StoryWorks is a documentary theater company working at the crossroads of investigative journalism and community centered free public art.

Aallyah Wright (she/her) Producer, Reporter and Playwright

A company member since 2016 she is dedicated to truth-telling and amplifying underrepresented voices through theater and journalism. As a reporter and artist her work focuses on race and equity across America. She previously worked for the digital, nonprofit newsroom Mississippi Today, covering education, government and rural issues. She founded the Mississippi Delta Public Newsroom and reported on the severe critical teacher shortage crisis which gained national recognition. She also worked as a weekly radio host for WROX (97.5 FM). Her StoryWorks playwriting credits include Beautiful Agitators and Wade Through the Waters for which she was a recipient of the 2020 Mississippi Humanities Council Preserver of Mississippi Culture Award and 2018 Educating Children in Mississippi Fellow at the Hechinger Report. Aallyah is a native of Clarksdale, Mississippi. She has a bachelor’s in journalism with minors in communication and theatre from Delta State University.

Jennifer Welch (she/her) Producing Artistic Director

Jenna is the founder and creator of StoryWorks, a documentary theater company that transforms investigative journalism into theater and audio dramas. Since launching StoryWorks in 2013, Welch has developed plays with Reveal and The Center for Investigative Reporting, HuffPost, The Kansas City Star, NJTV, KCPT, The Arizona Daily Star and Mississippi Today. Each play has reached a different region of the country and helped to drive social change by exposing America’s structural inequality and the costs of human injustice. In doing so, her work reveals not only the factual truths, which are verified by deep investigative reporting but the emotional revelations that theater conveys. Fomerly, a contributing producer for Reveal, the Peabody Award-winning public radio show and podcast from CIR and PRX. Welch is a 2017 recipient of the Midwest Innocence Project’s Sean O’Brien Freedom Award and was named a 2020 Preserver of Mississippi Culture by the Mississippi Humanities Council. She is based in San Francisco, California and Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Adam Cooper-Terán (them/they) Technical Director

Adam is a critically-acclaimed video, sound, and multimedia artist from Tucson, Arizona, better known for their collaborations with various theater companies, rabble-rousers, musicians, and activists. Their work has featured across the globe in universities, museums, basements, and streets as large-scale projections, musical interventions, and installations of digital-storytelling.

Adam has garnered praise and support from academic and cultural institutions such as the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona, MAP Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, National Performers Network, Belle Foundation for the Arts, National Hispanic Cultural Center, Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson, Arizona State University, International Sonoran Desert Alliance, and New York University.

Jon Bernson (he/him) Artistic Producer

Jon Bernson is an Emmy Award winning multimedia artist whose work explores and expands the traditional boundaries of storytelling, often in site-specific contexts. He is a former artist-in-residence at the de Young Museum, Playwrights Foundation and The Space Program. Bernson is the author of seven plays, including four with StoryWorks and The Center for Investigative Reporting: A Guide to the Aftermath (2013), North by Inferno (2015), Overnighters is Over (2016) and When Lighting The Voids (2019). Voids was also produced as a StoryWorks audio drama which aired as a special episode of the Reveal podcast on hundreds of NPR stations nationwide.. 

As a musician, Bernson has written and released more than twenty albums under several names, including Exray’s, whose music was featured in David Fincher’s Academy-Award winning film, The Social Network. His sound design was featured in After the Fallout, Sam Wolson’s 2020 VR documentary about the Fukushima meltdown, an official selection at Sundance. Bernson scored, sound designed and mixed Reeducated, a VR/Ambisonic documentary for the New Yorker, which premiered at SXSW 2021 and received the jury’s award for immersive journalism. 

Recent projects include Third Eye Moonwalk, a series of audio-visual installations and performances at Minnesota Street Project, Catharine Clark Gallery, Stanford University and The Growlery (2016-2019). Moonwalk was awarded a Rainin Foundation New & Experimental Works (NEW) grant and a Venturous Theater Fund grant to film the project in 2021-22 Other installations include: Sound Affects (2015), a large-scale multimedia collaboration at the Sonos Studio in Los Angeles, and Beautification Machine (2014), a sound sculpture created with Andy Diaz Hope, which was exhibited at Catharine Clark Gallery and Miami Project before being acquired by the Nevada Museum of Art for its permanent collection in 2016.

