Sara Jarrell is thrilled to be a part of the inaugural cohort of Miami Next Drama. They are a founding member of Creators Under No Theater, and currently Artistic Director of Main Street Players. Some of their previous directing credits include “Ama.Egg.Oya” by Lori Felipe Barkin, “Medea” by Euripidies, “I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire” by Sam Hurley, and “Ms.Holmes and Ms. Watson Apt. 2B” by Kate Hamill. She is currently working on Ann Gillespie’s “Choreographing a Rape Scene to go into a Feminist Play” with Lakehouseranch.png. Sara’s work is centered around uplifting fem/queer artists. They strive to tell stories that speak to the modern feminine experience through new work or reimagined classics. Through their work they hope to impact the South Florida community, and inspire important conversations. When not directing Sara can be found teaching. They have been a teaching artist in Miami for the last 10 years, and currently is the Drama Magnet Teacher at South Miami K-8 Center. A Miami native, Sara received their BFA in Theater Performance from New World School of the Arts, University of Florida. They would like to thank their fabulous husband, for continually holding down the fort so that they can pursue their dreams. You can follow them @singing_loudly on instagram.

Ariel Cipolla (@arielonset) is a Mexican-Argentine theatre artist based in Miami, Florida, and a Next Drama Fellow at Miami New Drama. As a playwright, he has been the Daniel J. Sullivan Playwright-in-Residence at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2024) and a participant in City Theatre’s HOMEGROWN (2023) and NextGen Young Playwrights (2017). His play NO PUEDO, I’M SORRY was an O’Neill National Playwrights Conference semifinalist, and his produced works include THE VULTURES and SO YOU THINK YOU CAN STAY? As a producer, he is Communications Manager for Juggerknot Theatre Company; he has produced with Abre Camino Collective, New City Players, and New Wave Drama; and he was Managing Director of the inaugural Coconut Grove Theatre Festival. Ariel is also an Emmy Award-winning television producer.

Alex Gonzalez is a Cuban-American director and theatermaker dedicated to creating collaborative spaces where bold, authentic storytelling can flourish. He is the founding Artistic Director of Latiné Theater Lab, a new company committed to uplifting Latiné voices and making theater more accessible to diverse communities. Favorite directing credits include Mud, Eurydice, and Reefer Madness. With a background in arts education, human resources, and leadership, Alex brings a unique blend of creative vision, strategic thinking, and community-building to every project.

Ariana De La Hoz is a Venezuelan theatre artist based in Miami. She currently works as a scenic designer, costume designer and prop master. Since beginning her full-time design career three years ago, she has helped shape productions at JCAT, including Little Shop of Horrors, Avenue Q School Edition, and the world premieres of Mystical Water and Four Women. She is a proud Broward College graduate with an Associate in Arts in Theatre, and she loves the exchange of ideas that comes from collaborating with other artists and directors. She brings care, creativity, and practical experience to her work and looks forward to learning from Miami New Drama’s artists and mentors as she continues developing her voice as a designer.

Cristina Marie Pla-Guzman is a Miami-based director, playwright, performer, theatre journalist, and award-winning theatre educator whose work centers on new play development, collaboration, curiosity, and creative risk. Her theatre education work has received national recognition from the Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University, the Educational Theatre Association, The ASCAP Foundation and Stephen Schwartz, and the Kennedy Center and Stephen Sondheim. For more than 20 years, she has built rehearsal rooms grounded in rigorous text exploration, trust, and a commitment to discovering what is possible in the room. Her artistic practice spans contemporary plays, musicals, devised theatre, and new work. Her plays include The Day She Forgot My Name and I. You. She is a 2025 City Theatre HOMEGROWN Playwriting Cohort member, a Theatre Communications Group Rising Leader of Color for Theatre Journalism, and a Eugene O’Neill Theater Center National Critics Institute Fellow.