Ashley Marinaccio

Ashley Marinaccio (born January 9, 1985) is a theatre director, filmmaker, performer, and playwright. [2]

Ashley Marinaccio in 2019

She is the founder and founding Artistic Director of Project Girl Performance Collective, which rebranded in 2011 under the name of Girl Be Heard.[3] The mission of the organization is to provide young women with a platform to create theatre around pressing feminist and socio-political issues. Under her leadership, Girl Be Heard has received international attention, awards and accolades for its theatre productions that place the stories of young women at the forefront of the work. In 2012, she gave a TEDx talk at Columbia University's TEDxTeachersCollege entitled "Give it Up for Rush Limbaugh", about her career trajectory and work with Girl Be Heard. In 2013, she was the youngest artistic director to receive the Lucille Lortel Women's Visionary Award from the League of Professional Theatre Women. Ashley left Girl Be Heard in 2016.

Marinaccio is the creator and host of the digital documentary series Stage Left, which was expected to debut in 2021. Stage Left examines the impact of theatre and performance on local communities.[4] She is the creator, host and director of several episodes.

She is a co-founder of Co-Op Theatre East[5] alongside Robert A.K. Gonyo and Casey Cleverly. Co-Op Theatre East is a New York City-based theatre company that works to create theatre that challenges the socio-political status quo. Notable works with Co-Op Theatre East have included the 2010 production of 'My Name is Rachel Corrie at the Kraine Theatre in New York City's East Village which utilized two actresses in the title role of Rachel Corrie.

She is an alumna of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, Hemispheric Institute's EMERGENYC, BAM/Kennedy Center's Professional Development Program, Old Vic/New Voices Directing Lab, American Theatre Wing's Springboard NYC, and The Civilians Field Research Team.

Ashley completed her BA in theatre directing and sociology/anthropology at Pace University in 2007, her MA in Performance Studies from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in 2008. She is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Theatre and Performance at the CUNY Graduate Center. Her scholarly research examines documentary theatre, the role of theatre in war zones, and practical applications of theatre in times of conflict. Ashley has contributed to numerous scholarly publications as a writer and photographer. She is a member of the theatre and performing arts faculty at Pace University's School of Performing Arts and at Hunter College.[6]