The Shades of Gray Multi Arts Organization

Bellerose, New York, United States

Profile Campaigns

The Shades of Gray, founded by Miriam Ibrahim and Heidi Miller Smith in 2011, is a multi arts organization with the goal of exploring and honoring the "in between" of the common human experience. Using the tools of the expressive arts, The Shades of Gray aims at fostering understanding and acceptance of those who stand on the very edges of society.   WHO WE ARE: Miriam Ibrahim (Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director)grew up in Germany and Ethiopia. She began performing in high school and later graduated in 2005 from Stage School Music, Dance and Drama Hamburg. Throughout various theaters in Germany she played roles in Crucible (Theater Bonn), Hair (Theater an der Rott) and Mutter Afrika (Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg) and others. She moved to New York City in 2010 to study at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting where she graduated 2011 the 2 Year Evening Conservatory. In New York she played in Eastern Standard, Escape from Happiness. In addition to her work as an actress she also teaches (BINI e.V. Germany, Backstage Hamburg, Geminin Trust Ethiopia) and directs ("Playroom", "Fear", "Sterntaler", "Der Kluge Hase").    Heidi Mueller Smith  (Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director)is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she raised her three amazing kids and practiced Psychiatric nursing before finally chasing her dream of working in the theater.  Heidi’s theater experience started with training at, and then becoming a company member of, Milwaukee’s renowned improv group ComedySportz. This lead to her being cast as an actress at various local theaters in the Milwaukee area and then finally to her role as Co-founder and Artistic Director of the Cornerstone Theatre, with her husband, actor and teacher Cotter Smith. Heidi directed many of the plays at Cornerstone, including the highly acclaimed Cornerstone Cabaret, Long Days Journey Into Night, The Diary of Anne Frank and Twelve Angry Men. In addition to her directing and acting work, Heidi has been a theater teacher from pre-school age kids to her most recent position at Marquette University. Heidi is also proud to be working with the award-winning group Express Yourself Milwaukee, teaching multi-arts to At Risk and Incarcerated youth. Heidi has directed the Conservatory and Outreach students at Stella Adler Studios in New York and continuing to direct the tour of Dick Enberg’s one-man show COACH, about Marquette University’s legendary basketball coach Al McGuire, starring her husband Cotter. Most recently Heidi directed Keepingabreast, by Jackie Rosenfeld, for Manhattan Theatre Mission.    Gary Widlund (Administration and Co-Artistic Director) got his training at San Francisco State University and received a B.A. in Theater.  He moved to New York 14 years ago to pursue theater, and got caught up in the non-profit world at the National Hemophilia Foundation.  Working at NHF was helpful when he co-founded Crucible of American Theater – a non-profit theater company.  In addition to being the co-artistic director, Gary did the finances and administrative work of the organization.  He also directed their first stage play - an original piece called ‘Maejel and Mortimer.’  He graduated from Stella Adler Studio of Acting in 2010. Some of his favorite stage roles include Alan Strang in ‘Equus’ and Willy Loman in ‘Death of a Salesman.’   Leonie Ettinger (Head of PR and Marketing) is a New York City based actress, stage manager and producer. She graduated with a B.A. in Anthropology and Media from Goldsmiths College – University of London and completed 3 years of M.F.A.-equivalent training at Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Before moving to New York, she trained in the UK at Central School of Speech and Drama. She has acted and participated in productions in Germany, Israel and the UK including the FFT Düsseldorf and The Tricycle Theatre, London. New York City collaborations include The Living Theatre, Poetic Theater Productions, LEIMAY, Urban Stages, undergroundzero, The Brecht Forum, The Private Theatre with John Gould Rubin and La MaMa ETC with Everett Quinton. She recently appeared in 'Hurt' by Saviana Stanescu, directed by Adrian Roman at Manhattan Repertory Theatre. She is Head of PR and Marketing at The Shades of Gray.

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