Producing Artistic Directors David Ian Lee & Karen Sternberg
David Ian Lee has directed plays, operas, films, and political campaign videos across the country. In 2019, David simultaneously directed plays in two separate states, placing his work at the forefront of what would become the Zoom-theatre movement. In response to the historical pandemic of 2020, David became a champion of virtual theatre, directing, producing, and shepherding content that is both innovative and ethical. He has served as a director or assistant director in New York for the Pearl Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Source, Flux Theatre Ensemble, and Boomerang Theatre Company. As a playwright, his works include mass, Liberty & Joe DiMaggio, Sleeper, and The Curing Room, which has seen multiple international productions and has been translated into French, Greek, and Afrikaans. As an actor, he has performed internationally and with theatres including Utah Shakespeare, Sedona Shakespeare, New York Classical Theatre, The Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arizona Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and Nashville Repertory Theatre. David received his BFA in Acting and Directing from the University of Arizona and his MFA in Directing from Illinois State University. David is a proud graduate of New York's William Esper Studio and was a 2021 cohort of the La Mama International Virtual Directors’ Symposium. David serves on the faculty of the Theatre & Dance Program in the Department of Communications at Tennessee State University. Learn more by visiting www.davidianlee.com.
Karen Sternberg is a Nashville-based performer and producer. She last appeared on stage as Blanche in the Nashville Repertory Theatre’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire, which was named Best Stage Performance by the Nashville Scene. Other local theatre credits include shows with Studio Tenn -- where she served as both a performer and an Artistic Associate -- and the Nashville Shakespeare Festival. Her regional work included stints at New York's Jean Cocteau Rep, the Cherry Lane Theatre, and the Lake Theatre, as well as two tours with the New England Shakespeare Festival. Karen often appears in Pipeline-Collective's productions, including the full 12-hour broadcast performance of Outside of Here, while managing its two landmark programs: The Salon and the Playground Series. Her film and TV credits include Tell Me A Story, Sinphony, i only miss you when i'm breathing, and the Kurt Weill opera Seven Deadly Sins. She provides arts management consultation services to new and well-established theatres around the country, and she serves as an Assistant Director and Project Manager for Vanderbilt University's Enrollment Affairs. A champion of unions, Karen is the co-chair of the local Actors' Equity Liaison Committee and is a proud SAG-AFTRA member. She holds a B.A. in Theatre from Bowling Green State University as well as a Core Certificate in Arts Management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.