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MEET THE MOS COMPANY
ELLIE M. PLOURDE
CO-FOUNDER & CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Ellie is a New York City–based actor, producer, and casting professional. As a child actor, she found her footing onstage at The North Carolina Theatre and got an early taste of life on set being directed by the great Shirley MacLaine. From there, she spent her teen years juggling theatre roles, commercials, and voiceovers—falling in love with storytelling in all its forms. Ellie went on to study Theater at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she fell hard for indie theatre and new work. Over her decade in Philly, she performed in eight world premiere productions, sharpening her love for bold and collaborative storytelling. In 2015, she made the leap in to producing and directing with sold-out runs in the Philadelphia SoLow Festival and at the NuBox Theatre in New York City of This Is Not About 9/11, a documentary-style play written by Sarah Van Auken. Ellie is a Terry Knickerbocker Studio graduate and a proud member of both AEA and SAG-AFTRA.
After years of navigating an industry full of barriers—and watching her peers do the same—she founded the Making Our Space showcase to challenge the overpriced, for-profit showcase model. It was a leap toward taking ownership of her career and creating space for authentic artistic connection between actors and industry professionals—without the steep price tag. After producing three successful industry showcases, Making Our Space Theatre Co. was born. The company continues to grow as a platform for bold storytelling, brave, ensemble-driven work, and a new standard for indie theatre in New York—one where cost doesn’t dictate quality, and community is at the center of it all.
SOPHIA CASTUERA
CO-FOUNDER & CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Sophia Castuera is an actor, filmmaker, and producer based in Brooklyn, NY. Producing credits include: august at twenty-two (also Director), doing fine (also supporting actor), VOCE (also Director and actor), and the upcoming Good Choices (also director and actor).
Sophia is passionate about community-building. Though she lives in a city overflowing with artists, the experience can be quite isolating and lonesome, especially being surrounded by big-budget projects, expensive workshops, and showcase opportunities, and the sometimes ugly competitiveness many say "just comes with this industry." It doesn't have to be this way. Sophia is thrilled to be on the producing team for Making Our Space because of the organization's goal to offer a low-cost showcase opportunity, as well as a chance to build community with fellow actors and artists who genuinely want to be there for each other and lift each other up. There is room for all of us, and we have the power and the right to make our own space, with some help from our friends.
ELI MAZURSKY
CO-FOUNDER & CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Eli Mazursky is an actor/writer/producer based in Brooklyn. He attended Boston University’s School of Theatre with a concentration in acting. He also attended the 2-year acting program at the William Esper Studio upon arriving in NY. He’s worked as an Art Director and Production Supervisor for film (including Somewhere in Queens for dir. Ray Romano, Three Women for Showtime) and commercial projects (including Google, Dodge, and Zara). He has a passion for the collaborative nature of storytelling through theater and film. Eli has dreamed for a long time of being part of an organization that creates affordable opportunities for actors to learn and showcase their talent. He strongly believes Making Our Space has the power to create a home for a formidable community of storytellers in NYC.
Spencer whale
DIRECTOR OF NEW WORKS
Spencer Whale is a Brooklyn-based director and playwright focused on developing subversive new works and unearthing fresh, queer readings of classics. Recent projects include Making Our Space Theatre Co.’s inaugural production of Bathsheba Doran’s Kin and the premiere of Justin Halle’s end-of-days comedy Vile Isle at the Tank. Spencer made his Broadway debut last year as Assistant Director on Lempicka, directed by Rachel Chavkin. He received his MFA in Directing from Columbia University, where productions included his original play Cuck, Cuck, Bull; Justin Halle’s Vile Isle and Cowgirl; The Two Noble Kinsmen; and Vanya: An Active Analysis Workshop. He studied under Anne Bogart, whom he assisted on SITI Company’s farewell tour revival of The Medium. His training in new play development includes stints as Directing Fellow at Manhattan Theatre Club and Directing and Producing Fellow at City Theatre, where he helmed the Young Playwrights Festival, led developmental workshops, and assistant directed productions including Nomad Motel (NNPN Rolling World Premiere), A Funny Thing Happened…, and The Guard. Other favorite productions include Sam Morrison’s Hello, Daddy! for Dixon Place’s HOT! Festival; LUNGS, Fun Home, Big Fish, and Quentin Crisp: The Last Word in Pittsburgh; and Titus Andronicus and subculture at Cornell. Spencer has also worked with the Pittsburgh Public, Quantum, Kinetic, and Hangar Theaters. He is a patented inventor and inductee into the National Gallery for America’s Young Inventors.
