founder
Marjuan Canady is a Tony Nominated Broadway Producer and award-winning multi-hypendated artist, entrepreneur, educator, cultural worker, literacy advocate, and mom. A DC native with Trinidadian roots, her work spans theater, film, television, children’s media and literature. Marjuan centers her work in the intersectionality of the African Diasporic experience, with a focus on uplifting the narratives of black and brown girls and women. Her original work has been seen on Sensical TV, on Issa Rae’s Hoorae Media, on Sesame Street, at The John F. Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian, The Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, The National Theatre, The Folger Theatre, and the North Carolina Museum of Art. She is the CEO/ Author and Creative Director of the children's media brand, "Callaloo Kids", a children’s media brand that promotes cultural literacy through African Diaspora folklore and food culture through children’s books, animation, live theatre and arts education. In 2023, Canady was awarded the DC Mayor’s Arts Larry Neal Writer’s Award and was also named a “Woman to Watch on Broadway '' by the Broadway Women’s Fund. Marjuan's Co-Producing Broadway credits include Alicia Key’s “Hell’s Kitchen”, “The WIZ" and "Death of a Salesman". She is currently co-writing and Lead Producing her first Broadway Bound musical entitled, Tap In, featuring the internationally celebrated female tap dance company, The Syncopated Ladies. An avid artist-scholar, Canady was selected as the 2021 inaugural Front Row Productions Fellow / Adjunct Research Scholar at Columbia University's MFA Theatre Management and Producing Program. She has held fellowships and residencies at The Kennedy Center, New York Stage and Film, The Schomburg Center, the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, Lincoln Center, Harlem Stage, the Anacostia Arts Center. Marjuan is a 13-time DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Artist Fellow. Marjuan is Founder of her production company Sepia Works LLC and her non-profit, the Canady Foundation for the Arts, a cultural arts non-profit that empowers DMV youth of color through arts education, activism, and community outreach. Marjuan is a proud graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts and holds her B.A. in Theatre and Africana Studies from Fordham University and her M.A. in Arts Politics from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America, Actors Equity Association, the Dramatist Guild, and the Parent Artist Advocacy League. When she is not working, she is usually having dance parties with her four year old daughter, Savannah.
Danyel Watson
Program Director / Artist Relations
Danyel Watson is an avid advocate for arts education with a diverse background in all areas of the performing arts. She is a self-taught musician who plays 5 instruments and has taught music lessons for over 13 years. As a performer she has graced the stage at The Kennedy Center along with performances in Germany and Nova Scotia. Since moving to the DMV, she has worked with arts organizations such as The Theatre Lab, The National Children's Chorus,The Fairfax Choral Society and Artstream Inc.She has a Masters in Vocal Performance from James Madison University and a B.A. in Music with a double minor in Theatre and Dance from UNC Charlotte.
Natalie Carter
Arts Education Consultant
Natalie is an educator and arts administrator with over fifteen years of experience. She is currently a special education teacher at IDEAL Prep Academy in Washington, DC. She has worked over 8 years in NYC Public and Charter Schools. She holds her B.A. in Technical Theatre from The University of the Arts and her M.A. in Arts Education from NYU and is a graduate of The Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
Chanda Jones
Social Media Manager
Chanda Jones has over 8 years of professional experience as a social media manager. She has also enjoyed consulting brands, businesses and entrepreneurs in the social media space. Having earned a Master of Science degree in Journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Bowling Green State University, Chanda's also a writer. Her most recent feature focused on the lack of funding available for BIPOC women entrepreneurs.
Wendy Toribio
Blog Writer / Education Consultant
Wendy Toribio-Baez is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) who earned her Masters of Science in Teaching (MST) in Early Childhood-Early Childhood Special Education from Fordham University, where she was President of Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education.Wendy Toribio-Baez lives and breathes for the wholesomeness of early childhood. She is a Behavior and Learning Scientist, who guides parents and teachers in providing optimal learning experiences for young children. In her personal practice, Wendy creates and implements individualized plans to help her students efficiently acquire communication, independence, learning and academic skills. With almost 10 years of experience as a Founder and Educational Director of various early childhood learning havens, Wendy has partnered with hundreds of educators, psychologists and other professionals to become a resource for the families she supports. And, she also walks the walk. A millennial mom, Wendy and her two little girls have a ton of fun homeschooling, unschooling and re-schooling; always with intent, curiosity and goodness.
Sydney Downs
Arts Administration Intern
Sydney Downs, 2023 Cappies, nominated for her portrayal of Benjamin in the musical adaptation of Animal Farm by George Orwell, is a recipient of the Andrew Webber Theatre Training Award, 2022. She has showcased the roles of Luellen in Ara Watson’s Final Placement, Terry in William Mastrosimone’s Extremities, and on the virtual stage as Maria in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Hailing from Washington, DC., Sydney is a graduate of the prestigious Duke Ellington School of Arts, currently attending DePaul University’s BFA Acting program at The Theatre School in Chicago, where she has stage-managed the production of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. Additionally, Sydney studied acting at the British American Academy of Drama in Oxford, England, and the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington,
DC, and musical theater at The Catholic University of America High School Drama Institute. Sydney trained in clowning at the Center for Movement Theatre and has been invited to study physical theater with renowned mime and theatre artist Bill Bowers at Stella Adler Studio NYC, Summer 2024. Other notable performances include the live presentation of María Magdalena Campos-Pons’ When We Gather at the National Gallery of Art and Jelly’s Last Dance, a showcase for the French Ambassador. Sydney spends her free time hanging out with family and friends, reading, storyboarding her character designs, watching anime and independent films, and singing Broadway tunes. Sydney’s artistic goal is to engage in meaningful, inclusive, authentic work that will improve our society.
