LEADERSHIP

Tom Abruzzo (he/him) is a pianist, music director, arts leader, and academic. His career in the arts began in his home state of New Jersey and continued around the country, spanning Alaska to Florida. Tom currently resides in San Diego where he is pursuing a PhD in Leadership Studies at the University of San Diego with research focused on models of inclusive and effective leadership in historically exclusive arts organizations in the nonprofit sector. He also teaches undergraduate leadership classes as well as serves as a Doctoral Research Assistant at the university’s Nonprofit Institute. In the summer months, Tom is the Program Director for an innovation camp for kids, Camp Galileo, and partakes in the lofty mission of developing innovators who envision and create a better world. Tom holds a master’s degree in Arts Leadership and Cultural Management from Colorado State University and a BA in Music from Rowan University.

Gia Battista (she/her) is a change maker and an artist. As one of its founding artistic directors, Gia has dedicated this last decade to growing Davis Shakespeare Festival. She is passionate about nurturing social change as a leader, a teacher, and an artist. While she has directed and performed in numerous theatrical productions in the past, she is now driven by providing an inclusive and equitable platform for others to engage artistically. Gia is a lecturer in the Theatre & Dance Department at Sacramento State. Education: B.A. in English and Dramatic Art (UC Davis), M.M. in Vocal Performance (Sacramento State).

Madeline Hamaguchi (she/they) is Yonsei, a 4th Generation Japanese-American, born and raised in the Sacramento, CA area. She is passionate about artistic experiences that center equitable processes. DSF stage management credits include: As You Like It, On the Twentieth Century, Mary Stuart, Comedy of Errors, The Tenth Muse. Other credits include Sacramento Theater Company (Assistant Stage Manager); American Conservatory Theatre (Production Management Fellow); Top Girls, ACT’s Fellows Project (Production Manager); UCSD’s The Underground New Play Festival 2015 and 2014 (Managing Director 2015, Assistant Stage Manager 2014); Sacramento Music Circus, 2013 Season (Stage Management Intern). Education: B.A. in Theatre from UC San Diego.

Rob Salas (he/him) is a Mexican-American theatre artist based in Sacramento. He is a founding Artistic Director of DSF and most recently directed DSF’s 2019 productions of The Tenth Muse & Comedy of Errors. Past DSF directing credits include Mary Stuart, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Three Musketeers, Romeo & Juliet, Cyrano de Bergerac, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, and Henry V. While establishing the Festival, Rob received his MFA in Directing from UC Irvine, where he helmed productions including Mary Stuart, Escape from Happiness, The House of Bernarda Alba, Rhinoceros, and Speed-the-Plow. He has assistant directed at many prestigious theaters including Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Repertory, South Coast Repertory, American Repertory Theater, and Utah Shakespeare Festival. Other directing credits include the world premiere reading of David Ivers’ translation of As You Like It for Play On! at Classic Stage Company in NYC, The Hack at Capital Stage’s Playwrights Revolution, You Can’t Take It With You at Stockton Civic Theatre, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged at New Village Arts in San Diego, Action: Ecuador at Dramatic Adventure Theater in NYC, and Harvard University’s productions of The Zoo Story, Julius Caesar, and The Tempest. He received his B.A. in English and Dramatic Art at Harvard University and is currently a Theater Arts Lecturer at Sierra College.

Evan Clayburg (he/him) is a professional artist and graphic designer. In 2010 he left the ad agency (and cold winters) of Chicago and headed west, ultimately landing in California, stumbling upon a welcoming creative community in Davis, CA. His first experience with Davis Shakespeare Festival was in 2013, creating artwork and set pieces for Nightingale and As You Like It, and has been working with them since as a graphic designer and videographer. He is a past artistic director and co-founder of Third Space Art Collective and collaborator / co-conspirator for Bite The Trophy Productions, a film production team in Davis, CA. Bite The Trophy, and Mexico City’s Kinomorfosis released their collaborative film, BREAD in 2018 which has shown at several international film festivals. Evan is also an artistic director at Melodius Thunk Productions, an international group that chase The Big Parade. Evan lives with his wife and small furry friends in West Sacramento. A selection of his graphic design, web design and video work can be seen at www.clayburgcreate.com.