GIANNA COLLIER
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, MARKETING & DEVELOPMENT
Gianna Collier is an actor and producer based in New York, NY. She attended NYU, receiving her BA in Cinema Studies from the Tisch School of the Arts before completing the 2-year acting program at Terry Knickerbocker Studio. She has appeared in several commercial projects for major brands including Champion and Zarbees Naturals, and was featured in Seventeen and Teen Vogue for her LGBTQ+ advocacy work with GLAAD. Her most recent credit includes the indie feature film Junction, directed by Bryan Greenberg.
Gianna has always been passionate about indie storytelling, and her work off-screen includes event operations for film festivals such as Sundance and Tribeca. She co-organized The Museum of Modern Art’s 2018 DocFortnight film festival. Ever since she participated in the inaugural showcase, she knew that Making Our Space was a unique opportunity to create art and foster community for artists, by artists.
Aside from acting, Gianna’s talents run the gamut from film photography and writing to poetry and competitive rowing.
SEAN CHURCH-GONZALEZ
DIRECTOR OF OUTREACH & EVENTS
An Ecuadorian-Lebanese Irishman, Sean was born and raised in Astoria, Queens and grew up speaking Spanish. He studied Film Directing at The Academy for Careers in Television and Film, the Meisner Technique at The Acting Studio’s Conservatory, and earned a Bachelors of Arts from SUNY Purchase’s Theater & Performance Conservatory. His Manhattan theatrical debut was as the lead in the recent production of Waiting for Antonio at the Hudson Guild Theatre. His television debut was on CBS’s FBI. In May of 2023, he graduated from the acclaimed Neighborhood Playhouse, 2 months later he made his Off-Broadway debut as ANGEL in the production of Bettinger’s Luggage, and just got off the set of Law and Order. He is honored to be joining the MOS team and is excited to start working on projects from the other side of the table.
JOSHUA PIPER
LITERARY MANAGER
Joshua Taylor Piper is a playwright and actor who recently graduated from Wagner College in Spring 2024 with a BA in Theatre Performance. He is now attending Pace to get his MFA in Playwriting. He’s very excited to take on the role of Literary Manager with Making Our Space Theatre Co.! His plays have been performed at the Wild Project, The Tank, The Secret Theatre, The Atlantic Acting School, Pace University, and Wagner College. Most recently his play Café Americano was seen at the Wild Project for the Fresh Fruit LGBTQ+ Festival. His play To The Moon And Back was previously published in Volume 35 of the Pirandello Society of America’s Journal. A monologue of his has been published in some scripts’ “Monologues by LGBTQIA+ Writers for LGBTQIA+ Actors”.
SHAY MCWEENEY
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Shay McWeeney is an actor from San Francisco, California, living in Astoria, New York. She graduated from Point Park University with a BFA in Acting and an Applied Music Minor where her favorite roles included Imogen in Much Ado About Nothing and Sally Applewhite/ Mary in It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Before undergrad, she also studied at The American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, California in the Summer Training Congress, San Francisco Semester Program, Young Conservatory, and Studio. You may have seen her in Seance in the Black Cat's Back Room in The Secret Theatre's Short Play Festival or in Witches Brew at Producer's Club. Beyond acting, she enjoys taking classes at The Freeman Studio, singing and playing guitar, and collaborating with fellow artists. Shay believes that storytelling's power lies in its ability to immerse audiences in emotions, relationships, and contexts outside their daily experiences, fostering empathy and potentially driving change. She also loves chocolate, sleeping, and farm animal videos.
