About SheNYC Arts
WE’RE A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION FIGHTING FOR GENDER EQUITY IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
The core of our mission is to shape a more equitable world by creating more equitable entertainment, onstage and on screen.
We know that what audiences watch in plays, musicals, films, and TV shows helps mold the way they see the world around them – and we want audiences to see shows by women & femme artists, through our lens. So, we work to combat the systemic inequities in the entertainment industry that keep women, transgender, and non-binary (TGNC) artists away from the vast majority of leadership roles behind the scenes.
We focus most of our support on the original creators: playwrights, composers, and producers, as those are the roles that decide which stories get told onstage and on screen. Out of our four home base cities, New York, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, we work to make the entertainment industry – one of the largest contributors to the United States economy – reflect the rich diversity and cultural history of the US. We fight for equal opportunity, access, and representation of femme and marginalized-gender creatives nationwide.
HOW DO WE DO IT?
Each summer, we produce our Summer Theater Festivals in New York City, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Year-round, we provide resources to femme & trans artists to support their careers in the theater industry, including CreateHER, our program for high school students interested in pursuing careers as playwrights and producers, as well as networking events and educational workshops.
In 2025, we’ve launched our film & TV wing, helping bridge the gap between these two industries so that working artists can be employed in both fields.
Please note that anyone who identifies as a cis woman, trans person, or non-binary person is welcome to apply for all of our programs.
Want to support us? Learn more about donating!
Our Mission
We Support Creation and Production
We support the creation of meaningful, powerful, and commercially viable works of cis women, trans, & non-binary composers, directors, actors, and other theater artists and technicians.

We Promote Inclusion
We work to promote the inclusion of theatrical works by women & marginalized gender groups into the mainstream audience, and prove to industry professionals that these works are not only imperative to our collective artistic livelihood and legacy — they’re also commercially viable.

We Prepare for the Future
Our programs are based in education: We prepare artists for long, sustainable careers in the arts industry. We teach important skills and give artists opportunities to learn by doing, so that we all have as few barriers to success as possible.

How do we do it? Learn more about each of our programs by clicking the icons below.
Board of Directors
Brenna Kilpatrick (President)
Dee Dee Katchen (Treasurer)
Elisabeth Oliveri (Historian)
Nakisa Aschtiani
Danielle DeMatteo
Lauren Harris
Lexi McKay
Jenna Tatman
Advisory Committee: Kayla Ibarra, Ari Conte, Emily Rellis, Sarah Powell
SheNYC Staff
Nationwide Team
Founder & Artistic Director: Danielle DeMatteo

Art Director: Elinor T Vanderburg

Diversity & Inclusion Officer: Lexi McKay

Publisher: Kristy Thomas, Always Writing 4 U

General Mannager: Alyssa Jane Villena

Accounting Support: Skody Scot CPAs
Legal Support: The Fried Firm
Program Design: Katie Kavett
Marketing Intern: Hannah Pederson
Licensing Intern: Nikash Kathuria

Executive Producer: Ari Conte

Associate Producer: Destynee McMichael

Associate Producer: Alexa Spiegel

Production Manager: Avery Wood
Lighting Designer: Lindsay Alayne Stevens
Sound Designer: JP Pollinger
Production Assistants: Sarah Storace Nelson*, Annabelle O’Neill*
*Graduates of the CreateHER Program

CreateHER Co-Directors:
Bess Frankel (Head of Playwriting)

Sierra Miliziano (Head of Producing)

Hannah Rosenthal (Co-Director)

Shira Wolf (Co-Director)


Executive Producer: Erika Miranda

Executive Producer: Kayla Ibarra

Executive Producer: Abrianna Belvedere

Production Manager & Lighting Designer: Row Walters
Sound Designer: De’Janna Hand
Associate Production Manager: MaRah Williams

Executive Producer: Sarah Powell

Associate Producer: Stormi Demerson

Associate Producer/Music Director: Rebecca Lowrey

Production Manager: JP Pollinger

Executive Producer: Emily Rellis

Associate Producer: Chisom Okoye

Production Manager: JP Pollinger

Associate Production Manager: Alyssa Jane Villena
Lighting Designer: Athziri Morales
Community Outreach Manager: Lauren Harris
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