Robert Negron • Artistic Director

Robert trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, South Coast Repertory Professional Conservatory, Antaeus Academy, A.C.T. Summer Conservatory, La Jolla Playhouse Internship, CSU Summer Arts Conservatory, and Coronado School of the Arts . He has worked in such theatres as the Rubicon Theatre, Boston Court, Old Globe Theatre and most recently at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Robert wrote and produced an adaptation of the book Into the Wild called Beautiful Blueberries 142 as a Black Swan project at OSF in 2007. He co-founded Dragon Fly Theatre Company in the San Diego area and Topshelf Entertainment in LA.

In L.A. and San Diego Robert teaches classes including Acting for Dancers, Acting for the Camera, Acting Professionally and numerous Shakespeare workshops. Robert was the 1999 recipient of the Emerging Young Artist award.

Caitlin Negron • Executive Director

Caitlin began her dance training at Fort Wayne Ballet in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She then went on to study at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas where she earned a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and a B.A. in Anthropology. While at SMU Caitlin choreographed for the student run Brown Bag Dance Series and led choreographic workshops. Caitlin has also studied at the American Dance Festival and at The Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance and with Thodos Dance Chicago. She has performed in works by Martha Graham, George Balanchine, Alvin Ailey, Sabrina Madison-Cannon, Larry White, David Hochoy, Cynithia Pratt and Winired Haun. Caitlin danced with Dance Kaleidoscope for four seasons and currently resides in Los Angeles.

Ian Garret • Resident Designer

Ian is a producer and designer based in Los Angeles and is the Executive Director of The Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts. He received dual MFAs from California Institute of the Arts in Lighting Design and Producing. In 2007 he received the Richard E. Sherwood award for emerging theater artists from the Center Theater Group for the integration of ecologically sustainable practice into theater production.  Design work includes: Los Angeles: Lighting Design: Song of Extinction (Moving Arts at [Inside] the Ford, LA Weekly Award for Best Production 2009), Speech and Debate (Blank Theatre Company), Body Politic (Echo Theatre Company), Permanent Collection (Kirk Douglas/CTG and Greenway, LA Weekly Theater Award); Scenic Design: Speech and Debate (Blank Theatre Company), American Dead (Rogue Machine), and Picasso Draws my Maps (Vox Humana). He has worked regional with the Williamstown Theater Festival, McCarter Theater Center, Stages Repertory Theatre and the Public Theater. As a producer he has worked on the premier of Richard Forman’s What to Wear at REDCAT, toured Torry Bend’s adaptation of Aimee Bender’s Loser to Prague and Marsian Delillis’ Growing up Linda to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He also produced week 42 of Suzan-Lori Parks’ 365 days/365 Plays for the project’s Texas network. www.toasterlab.com

Cindy Marie Jenkins • Artist-in-Residence

CINDY MARIE JENKINS is a Storyteller and Coach based in Los Angeles. In March Cindy returns to The Indy Convergence, where she’ll workshop MYTHistory (the mythology of history). Her adaptation of VOICES FROM CHORNOBYL raises awareness worldwide for children in Chernobyl.  In 2008, Cindy gave a Key Note Speech at “Remember Chernobyl,” an Annual Conference for UK & Irish Chernobyl Charities.  April 2011 presentations include Stockton England, Los Angeles, Portland, Boston and workshops of the interactive childrens’ script (premiering at the 2nd Annual Hollywood Fringe Festival’s Kids’ Fringe: www.voicesfromchornobyl.wordpress.com . Directing credits available upon request

Cindy regularly contributes to LA Stage Alliance, Atwater Village Now, The Inspired Classroom, Bitter Lemons and LAFPI. She has adapted many stories to the stage, including KING ARTHUR for children. Other playwrighting includes: LEGITIMATE BASTARDS: A MORE CONSIDERED BELIEF (an adaptation of at-risk stories and KING LEAR), SAFE HAVEN, THE GREEK CYCLE: ONE TRUE GODS, as well as a collection of short stories and poetry devoted to the tricks that memory plays on us. Cindy’s collaboration with musician Stephen GC on THE SONG OF ISADORA, (former title: TEN), a musical challenging one’s individual worth in times of war, was presented in March 2008, and segments of the play were performed among the Arlington West Vets For Peace Iraq war memorial. She was invited by E.M. Lewis to speak on a panel about TEN, the first installment of the War Plays Project.
Community art installations/interactions include Summer Nights on the Boulevard, The Barnsdall Gallery, The Courtyard Gallery, the Silver Lake Jubilee and the Children’s Festival of the Arts in Hollywood. Cindy now explores Shakespeare Everywhere, interactive street theatre to engage community, including a Town Crier in Atwater Village; she also dreams of art integration in education.

TEACHING/COACHING: Online Outreach Consultant, Private and small business Career Coach; Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region VIII Festival, Guest Artist & Workshop Leader; Online Outreach for various clients; Cold Reading Workshops for SAG Conservatory at AFI since 2008, Co-teacher of Connect the Arts, a Social Media & Marketing Conference in Hollywood, Academy Teaching Associate and Artistic Associate for The Antaeus Company in North Hollywood, where she expanded both the Antaeus Academy for young classical actors and ShakesAlive! the Arts Education Outreach programs; Director of Education for Enrichment Works (teaching writing & theater workshops for young people as well as Professional Development sessions for LAUSD Teachers, writing study guides according to VAPA (Visual and Performing Arts Standards); Mentor/Director for Virginia Avenue Project, Program Director & Writing/Theater Instructor for Safe Moves: DUI Prevention Theater Program and CTG‘s Speak To Me Program; Tutor of English and Social Studies; Co-Creator & Director of Bedford Drama Camp and Self-Scripting Workshop; Teaching Assistant with America Reads in New York City, 1998-2000.

Former Staff

Dara Weinberg • co-founder, 2008 Umbrella Project director, development director
Dara Weinberg is one of the co-founders of the Indy Convergence, with Robert Negron and Caitlin Swihart. She directed the first Umbrella Project, in 2008, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Chorus,” and served as the Convergence’s development director from 2007-2008. Her fundraising efforts supported the organization’s second and third Convergences. Dara is a writer and director. Her work focuses on Greek choral forms in poetry and performance.  She received a Fulbright grant to study Polish theater in 2011. She has directed performances, readings, or workshops at the Berliner Compagnie, Theatre of NOTE, the Met Theatre, Sacred Fools, the Creative Alliance (Baltimore), Single Carrot Theatre, and Many Hats Collaboration; assistant directing includes South Coast Repertory, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center Theater, and Portland Center Stage. She is the director of Parallel Octave, a Baltimore organization that collaborates with students, performers, and Baltimore community members to make audio recordings of poems with live improvised music, in a format resembling Greek choruses. (http://www.paralleloctave.com). She holds an MFA in poetry from Johns Hopkins. Her website is http://weinberg.wordpress.com.