Bert Goldstein (Founder/Producer, Young Minnesota Playwrights) is a theatre professional with more than forty years of experience as an actor, producer, director, and educator. He served as Education Director at the Cincinnati Playhouse for 12 years. He most recently served 15 years as Director of the Institute for Arts and Creativity at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts at Michigan State University, where he built nationally recognized programs in Shakespeare education, musical theater, playwriting, and arts integration. He also launched Wharton Center Theater Productions, producing and directing over a dozen plays and musicals, commissioning work from artists including Keith Glover, José Cruz González, The Dance Exchange, Inlet Dance Theater, and Ken LaZebnik.

Steve Barberio (Producer, Director), is a seasoned theatre producer, director, and nonprofit leader. While achieving artistic and educational success as Artistic Director of Stages Theatre Company for 17 years, Steve led the creation of the Hopkins Center for the Arts, sparking a cultural renaissance in downtown Hopkins, Minnesota. He also co-founded the Mainstreet School of Performing Arts (now PiM Arts High School) reached national recognition for his leadership in arts education. Steve now serves as an independent producer, director, and facilitator. His work blends artistic vision with entrepreneurial leadership to grow communities and organizations.

Stephen DiMenna (Artistic Director, Park Square Theatre) is Artistic Director of Park Square Theatre in St. Paul and founder of The International Theatre Project, which brings theatre education to youth in developing countries. A Minneapolis resident, he is also a company member at Pillsbury House Theatre and a freelance director and educator. Stephen spent 24 years in New York directing Off-Broadway and for television, with credits at MCC Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Roundabout, and others. He has taught directing and acting at NYU and currently serves on the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA faculty.

Jack Moorman (Education Program Coordinator, Park Square Theatre) is Education Program Coordinator at Park Square Theatre and a freelance director, choreographer, and playwright/lyricist. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago, his credits include Goosebumps the Musical and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at Park Square; The Garden and Head Over Heels at Children’s Theatre Company; and Alice by Heart with EPE. Jack has directed, choreographed, and written original works including Creature, The Isle of the Dodo, and Bog Girl. He is the playwright and lyricist of the new musical Alice’s Wonderland, available on streaming platforms.

2026 Mentors

To be announced in early 2026.

2026 Directors

To be announced in spring of 2026.