PLAYWRIGHTS
Past Writers
* denotes founding member of WPC
Toni-Ann Fischetti (2019)
Nikki Dos Santos (2022), a graduate of William Esper Studio, is a tough, tried, and true New Yorker with a strong moral compass. She brings with her a one-of-a-kind balance of true grit and vulnerability that can make you shed a tear or two, laugh til ur jaw hurts, or even crap ur pants a little.
Kseniya Ignatova-Yates * (2018-current) is a poet and playwright living and working in New York City. She has been an active member of the WPC since its inception in 2018. Her work with the collective includes one-act plays Yaffa (2018), Orbit (2019), as well as her first video piece, Perpetuum Mobile (2020), 7.05 (2021) and Beso (2022).
Ariel Marcus-Hollenbeck (2018-2021) * is currently the WPC Festival Director. A Staten Island native with a flair for whimsy and the zest for the spoken word. She is honored to be surrounded by creative artists within the WPC. As a director, actor, playwright, and Artistic Director of the Educational Theatre Company IlluminArt Productions, Ariel is always ready to collaborate with others.
Miranda Mortensen (2020) is a Music Education Major studying at Wagner College. This is her second year in the Women's Playwright Collective and loves to write in her free time as well as performing in the Staten Island Theatre Community. Miranda also spends her days educating students on music and theatre.
Esmé Maria Ng (2021, 2022) (they/she) is an early-career, NYC-based playwright, actor, and dramaturg whose work focuses on the complexities of Asian American identity, femininity, and queerness through a decolonial framework. Their plays include A Milk Kind of Play (2020), First Day (2020), I You and We(s): A Collection of Skits (2021), and F***ing Harold (2021). Their work has been independently produced on virtual platforms and presented by the Snug Harbor Inaugural Porch Plays Festival, the Women’s Playwrights Collective of Staten Island, and Wesleyan University. Awards include the Léman Manhattan Excellence in Theater Award and the Wesleyan University Student Script Writers Award (2021). Memberships include: SHADES Student of Color Theater Collective, Ensemble Theater Collective, and the Women’s Playwright Collective of Staten Island. Esmé is currently pursuing a Bachelor of the Arts in Theater and American Studies at Wesleyan University.
Ariana Nicoletta (2018-2021)* is an artist and educator from Staten Island, New York. An avid playwright, she has had her works produced and published. Her original short play, “The Time Traveler’s Daughter,” was produced by the Sundog Theatre Company. Her one woman show “Joiamia” was published by Penguin Random House as a part of their Creative Writing anthology. She is also a member and co-founder of Women Playwright’s Collective, with which she produced, directed, and wrote her play “Over a Cup of Coffee” in June 2018, as well as her one-woman show “The Female Conundrum” in September 2019 and wrote/directed“Little Light in a Nimbus” August 2020.
Besides the arts, Ariana holds a Bachelor of Science in Communicative Sciences and Disorders and a Master of Education in Adolescent Education. She teaches English and AP Literature and Composition to high school seniors and holds an Education Residency with the Roundabout Theatre Company, with which she assistant teaches the Roundabout Youth Ensemble (RYE) of Manhattan.
Amy Puleo (2018-2020)* has worked in the Staten Island arts scene for almost a decade. She began her theatrical career at CSI. While earning her Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, she participated in several productions as a stage manager and actor. Post graduation, she was hired on as a stage hand and production manager for The Center for the Arts at The College of Staten Island. For the three years, she has been a company member with The Staten Island Shakespearean Theater Company. As one of the founding members, writing with the Women's Playwright Collective has been one of her most rewarding artistic experiences.
Kerry Robinson* (2018, 2019, 2022) is a Staten Island-born actor that began writing with the collective back in 2018 when it was founded. After graduating from CSI with a BS in Dramatic Arts, she has spent much time performing on the island, primarily with the Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre Company. Her works with the collective have been deeply based on her own inner struggles with anxiety and how she tries to relate to others around her.