Teaching artists
Naimah Saleem-Mendez
Mrs. Saleem-Mendez is a licensed graduate professional counselor and registered dance/movement therapist with over 5 years of experience in the behavioral health field. She received her B.F.A from the University of Florida, M.S. from Pratt Institute in Dance/Movement Therapy, and M.A. in Mental Health Counseling and Wellness from New York University. Mrs. Saleem-Mendez is passionate about trauma-informed care, creative arts therapy, African American perinatal mental health, and providing services to children and families in Washington DC. Currently, Mrs. Saleem-Mendez facilitates individual and group therapy sessions at a non-profit behavioral health center in Washington, D.C, and D.C. Public Schools.
Shaba Lightfoot
Shaba Lightfoot is a native Washingtonian who steadily builds upon her passion for health and wellness. Yoga, dance fitness and getting out for walks in nature are some of her favorite ways to exercise and have consistently been a part of her regimen. While she has now been a multi-formatted certified fitness instructor for over 5 years, her fitness journey began while in school. She has always believed that an active lifestyle is a key component to achieving one's health and wellness goals. She also wholeheartedly believes that fitness should be fun! With these guiding beliefs at the forefront, she continuously strives to be an instructor who enthusiastically energizes and encourages people of varying ages and backgrounds along their fitness journeys.
Jacqueline Youm
Jacqueline is a Senegalese American actor, director, playwright, producer, lawyer, and French|English|Spanish teacher. You can find many of her virtual productions on her Youtube channel CESTJACKIE and/or here: httpshttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvd4LWK9h1msuj9oeFXHtng | Instagram: @jy_artiste
Krystal Butler
Krystal is from Washington, DC and began her dance training at Duke Ellington School of the Arts under the direction of Sandra Fortune. Krystal graduated from Long Island University and received scholarships to attend Ailey School, ADF, Earl Mosley Institute for the Arts and Arke' Danza. Krystal was a member of INSPIRIT, a dance company and Forces of Nature Dance Theater. She has toured in Senegal with the theater company, Art Creates Life, performing in the play, Junkanoo and in Europe in the show, MAGNIFICO produced by Andre Heller with choreography by Pilobolus. Krystal has danced with Pilobolus Dance Theater for ten years.
Chelsea Harrison
Chelsea Dee is a multi-hyphenate creative of color. She is a graduate of NYU/Tisch School of the Arts and has pursued a multidisciplinary career in the performing arts writing, performing, and directing new works of theater that challenge stereotypes and dominant narratives. She has written, performed and produced her own work such as ``The Daughters of the Bayou`` and, most recently, her new one woman show, ``The Guide to Getting What’s Yours``.
Allison Frith
Allison Frith is the owner and CEO of All Is One Holistic LLCTM, a holistic wellness business founded in May 2018 and based in Upper Marlboro, MD. She is a Brooklyn raised graduate of Hampton University born to Jamaican parents. Allison has a passion for teaching yoga to both new and experienced yogis from a trauma-informed and gentle perspective in a variety of settings. Her approach emphasizes safety, mindfulness, and compassion, making yoga accessible and beneficial for individuals of all backgrounds and levels of
experience. The same goes for her approach to bodywork byway of Thai Yoga Massages. Through All Is One Holistic, LLCTM, Allison continuously strives to foster a supportive and healing community for her clients, empowering them to achieve their wellness goals and embrace a more balanced and harmonious lifestyle.
Production Team
Anne Laurie Joseph
Production Associate
Anne Laurie Joseph is a dynamic artist and advocate for equity, blending her talents as a playwright, poet, performer, and musician to create meaningful and transformative work. With a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Music, she serves as the Executive Coordinator for the Theatre Department at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, where she manages communications and operations to support the department’s creative and academic excellence. Anne’s artistic mission centers on amplifying silenced voices, addressing social injustices, and celebrating the multidimensional beauty of diverse communities.
Her award-winning original musical, No Safe Place, debuted at George Washington University in 2023, exploring the lived experiences of women confronting sexual abuse. The production, a recipient of the Claeyssens Award for Best Play and the Nashman Prize for Community Engagement in the Arts, was developed in collaboration with women across the U.S. Beyond the stage, Anne has contributed to innovative projects such as Waking the Oracle, an immersive meditation on climate action, and SOS Soul Soothing Station, a virtual initiative to nurture communities during the pandemic. A dedicated performer, Anne has graced stages in productions like Godspell, Medea, By The Way, Meet Vera Stark and continues to share her voice as a jazz vocalist. Her mission as an artist is a testament to the power of art as a catalyst for change and healing.