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Michelle Kozlak (Founder)
Michelle has been involved in theater for as long as she can remember. Whether it was putting on plays in her living room or tap dancing around the house (much to her mother’s chagrin!), her love of the arts started at an early age. Her arts management career in the Washington, DC area started at the Kennedy Center, where she was the National Touring Manager for the Theater for Young Audiences program and then the Manager of Theater Programming, where she served as General Manager for the Tennessee Williams Explored festival, Mister Roberts and Mame with Christine Baranski. After almost ten years at the Kennedy Center, Michelle left full-time employment in order to spend more time with her son, Gavin, after he was born. Since that time, she has served as the Casting Director for the Kennedy Center’s Theater for Young Audiences program, the VSA Playwrights Discovery Program productions (2008-2011), and Coming Home, the production that commemorated the grand opening of the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Michelle served as a member of the Alexandria Commission for the Arts from February 2014-January 2017 and was a member of the City of Alexandria’s Arts and Culture Plan Steering Committee. She is currently serving as Vice President on the board of the Alexandria Arts Alliance and is a mentor with the theatreWashington Mentoring Program, where she is working with an emerging arts administrator. In December 2017, Michelle was awarded the newly created UT Austin TYA Artistic Exchange Fellowship by TYA/USA. As part of this national fellowship, Michelle spent two years attending conferences with Lauren Jost of NYC’s Spellbound Theatre; travelling to see each other’s creative processes in action and work in production; exchanging ideas and best practice in the creation of theatre for the very young (0-5-years); and mentor a UT Austin graduate student throughout the process. Additionally, Michelle has served on the Board of Directors for Jane Franklin Dance, has been a grant panelist for the DC Commission on the Arts, and a member of the TYA/USA One Theatre World planning committee. She has a BA in English with a minor in Theatre from the University of Oregon and an MA in Arts Management from American University. Thank you to Gavin for being my inspiration for this company. |
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Laura Loy (Director of Education)
Laura Loy is a proud theatre for the very young enthusiast. Having been brought into Arts on the Horizon as an education intern many years ago, her love and commitment to Arts on the Horizon never falters! She holds a BA in Theatre and Education from DePauw University, and a Master of Arts degree in Theatre Education from Emerson College. Teaching and making an impact on students is her passion and it flows into every aspect of her career- from her classroom position as a Fairfax County Public School drama teacher, to leading and educating our incredible teaching artist staff, to taking the lead in Arts on the Horizon educational programming and development. You can often find her laughing and singing with our youngest audience members and showing her passion for this art form. |
Arts on the Horizon Teaching Artist Faculty
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Florence Babatunde
Florence Babatunde (She/Her/Hers) is an actor, producer, writer, and musician who recently enjoyed collaborating on Art on the Horizon’s nonverbal feature Once Upon a Zoom. When Florence isn’t creating with AOTH, you can find her making silly faces at the camera, crafting poetry, or brushing up on her ASL. Having had the pleasure to work in theatre and within the film industry, she’s been in blockbuster productions like Wonder Woman 1984, and charismatic commercial spots: Climate Power, Colonial Williamsburg, Washington Nationals. She always invites her inner kid to guide her imagination’s growth as embraces storytelling when performing. Find her advocating with The Reclamation Project and Remember you can be a superhero//protagonist in your own life. Have a Great Summer! Stay connected with Florence: www.florencebabatunde.com |
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Ashley D. Buster Ashley is a DC Metro native from Silver Spring, MD. She holds BA in Theatre and Communications from Temple University and Masters of Education for Loyola University Maryland. She is a member of the Actors’ Equity Association and has been seen in many productions in but not limited to the DC region . She works as a teaching artist through out the area and is an Associate Artist for Ford’s Theatre. Ashley is currently the School Programs Manager at Shakespeare Theatre Company. |
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Emily Carbone Emily is an Alexandria-raised actor and teaching artist who spends her days singing, creating, and telling stories. Emily grew up performing in young arts programs and community theaters, and in 2020 she graduated from Temple University with a BA in Musical Theatre. When she isn’t at Arts on the Horizon, Emily teaches music at Aldersgate Day School, builds props at Synetic Theater, and works with actors and campers at the Mount Vernon Community Children’s Theatre. She can’t wait to meet you! www.emilycarbone.com |
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Natalie Cutcher Natalie is a local theatre maker and teaching artist in the DMV. She recently earned her MFA through The Academy for Classical Acting with the Shakespeare Theatre Company's program at The George Washington University. In undergrad at Muhlenberg College, she double concentrated in Acting and Directing and studied Commedia del'Arte and Clowning abroad in Arezzo, Italy. While pursuing local acting opportunities, Natalie has taught with Creative Kids, The Smithsonian Institutes, and The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. You may have caught her onstage in Arts on the Horizon's productions and remounts of Snow Day or Point A to Point B. IN December 2019, she was thrilled to premier Squeakers & Mr. Gumdrop, a holiday show co-created and co-directed with Amanda Forstrom. |
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Anna Theoni DiGiovanni Anna is originally from Oakland, California, but has made DC her home for the last 5 years. She is a proud graduate from STC's Academy for Classical Acting at GWU, and spends her time off the stage going on hikes with her doggo Viola, cooking an abundance of Greek food and making crafts for her friends. Anna is passionate about classical texts and storytelling, and is constantly inspired by teaching acting to budding thespians! |
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Alicia Grace Alicia Grace is a D.C. Actor and University of Maryland Alumna. Alicia enjoys all forms of art, and hopes to one day inspire others through her artwork. Alicia has performed in university productions such as The Call, The Importance of Being Earnest, Love and Information, and Eurydice. She proudly works as a Teaching Artist for Shakespeare Theatre Company. Professional Credits: A Wind in the Door (Kennedy Center), She A Gem (Kennedy Center), The Watsons Go To Birmingham: 1963 (Kennedy Center). |
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Erin Grogan Erin Grogan has always been a performer. From a young age she loved the stage, and her mom and dad soon had her in dancing and singing classes to get her creative spirit out. In addition to working as an English and ESOL teacher for Fairfax County Public Schools, she has worked as the assistant director and choreographer for seven different productions at Herndon Middle and Herndon High School. Her passion lies where literacy and creativity combine. She is originally from Scranton Pennsylvania but has resided in Northern Virginia for seven years now. Erin received her BA in English and her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction in Secondary English Education from Penn State University. She is currently working on her Masters in Educational Leadership and Administration from George Mason University. She is excited to be working with Arts on the Horizon this summer! |
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Irene Hamilton Irene Hamilton recently graduated from James Madison University with a BA in Theatre. She is a company member at Synetic Theatre, where she has performed in Treasure Island, Snow Queen, Phantom of the Opera, Shhhakespeare Revue, Servant of Two Masters and more. She has also performed in the Kennedy Center Concert Reading Series (Voir Dire), and the Madison New Works Laboratory (Divided: The Musical/Basement Demons and Trailer Saints). Irene has had the pleasure of working with Arts on the Horizon as a collaborator, camp administrator, and teaching artist. Irene is excited to be back for another season of camp adventures! |
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