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Epic
Megalopolis Productions (EpicMegaPro) was founded to support the
development of new work for the stage and to produce innovative and
socially relevant material for a new generation of theatergoers. As a company,
we place as much value on the integrity and ingenuity of the creative
process as we dedicate toward any finished production. We believe in
working in community, and maintaining a receptive, rewarding work
environment that encompasses administration, performers, designers,
technicians, staff, crew and volunteers. We stand for producing timely art
and, as much as possible, providing a living wage for our artists. We
strive to enhance social and political awareness, for our audiences and
ourselves, through entertainment that engages critical thought and reflects
the complexity of the 21st century.
EpicMegaPro’s largest project is currently JUNK: A Rock Opera, a social satire set to a full
rock score, with the music and the message audiences across generations
have triumphantly supported: “There must be more to life than
this!”
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Shakina
Nayfack (Artistic Director):
Shakina
is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Epic Megalopolis Productions
(EpicMegaPro), the company behind JUNK: A Rock Opera (2007). Most
recently Shakina has been serving as the SDCF Observer for Tony
Award-winning director Michael Mayer (American Idiot, Spring Awakening)
on the development of On A Clear Day You Can See Forever. Other
producing/directing highlights include: Cosa Rara (Highways Performance
Space 2009), For colored girls... (2008) and Zoot Suit, the 30th
Anniversary Production (AD/Choreographer, 2008), both as as an artist in
residence at Pomona College in California, and Ragesties / Bodies in
Crisis at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2002). As a performance artist
Shakina has presented work at the Performance Studies International
conference at Brown University (2005), the 2005 Chicago Butoh
Festival, and the International Conference of Performance Art Theory at
the Escuela Superior de los Artes Visuales in Baja California, Mexico (2006). In
addition to adorning the streets of Los Angeles,
Shakina's performance work has been featured on MTV (When Pop Culture Attacks!)
and in far-reaching publications including The Nation (New
York), The Guardian (Manchester)
and Culture Wars (London).
Shakina has trained extensively in Butoh Ritual Mexicano with master
Diego Piñón, and continues to teach Butoh-inspired work in Los Angeles and
elsewhere. Shakina holds an MFA in Experimental Choreography and a PhD in
Critical Dance Studies (both from UC Riverside). His writings on
Theatre and Dance have been published by The Industry Standard, The
Chicago Cultural Center, The Dance Research Journal, The Drama Review,
and most recently by the University of Illinois Press in their upcoming
anthology Dancing Across Borders. Shakina's first book, Alchemy is
Dancing, will be released later this year.
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Joseph Yoshitomi (Producer)
Joseph currently serves as the Director of Marketing for the Geffen
Playhouse and has over nine years of experience in theatrical development
and marketing. He began his career as part of Los Angeles County/J. Paul
Getty Trust intern program and, while focused on marketing, has worked in
development, production and administrative capacities at several
nonprofit and for profit arts organizations. Serving as Associate
Marketing Director at Pasadena Playhouse, one of the nation's leading
nonprofit theatres, Joseph specialized in new sales and audience
participation strategies. This specialization helped him regularly
surpass multi-million dollar subscription sales goals while national and
regional subscription numbers trended downward. He planned/implemented
marketing and advertising campaigns for large scale productions such as Sister
Act the Musical, Ray Charles Live! - A New Musical, and Fences
starring Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett. In his one year at the
Geffen Playhouse, Joseph and his marketing staff surpassed both
subscription and single ticket goals for the season with productions
featuring artists, directors and playwrights such as Annette Bening, Gil
Cates (founding producing director of the Geffen Playhouse), Laurence
Fishburne, Ed Harris, Ricky Jay, Neil LaBute, Matthew Modine and many
more. Along with his father, international arts consultant, Jerry
Yoshitomi, Joseph has presented on marketing strategies at two national
arts marketing conferences and, on his own, at one ticketing and
marketing conference. He and his wife independently produced several
99-seat Los Angeles
productions and are avid theatre-goers. Joseph holds a B.A. in Religious
Studies from U.C. Berkeley (Phi Betta Kappa & Highest Distinction) is
a certified Los Angeles County mediator, and holds a pre-medical
program certificate from Loyola
Marymount University.
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