JEDI Artist Fellowship Program

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JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion)
Artist Fellowship Program

Main Street Theater’s JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) Artist Fellowship Program is a paid artistic leadership development program for early-career artists of color. Applicants submit a resume and portfolio. The selected fellows will be assigned to a production either with the MainStage or Theater for Youth programs in their area of interest (Directing, Design, or Stage Management) while being given access to additional professional development opportunities within the Main Street Theater organization.

2025 – 2026 JEDI Artist Fellows

Mariana Pérez (she/her) is a Mexican actress, director, and educator passionate about creating theater that bridges cultures and generations. She has directed Captain Star / Capitán Estrella, a bilingual play for young audiences performed at the Consulate of Mexico, The Music Inside of Me, a short film featured at La Vida es Cortos Festival. She also served as Assistant Director on El Llano en Llamas with HAPAA Houston and is currently Assisting Directing Duermevella with Teatro Loft. Mariana is especially interested in theater for youth and in the imaginative possibilities of theater with objects. She is committed to nurturing curiosity, creativity, and cultural pride in young audiences while continuing to grow as a director and storyteller.

Sha’Na “Shay” Lynnette Smith is a Houston-based multidisciplinary artist, arts educator, and wellness practitioner whose work centers on poetry, storytelling, and community care. A graduate of Prairie View A&M University with a B.A. in Theatre Arts, Shay’s creative practice spans writing, directing, performance, painting, music, and somatic sound healing.

Shay has performed in a wide range of roles—including Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Vera in Seven Guitars—and directed acclaimed productions such as Black Nativity by Langston Hughes, Mirandy and Brother Wind by John Cornelius and Michael Bobbitt.

As an educator and certified wellness practitioner, Shay blends creativity and healing to foster inclusive spaces for growth. Her contributions to Houston’s arts scene have earned her support from The Idea Fund and the Art and Survival Fellowship.

 

APPLICATIONS FOR 2025 – 2026 ARE NOW CLOSED.

Donna Southern Schmidt

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Above: Donna Southern Schmidt at work on masks.

Dr. Dana Oldham’s mask (below) came from fabric from our production of Sideways Stories from Wayside School, pictured above.

Donna Southern Schmidt, a local, professional costume designer who works regularly with us at MST as well as other Houston theaters, has found a way to make good use of her forced hiatus by sewing masks for medical workers. But these are not ordinary masks. She’s using fabric remnants from plays she designed for us in the past.

We gave Donna the fabric to use for as many masks as she could make. Since March 27, she has made approximately 85 masks and delivered them to LBJ Hospital in Harris County. With the help of her community, all told they have made and donated 320 masks!  Her original goal was 200! The masks are colorful and uplifting, coming from plays like The Wizard of Oz and Sideways Stories from Wayside School. The Oz masks are from the fabric of the Scarecrow and Flying Monkeys’ costumes – not your everyday hospital gear.

“Donna is a brilliant designer but she is also a community builder, and this is totally something I would expect her to do,” shared MST Founding Artistic Director Rebecca Greene Udden. “We are honored to have a small part in her efforts, and we know the hospital workers are very grateful for all Donna is doing.” Donna is also the Manager of Houston’s Costume Connection, a warehouse collaborative started by Main Street Theater and The Ensemble Theatre for arts groups to share resources and rent costumes for productions.

The local press has covered Donna’s work extensively:

Houston Chronicle

Houston Press

Houstonia Magazine

Houston Family Magazine

Houston Public Media

Leftover fabric from the Scarecrow’s costume were turned into the masks above.

Fabric from the Flying Monkeys costumes were used to make the masks above.

Art Together with MST

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Our artists are sharing monologues and songs, all via short videos.

Rice University article featuring Tamara Siler & her performance above

Videos and activities for our Theater for Youth friends!

The Cat in the Hat Study Guides

The Cat in the Hat activity

More Junie B. Online Activities

Magic Treehouse Word Search

Magic Treehouse Habitat Match

Word Scramble with Frog and Toad

Frog and Toad’s Mystery Word

Goodnight Moon matching objects

Short, online theater classes for children –
or anyone who wants to have a little fun!

Our MainStage Part of the Art Series goes online with behind the scenes/ insider looks at productions and more.

An insider look into what happens when actors “break,” meaning they just can’t help laughing on stage! This is a gem from Joel Sandel from MST’s 1993 production of Tom Stoppard’s Rough Crossing. As actor Mark Roberts said of this moment, “Sometimes the audience wants to see the real human under the mask we wear for them on stage, and I think they thought it was a rare treat. I don’t know that I thought it was a treat at the time, but I certainly do now.”

A behind the scenes look at what happens in technical rehearsals for a play, specifically MST’s 2015 production of Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson. Shannon Emerick shares her personal experience of the process and illuminates how the director, designers, and actors all truly work together to create the world of a play.

Well, we were all ready to go with our production of Cry It Out when the world changed. We never got to give you the play, but we can take you on an insider’s tour of the set with designer Adam Thornton and director Rachel Ollagnon! Enjoy!

So part of live theater is what you do when an actor doesn’t show up for a performance and you have a full house waiting to see the play. Yes, this really happens! (Thankfully not very often!) Here is a legendary story from our history. It’s a classic example of the magic of live theater!

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