7 Stages champions fierce women with our all new Leadership Circle
7 Stages is a hub for artistic innovation. Our work serves as a force for social change as we aspire to eradicate the white supremacist narrative and binary systems of power on which the American theatre was founded. In this effort, we are thrilled to announce the appointment of Elizabeth Dinkova, Ashley James and Marium Khalid as new Associate Artistic Directors. These dynamic women will share responsibilities with newly appointed Director of Education, Destiny Renee, and Artistic Director Heidi S. Howard. This decision marks 7 Stages’ commitment to collaborative leadership: to run as an inclusive, non-hierarchical collective in order to weave a vision of radical transformation.
When we create together, we remind ourselves that anything is possible regardless of our differences. I have built my career at 7 Stages with this motto. I am excited by our new Leadership Circle. I am deeply committed to sharing methods through programming, advocacy and design of our new normal!
– Artistic Director, Heidi S. Howard
Ashley James (Associate Artistic Director) is a producer, director, and creator, originally from Mobile, Alabama. In 2015, she received the Princess Grace Theatre Honorarium Award to continue her work as an emerging director with Double Edge Theatre in Massachusetts. She graduated from Florida State University with a BA in Theatre and returned in 2018, earning her MFA in Film Production. Her latest short film FO[U]R has recently screened at the Toronto Black Film Festival and Through Women’s Eyes International Film Festival.
Marium Khalid (Associate Artistic Director) is a Pakistani-Kashmiri American writer, director and creator leading her companies SAiAH Arts and Sky Creature Productions to receive over 25 major awards. Her previous work includes TERMINUS, an award winning immersive multi-layered story, and an experiential retelling of Moby Dick, winning her Best Director and Best Show. She received the CREATIVITY AND ARTS IMPACT AWARD from Emory College Center for Creativity & Arts. Most recently her short film MAZLOOM, was awarded Best Director, Best Film, and Best Actress from major film festivals as well as receiving official selections from others including the Atlanta Women’s Film Festival and the Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival.
Elizabeth Dinkova (Associate Artistic Director) is an itinerant collaborative creator who explores alternative realities at the intersection of theater, film, and music in pursuit of social justice. She was born in Bulgaria and recently graduated from the MFA Directing program at the Yale School of Drama. She was the 2017-18 Directing Fellow at the Alliance Theatre. Her most recent work with 7 Stages, the visual album “TIT,” has been selected for the NYC Indie Theater Film Festival.
Destiny Renee (Director of Education) is an actress, teaching artist and poet based in Atlanta. She has trained in performance in London and studied ensemble theatre with Double Edge Theatre in Massachusetts. Since settling in Atlanta in 2015, Destiny joined Shakespeare on Draught as an actress and company member, been a founding member of the local Tipsy Tales show and continued her work with young artists with companies like 7 Stages, Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse and the Boy & Girls Club. She aims to foster dialogue about issues that deeply affect society through mediums like devised theatre, film and poetry. She holds a B.A. in theatre from Florida State University.
Many days, nights, and moons there has been dialogue about how we do this work and how to BE the change we seek in this world. I proudly serve on the board of 7 Stages because societal ‘hard’ conversations do not keep this team from showing up, being present, and rising like phoenixes from the systems We intentionally set out to tear down. The old “normal” didn’t work. Now we have the opportunity to step into a brave new world. I am so proud to support the agents of change that make up this organization!
– Board of Directors, Co-Vice Chair, Dr. L. Nyrobi N. Moss- Goddess Enterprises, LLC.
Together this team will embark on a journey. Leading the charge to re-envision the mission, vision, and values that guide this organization, they will uplift what has made 7 Stages a beloved community, while also charting a course for a future that promotes fierce dreaming and meaningful engagement with the evolving circumstances of our landscape. Dinkova, James, Khalid, and Renee bring a collective expertise in original work, co-creation, immersive theatre, film, artistic leadership, and cross-cultural collaboration and we look forward to the brave new ideas they will bring to this ever-evolving company.
We believe theater is a catalyst for collective understanding and transformation allowing us to brave our fears, dream new worlds and bring them into being. Guided by mutual respect, a global consciousness, a common quest to interrogate existing power structures, and a deep curiosity about the differences that empower us, we want to prove that collective leadership is the only path for the future of arts in America. By offering each other unconditional support and unquenchable inspiration, we’re committing to nothing less than a revolution in artmaking, leadership, and civic engagement.
-Ashley, Beth, Destiny, Heidi & Marium
