Zuccotti Park Creative Team
Catherine Hurd
WRITER
Script and lyric writer Catherine Hurd graduated from UCLA with a Master’s Degree in Screenwriting, and from Florida State University with an MFA in Film Production. She
received her BFA from Florida Atlantic University in Theater. At present, she is utilizing
knowledge from both disciplines and writing musical plays. Catherine has won several screenwriting awards, and has optioned three feature length scripts in Los Angeles.
Photo by Debra DeAngelo
Luis Salgado
DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER
In 24 years of commitment and passion to art, and 17 years living from doing what he loves Luis Salgado has developed a need to make art that matters, Art that serves a purpose and a real passion for Storytelling. His culture and social beliefs have given him the opportunities to work with some of the biggest companies as well as the most organic and low key organizations teaching him the balance between art and commerce. Luis has directed and choreographed musicals and plays, as well as conceived and developed many others. Luis was the Latin Assistant Choreographer of the Tony Award winning musical In The Heights and wants to pass all of his experiences in art to potential new projects that serve a purpose. www.LuisSalgado.com
Denisse Ambert
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Denisse has joined Luis as Investor/Producer for Broadway productions of Godspell, Peter and the Starcatcher and the reading Distant Thunder (Directed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett). Denisse has been next to Luis in the development of all his companies including the successful Dreamers Company in Puerto Rico and La Academia de Arte Ensuenos. She has served as the Co-Executive Director of R.Evolución Latina for the last five years, managing close to half of million dollars in services and social ARTS Support.
Herrick Goldman
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Herrick’s work has been seen Off-Broadway and all over the US and the globe. Including Manila, Shanghai, Brisbane, Brazil, Germany, Peru, and exotic Canada. He designs for theater, dance, concerts, and live events. He has had the pleasure of working with Luis and Salgado Productions on Serenade, Ser o no Cer...vantes, Shafrika, Candela, I’ll be Damned, Amigo Duende, Zapata!, and Dance from the Heart 2010. Herrick is a 2009 Hewes award nominee for his work on ROOMS and the recipient of the 2009 ISES Big Apple Award for best lighting design for an event. He was also honored with the 2009 Redden award for excellence in lighting design at that year’s Lighting Design International convention. In 2010 he received a Live design Excellence Award for his designs Off Broadway. Herrick’s work can be seen at www.HGLightingDesign.com
Harry Nadal
COSTUME DESIGNER
Harry, originally from San Juan, PR, has been based in NYC for over twenty years. His first collaboration with Salgado Productions was Amigo Duende. He has also worked with Atlantic Theater, Lincoln Center Institute, Pregones, Juilliard, Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, Hostos Repertory Theater, Labyrinth, Teatro Circulo, Sea, Theater for the New City, International Ensemble Theatre, Spectrum Stage, Intar, Hartford’s TheaterWorks, Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, Harrisburg’s Open Stage, Cuba’s Danza del Alma, and R.Evolución Latina, to name a few. As producer, he co-produced Chicago and Hedwig and The Angry Inch in Puerto Rico. On Broadway he was assistant costume designer for Paul Simon's The Capeman, and A Class Act. MFA, Tisch-NYU. You can see his work at www.harrynadal.com.
Victoria Medina
Photographic Artist
Victoria is a photographic artist, writer and performer. Her work can be viewed at http://victoriamedinagallery.com/ Her book, One Nation, One Mission, One Promise is based on her American Spirit Exhibit, and became an Amazon Best Seller in the Art
& Photography category. She is now completing a theater performance piece based on the same name. Victoria is also a published photographer who has photographed celebrities and events, and she is a contributing writer to ANDMagazine.com and ANDSociety.com. As a performer Victoria has performed in classical and contemporary productions in the United States and abroad. She is currently a member of the Articulate Theater Company.
Vatrena King
COMPOSER
Composer Vatrena King graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in Music Production and Engineering before becoming a 1st-call session singer. Credits include a recurring singing role on the hit TV show “Ally McBeal,” performing and/or recording with such artists as Melissa Manchester, Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Barry Manilow & Barry White, several Disney children’s albums, television and film theme songs. Original songs can be heard in the independent film “All About Us,” (2007). In 2000, Vatrena was rated the Top Unsigned Artist by Music Connection Magazine.
Joshua Coyne
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Joshua is a young black musician and composer who took his first lessons at the Cedar Rapids Symphony School, where he studied with Dr. Stephen Shepherd and later with concertmaster Taki Horiuchi. Later, Joshua moved to the Washington, DC area, where he continued his violin studies with Lya Stern and began composition study. After moving to D.C., Joshua performed for then candidate Barack Obama at the Stand for Change Rally, as well as for the Haitian Embassy. Coyne composed the score to Anne and Emmett, a play about Emmett Till and Anne Frank written by Janet Langhart Cohen.
Heather Hogan
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Heather met Luis while working on In The Heights on Broadway as part of the stage management team. She has had the honor of being the artistic assistant to Luis Salgado for the past 4 years. She has worked on various events & projects as part of Salgado Productions & R.Evolución Latina from Antonio Banderas’s Perfume launch to the Puerto Rican Day Parade. She traveled to Peru for Candela "Fuerza y Pasion" as the Creative Stage Manager & recently was the Asst Director on Amigo Duende.
Poppy Peach
PROJECT COORDINATOR
Poppy Peach Nichols started her career as a flight attendant for Continental Airlines. After her children were born, she retired from the airline industry and settled into the full time job of motherhood. Later Poppy enrolled her children in the Waldorf Preschool in Davis, CA, where she met Vatrena King, whose children also attended. Their friendship eventually evolved into a work collaboration, as Poppy organized and helped produce Vatrena's 2011 Christmas Album and organized and publicized a successful concert of the same album. Presently, Poppy is utilizing her organizational talents in the production of “Zuccotti Park.”
Kate Rance
SCENIC DESIGNER
Kate started her journey with Salgado Productions with Amigo Duende. She has worked as both Set and Costume Designer for dance and physical theatre, musicals, classical theatre and even illusion shows. She has also enjoyed success as a Production Designer for film and television. Her films have been shown at festivals worldwide including twice at Cannes and also won at SXSW and LA film Festival. She has undertaken commercial projects for Nike, Chloe Sevigny at Show Studio and even designed the set for the 2012 Gotham Awards. Kate has taught theatre programs on both sides of the Atlantic. Bringing theatre to children is something that she is very passionate about. Some of her work can be seen at www.katerance.com.
Valeria Cossu
Associate Choreographer
Italian by birth but Spanish by adoption, Valeria has spent her entire life in the performing arts (MAYUMANA, YLLANA, The Wedding Singer, Opera Lirica and more) In 2010 Valeria traveled to the United States to assist the choreography of the show Ser o no Cer…vantes, where she met Luis Salgado with whom she felt a strong artistic bond. Valeria was invited to participate as a choreographer in R.Evolución Latina’s 2011 Choreographers Festival. Thus began a collaboration that led Valeria to be part of Salgado Productions. She was the assistant Director and Associate Choreographer for CANDELA “Fuerza y Pasion” in Lima Peru. Currently based in New York she continues her collaboration with Luis assisting him in the choreography of DC-7 The Roberto Clemente Story, Zapata! The musical (NYMF) and Amigo Duende, a new musical.