Charles Coleman (he/him) Community Engagement

Charles was raised in Cleveland, MS, where he graduated from high school in 2009. Charles then took his studies to Mississippi Delta Community College and transferred to Delta State University in 2011. He graduated from DSU in 2014 with a BA degree in Communications and later in 2016 with a BA degree in Journalism. During the summer of 2016, Charles helped brainstorm and co-develop a community project supported by Reveal and Delta Arts Alliance, called the Cleveland Yearbook. The Yearbook was created for the city of Cleveland - aiming to capture a snapshot of the people that live Cleveland through a year of change. Charles co-wrote Beautiful Agitators focusing on the life of Vera Mae Pigee and the Civil Rights Movement in the Mississippi Delta, Charles is currently a teaching artist in residence for Delta Arts Alliance (non-profit organization in Cleveland that promotes visual and performing arts) Charles is also a founding member and community engagement director of a nonprofit organization called Coahoma Collective that catalyzes arts-driven, community-inclusive revitalization in downtown Clarksdale, MS.

Layla Young (she / her) Hair-Itage Project Manager and Lead Teaching Artist

Layla is the production manager for the Hair-Itage Project a multi-platform civil rights theater project that explores the influential role of Black owned beauty salons and barber shops in the civil rights movement across the Mississippi Delta. As the lead teaching artist for the StoryWorks Youth Theater Company, Layla creates safe spaces for creative expression, personal development and the amplification of youth voices. Layla served as Assistant Director and actor in the StoryWorks production Wade Through The Waters, and as an actor in Beautiful Agitators. An Artist-in-Residence for Delta Arts Alliance, she teaches theatre to students across the MS Delta. She has her Bachelors of Science in Entertainment Industry Studies and is currently pursuing her Masters in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources at Delta State University. She is based in Cleveland, Mississippi.

Rebecca Welch Weigel (she / her) Education Director

Rebecca is an educator based in Denver, Colorado. Rebecca received her degree in History and International Studies from the University of Kansas. She completed her Secondary Social Studies teaching licensure program at Washburn University. Throughout her career, she has facilitated formal and informal learning experiences for learners of all ages. She served as an Educational Coordinator for LNESC-KC where she was responsible for developing culturally responsive curriculum and programming for teens. Rebecca is the former Director of G.L.O.B.E, a space for middle school and high school students from refugee and migrant communities offering an array of rich programming including academics, art, and social-emotional support. Rebecca believes in the power of investigating our shared history and experiences by engaging the imagination through the performing arts. She recognizes that artistic exploration leads to greater and more meaningful civic participation for both the artist and the audience. When not in the classroom, Rebecca continues to advocate for equity and representation in education within her community.

COLLABORATORS

WHEN LIGHTING THE VOIDS

Jon Bernson
Jenna Welch
Jennifer Gollan
Sherri Marina
Jonah Chartok
Zari Moore
Derrick Richardson 
Jason Kick 
Dionna Malone  
Cortheal Clark
Lisa Shattuck
Robert Parsons
Alec Barnes
Todd d’Amour
Chris Phillips
Aallyah Wright
Frederick Mead
Beth Bartley
Kayla Banks
Zachary Paige-Westbrook
Christopher Robinson
Eduardo Losan 
Alexandria Lofton
Amy Pyle

BENEATH AN UNKNOWN SKY

Rebecca Welch Weigel
Amana Wallace
Mechelle Chane
Layla Young
Sa’Miyah Moore
Crystal Bradley
Charles Coleman
Katy Koehler
Anita Thames
Andre Nawls
Katy Koehler
Don Allan Mitchell
Charles Young
Aallyah Wright 
Jenna Welch
Garrett Rushing 
Eileen Jennings
R.J. Fitzpatrick
Miles Bernson

HAIR-ITAGE PROJECT

Layla Young
Mechelle Chane
Charles Coleman
Amana Wallace
Jeremy Hill
Katy Koehler
Crystal Bradley
Aja Rodriquez
Leo Bevilacqua

TOMORROW INSHALLAH
Rehana Lew Mirza
Rowaida Abdelaziz
Rusty Sneary
Ungela Seyd
Lacey Pacheco
David Kiehl
Bonnie Griffin
Brad Shaw
Shawnna Jouragan
Bradley Thomas
Curtis Smith
Teonna Wesley
Matthew Ellis
Liz Pavlovic
Evren Odcikin
Megan Sandberg- Zakian
Christopher Mathias
Jenna Welch

