Staff
617 S. Olive Street, Suite 812
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Tel: 213.488.8488 Fax: 213.488.8498
admin@theunusualsuspects.org
Sally Fairman - Executive Director
Sally has 17 years theatrical experience as actress, writer, director, and producer in NY and LA. From 1987-1997, she taught ESL at Columbia University and City University of New York (CUNY), including a theatre workshop in which immigrant students created and performed original stories. She studied acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse in NYC. In 1997, as a first-time writer, she co-won the Jury Award, short play category, HBO Comedy Arts Festival, Aspen. The award brought her to LA, where she met with people from Showtime (and others), and eventually landed a job at a clothing boutique, where she had several celebrity sightings and ultimately met the Founder of Unusual Suspects (US), actress Laura Leigh Hughes. In 1999, she started volunteering as grant writer for US, and got a job at Hitech Systems, a public safety software vendor. At Hitech, she managed customer service and inside sales for emergency centers in the USA and Mexico. Since becoming Executive Director of US in 2005, Sally has lead a 500% expansion of the organization’s budget and programs and developed multiple community, government and school partnerships with probation, state youth corrections, and local title one schools. She has created re-entry opportunities for US alumni through the organization’s summer alumni program, expanded programming to include elementary through adult-age participants, implemented sequential learning opportunities, and overseen the organization’s unique, participant-driven community building initiative, which uses audience interaction and discussion to explore solutions to intractable local issues and develop leadership opportunities for youth and adults.
sally@theunusualsuspects.org
Melissa Denton - Program Director
Melissa Denton is an actor, director and arts administrator with over 15 years of arts education experience including 5 years as Project Coordinator with The Roundabout Theatre Company in New York, managing 20 teaching artists at Bronx Theatre High School. Her duties included site liaison, curriculum design, and serving as production manager for all theatrical performances. Prior to her time with US, Melissa received a B.S. in Speech Mass Communication from SDSU and later received an Arts-in-Education certificate from Manhattan Marymount College. She has worked as a teaching artist for various arts organizations in NYC including ENACT and the Guggenheim Museum. Melissa began working with The Unusual Suspects in 2006 as an event and program coordinator. Then in early 2008 became Program Director overseeing programming implementation and development, teacher training and curriculum development. Her directing credits include Buzzworks Theatre Company's Invasion of the Minnesota Normals, produced in 2008, Only You, awarded Pick of the Week by Back Stage West, Cabin Pressure, co-written by Maile Flanagan, and the world premiere of Pete's Garage by Joe Keyes. Her TV credits include Seinfeld, Mad TV, and Sex and the City and has provided the voices for the Oh Yeah! series on Nickelodeon.
melissa@theunusualsuspects.org
Joyce Lee - Senior Program Manager
Joyce is a child activist and has worked alongside We Tell Stories and Enrichment Works spearheading arts enrichment programs in Los Angeles County, Burbank, Orange County and other school districts. She has presented at events organized by LAUSD’s Arts Learning Branch, Arts for All, PATH (Promoting Alternatives for Teen Health), San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce, "Education is a Civil Right" Committee and the California Association of African-American Superintendents and Administrators. Joyce is an award winning actress, working in New York with the New Federal Theatre and Tribeca Theatre, as well as with Milwaukee Rep, Missouri Rep, and People’s Light and Theatre Company in Pennsylvania and is a member of the Association of Black Documentarians West. Joyce is presently a company member with The Robey Theatre, and with The Actor’s Studio. Her TV credits include Grey’s Anatomy, Cold Case, Drake and Josh, Law and Order, Judging Amy, and Ed.
joyce@theunusualsuspects.org
Ali Meisel - Associate Director of Development
Ali Meisel joined The Unusual Suspects in 2011, bringing extensive experience in the nonprofit sector. She worked with inner-city youth as an AmeriCorps volunteer with City Year Boston and held internships with several nonprofit organizations, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles and Plan International. Most recently, she was an associate at fund-development consulting firm Thurlow/Associates, where she managed fundraising activities for three Southern California nonprofit organizations. Ali serves on the Junior Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and is a member of the Los Angeles chapter of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network. She received her BA in International Relations and French from Tufts University. Ali is passionate about the importance of providing learning and growth opportunities to underserved youth.
Ali@theunusualsuspects.org
Amy Knutson-Administrative Assistant
Amy Knutson is a director, educator, and arts administrator. Since graduating from Covenant College in 2008 with a B.A. in Theatre and English Amy has worked both in the United States and internationally with theatre companies and performing arts organizations. Working closely with companies in new play and script development, theatre outreach, and arts education, Amy has worked alongside artists in Washington, D.C. (Imagination Stage, Rorschach Theatre, Journeymen Theatre Ensemble) , New York City (Hive Theatre Company, Hungry Savages), Cambodia, and now Los Angeles (The Unusual Suspects, EST-LA, Actors Co-op)
AmyK@theunusualsuspects.org
Rebecca
Sigl - Program Assistant
Rebecca Sigl is an actor and company member of Theatre of NOTE in Hollywood where last year she was lucky enough to be a part of the award-winning play "He Asked For It" by Erik Patterson. Other LA credits include Bianca in "Taming of the Shrew" and Salarino in "Merchant of Venice" for Shakespeare-by-the-Sea. She holds a BFA in Acting from Boston University. While in Boston she directed a program with high school students in which they wrote and performed their own one-act plays. Rebecca joins The Unusual Suspects after having spent the past year at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles Foundation where she worked in Operations/Donor Services and gained a priceless understanding of what it takes to keep a non-profit organization running. She believes wholeheartedly in the power of theatre and the mission of The Unusual Suspects and is honored to be a part of the administrative team.
Rebecca@theunusualsuspects.org
David
Guerra - Outreach Coordinator, Pacoima
David Guerra was born and raised in Los Angeles where he attended Bell High School and later graduated from East LA College. He transferred to the University of California, Santa Barbara receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre. Upon returning to LA he resumed his acting career and also became a teaching artist, mentoring and working with youth and adults in public schools and community centers. His film and television credits include: Cargo, La Rosa y El Gato, Flor de Naranja, Diagnosis X and Untold Stories of the ER. He served as a Teaching Artist for the second half of the program at Camp G in the Fall 2008, working as an acting coach for the youth performance of Belly of the Beast: The Quest for the Unsolved Mystery of the Tiger Suit.
David@theunusualsuspects.org
