THE TENTACLES
Mara Isaacs
Founder and Executive Artistic Director
Mara Isaacs is a Tony® and Grammy® Award-winning creative producer, recognized as a leader in developing and producing new plays, musicals and multi-disciplinary work across the globe. Selected highlights: Gypsy with Audra McDonald (Upcoming Broadway); Hadestown (Broadway, West End, North American Tour–Best Musical Tony and Grammy); Patrick Page’s All the Devils Are Here (off-Broadway); Bhangra Nation (Birmingham Rep 2024); Gabriel Byrne Walking With Ghosts (Broadway); (…Iphigenia) a new opera by Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding (premiere and US tour); Theatre for One (US, Ireland, Kenya); Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Broadway, Tony Award Best Play). Upcoming: Goddess; Dreaming Zenzile; I Feel Myself to be Part of Something (documentary film series). Mara generates opportunity through the organizations and programs she creates: Octopus Theatricals, to produce an expansive body of work—from experimental to commercial; Project Springboard, a program of the Jerome Robbins Foundation, to encourage the development of dance-driven musicals; Producer Hub, supporting producers and artists in the independent sector; Sing It Again Records, an independent record label. Previously: Producing Director at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ and as Associate Producer at the Mark Taper Forum/Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles. Board service: Dramatists Legal Defense Fund, Broadway League Board of Governors and the American Theatre Wing Advisory Board. She founded Octopus Theatricals in 2013. photo credit T. Charles Erickson
Ariana is an Iranian-American entertainment attorney who has been named a "rising star" by SuperLawyers, a producer, arts advocate, and the Executive Director of Noor Theatre, the only NYC-based nonprofit theater company dedicated to supporting the works of theater artists of Middle Eastern, Southwest Asian, and North African descent. As its Executive Director, Ariana leads overall operations at Noor, including artistic programming, fundraising, and financial planning, in addition to overseeing the theatre company's strategic planning, institutional partnerships, and Board relations. Ariana began her career in theater as a transactional entertainment attorney specializing in theater, and has represented producers and investors in the development, production, and financing of live stage productions; counseled not-for-profit theater companies; and advised a wide range of creative talent including Tony Award-winning bookwriters, composers, lyricists, directors, choreographers, and actors. Ariana serves on the board of Broadway for Arts Education, is a member of Theatre Producers of Color (TPOC) and the SWANA Writers Co-Op (a dialogue-based group for writers of SWANA descent) and is a volunteer pro bono attorney with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Once a proud “theatre kid” herself, Ariana enjoys singing, playing the piano/ukulele, writing, traveling the world every chance she can, and relishing in the healing power of music and the arts.
Ariana Sarfarazi
Business Operations Director
Bryan Hunt
Creative Operations Director
Bryan Hunt has been an Associate Producer and Production Coordinator for Octopus Theatricals since 2014, wearing many hats as a Production Manager, Company Manager and Producer. From 2016-2021, Bryan was the Director of the Apprentice Actor Training Program at the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, MN, directing several productions, and developing a program for future artists to learn as they enter the field. Bryan was the Associate Director for the world premiere of the Tony winning Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the McCarter Theater, Lincoln Center Theater and on Broadway. In addition to Vanya and Sonia…, he has served as Associate and Assistant Director at several regional theaters including Westport Country Playhouse, Baltimore Center Stage, Arena Stage, Goodman Theater, Dallas Theater Center, ACT San Francisco, Center Theatre Group in L.A, and more. He has a passion for creating space for artists to thrive and cultivate their work. He holds a BFA in Theatre Studies from Southern Methodist University.
Adam Hyndman
Associate Producer
Adam Hyndman is a Tony Award winning producer, performer, and activist, who has worked extensively in the arts. Some notable credits include: NBC’s THE SING OFF, CHILDREN OF EDEN in concert at The Kennedy Center, ALADDIN on Broadway, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND on Broadway, HADESTOWN on Broadway & THE INHERITANCE on Broadway. He incubates projects as an independent producer as well as within the team at the Tony Award winning Octopus Theatricals. Adam serves on the board of directors for both Pipeline Theatre Company, as well as Broadway For Racial Justice. He continues his work of disruption, radical accessibility, and conciliation as a founder of The Industry Standard Group and its subsidiary; Second Act Theatrical Capital, the first accessible community investment and producing entity for commercial theater. www.adamhyndman.com
Jasmine A. Mitchell is a director, producer, and woman of God driven to create space for Black women and marginalized groups at large to heal and be joyful. She is most keen about faith-based theatre, art with social impact, and hyperlocal community engagement. Jasmine is a proud descendant of immigrants from the Commonwealth of Dominica, born and raised in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area. Jasmine is currently working as the Black Theatre Coalition Artistic Director Fellow in residence at New York Theatre Workshop and at Octopus Theatricals. Additionally, she has worked at theaters throughout the D.C. area such as Woolly Mammoth, Mosaic, Rorschach, Young Playwrights Theatre, Kennedy Center, and the University of Maryland. Jasmine is a current member of the Theatre Producer of Color 2024- 2025 Cohort, and a proud alum of “The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals”. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from the University of Maryland, College Park. @jasmineamitchell on Instagram.
Kendra Holloway is a New York City-based actor, writer, and content creator with a great deal of experience in front of and behind the scenes. As an arts administrator, she has worked for notable theater and media companies including Primary Stages, the Apollo Theater, and Tyler Perry Studios. She has an extensive background in the areas of copywriting, fundraising, social media management, facility sales, and high-level production support. As a performer, Kendra has appeared off-Broadway, in regional theater, and on television. Theater credits include Before It Hits Home (Billie Holiday Theatre), Stick Fly ( Meadow Brook Theatre), and Salt Pepper Ketchup (InterAct Theatre/Passage Theatre). Notable television credits include For Life (ABC), Definitely Divorcing (TVOne), and Salty Pirate (Ficto). Kendra is the recipient of the 2019 Andes Award for Favorite Female Performer in a Drama for her work at Meadow Brook Theatre. She holds a BA in Mass Media Arts from Clark Atlanta University. Kendra also has a deep love for documentaries of every genre.
Kendra Holloway
Executive Assistant
Kelly Letourneau
Creative Operations Associate
Kelly Letourneau is a NYC-based actor, playwright, director, and producer, whose acting credits include: THREE SISTERS (Two River Theater), A VALENTINE FOR SONDHEIM (Fiasco Theater), MIDSUMMER (Tiltyard), MS. HOLMES & MS. WATSON — Apt 2B and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Kate Hamill (Playhouse on Park), and THE APPLE BOYS (HERE Arts Center). Directing credits include: A CHARLES DICKENS CHRISTMAS (Roxy Regional Theatre) and THE JUMP SHOT (World Premiere Production). Kelly has trained with Fiasco Theater, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and she holds a BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. www.kellyletourneau.com
Jasmine A. Mitchell
Black Theatre Coalition Artistic Direction Fellow