NEW YORK, June 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The All Stars Project, Inc. (ASP) announced the launch of its new Artistic Advisory Council (Council), composed of four theatre artists and cultural leaders who will help shape the artistic vision and theatrical programming for the ASP’s Performance Lab (PLab) at its multi-theatre performance and youth development center on West 42nd Street in New York.
The Council is chaired by Gabrielle L. Kurlander, actor/director/producer, PLab founder and founding CEO of ASP (1989–2023). It also includes actor/director Madelyn Chapman, actor/playwright Reynaldo Piniella and actor/producer John Rankin III.
“We are thrilled to be creating a new cultural home where theatre artists and creatives can challenge boundaries and spark new possibilities through performance,” said Kurlander. “At a moment when the nonprofit theatres and their development programs for theatre artists are disappearing from New York, the All Stars is doubling down on its investment in theatrical performance as a catalyst for human creativity, connection and community building.”
Two Council members, Piniella and Chapman, co-created and launched Untitled, a monthly play-reading series and developmental playwriting intensive sponsored by PLab. More than 35 plays and 200 theatre artists have been involved so far, and it has been a gathering place for emerging artists and collaborative experimentation.
Members of the Council have worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway for many decades:
Kurlander is a lifelong theatre artist who has directed more than 50 productions, which received six AUDELCO Awards, including Outstanding Director of a Musical for Sally & Tom (The American Way). In 2023, she received the Humanitarian and Social Justice Advocacy Award from Woodie King Jr.’s New Federal Theatre.
Chapman, a founding member of the Castillo Theatre, trained at Drama Studio London and has spent decades working as a performer, director, producer and teacher. She most recently directed Lost Sock Laundry by Ivan Faute at UP Theater and performed in Sheltered by Cate Wiley at the Cell Theatre, and is mentoring emerging playwrights through Untitled.
Piniella has been on Broadway in Trouble in Mind (Roundabout Theatre) and Thoughts of a Colored Man (Golden Theatre). His recent awards include the Thomas Barbour Award for Playwriting and a spot on the “50 under 50” notable alumni list by the City University of New York. Piniella has built a wide-ranging career across film, TV and stage. His TV credits include Reservation Dogs, Law & Order: SVU and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Hailing from East New York, Brooklyn, he is an alum of the ASP’s Development School for Youth and Youth Onstage! programs.
Rankin is Director of Performance Programs for ASP of New York and a longtime member of both the NYC Rep Ensemble and Castillo Theatre ensemble. His producing credits include the AUDELCO Award-winning Sally & Tom (The American Way), Katori Hall’s Children of Killers and The Donut Play (A Love Story in 24 Conversations). He is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
The launch of the Council coincides with a major milestone for the ASP. On June 13, ASP will host a Mortgage Burning celebration marking the payoff of the mortgage on its West 42nd Street Center. Theatre artists and youth will perform at the event, which marks the next phase of the center’s reimagining as a hub for performance, youth development and cross-sector collaboration in New York City.
“We are creating a center where young people, artists, business and community leaders can build new relationships, expand access and spur creativity through the developmental power of performance,” said Shadae McDaniel, President-Elect of ASP. “The Artistic Advisory Council helps deepen ASP’s connection to world-class artistry and ensures that the West 42nd Street Center continues to grow as a hub for collaboration, innovation and human development through the arts.”
About the All Stars Project
The All Stars Project is a privately funded national nonprofit organization with 45 years of grassroots organizing and community building. Using the power of performance, ASP transforms the lives of youth from poor and underserved communities in partnership with caring adults, giving everyone the opportunity to grow. ASP’s award-winning programs bring people from all racial, economic and social backgrounds together to create something positive, new and transformative for all involved. In addition to operating in New York City, NY, ASP runs programming nationally in Dallas, TX; Newark and Jersey City, NJ; Chicago, IL; the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond—thanks to virtual programming—with volunteers and partnerships in over 20 states. Click here to visit our website.
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