Company
Macha Monkey Productions is recruiting! To find out how to get more involved in the company contact us at info@machamonkey.org.
About Us
Macha Monkey Productions is a small, dynamic theatre company founded in 2001.
Our Mission: Macha Monkey Productions is a non-profit arts organization showcasing exceptional artists, delivering innovative education programs, and staging new theatrical works which feature strong female characters.
Our Vision: Macha Monkey Productions envisions a world where fearless female voices thrive.
Our name is in memoriam to a dear friend named Jim Ryan who claimed he adopted a wild spider monkey when he lived in Colombia. The original Macha Monkey's hysterical fits of jealous passion provided excellent storytelling fodder for years and became an inspiration to our founders.
Fearless, Funny and Female Theatre
Current Monkey Staff
Elizabeth DuffellCompany Photographer
Founding Member
Ms. Duffell has photographed all Macha Monkey events and productions. She is employed by the Seattle Times Education department, and a former Curriculum Specialist for EMP. Elizabeth holds a Master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction from UW, where she is currently writing her Master's thesis in Language, Literacy, and Culture.
Alexis Holzer
Managing Director
Mrs. Holzer joined Macha Monkey Productions in 2003, during the Northwest New Works premiere of The Cowgirl Play at On the Boards. She holds a Bachelors degree in Theatre from the University of Puget Sound. Alexis has been instrumental in acquiring new donors, widening Macha Monkeys circle of collaborative artists, and communication with Macha Monkey constituents via the quarterly newsletter Monkey Business.
Gary McGrew
Company Videographer
Founding Member
Mr. McGrew has videotaped every Macha Monkey performance produced since 2001. He is a video producer and editor at Screenlife LLC, the local creative company responsible for the popular Scene-it games.
Jennifer Pratt
Associate Artist
Ms. Pratt served as Macha Monkeys Literary Manager for four seasons. She was instrumental in developing Macha Monkey's "fearless, funny, female" approach for producing new scripts. She is a professional theatre artist who holds a Bachelor's degree in Performance from Penn State, and is also a member of Seattle's Annex Theatre ensemble.
Desiree Prewitt
Education Director
Founding Member
Ms. Prewitt incorporated Macha Monkey with Kristina Sutherland in 2001. She is a professional theatre artist with a Bachelor's degree from Western Washington University in Performance and a Master’s degree from the University of Washington in Curriculum & Instruction. One of Ms. Prewitt's proudest Macha Monkey achievements is the inception of the Monkey Works playwriting & performance curriculum for Seattle 4th/5th graders. Monkey Works is a proud recipient of Washington State Arts Commission's 2009-11 Consortia grant, and its strong mission to "empower students to create plays" has attracted over $15,000 in arts education funding since its inception in 2003.
Kristina Sutherland
Executive Artistic Director
Founding Member
Ms. Sutherland is a professional theatre artist who holds Bachelor's degrees from Western Washington University in History and Theatre (Directing Concentration) and a Masters degree from Seattle University in Non-Profit Leadership. Kristina collaborated with all levels of the company to develop Macha Monkey's strategic plan as her Masters thesis. Now in its third year, this plan has already attracted $12,000 in operational and project funding. Ms. Sutherland has presided over staffing, development and artistic production since co-founding Macha Monkey in 2001, and is the creator of the quarterly cabaret series, Meow.
Tim Neill
Webmaster
Tim, or as the scientists at Fuse Labs referred to him, “Project 37,” was born as part of a government program aimed at creating super humans that would one day live for 200 years and be able to breathe underwater. Taken away from Fuse Labs by missionaries, Tim spent most of his youth in New Jersey playing soccer, jamming forks into light sockets, and building “American Gladiators” style obstacle courses in his back yard. He hopes to someday have a sandwich named after him. As you were reading this paragraph, Tim counted to infinity...twice.
Our Board of Directors
Lee Murray
President
Lee has bachelors degrees in psychology and accounting, is a CPA and recently received her Masters in Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University. Lee’s theatre credentials include playing a flower in elementary school and Kanga in high school. She’s hoping that hanging around with the Monkeys will lead to another equally compelling bit part someday. Lee has been involved with Macha Monkey since 2005 and joined the board in 2006.
Matthew Tevenan
Vice President
Matthew Tevenan is a programming writer for Microsoft Corporation, and before that earned his Master's degree in Technical Communication from the University of Washington. He has been involved with Macha Monkey since 2004, and has also volunteered for organizations such as Twelfth Night Productions of West Seattle, Gay City Health Project, United Way of King County, Three Dollar Bill Cinema, and the Suzuki Association of Northern California.
Molly Laster
Secretary
Molly Laster met Macha Monkey while at Western Washington University, and has supported their development into an accomplished theater company since 2001. When not hiking the mountains or traveling the world, she works as a policy analyst for Congress at the US Government Accountability Office. Molly joined the board in 2006.
Debbi Lewang
Treasurer
Debbi Lewang is the Chief Financial Officer for the Pacific Northwest Ballet. She's a CPA who holds a Bachelors of Accounting Science from Calgary University and a Masters in Not-for-Profit Leadership from Seattle University. Debbi has worked for various not-for-profit organizations since moving to Seattle in 1999 including Planned Parenthood, the Seattle Art Museum and NPower. Debbi joined the Macha Monkey board in 2008.
