Mission

Crescent City Stage’s mission is to produce high quality professional theatre by centering sustaining wages and diversity in its creative teams.

LEADERSHIP

Michael A. Newcomer, Executive Director

Jana Mestecky, Co-Founder

Elizabeth Elkins Newcomer, Co-Founder

For media inquiries:

Clark Castle

clark@schulkens.com

504.909.9985

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Vanessa D’Souza, Vice Chair

Blake Coheley, Secretary

Dianne Rosenberg, Treasurer

Dr. Erin Ribka

Miriam Hollar

Jana Mestecky, Director and Co-Founder

Elizabeth Elkins Newcomer, Director and Co-Founder

John Goodman, Artistic Ambassador

Michael A. Newcomer, Executive Director and Co-Founder

ARTIST ADVISORY BOARD

Lorene Chesley, AEA, Los Angeles, CA - Chair

Jason Bayle, AEA, New Orleans

Silas Cooper, AEA, New Orleans

Kimiye Corwin, AEA, Connecticut/New York

Fallon Goodson, AEA, New Orleans

Dodd Loomis, New Orleans

Brad Makarowski, AEA, New York City

Tenea Intriago, New Orleans

AK Murtadha, AEA, Auburn

Lance Nichols, AEA, New Orleans

Doug Spearman, New Orleans

Hilary Ward, AEA, Los Angeles

Elizabeth Newcomer, AEA, New Orleans

Jana Mestecky, AEA, New Orleans

Donny Markowitz, New Orleans

About Us

Crescent City Stage was formed around a central idea in February 2020 by Elizabeth Elkins Newcomer, Jana Mestecky, and Michael A. Newcomer - “without the artist, there is no art.”

With over 50 years combined experience as artists, educators, and business owners, the three co-founders set out to create a theatrical organization with a focus on providing a diverse environment for the creation of theatre to thrive, enlighten, empower, educate, enhance, and evolve in the Greater New Orleans and surrounding areas. The success of CCS, at its founding and through its growth, will be measured by the success in how frequently we are able to welcome into our fold a diverse group of artists, from box office personnel, to designers, to Stage Managers, to Actors, that will provide the talent in creating professional theatre for our community.

July 2021 brought us our official 501(c)(3) designation and in September of 2022 we officially launched Crescent City Stage with our inaugural production of Pantomime by Derek Walcott.

Join us as we change the theatrical landscape, one production, one class, one conversation at a time.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”

— Shirley Chisholm

We commit to making Crescent City Stage a welcoming, inclusive, and equitable community in which each artist, staff member, volunteer, and board member represents diverse points of view. Our mission is to produce theatre that celebrates difference, provides opportunity, and instills a sense of belonging for all.

Our priority is to create a safe space where all who enter are eager to engage, trust, and experiment. If our job as performers is to mirror the world we see, our stages must reflect those who stand beside us. The stories we tell and the artists who tell them are consciously chosen with a dedication to fostering a depth of experiences and identities. We challenge ourselves to confront privilege and examine bias so as to build a company where this learning is ongoing, dynamic, and purposeful.

Guided by this commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, we aim to deepen our understanding and appreciation for the work required to meaningfully combat racism, exclusion, and prejudice in all forms. We stand united in this charge. Our joy and power as a collective rest in the ability to collaborate professionally in an atmosphere where mutual respect, demonstrated integrity, and ethical action are the core principles of our culture and business.

Our Artists

*Artists who generously graced our Virtual Stage as we navigated the pandemic.