John Hadden

John Hadden has worked happily in the theater for 50 years. He was a founding member of Shakespeare & Co.; ran Hubbard Hall Theater Company in Cambridge, NY; and directed, acted, wrote, and/or produced over 100 plays here and abroad, in professional and university settings. He has taught in numerous conservatories and schools, and is a Vermont teaching artist. He has received a variety of grants and awards, and holds a BFA (theater arts) from SUNY Purchase, and an MFA (writing) from Goddard College. He has a deep interest in seeing great work happen in small places.

Geof Hewitt

Geof Hewitt writes and performs poems wherever he can find an audience. He has served as a POL coach since the program started, and is happy to meet with individual classes or with larger groups. Geof uses guided, whole-group, cacophonic (!) choral recitations to ensure that everyone in the room has multiple opportunities to rehearse their chosen poems. The noise of multiple voices reciting different poems gives cover for every student to experiment with tone, pacing, facial expression, and gesture. Students are then invited to solo and receive brief suggestions from the group. Geof loves this work, and promises, "I'll make it fun!"

Quinn Rol

Born and raised in New Mexico, Quinn worked as an actor in NYC for 7 years, and is now a resident of Burlington's ONE.  In 2021, when the BHS Drama Club was going to have to sell all their costumes in order to fund their next show, he created and produced an adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado which raised them over $2,000.  As well as poetry with high schoolers through the Flynn, he performs with the VSO's K-8 program, Musicians In Schools.  He is an acting teacher and coach specializing in the Voice/Body, will soon be the only Designated Teacher of the Linklater Voice technique in Vermont, and is a co-founding member of the Furnace Theatre Ensemble; a group dedicated to highlighting the artistry of performers and practicing the highest standards of compassion in their craft.  MFA Columbia University.

Gina Stevensen

Gina Stevensen

Gina Stevensen (they/them) is a playwright, dramaturg, performer, and educator who tells stories about healing, self-discovery, and community. They received a Vermont Arts Council/NEA Creation Grant to develop their play Breakfalls, which was nominated for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and premiered at Vermont Stage in 2024. Their plays have been developed in NYC, London, and across the country with Roundabout Theatre Company, The Flynn Theater, American Stage, Theatre503, Urban Stages, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Hartford Stage, Barter Theatre, and more. Gina was the 2021 winner of the Kernodle New Play Award, the 2020 winner of the New Works Initiative at Good Luck Macbeth, a 2019 winner of the Columbia@Roundabout New Play Reading Series, and a 2022 artist-in-residence at Ragdale. They have been a guest lecturer at Hunter College, NYU, the University of Arkansas, and the University of Vermont. MFA Playwriting: Columbia University. BFA Drama: NYU Tisch. www.ginastevensen.com