Sara Kiiru has been a passionate reader, writer, teacher, and performer since SHE was in elementary school! From reading Shakespeare (3rd grade), writing alternate lyrics for a talent show rendition of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” (7th grade), and performing lead roles like Maria and Rizzo (high school) to a career directing middle-school stage productions and teaching high school Language Arts, Sara has woven her passion for words into every role, hobby, and job.
She is currently the Library Assistant at Northside Elementary in Sun Prairie and the Founder/Director of POETICS, a school-based poetry club.
Casem AbuLughod is a Madison, Wisconsin-based performer and teaching artist. A graduate of UW-Madison and the City University of New York, he is a company member of Monkey Business Institute, Whoopensocker, and a member of Forward Theater’s Advisory Company. He works as a teaching artist with Whoopensocker and as an improv instructor with Monkey Business Institute.
He has performed with Children’s Theater of Madison, Verona Area Community Theater, the former Stroller’s Theater, Mercury Players, Forward Theater, and others.
Originally from Venezuela, Mayela Finol has been a resident of Wisconsin for 23 years. She is a graduate of Edgewood College, where she specialized in Art Therapy and Fine Arts.
Mayela’s tenure spans 13 years in the Madison School District, focusing on art education and therapeutic intervention for children grappling with behavioral challenges. This engagement has afforded her invaluable insights into the intricate dynamics of behavioral management and the transformative potential of artistic expression in fostering emotional well-being and personal growth among youth. She previously served as the mural production manager for Developing Artists and Mural Alliances, a nonprofit organization in Madison, WI, dedicated to fostering youth development through collective art experience.