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Kathleen Pletcher
- Executive Artistic Director
- Kathleen founded FirstWorks in 2004. For ten years, she served as Artistic Director for First Night Providence. From 1985-1992, she founded and led Ragabash Studio, an experimental theatre company in New York City. She has worked internationally, performing and conducting research in Japan, Italy, Indonesia, India and the Nether- lands. An arts education consultant she has launched pilot programs for Arts Alaska, Cleveland‚ University Circle Programs, NY Foundation for the Arts, Teachers & Writers Collaborative and the European Council for English Schools.
contact: kathleen@first-works.org
Peter Bramante
- Managing Director
- Peter brings with him strong leadership, strategic skills and over 20 years experience in the nonprofit sector as an executive, manager, artist and educator. Prior to joining FirstWorks, Peter served as the Executive Director of the Arts & Business Council of Rhode Island (A&BC/RI). Under his leadership the organization expanded local programs and services, created innovative audience development tools and broadened the scope of nationally funded resources aimed at building Rhode Island’s cultural capitol. His interest and ideas around connecting arts to business practices and civic life have been presented at panels for Americans for the Arts, The National Arts Marketing Conference and The Association of Performing Arts Service Organizations. An advocate for experiential, arts-based learning, Peter has held adjunct and associate professorships at Brown University/Trinity Repertory Consortium, Roger Williams University, Rhode Island College and Connecticut College where he received an MFA in Dance Science and Performance studies and while enrolled through a full fellowship.
- contact: peter@first-works.org
Lydia Breckon
- Development Director
- Dr. Lydia Breckon has over 20 years of nonprofit fundraising and program management experience.She has worked for immigrant organizations, a museum and colleges in Massachusetts and California, as a resource developer, program director and educator. An anthropologist (Yale 1999), Lydia specializes in Southeast Asian migration to the US and is particularly interested in cultural resources of immigrant communities. Lydia works to connect funders, donors and the wider public with nonprofit programs that they can wholeheartedly support.
- contact: lydia@first-works.org
Annette Robinson
- Administrative Manager
- Annette produced First Night Providence through 12 festivals as Associate Director. Most recently, she was Human Resources Manager for Sodexho School Services.
- contact: annette@first-works.org
Allie Crowder-Schaefer
- Marketing/PR Coordinator
- Allie brings to FirstWorks experience in marketing, event planning and project management, in both non-profit and for-profit organizations. Her diverse background includes working for the founders of Target and at the Educational Testing Service. While completing her MBA in Hospitality at Johnson & Wales University, Allie co-founded an event planning company which works with individuals and non-profits.
- contact: allie@first-works.org
Kerry Bergin
- Community Programs Coordinator
- With community engagement experience ranging from youth programming in Providence to environmental work in Nicaragua, Kerry Bergin brings a passion for the performing arts to her work with under-served youth and families. Kerry graduated from Providence College with a degree in Public and Community Service Studies. In addition to teaching ballet and creative movement, Kerry trained with Starship Dance Theater, a non-profit community dance cooperative in Guilford, Connecticut, and has performed as a part of International Festival of Arts and Ideas, SailFest New London, and Shakespeare on the Shoreline. At FirstWorks she increases youth and community access to the arts, and promotes the power of art to build communities.
- contact: kerry@first-works.org
With additional support from:
Rafael Attias
- Pixilerations Program Director
- Rafael Attias, a native of Venezuela, has been a graphic designer and art director with several prominent Providence and Boston firms. He is currently a professor in the departments of Illustration, Graphic Design and Digital Media at the Rhode Island School of Design. Through his years at RISD and to this date he has been involved in the arts, creating mix-media abstract paintings, merging audio with visuals for installations, as well as performing, and recording music. Current projects include “The ear draws inward”, an experiment in auditory sensing, as well as several multimedia collaborations. Rafael has recently shown his work in New York City, Ireland and SCOPE Miami.
- contact: pixilerations@first-works.org
