Lyric

Simonian

-Holiday

​I have spent the last ten years traversing over lower Wisconsin performing, directing, designing, and ​producing theatre. My work on and off stage has helped rebuild theatre programs in educational ​settings and contributed to established groups who were looking for fresh artistic inspiration. I had the ​opportunity to study the inner workings of classical texts and performance abroad at the London ​Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and used my expertise in Shakespearean and Jacobean theatre to ​reshape the way institutions view classical theatre. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-​Parkside with a Bachelor of Art in Theatre, and graduated Summa Cum Laude with my second ​Bachelor’s degree at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in K-12 Theatre Education. Currently, I am ​working at UW-Madison’s Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives as the Hip Hop Arts Residency Program ​Coordinator as I work to obtain my Masters Degree in Arts Administration from the University of ​Wisconsin-Madison Bolz Center.

As my artistic path has changed, I realized this winding road led me to the most accredited Arts Administration program in the country. The Bolz Center for ​Arts Administration and Creative Entrepreneurship Program serves as a model for exploration through consulting projects, national initiatives, and ​experiences that engage alumni and colleagues around the world. The center trains leaders through a focused curriculum, discussion, research, and ​analysis of arts and cultural nonprofit management, refining management and leadership in this challenging, rewarding, and ever-changing field.

​One of OMAI’s most prominent initiatives is the First Wave Hip Hop and Urban Arts Learning Community, a cutting-edge multicultural artistic program ​bringing together young artists and leaders from across the United States and beyond. The First Wave Learning Community offers students the opportunity ​to live, study and create together in a close-knit, dynamic campus community and is the first university program in the country centered on urban arts, ​spoken word and hip-hop culture.

This Graduate Assistantship position within the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives has given me the opportunity to apply my skills in event management ​& planning, community outreach, networking, operations management, and public speaking. If you’d like to see a full media kit, find it here.

Like any practicing theatre artist, my skills go far beyond the limelight. Below is a simple snapshot of some, but not all, of my accomplished skills.