Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Team

Lamplighters Music Theatre EDI Statement

As a response to the social injustice protests and “The Living Document of BIPOC Experiences in Bay Area Theater”, Lamplighters has created a new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) team. The team has met twice a month since early June. These 14+ team members are actively reviewing and proposing changes to Lamplighters’ mission, values, repertoire, and goals.

Lamplighters’ Staff and Board (total of 26 people) participated in Implicit Bias training in July. We continue to work with the trainers on next steps for creating an inclusive environment as we onboard new board and staff members. . The Staff has added paid positions for EDI facilitator and an EDI representative to the Staff and Board.

It is the company’s commitment to add at least two BIPOC members to the board by calendar year end. This is an area in which Lamplighters is committed to working, increasing equity and diversity on our stages (including online performances thus far this year), our production and artistic staff, and our board.

Lamplighters Music Theatre has a team of past and present company members dedicated to guiding our company towards Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Members include performers, designers, and stage directors of many ethnicities and ages. The team works together on issues of policy, repertoire, presentation, and representation both internally and externally.

We are pleased to introduce some key members of the team here.

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Kristin Avila

Kristin Avila (‘15) currently resides in New York City, and is grateful to be able to rejoin the Lamplighters from afar! Kristin has long been passionate about fighting for equity in casting in theatre, and is proud to be the Lamplighters’ EDI Committee Facilitator. In addition, Kristin has been Choreographer and Dance Captain for several Lamplighters productions, is currently a Content Creation Lead for the Lamplighters Virtual 2021 Season, and will be performing in the upcoming Gala. Starting in October, Kristin will be attending Northwestern University’s Professional Development Program to obtain her Professional Certification in Leading Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. She is excited to bring those new skills back to Lamplighters, and to continue building a more equitable and inclusive future for the company she loves.

Maria Caycedo

Maria Caycedo is a versatile performing artist with experience in opera, pop & rock vocals, dance (ballet, hip-hop, Irish step dancing, belly dancing and Latin dancing) and modeling. She works as a User Experience researcher for a major market research company. She is passionate about building community, bringing the musical works of women and Latin American composers to the spotlight, and contributing to inclusion and equity in all spaces.

Abby Green

Abby Green (she/her) (‘18) grew up in Oakland, CA in a family of musicians. She has been playing the flute and other wind instruments for over 20 years, teaching music for over 10 years, and singing opera with LMT since 2018. Abby earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music from UC Davis and a Master’s degree in Music from SF State. When not performing or teaching, she works as the Development Manager for the East Bay SPCA. Abby identifies as LGBTQ+, and she works to uplift and empower diverse voices and demand bold, progressive change.

Jennifer Kiernan

Jennifer Kiernan was a Lamplighters audience member as a child in the 1970s, and for the last 30 years (on and off!) has been a company performer and technical artist. She is currently in her third year serving as a member of the Lamplighters Board of Trustees. She has been a lifelong advocate of LGBTQ equality and other progressive causes. By day she works for a Bay Area pharmaceutical company.

Brittany Mellerson

Brittany Mellerson (Lighting & Sound Designer) is an East coast native and a graduate of Point Park University’s Conservatory Program, with a BFA in Theatrical Lighting & Sound Design. Brittany is the Resident Lighting designer for Lamplighters Music Theatre, SF PlayGround, and the Telluride Film Festival. Recent credits include lighting design for Princess Ida, A Little Night Music and Pirates of Penzance. As well as, the revival of Roger Grunwald’s The Obligation, the PlayGround Festival of New Works, and Graveyard Shift with SF Playhouse’s Sandbox Series. Other design experiences include – EVERYBODY at Stanford University, SF PlayGround’s ZoomFest, and Lady Scribblers with Custom Made Theatre.

Jonathan Potter

Jonathan Potter got his start on the stage creating and performing satires of children’s movies with a group of friends to raise money for The Women’s Building and SF Women’s Centers. He teaches computer science at City College of San Francisco. He aspires to help amplify diverse voices in technical and artistic fields.

Arie Singer

Arie Singer (Pirates ‘02) joined Lamplighters shortly after moving to San Francisco in 2001. With the company, she has performed in canon and non-Gilbert and Sullivan productions and many Galas. From 2002-2012, she did hair design for many productions. Arie was a founding member of the Lamplighters Guild, organizing Hidden Treasures events, Gala auctions, and many other fundraiser opportunities. She has an educational and professional background in social psychology, specializing in stereotyping and prejudice. She runs her own survey research consulting firm, and is an admin for a Facebook group devoted to talking to other white people about race in the USA.

Kristen Tansey

Kristen Tansey received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from UC Santa Barbara. She has performed with the UC Santa Barbara Opera, the Music Academy of the West, and with Lamplighters Music Theatre since 2015. Proud to be a member of the Lamplighters EDI committee, it is her mission to be a part of the movement rather than the moment. By day, she works at the streaming service, Hulu.

Wayne Wong

Wayne Wong made his Lamplighter debut in 1988 as Annibale in The Gondoliers. He has since sung roles in over 80 productions, with companies including Pocket Opera, Berkeley Opera, West Edge Opera, and Festival Opera. Roles include Don Alfonso (Cosi fan tutte), Aildoro (Cenerentola), Frank (Die Fledermaus), and Antonio (Marriage of Figaro, where Opera News called him “notably strong”). Other engagements include Opera Parallele, West Bay Opera, and Teatro Bocchino (in the world premiere of David Morris’ Il bobo sferrato). He appeared most recently as Dr. Spalanzani in Pocket Opera’s production of Tales of Hoffman, and as Gideon in Island City Opera’s production of Little Women. His parents emigrated to the US from Hong Kong in 1956.