Indie & Indie
Meet The Wedding Party
Indie Theater Fund
Partner
Indie Theater Fund was established as the LIT Fund, inspired by an idea of Judith Malina and Brad Burgess', and was originally housed within the League of Independent Theater. It became its own organization in 2012 and focused on a new model for funding the indie theater community. By contributing a nickel per ticket from their shows to a pot of money for funding, the indie theater community could create a method of self sustainability, and could rethink philanthropy and the process of grant making. Since 2012 The Indie Theater Fund has supported hundreds of indie theater companies and thousands of individual artists with radically transparent and equitable grants, community resources and advocacy.
IndieSpace
Partner
IndieSpace was established in 2016 to disrupt the ongoing displacement of small theaters and to address systemic inequities in NYC real estate. IndieSpace's role was to support indie venues facing a real estate transition, challenge or opportunity, and help them create PERMANENT solutions. IndieSpace would help arts organizations plant roots and grow. Since our founding we've: consulted with 70+ venues making real estate decisions; helped 18 organizations sign new leases; saved seven theaters from being closed or repurposed; created four real estate operation partnerships; walked one venue through the purchase of their new home; co-established a rehearsal space co-op in a 99 year lease and, during Covid, we supported over 50 venues navigating their leases and helping them stay open.
Randi Berry
Officiant
Randi is the Executive Director and is a founding partner of both IndieSpace and the Indie Theater Fund. Randi’s background is in theater, arts advocacy and commercial real estate and spans over the last 20+ years. What's your favorite song to dance to at a wedding? Intergalactic was the song I danced to at my wedding so its a favorite. Mostly I love any old school hip hop What's your favorite or funniest ITF/IndieSpace memory or moment? My favorite moment, every year, is pulling the names out of the bucket at the Big Give. And it was a new level of thrilled when we were able to support our first venue through the purchase of their new home - The Bushwick Starr
Brea Clemons
Maid of Honor
With a background in production Management, non-profit administration, and commercial real estate, Brea joined IndieSpace in 2020 and is currently the organization's Program Manager. She also serves on the IndieSpace board. What's your favorite song to dance to at a wedding? Cha Cha Slide, Cupid Shuffle, Electric Slide... I love a group dance that gets everyone on the dance floor. Young, Old, dancer or not, these songs do a great job of getting everyone up and moving. What's a wedding tradition/style/element you feel should never go away? And why? 1st Dance!
Gonzalo Casals
Flower Girl/Ring Bearer
Gonzalo Casals is the Senior Research and Policy Fellow for Arts and Culture at the Andrew W. Mellow Foundation. A cultural producer, arts administrator, and policymaker, Gonzalo held various executive roles at El Museo del Barrio (2006-2013), Friends of the High Line (2013-2017), and the Leslie-Lohman Museum (2017-2020). Recently, he was the Commissioner for the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, where he directed cultural policy for the City of New York.
Raquel Almazan
Wedding Party
Raquel is an interdisciplinary performer, writer, director and educator and currently works as the Artistic Director of LA LUCHA ARTS. She joined the Indie Theater Fund board in 2018 and currently serves as one of the board co-presidents. What's your favorite song to dance to at a wedding? Tainted Love - you just want to move to it and also reminds you of the complexities of Love and how it's always in flux What's a wedding tradition/style/element you feel should never go away? And why? CAKE- CAKE- CAKE- its a necessity when celebrating and entering into a new phase of life
Joseph Auld
Wedding Party
Joseph Auld is a Senior Executive in the New York City design, construction, and real estate industry and has worked with clients including the Baryshinikov Arts Center, Pratt Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, and Bronx Lebanon Hospital. He joined the IndieSpace board in 2018.
Brian Berk
Wedding Party
Brian is a New York City native, and joined the Indie Theater fund board in the spring of 2019. He is a co-founder of SpotCo Advertising, a design and advertising agency specializing in the marketing of Broadway shows and live-entertainment. He currently serves as our board treasurer. Words of advice for the married couple? Enjoy each others company and be patience with one another. Allow your partner to grow. What's your favorite or funniest ITF/IndieSpace memory or moment? A favorite memory is from the end of March 2020 when we started to get foundation support for our COVID relief efforts and it became clear that we would be able to reach so many more people than we had ever imagined two weeks earlier. It felt gratifying during a dark time.
