Zoe Stern

Artistic Director 2024-2025

Associate Artistic Director 2023-2024

Emma Rensin
Artistic Director 2023-2024

Emma Rensin served as Artistic Director for the 2023-2024 season. When not on stage, Emma can be usually found teaching at her synagogue, petting her cats, or talking someone’s ear off about sharks.

Julianna Garber

Current Board Member, Co-Founder & Artistic Director 2015-2018

Julianna had the idea for Upstage in the spring of 2015, when she noticed a lack of high school student-run productions. After attempting to create a theater group at her school, she realized that the group's mission was such that it had to become its own entity and Upstage was born. Julianna directed Upstage's productions of Heathers, Punk Rock, Spring Awakening, Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged) and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Julianna has a BFA in Directing and a BA in Film, Media & Television from the University of Michigan.

Jacks Ezakadan

Associate Artistic Director 2024-2025

Nicolas Poler

Artistic Director 2018-2019

Nicolas served as the artistic director at Upstage for the 2018-2019 season, He also assistant directed Upstage Theater’s Punk Rock and directed Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, The Aliens, and co-directing Bare. Nico is continuing to pursue his love of theater at UNCSA where he is pursuing a BFA in Acting.

Megan Reed

Artistic Director 2020-2021

Megan served as the Artistic Director for the 2020-2021 season. Prior to that she assistant stage managed Upstage Theater's productions of The Aliens and Bare: A Rock Opera. She is currently studying at the University of Southern California.

Naomi Shanson

Current Board Member,

Artistic Director 2019-2020

Naomi has worked on theatrical projects throughout the Bay Area and Upstage has given her the space to explore multiple aspects of theatre in a safe and encouraging environment. She worked on a total of eight productions with Upstage Theatre over three seasons. Naomi is honored to have served as the Artistic Director for the 2019-2020 season and to have directed Radium Girls and Witness for the Prosecution. Naomi is currently studying Stage Management and Technical Theatre at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wales.

Our Mission

Trishla Dedhia
Artistic Director 2021-2022

Trishla served as the Artistic Director for the 2021-2022 season. Trishla’s first foray into theatre was through Upstage’s production of Radium Girls. She has worked in Stage Management and Costumes for five productions with Upstage, and a variety of other shows throughout the Bay Area.

Upstage Theater is a 501(c)(3) EIN 84-5190807

Jessa Mellea

Current Board Member

and Co-Founder

Jessa became involved with Upstage in the Fall of 2015. She had worked in theater since she was in Kindergarten and spent three years with Upstage Stage where she stage managed six productions: Heathers, Punk Rock, Spring Awakening, Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged), Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. She is currently studying at Brown University where she continues to work in theater!

Val Zvinyatskovsky

Artistic Director 2022-2023

Val is motivated to use creativity and the arts to help challenge views of our world and bring humankind together. They enjoy exploring different aspects of theatre, including acting, directing, and design.

Upstage Theater is a completely teen-run theater company that provides opportunities to teens of all backgrounds from across the Bay Area to participate in every aspect of theater, allowing them to hone their skills in both acting and production work. We are dedicated to creating safe spaces to examine what it means to be a teenager through material written by or about teens that they would typically be unable to participate in in a school or community theater.