Bios King Lear film Creative Team

Ashley March: Executive Producer

A management and development consultant specializing in the non-profit world, Ashley March has identified resources to sustain the financial condition of organizations, created fundraising, subscription and marketing strategies, developed and written proposals to generate funding from private and government sources, conducted organizational assessments, and provided capacity building in the areas of development, public relations, communications, staff and volunteer management. March was the Founding Managing Director of Classic Theatre International, an international, not-for-profit American touring theatre company. She had direct supervision of booking agents, tour managers, marketing, development and production departments; responsibility for all management and financial decisions; preparation and analysis of budgets, grant proposals and production schedules. She was responsible for all contract negotiations and supervision, and hiring technical and administrative staff. She oversaw the design of promotional materials and was the principal liaison with producing directors, programming mangers, front-of-house staff, sponsors and arts councils. She coordinated media relations in major cities for runs of one to twelve weeks, secured new performance venues and contracts, and negotiated corporate sponsorships in Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Austria, Italy, Luxembourg, Greece, France, Spain, England, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Japan, in theatres ranging from 500 – 1,300 seats. Classic Theatre International produced the first American international tour of Shakespeare’s King Lear to great acclaim. Prior to that, March served as the General Manager for a 175-seat New York City venue in Chelsea for performing and visual arts, readings and lectures. She served as Executive Producer of the feature film, The Eyes of Van Gogh.

Stefanie Cytron: Costume Designer

Stefanie Cytron is a Costume Designer based in Los Angeles, California. She specializes in design and costume construction, costume illustration, and wardrobe styling. She has worked on many international productions, and her designs have been showcased at various film festivals, including the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival and the 2011 OneCloudFest, as well as in TV commercials and on stage. Her dye work and fabric manipulation have been featured in Kanye West’s 2014 Yeezus tour, during Spring 2012 Paris Fashion Week, and in the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards. Cytron has extensive stage experience at the LA Opera, Washington National Opera, California State Long Beach Opera, Powerhouse Theatre, LA Fringe Festival, and the New Jersey Opera Theatre. Cytron holds a degree in Costume Design and Technology from the University of Florida, where she designed costumes for a number of productions, ranging from period theatre and opera to African dance. She is a Washington, DC native. www.stefaniecytron.com

David Dwyer: Production Designer

David Dwyer holds a Master of Fine Arts in production design from Michigan State University, a Bachelor's in theatre and an Oral Communication Certificate with distinction from Marietta College. As a free-lance designer with over 150 realized productions his designs have been seen at The Boarshead Theatre (Lansing, Michigan), Theatre Winterhaven (Winterhaven, Florida), Dance Ocala (Ocala, Florida), Gemstone Productions (Jacksonville, Florida), The Gorilla Theatre (Tampa, Florida), Theatre Santa Fe (Gainesville, Florida), Carolina Actor’s Studio Theatre (Charlotte, North Carolina), Weathervane Theatre (Newark, Ohio), The Downstairs Cabaret Theatre (Rochester, New York), SUNY The College at Brockport (Brockport, New York), and The Jewish Repertory Theatre (Buffalo, New York). Some of his favorite designs include Tartuffe at Live Arts Theatre, (Charlottesville, Virginia), Blood Brothers and The Full Monty at Mt. Washington Valley Theatre Company (North Conway, New Hampshire), Dancing at Lughnasa at Southern Virginia University (Buena Vista, Virginia), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Urinetown, The Learned Ladies, Into the Woods, Bat Boy, The Philadelphia Story, Stage Door, and Sweeny Todd at Niagara University Theatre (Lewiston, New York), Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare in Delaware Park (Buffalo, New York), Pumpboys and Dinettes Deathtrap, and Tuesdays with Morrie at The Mountain Playhouse (Jennerstown, Pennsylvania) Plough and the Stars, The Liar, Equus and After Miss Julie at Irish Classical Theatre Company (Buffalo, New York), and The Conversion of Ka’ahumanu at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (Washington, D.C.). He has served as technical director for the Showboat Becky Thatcher, Northern Michigan University and Shakespeare in Delaware Park, as well as Technical Director and Scenic and Lighting Designer at Southern Virginia University. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre and Fine Arts at Niagara University, where he is the principal scenic designer as well as teaching courses in theatre design and technical theatre. He resides on a small farm in Hartland, New York with his wife and children.

Ross Chirico is the owner and creative director of Chirico Design Assoc., established in 1986. His areas of expertise include: Trade show exhibit design, production and/or production management; Concept, design and production for print advertising and marketing; Concept and art direction for trade show exhibit videos; Design, production of interactive displays for tradeshows, museums and retail spaces; Design and production of props and sets for film and theatre; Sculpture for commercial and fine art; Illustration, both traditional and digital, for print, murals and children’s video games and books He was awarded his BFA in Art & Design and AS in Industrial Design from the Rochester Institute of Technology. www.chiricodesign.com

Justin Chiet is a Maryland-based Director of Photography/Editor and production company owner holding a Bachelors Degree in Electronic Media and Film from Towson University. He found his passion in visual storytelling as a child through creating comic books and black & white photography, inspired by his maternal grandfather who shot for LIFE Magazine. After seeing a few inspiring feature films and being gifted with a camcorder by his paternal grandfather, he knew what he wanted to do with his life at age 11. He started Chiet Productions, which specializes in producing narrative films, documentaries, commercials, music videos, promotional, live event video and photography, while in college. With over a decade behind the camera, he freelances for other companies and filmmakers as a DP, Camera Op and Editor, enjoying collaborating with other artists to bring their unique stories to life Staying true to his roots, he strives to evoke emotion, character. and story through innovative and compelling visuals. www.chietproductions.com

Sardar Aziz was born in a small village in Pakistan in 1971. He studied painting at the Lahore Arts Counsel in 1995 and began painting professionally. Aziz’s style was impressionist, using oil and pastels. He made a comfortable living from his works for several years before returning to school to study multimedia and graphic design. Aziz also studied photography and filmmaking and became one of the most in demand directors in Pakistan, noted especially for his skill in capturing lighting and movement. In 2007 he relocated to the United States and settled in the DC Metro Area. Continuing his in depth study of light and movement, for three years the artist absorbed the new beauty and culture of the city. In 2010 he painted his first painting since coming to the United States, “Desire.” In the years that followed he continued to paint and refine this new style and finished his acclaimed painting series "DC Accents." He notes “As an immigrant I came to Washington DC as an outsider, but the friendly nature of the city soon made me feel at home, more at home than I ever felt anywhere else. I was entranced by the beauty of the city, which in every season revealed itself in different ways: the graceful spring when flowers drip from trees like a paradise; the chilly fall rains reflected in the streets; the heat of the summer and the cold snow in the winter. I love the contrast of the beautiful Potomac River, the stateliness of the monuments and the international architecture of the city but most of all I love the people; the great diversity of people who live in and visit this great city. This is what I tried to capture in my “DC Accent” painting series.” He is now working on his next series of 20 paintings. http://www.SardarArt.com