Cecilia Arana (she/her)
Artistic Director
Cecilia has a long history as a performing artist in NYC. She has worked with the NYC Kids Project for 24 years. She has served as actor, teacher and mentor for the 52nd St. Project, a company producing plays written by youth in economically under-resourced neighborhoods. Cecilia has also worked with The Floating Hospital Children’s Theatre, the Directors Company, and the Phoenix Ensemble Theater. She hosted a PBS show called “Backyard Safari” for 12 episodes, which explored science and nature from the eyes of a child. Cecilia has performed/sung in many languages, travelling with La Mama Company’s YARA Arts to Buryat Mongolia and Ukraine. She also taught puppetry and theatre to educators with the L’Arche Foundation in Krakow, Poland with the Kids Project. Cecilia has studied with Uta Hagen, Robert X. Modica and Wynn Handman. Mr. Handman directed her in a one-woman version of the book Dreaming in Cuban.
Mindy Pfeffer (she/her)
Executive Director
Mindy is an actor, playwright, and educator. She has worked with the NYC Kids Project for over 20 years. In 2011 and 2014 Mindy traveled to Krakow, Poland with the NYC Kids Project to teach puppetry and theatre to educators with the L’Arche Foundation. In addition to her work with the NYC Kids Project, she has taught theatre, improvisation, and creative writing to adults at the Omega Institute, to children at the Children’s Aid Society, and to teens at Kutz Camp Institute. As an actor, Mindy has appeared in over 60 plays in New York City and regionally. She has received three NYSCA Decentralization Grants for her work as a playwright. A portion of Mindy’s full-length play Dream Land was presented on the Coney Island Boardwalk! Most recently she performed her solo play Iron in Your Future at the Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Portland (ME) Fringe Festivals. She holds a BFA in theatre from Syracuse University.
Anne Karyna Bakan (she/her)
General Manager
Anne is an NYC-based director, dramaturg & administrator. Specializing in new play development, Anne works to uplift and develop the voices of women, TGNC & queer artists. In addition to her work with NYC Kids Project, Anne is a House Manager at Signature Theatre, Chelsea Factory & the Episcopal Actors’ Guild. Previously, she worked at Dobama Theatre as Assistant Managing Director, Stay True Theatre Company as Associate Artistic Director/Company Dramaturg and on the Front of House team at The Public Theater. While in graduate school at Sarah Lawrence College, Anne founded and served as Series Producer and Coordinator for SLC’s Graduate New Play Development Series. She currently lives in Harlem with her partner Megan and their cats: Felicity, Sawyer & Emmett.
Peter Michael Marino (he/him)
Resident Director
Peter is a NYC native who’s worked extensively as a producer, director, writer, teacher, and performer. He notoriously streamed over 150 performances of his solo shows Desperately Seeking the Exit, Show Up, Kids!, and the sci-do toy theater experience, Planet of the Grapes Live. His production company PM2 Entertainment has presented festivals and original comedy works everywhere from NYC to Australia, Canada, and the UK. Off-Broadway, he appeared in STOMP. He’s created a series of educational videos for The Kennedy Center and is currently the script supervisor and clown/host for Bushwick’s immersive circus, MoonRise. petermmarino.com
Jennica Carmona (she/her)
Teaching Artist
Jennica is an NYC-based Puerto Rican filmmaker, actor, and activist. Born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, and raised in Rochester, NY, she is a graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts. She is a proud co-founder of Si Se Puede Productions, a theatre and film production company that creates material with social justice themes. Jennica played the leading role of Carmen on the Emmy Award-winning series, WE ARE NEW YORK. She played Clara Ventura in TIME STORM, an award-winning children’s radio series produced by PRX which celebrates Puerto Rican history and visionaries. Other favorite roles: Marela in Anna in the Tropics (Hippodrome State Theatre) & Female Storyteller in Mi Casa, Tu Casa (Luna Stage). Jennica also originated the title role of Elvira in Elvira-The Immigration Play. Jennica's first feature film, Millie and the Lords was distributed by HBO Latino. Other films by Jennica include Fuerza y Poder and The Fellowship. When not working on her films or plays, Jennica enjoys spending time with her son Benjamin and husband Joel.
Kaia Parnell (she/they)
Teaching Artist
Kaia is a performer and teaching artist based in Brooklyn. Alongside NYC Kids Project, Kaia works with Broadway Bound Kids and Puppetsburg. They teach primarily improv and storytelling. Originally from Colorado, Kaia ventured to New York to attend Sarah Lawrence College, where she first encountered the magic of puppets. Kaia was awarded 2nd place in the SLCeeds Pitch Competition for her project Pride Kids Entertainment, a pitch for a production company dedicated to creating LGBTQIA+ content for children. Their solo one act, The Wallpaper is Yellow but I'm Fine, was performed in the Crimson and Clover series at The Tank. A lover of bizarre character work, Kaia's credits include everything from the physical embodiment of measuring time to voicing a haunted hat.
Christine Bruno (she/her)
Teaching Artist
Christine has worked nationally and internationally as an actor, director, singer, coach, and advocate for artists with disabilities. A teaching artist for NYC Kids Project for 10 years, she holds an MFA in Acting and Directing from the Actors Studio Masters Program. As a performer and director, Christine has worked throughout the U.S., U.K. and Australia. Her U.S. acting credits include The Glass Menagerie, The Crucible, A View from the Bridge, Spring Awakening, and TV’s Law & Order. As an advocate, Christine is the Co-chair of the NY PWD Committee, a member of the SAG-AFTRA national committee for Performers with Disabilities, and the Broadway League Diversity Committee. She has served as Disability Advocate for Inclusion in the Arts since 2005.
Andrew Duff (he/him)
Teaching Artist
Andrew is an actor and autism advocate based in Brooklyn. Andrew joined NYC Kids Project in 2018 as a teaching artist and consultant on autism related questions. He made his Off-Broadway debut in Tectonic Theater Project’s Uncommon Sense, a play exploring the autism spectrum. He recently utilized his Moment Work training to collaborate with Tectonic and Stages on the soundscape for a devised theatre workshop of Julius Caesar. A graduate of Bennington College, he has performed in a wide variety of shows ranging from contemporary classic Angels in America to self-made productions such as his one man show Where Are We Now?. He is a board member of Kaiser’s Room, a non-profit that provides performing arts programming for individuals of all abilities.
Michelle Kwak (she/her)
Marketing Intern
Michelle is from Northern Virginia and is a student at the NYU Leonard N. Stern School of Business. She is acquiring her B.S. in business with concentrations in Marketing and Finance. She joined the NYC Kids Project in 2024 and works with our marketing department to raise awareness of our organization and mission.