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
Michael Francis has spent 20 years in non profit and commercial theater as a multi-hyphenate theater administrator specializing in fundraising, general management, talent representation and producing. He spent 12 years as a team member of Fiasco Theater. Notable Fiasco works include Cymbeline (Theatre for a New Audience/Barrow Street/Broad Stage/Folger Theatre); Into the Woods (McCarter Theatre/Old Globe/Roundabout/Menier Chocolate Factory/NETworks); The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Folger Theatre/Theatre for a New Audience); The Imaginary Invalid (Old Globe); Measure for Measure (The New Victory/The Long Wharf); Tweflth Night (Classic Stage Company); Merrily We Roll Along (Roundabout). As a core member of Producer Hub he manages the Fiscal Sponsorship program which serves over 30 artists, arts organizations and social justice initiatives. Michael spent a decade as a part of the staff of Leading Artists, Inc. a boutique talent agency in NYC.
Michael Francis
Business Manager
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
Kendra Holloway
Executive Assistant
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.
Taneisha Duggan
Associate Producer
taneisha is an artist working at the crossroads of performance and creative leadership. As a director her work lends itself to provocative interpretations of new works and classics. As a producer and arts administrator, she is propelled by the belief that the culture we present is the society we become. Select Directing credits: Jesus Hopped the "A" Train (University of Hartford) Blue Door (Juilliard) Actually (TheaterWorks Hartford), Hooded: or Being Black for Dummies (Juilliard), workshop readings (INK'D Festival at Playwright's Realm, newWORKS TheaterWorks Hartford). Select Producing credits: NYTimes Critic picks WALDEN by Amy Berryman and RUSSIAN TROLL FARM by Sarah Gancher; PROXIMITY by Harrison David Rivers (commission). She trained as an actor at SUNY - Purchase College in The School of Theater Arts and Film, and has appeared on regional stages in Connecticut and New York, including TheaterWorks Hartford, Long Wharf and LaMama. She is a 2016 National Arts Strategies Creative Community Fellow, mama of two boys and believer in radical love-filled disruption.
Kelly Letourneau
Creative Operations Associate
Kelly Letourneau is a New York City-based performer, playwright, and arts administrator. As an administrator, Kelly has worked with Primary Stages, Fiasco Theater, and The Shakespeare Academy @ Stratford. Behind the scenes, Kelly has experience as a stage manager, playwright’s assistant, and house manager. As a performer, Kelly has appeared off-Broadway, regionally and on tour. Theater credits include: A VALENTINE FOR SONDHEIM (Fiasco Theater), MIDSUMMER (Tiltyard), PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Kate Hamill (Playhouse on Park), and THE APPLE BOYS (HERE Arts Center). Kelly has trained with Fiasco Theater, at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and she holds a BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. www.kellyletourneau.com