Andrew Clarke
Wedding Party
Andrew Clarke is the Jamaican born Founder and Executive Director of Braata Productions. Since the company's founding, Andrew has produced over two dozen productions including staged readings, fully mounted shows and regional tours of new and established works. He is the newest member of the IndieSpace board and joined in March of 2022.
Dechelle Damien
Wedding Party
Dechelle Damien is currently the Director of Human Resources at Serengeti Asset Management, she is also a founding member & co-Artistic Director of Wreckio Ensemble. Damien officially joined the Indie Theater Fund board in 2020, but has been a volunteer of both the organizations since their creation. Words of advice for the married couple? Laugh A LOT. Travel A LOT. Try new things together and support time apart. Be honest - The arguments it may cause will save loads of arguments in the long run. Be okay with being wrong. What's your favorite song to dance to at a wedding? Anything HIPHOP or GETDOWN FUNK
Pamela Kupper
Wedding Party
Pamela Kupper is a trained theatrical lighting designer with over 20 years of experience designing theatre, opera, corporate events, archi-tainment and fashion projects. She is the founder of THESAN, a full service lighting company. Kupper joined the IndieSpace board in 2017.
Paul Leibowitz
Wedding Party
Paul is a founding partner of IndieSpace and serves as one of our board co-presidents. Paul is the Director of Capital Markets at Capalino, where he focuses on raising capital, arranging debt and equity and structuring joint ventures for a wide range of projects in real estate and various business sectors, through Capalino's wholly owned subsidiary, Capalino Ventures, and has a real estate career spanning over 25 years dedicated in New York City. What's a wedding tradition/style/element you feel should never go away? And why? There's typically that one guest that drinks way too much at the wedding, creates a scene, and regrets it later. The tradition should be preserved. It's often a friend carried away in cherishing the moment and over time, will be a fond memory for the wedding couple and guests. Words of advice for the married couple? When your spouse asks 'how do I look?', do not respond with 'fine'.
Marty Linsky
Wedding Party
Marty taught leadership, politics and media at the Harvard Kennedy School for nearly 40 years. Additionally he co-founded a leadership consulting practice, which he sold to the staff in 2013. . Marty has been an Indie Theater Fund board member for over 3 years. What's your favorite or funniest ITF/IndieSpace memory or moment? To come: finally getting together in person, as a manifestation of our moving on from Covid as an organization and a community. Favorite song to dance to at a wedding? Been so long since I have danced that all I can come up with is the very parochial hora!
Samuel Morales Jr.
Wedding Party
Samuel Morales Jr. is a Senior Technical Program Manager at Square, focusing on Privacy and Business Continuity. Samuel has worked in the technology industry for over 17 years (including 15 years at Google). He has been a member of the IndieSpace board since December of 2017. Words of advice for the married couple? Don't be afraid to have the big conversations! What's a wedding tradition/style/element you feel should never go away? And why? Freezing a piece of wedding cake and eating it on your one year anniversary. I just love cake.
Siobhan O'neill
Wedding Party
Siobhan is a founding partner and co-owner of the live theatrical production company, For The Record Live. For almost a decade she also worked as a booking agent and actor in New York City. She is a founding board member of the Indie Theater Fund. What's your favorite song to dance to at a wedding? Anything up-tempo by Stevie Wonder What's a wedding tradition/style/element you feel should never go away? And why? Having a Flower girl/boy - kids are unpredictable and hilarious.
Erez Ziv
Wedding Party
Erez is a founding board member of IndieSpace and an important figure in the independent theater community in New York City. He currently works as the Artistic Director of FRIGID New York, a 501c3 non-profit theater company, and the Managing Director the indie theater company Horse Trade. What's your favorite song to dance to at a wedding? Let's Pretend We're Married by Prince What's a wedding tradition/style/element you feel should never go away? And why? The breaking of a glass... It gives permission to break things.
Lindsey Ruzza
Maid of Honor
Lindsey is thrilled to join the Indiespace Team as the Finance and Operations Coordinator! She has a background in nonprofit theatre administration and theatre for social justice, previously holding positions at Wingspan Arts, Manhattan Theatre Club, the Castillo Theatre, and Theatre Communications Group.