MRS. CARTER & THE SUNFLOWER SEVEN

Gloria Dickerson
Charles Coleman
Sa'Layshia Griffin
Jakeem Sumner
Roderick Jones
Takarah Russell
Fredrieka Johnson
Tatum Reynolds
Jordan Webb
Jamillian Hall
Tyler Hodges
Amana Wallace
Katy Koehler
Ryan Locke
Ralph Eubanks
Jenna Welch
Layla Young
Anita Thames

CYCLES
Milta Ortiz
Adam Cooper-Terán
Saun’Rae Nez
Stacey Posey
Perla Treviso
Patty Machelor
Emily Bregel
Sarah Garrecht Gassen
Lillian Espinoza
Natalia Storie
Sara Gonzalez
Katie McFadzen
Jenna Welch

NORTH BY INFERNO
Jennifer Gollan
Jon Bernson
Alicia Griffiths
Fernando Diaz
Robert Rosenthal
Annie Chabel
Liz Pavlovic
Cole Goins
Christian Phillips
Michael Carlisi
Jeff Graham
John Terrell
Claire Kendrick
Meghann Farnsworth
Jenna Welch

A GUIDE TO THE AFTERMATH
Mimi Chakarova
Jon Bernson
Sarah Moser
Paris Hunter Paul
Sally Dana
Brian Trybom
Alicia Griffiths
Claire Kendrick
Deborah Cichocki
Michelle Inario
Joaquin Alvarado
Robert Rosenthal
Phil Bronstein
Jenna Welch

OVERNIGHTERS IS OVER
Jesse Moss
Jon Bernson
Alicia Griffiths
International Documentary Association
the Academy of Motion Pictures
Sally Dana
Chris Phillips
John Terrell
Johnny Flannagan
Brandon Mears
Jenna Welch

WADE THROUGH THE WATERS
Aallyah Wright
Layla Young
Charles Young
Charles Coleman
Amana Wallace
Helen Sims
Denzel Wright
Don Allen Mitchell
Katrese Williams
Katy Koehler
Aaniya Hoskins
James “J” Griffin
Shawna Lewis
Cora Jackson
Jenna Welch

TERRA INCOGNITA
Frances Pu
Di Shawn Gandy
Kym Gomes
David Seamon
Matt Baguth
Diana Gundacker
Frank J. Giamella
Tommy Williamson
Ted Crimy
Jim Jack
Erica Lee
R.N. Sandberg
Brenda Flanagan
Megan Cherry
Helen Tewksbury
Jenna Welch

JUSTICE IN THE EMBERS
Amy Attaway
Tim Ahlenius
Moses Brings Plenty
Frank Oakley III
Chris Roady
Nancy Marcy
Rusty Sneary
Shawnna Journagan
Michelle T. Johnson
Chip Miller
Lacey Pacheco
David Kiehl
Brain Paulette
Shane Rose
Reginia Weller
Mike McGraw
Janet Saidi
Liz Pavlovic
Jenna Welch

ALICIA’S MIRACLE
Sarita Oćon
Octavio Solis
Brandon Mears
Hilary Hesse
Florentino Gonzalez
Rogelio Landaverde
Jon Bernson
Alicia Griffiths
Claire Kendrick
Bernice Yeung
Andrew Donohue
Cole Goins
Liz Pavlovic
Sally Dana
Jenna Welch

BEAUTIFUL AGITATORS
Aallyah Wright
Jessica James
Charles Coleman
Nick Houston
Tarra Rhymes Slack
Ruby Jackson
Layla Young
Kerry Lee
Don Allen Mitchell
Brian James
Tyler Slack Rhymes
Miles Bernson
James “J” Griffin
Ann Williams
Chuck Rutledge
Chandra Williams
Jenna Welch

THIS IS HOME
Tassina Willis
José Vadi
Donte Clark
Deandre Evans
Will Houston
Jon Bernson
Amy Julia Harris
Alicia Griffiths
Jon Bernson
Sally Dana
Deborah Cichocki
Julia Chan
Jenna Welch

JOURNEY TO EMERALDVILLE
Eugenie Chan
Shoshana Walter
Jessica Lynn Carroll
Sarita Ocón
John Terrell
Chris Phillips
Hilary Hesse
Aaron Wilton
Juan Amador
Michael Carlisi
Sophia LaPaglia
Alicia Griffiths
Jenna Welch

HEADLOCK
Paris Hunter Paul
William Bivins
Sean Marbry
Ryan Gabrielson
Sarah Moser
Alicia Griffiths
Clarie Kendrick
Deborah Cichocki
Sally Dana
Brian Trybom
Julia Chan
Jenna Welch