The Lab Team

Derek Goldman is Chair of the Department of Performing Arts and Director of the Theater & Performance Studies Program. He is also a Professor of Theater and Performance Studies at Georgetown University with a joint appointment in the School of Foreign Service as a Professor of Global Performance, Culture and Politics. He is co-Founding Director of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, … FULL BIO

Ambassador Cynthia P. Schneider PhD teaches, publishes, and speaks about the importance of culture in diplomacy and international affairs, while putting these ideas into practice everywhere from war zones to Hollywood writers’ rooms. 

At Georgetown, Prof. Schneider teaches in the School of Foreign Service and co-directs the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, … FULL BIO

Mélisande Short-Colomb began her relationship with Georgetown University in 2017 as a descendant of two families enslaved and then sold by the Society of Jesus in 1838 to ensure the solvency of the institution. Following the Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation recommendations and with the support of President Jack DeGioia, Mélisande was one of two undergraduate students accepted into the College. … FULL BIO

Ijeoma Njaka is an experiential learning designer, educator, and writer. Throughout her career, Ijeoma has specialized in inclusive pedagogy and anti-bias education for student, faculty, and staff audiences. In her work, she draws from arts and museum education, engaged humanities, and speculative fiction to facilitate learning, agency, and social change. Prior to joining The Lab, … FULL BIO

Emma Jaster is an internationally trained director, choreographer, and facilitator based in the U.S.  She has led projects with U-Theatre in Taiwan, the Natanakairali Institute in India, Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center, LaMama’s Directors’ Symposium, and the Grotowski-based Teatr Zar in Poland.  She has been granted artist residencies at ODC in San Francisco, HERE Arts and BAX in NYC,

Erin is an interdisciplinary artist, writer, and producer. She has worked as project manager for choreographer Liz Lerman, including Liz’s Arizona State University initiatives at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Previously, Erin was the education director at Hancher Auditorium at the University of Iowa. She also works as a producer/collaborator for a number of projects including the Dance Studies Association Conference and Dance in the Desert: A Gathering of Latinx Dancemakers. … FULL BIO

Alyssa graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor’s degree in Global Health and a minor in Theology. Her passion for politics and performance stems back to her time in high school at the Orange County School of the Arts where she studied acting and directing, and directed an adaptation of Eve Ensler’s Emotional Creature. … FULL BIO

Julia J.T. Tvardovskaya believes in storytelling for impact. Although both on the stage and behind the production table since the young age of five, she first realized the power of the arts to humanize the global experience her first year at Georgetown while working on “Our Class” with Derek Goldman. In addition to working on various productions at Georgetown as well as in the Greater D.C. … FULL BIO

Jameson Nowlan is a sophomore in the School of Foreign Service studying Culture & Politics with minors in Theatre & Performance Studies and Spanish. Jameson’s passion for theatre started when she starred in her Kindergarten’s production of “The Runaway Tortilla” and has not stopped since. In addition to her work with The Lab, Jameson is an active member of the Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society and Nomadic Theatre, … FULL BIO

William (Will) Hammond is a third-year majoring in International Politics with a focus in Security in the SFS minoring in Theatre and Performance Studies and Jewish Civilization. Born and raised in the greater Los Angeles area, the performing arts have always been at the forefront of his development, beginning with his first experiences singing in a choir in elementary school. … FULL BIO

Colum Goebelbecker is an actor and undergraduate student in the Georgetown College pursuing a government major and theater minor. Colum first encountered the power of performance to humanize politics while studying conflict resolution at Queens University, Belfast. The following spring, he had the opportunity to experience that power firsthand as a participant in the Lab’s trip to Cambodia, … FULL BIO