ARTA - Association of Regional Theater Artists - WNY

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ARTA - Association of Regional Theater Artists - WNY

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with community, advocacy, education and opportunity ARTA is committed to identifying and eliminating unfair and unsafe practices in our industry.

ARTA (Association of Regional Theatre Artists) is organized to provide Western New York Theatre
practitioners (actors, directors, designers, dramaturgs, choreographers, stage managers, technicians,
etc.) ARTA (Association of Regional Theatre Artists)’s mission is to provide its members with community, advocacy, education and opportunity, enhancing the richness of the live theatre produced in the WNY region. We foster equity, camaraderie, and community among our members in order to enrich, inspire, and empower them to advocate for themselves, their work, and each other.

10/23/2026

NEW COUNCIL MEMBER ALERT!

Emily McDonnell is a Buffalo based actor and costume technician with a BFA in Theatre Performance from Niagara University, and has recently begun her journey into the Buffalo Theatre world. She first found her love for Buffalo Theatre as an apprentice for SDP's "King Lear" in 2018, and has since longed to be a part of the community as an actor. She will soon be making her professional debut with ART during the 2026-27 season. Emily is passionate that theatre and all art forms provide an avenue for human connection, and strives to give that connection a larger platform. She is thrilled to be of service in ARTA's mission to hear and support the voices of the WNY Theatre community however she can.

10/22/2026

NEW COUNCIL MEMBER ALERT!

Juli Grygier is a Buffalo, NY-based performer and artist whose recent stage work spans The Hobbit (Aurora Players), Steel Magnolias (Rocking Horse Productions), and Anne of Green Gables (TOY), as well as The Informer, When Worlds Collide, and Die Drei Groschen Oper with ART, and The Early Girl and The Convent with The Brazen Faced Varlets. Offstage, she's just as likely to be found making glass mosaics, oil painting, tending her garden, or baking a pie at home.

10/21/2026

NEW COUNCIL MEMBER ALERT!

Sarah Emmerling is a WNY-based actor, vocalist, and aerialist, holding a BFA in Theatre Performance from Niagara University. In recent years, she has enjoyed working with the Kenan Center, the Brazen-Faced Varlets, First Look Buffalo, Bellissima Productions, and ART of WNY. She also assists behind-the-scenes with Unique Theatre and works as a children's character performer for Enchanting Birthdays of WNY. Sarah has recently begun Alba Technique training, a groundbreaking tool for emotional manipulation and a safe alternative to the sense memory technique. She is excited to pursue this training, and hopes to apply it to future work. Sarah is passionate about advocating for the unheard and using theatre to teach, inspire, question, and grow.

10/20/2026

NEW COUNCIL MEMBER ALERT!

Jon Elston is a career educator and the award-winning author of over thirty plays and musicals. In 2002 Elston co-founded Buffalo's Road Less Traveled Productions, where he supported the development of hundreds of new plays and the production of nearly forty world premieres by WNY playwrights. His own plays have been produced in Buffalo, New York City, Washington, D.C., and online. He has taught and directed at UB, Niagara University, Medaille College, SUNY Erie, SUNY Niagara, Villa Maria, and the University of Omaha, as well as in WNY schools as a theatre instructor and certified ELA teacher. Since 2013, Jon has taught students ages 11-18 to devise or write, develop, and produce their own original plays through the Alleyway Teen (AKA Alleyway Summer Theatre) Ensemble.

10/19/2026

NEW COUNCIL MEMBER ALERT!

Nikki Fae Dahlen (they/she/it) is a multi-faceted theatre artist based in Buffalo, NY. Her work spans the gamut from music direction to transcription to stage management to performing to writing and many things in between. Their work tends to focus on q***r/trans/disabled themes, including breaking cycles, questioning the status quo, and defining one's story for oneself.

Nikki originally moved to WNY for school at SUNY Fredonia, where it then spent eight years pursuing theatre in the town of Fredonia. Highlights include New Music Night: [REDACTED], a full concert of their music capped by a performance of their musical [REDACTED] (co-written with Charlotte Foxe) and co-operating Trash Rats Theatre Collective, a temporary theatre production collective that ran from 2022–2025, which focused on producing new work and highlighting q***r and trans talent.

Nikki moved to Buffalo in early 2026, where she is now re-establishing her footing in the theatre world! Future projects include R.I.P. Suffy Bummers, a meta musical parody of a popular teen vampire drama, and The Black Knight, an epic play-with-music about sapphic angst, puppets, and the nature of using violence against violent oppressors. To keep up with what Nikki is up to, follow it at .nikdahlen on Instagram or find them on Facebook at Nikki Fae Dahlen.

10/16/2026

NEW COUNCIL MEMBER ALERT!

Lex Cueva (they/them) is a multi-faceted performer that is very interested in breaking the binary in modern theatre performance. They hope to continue to open eyes to what’s possible when you work with actors who don’t “look” how they should. Some favorite Buffalo credits: FUNNY THING…FORUM (O’Connell & Company, Hero), RENT (Historic Palace Theatre, Benny), and was most recently seen in HIS GIRL WATSON (Grace and others) directed by Robyn Lee at Alleyway Theatre! Yay live theatre!!

10/15/2026

NEW COUNCIL MEMBER ALERT!

Paige Batt is an actor and director who took her first steps into the post-graduate arts over a decade ago. Within this time, she has worked backstage as stage crew and stage management, as a sound and lighting tech, onstage as an actor, and in the director’s seat in the pursuit of gaining a comprehensive understanding of theatre. In addition to her production experience, she has served on multiple committees, including Marketing, Play Reading, and the Theatre in Hamlin Park committees, working to bring free outdoor theatre to East Aurora and the surrounding areas.

10/12/2026

In honor of Indigenous Peoples Day, ARTA celebrates the many contributions to the performing and visual arts made by Indigenous People and Tribal Nations. Locally we recognize Native American Community Services of Erie and Niagara County, which honors and preserves Haudenosaunee traditions by offering cultural education, events, storytelling experiences, and language learning opportunities. These services help Native youth, adults, and elders connect with their heritage and strengthen cultural identity. For further information about NACS and their many services, visit http://www.nacswny.org/ .

09/24/2026

We're thrilled to welcome back Josh Wilde as Treasurer for the 2026-2028 term!

Josh wants to help usher ARTA into a new era that is driven by partnerships with other local community organizations and by sustainability; ARTA should not be alone in its mission for advocacy and change, and community partnerships would help to legitimize our work and ease the load on our volunteer-based coalition. No other organization in WNY is advocating for theatre practitioners outside of ARTA. ARTA is working to build a truly sustainable foundation for this advocacy work to make a genuine mark on this community. He's excited for the future of ARTA, especially from new dues-paying members and council members.

09/21/2026

Please give a warm welcome to our newly elected Co-President David Lundy!

David is a multiple Artie Award winning actor, a director, writer, and standup comic who has been a member of ARTA since its beginning. His aim is to help ARTA continue its work to create and maintain good, safe working relationships between theaters and practitioners.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Address

320 Porter Ave
Buffalo, NY
14201

Website

https://www.artawny.com/, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1afN5WkazfsBVvXx2_v4miKybGczdBhmbzs8FOsr7b-s/edit, https://for

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