Collaborators

Mare Trevathan (she/her) is an audiobook narrator, actor, director, teacher, traveler, aspiring gardener, animal enthusiast, coffee drinker and compulsive upcycler. In recent years, she performed in “Blind Date”-- pairing one audience member to one actor as they wandered the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art; worked with architects in Ahmedabad, India creating “dance about architecture''; directed with the disability-affirmative Phamaly Theatre Company; and facilitated “The Israeli-Palestinian Conversation”-- part immersive theater and part community dialogue. Mare teaches Voice Over at the Tony-winning Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

Website: maretrevathan.com

Peggy Mead-Finizio is an active lighting designer, choreographer, arts educator, and arts administrator. She is a freelance Lighting Designer and is currently an Associate Professor of Theatre at Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) in Saginaw, MI. She holds an MFA in Theatre Arts with a focus in Lighting Design and an MFA in Choreography from the University of Iowa. She designs lights for dance and theatre and enjoys the collaborative process of creating something new. Her most recent dance lighting design has been for the Flint Institute of Music’s Flint School of Performing Arts (FIM FSPA) Dance Departments’ Festival of Dance, and her most recent theatre lighting design has been for SVSU’s mainstage production of R.U.R.: An AI Musical Melodrama. Peggy is actively involved with the Kennedy American College Theatre Festival and serves as the KCACTF Region 3 Co-Chair for Design, Technology, and Management. In her spare time, she teaches dance at the FIM FSPA.

Sarah Phanos is a theater producer born and raised in New York City and based in Edinburgh, Scotland for nearly two decades. She began her career as an actor, performing on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional stages, and in film and television before moving into education and, later, scouting and producing. A graduate of Smith College and Teachers College, Columbia University, Sarah worked as a teacher in New York City before relocating to Scotland, where she served on the US Board of the Edinburgh International Festival and scouted productions for the Festival’s creative director. These experiences deepened her international outlook and affirmed her commitment to supporting exceptional artists and ambitious work.  

Sarah is currently developing a National Armed Forces Community Arts Festival in collaboration with Napier University’s Centre for Military Research, Education and Community Engagement, a project designed to honor and support veterans and their families through the arts. As a producer, she brings an international perspective, a deep respect for artistic innovation, and a passion for highlighting underrepresented voices. She is delighted to be part of the Chalk team and to help bring awareness to the experience of fertility challenges and pregnancy loss. 

IG: sarahrose_nyc

Facebook: Sarah Kasowitz Phanos

Ramin Roshandel is a composer and setar player. His composition has been described by Josh Levine as “brutally Persian,” and his performance on the setar has been considered “masterful” by Huntley Dent in Fanfare Magazine. His compositions have been performed by Anna Elder, Will Fried, Daniel Schreiner, The JACK Quartet, University of Iowa Center for New Music Ensemble, Ensemble Dal Niente, Kamratōn Ensemble, and LIGAMENT duo. He, along with Jean-François Charles, has performed at the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS), MOXSonic Experimental Sonic Arts, and TurnUp Multimedia Festival, and the NYC Electroacoustic Improvisation Summit. Their collaborative album, titled Jamshid Jam, was nominated in the World Music and Crossover Productions categories of Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics’ Award). Roshandel holds a PhD in Music Composition from the University of Iowa and is currently teaching composition and music theory at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.

Website: ramin-roshandel.com

Soundcloud: souncloud.com/ramin-roshandel

IG: ramin-rashandel

Mariana Tejeda is a North American multidisciplinary artist. Born and raised in Mexico City, she has worked in theater, dance, opera, and visual arts for over two decades. She holds MFA degrees in Stage Management, Creative Writing, and Dance Choreography from the University of Iowa. Her work explores identity, migration, belonging, and femininity through intimate, interdisciplinary creations and humor. Mariana has collaborated on productions across Mexico, the U.S., and abroad, in touring performances and exhibitions. In 2021, she created The Laphin MirRoooar, a poetry exhibition integrating multiple collaborators from different artistic disciplines to create reinterpretations of her poems. Her choreographic and visual work has been featured in Dance Gala and gallery exhibitions, bridging performance and installation art. Her contributions have been recognized by the University of Iowa, which named her Champion for Student Success and a Dare to Discover scholar.

Avery Provorse (she/her) is a second-year student at the University of Iowa, majoring in Dance and Enterprise Leadership. She is currently working with Kristin Marrs through an Independent Creative Research Fellowship (ICRU), working as a WERQ instructor at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center, and as a choreographer for Sound Express show choir. Avery is performing in pieces with David Liu and Lindsey Wildman this year, and has previously been involved in three other works through the dance department at the University of Iowa.

Tyler Phi is a second year student at the University of Iowa! He is a dance BFA candidate and exercise science major. Growing up he loved show choir and performing which led him to eventually start taking some dance classes in his later years of high school. After that Tyler decided to take his passion for dance to Iowa. Since he has been in Iowa City, Kristin has been an amazing ballet and anatomy teacher! Besides ballet, Tyler loves to train in a multitude of forms like contemporary, house, and popping.