Who is rising youth theatre?

Kate Haas (she/her/hers) is a Phoenix-based performer, writer, teaching artist, and collaborator. She holds a BA in Theatre from Arizona State University, where she especially enjoyed working on the Student Production Board to help produce student-driven work. She has also been part of the ensemble with Childsplay since 2007, and has spent many months during the year touring theatre into schools and devising new work with her students. Kate believes in the power of art to stimulate conversation, empathy, self-expression, healing, and social change; and she is passionate about integrating the arts into educational curriculum. She also works in the Doctoring program at the UofA College of Medicine in downtown Phoenix, where medical students train to communicate efficiently and empathetically with their patients. Kate is the Financial Collaborator for Rising Youth Theatre, and has also appeared in The Light Rail Plays, which she loves due to its emphasis on creating art in unexpected places.

Trinity “Trini” Lugo (they/ she) is a queer 22 year old Chicana artist; who mainly focuses on writing, poetry, movement, and acting; but has been a director, and crew member before. They are a Transforming Artistic Collaborator with Rising Youth Theatre, where they have been working since 2016; freshly started out as a performer for Light Rail Plays then became part of the staff team. Outside of work, Trinity loves spending time with her cats Power and Aiko, video games, make-up, reading, thrifting, and watching anything horror. They hope through their passion and love for the arts and social justice that they will make an impact and call to action for change. 

Rachel Solis (she/her) is the Technical Artistic Collaborator for Rising Youth Theatre. She has an expertise in theatre production, having formerly worked as the Production Manager of Childsplay and stage managed throughout the state of Arizona. She is passionate about finding innovative ways to create art with young people in unexpected places. She holds a BA in Theatre Design and Technology from Northern Arizona University and is currently pursuing a MA in Art Education from the University of Florida. When she’s not constructing sets or designing calendar systems she can usually be found running, painting, or listening to audiobooks.  

Xanthia Angel Walker (she/her/hers) is an ensemble-based theatre artist, director, facilitator, creative strategist, and educator. She works locally, nationally, and internationally at the intersections of multigenerational collaboration, site-specific performance, justice, dialogue, and community. She earned an MFA in Theatre for Youth from Arizona State University. Xanthia is a Producing Artistic Collaborator of Rising Youth Theatre. Xanthia is also a founding member of the Las Fronterizas Ensemble, which creates original multidisciplinary work to honor, celebrate and visibilize stories of people and place that shape binational communities. Xanthia is a certified facilitator of Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process. She works with the Design and Arts Corps at Arizona State University, dedicated to learning that centers community wisdom in community-engaged partnerships and practices in arts and design. She is the winner of the 2015 Phoenix New Times Big Brain Award in Performing Art. Her writing is featured in the anthology Staging Social Justice: Collaborating to Create Activist Theatre.