Majeid CrawfordProgram Director
and Founder
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Mr. Crawford is a community activist with a strong
vision of an empowered, educated and healthy young population. As
Program Director for the Roots & Rhythm Playhouse, he is responsible
for overseeing and managing all aspects of the organization from
curriculum development to fundraising events and expansion efforts.
In addition to providing leadership for Roots & Rhythm Playhouse,
Mr. Crawford also contributes to his community as a youth mentor,
tutor, producer and organizer.
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Imani
HarringtonArtistic Director
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Ms. Harrington is an accomplished and dedicated producer, artist, teacher and social activist with over a decade of experience working with a number of notable Bay Area theatre groups, including Oakland Ensemble Theatre, Mission Dance, New College Theatre, Black Repertory Group and Brava! Theatre Center. Ms. Harrington´s work with Roots & Rhythm Playhouse focuses on the development and revelation of the self through themes involving social justice. In addition to writing and directing, Ms. Harrington also provides professional development guidance to the program staff.
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Jessamyn
Sabbag
Publicist
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Ms. Sabbag brings a strong passion for educational
equity to her role as Site-Coordinator and Publicist
for the Roots & Rhythm
Playhouse, where she is responsible for data
collection and analysis, fundraising,
grant writing,
outreach and program management. Her background
includes a B.A. in Educational
Studies from Brown University, work with the San
Francisco Unified School
District, and with the City of Oakland, where she
served as a youth employment
program coordinator.
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Jessica
Rivas
Brava! Running Crew Intern
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Having completed a rigorous course of study with
Brava! Theatre’s Youth Running Crew program, Ms. Rivas
is now interning at Roots & Rhythm Playhouse where she
is in charge of the set and technical aspects of the
musical theatre production. She has lead our students
in voice development, and has also been an important
member of the musical theatre production team. Ms.
Rivas is in her first year at Phillip Burton High
School, and has already provided an enormous amount of
leadership and community initiative in her short time
with our program.
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Elena Ivette
NavarroActing Coach/“All-Access“Tutor
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Born in Mexico and raised in San Francisco‘s Mission
District, Ms. “Ivette“ Navarro is now a sophomore
at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School. As the Acting
Coach at Roots & Rhythm Playhouse, Ms. Navarro has developed
curriculum and provided invaluable insight into the process
of the musical theatre production. She has been almost solely
responsible for providing individualized tutoring to our
most academically needy 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students,
in addition to initiating our family outreach program. She
was also recently accepted into the Youth Link video production
course at Bay Area Video Coalition.
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Charleen Mininfield
Public Relations and
Technical Consultant
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Ms. Mininfield is a long-time supporter and advocate on
behalf of under served youth in the community. In her dual
role at the Roots & Rhythm Playhouse, she works tirelessly
behind the scenes to ensure the success of all events, performances
and general operations, and provides technical guidance
and services to the organization, including the development
and implementation of our student and donor databases.
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Darren Joshua
Associate Artistic Director
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Darren “Sarge” Joshua is an experienced actor and director,
with years of work in the Bay Area. As Associate Artistic Director,
Mr. Joshua teaches the Theatre Production Class, and is responsible
for carrying out the production of our year-end musical theatre performance.
He can often be found singing reggae tunes with the Roughneck Soldiers
band in the East Bay.
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Walter
Vela
Latin Dance
Instructor
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Mr. Vela, who attended Fairmount
Elementary as a youth, is renowned in
the Bay Area as a salsa D.J.
and producer of popular
club mixes. Currently working at
Fairmount Elementary
in the special-education classrooms, he
has been an asset to Roots & Rhythm
Playhouse, particularly in his work
with the boys in
salsa class. Mr. Vela is also studying
graphic arts, and has established
his own urban t-shirt company called
”Maurader Clothing.” As
a family man and a professional
artist, Mr. Vela’s presence
in our organization is truly an
inspiration to our young
students.
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Ashley
Bizzell
Youth Director
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Ms. Ashley Bizzell is a young woman whose positive energy
and dedicated work ethic helped jumpstart the first semester
of Roots & Rhythm Playhouse at Fairmount Elementary
School. Currently Junior Class President at Gateway High
School, Ms. Bizzell is involved in everything from student
leadership to web design to mentoring young children. She
works with our organization by providing leadership and
guidance to our other youth staff, and has also been involved
in the hip-hop dance class as well as aspects of program
development. She has developed much of her natural leadership
potential through work at Girl Source.
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Carmen
Marcel-Almodóvar
Youth Latin Dance
Instructor/Choreographer
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Ms. Marcel-Almodóvar is a courageous high school
sophomore at Gateway High, who has lead the entire first
year of the Salsa Class at Roots & Rhythm Playhouse.
An avid dancer in various forms of Latin Dance, Ms. Marcel-Almodóvar
has also been responsible for the choreography of student
salsa performances and the upcoming musical theatre production.
She was recently accepted into the Youth Link video production
course at Bay Area Video Coalition.
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