Creative Team

Theo Fantozzi

Artistic Director

Theo is proud to serve as Artistic Director since the company’s inception, where he has been part of the effort to create space for youth-led theater to thrive. Theo’s directing work with YSSP includes A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, and its most recent collaboration with The Collective, Macbeth — in addition to production management, lighting design, set design, and occasionally acting. He is currently studying a Directing and Stage Management BFA at the University of Rhode Island, as well as founding and acting as president for URI’s Student Led Theatre Collective. Recent non-YSSP credits include: Hamlet (Director), Polaroid Stories (Assistant Director), By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (Assistant Lighting Designer), Speech and Debate (Stage Manager).

Ella Mizera

Executive Director

Ella Mizera is the co-founder of the Youth Shakespeare Society of Pittsburgh, and has worked variously as an actor, director, manager, designer, and fight choreographer for the company since its founding in 2019. Favorite credits, in no particular order: Steel City Shakespeare’s Emma (Harriet), Food for Groundlings’ Hamlet (Ophelia) and Richard III (Anne), YSSP’s Macbeth with The Collective (Duncan/fight choreographer), Pitt Stages’ Emilia (Lord Howard/fight captain), and Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Robin Hood (asst. fight choreographer). She is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh studying theater arts and nonprofit management. She also serves on the board of Steel City Shakespeare Center and Play on Words Podcast, and is a member of the Society of American Fight Directors.

Grace Randall

Grace Randall has worked as a costume designer, actor, and director for the Youth Shakespeare Society of Pittsburgh since joining the company in 2019. Her previous YSSP credits include Much Ado About Nothing (Costume Designer), Twelfth Night (Costume Designer), Macbeth (Co-Director, Porter), and Hamlet (Ophelia). A sophomore Drama major at Kenyon College, she has worked off-stage on several recent productions as a member of the wardrobe crew and, most recently, on-stage in the role of the Constable of France in Kenyon’s Spring 2023 production of Henry V. Extracurricularly, she serves as the Music Director of The Broken Legs, Kenyon’s premier musical theatre a cappella group.

Ella Craig

Ella has directed one show (Romeo and Juliet) and assistant directed two shows with YSSP. They’ve been apart of theater since they were 8 years old, and they never knew they’d become a director, or even want to become one. In June of 2022, she was apart of her first YSSP production of Twelfth Night where she played the role of Viola. They had no idea of the amazing effect YSSP would have on their creative life and career, and are glad to be a member of the Creative Team today!

Kinsley Beachler

Emma Perman

Emma joined Youth Shakespeare Society of Pittsburgh in 2023. She was Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and has continued as an actress. She also has worked with other theater programs and has acted; such roles include Benny in Rent, Ariel in the Little Mermaid, Vi Moore in Footloose, and Mordcha in Fiddler on the Roof. YSSP has created such a positive impact in her life and she is happy to be apart of the Creative Team and continue to help it grow.

Sydney Forschein

Sydney is thrilled to be a member of YSSP’s Creative Team. She has worked with YSSP in Twelfth Night (Fabian), Much Ado About Nothing (Verges/Ursula), and helped out with the run crew in Romeo & Juliet. She also won honorable mention in the annual Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Shakespeare monologue and scene contest. In addition to doing Shakespeare whenever she can, Sydney is always writing something: plays, poetry, short stories, and everything else that inspires her.