Our Leadership

Daniel Swern (Producing Director)

Daniel Swern has directed the New Brunswick Theater Festival’s inaugural production of Romeo and Juliet/Romeo y Julieta, Ken Urban’s I Heart Kant, and Wendy MacLeod’s Juvenilia. As resident assistant director for Godlight Theatre Company he has worked on the world premiere of Jose Saramago’s Blindness (Drama Desk nomination, outstanding lighting design) and the New York premiere of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five (Drama Desk nomination, outstanding lighting design) at 59E59 Theaters. At Rutgers Univeristy, Dan has directed productions of Lysistrata, An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein, Week 12 of Suzan-Lori Parks’ 365 Days/365 Plays, and conceived and developed the ensemble performance piece, “The Body in Pain.” For coLAB Arts, Dan is a co-artistic director of the New Brunswick Theater Festival, producer of the Breakthrough Arts Fest, and producer of The Orphanage new play reading and development series. Dan is currently the associate producer for PDNYC LLC, presenting the New York premiere of London-based Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More. He is a proud graduate of Rutgers University.

Photo Andrew SaundersAndrew Saunders (Managing Director)

An actor and a musician, Andrew most recently worked with the George Street Playhouse Educational Touring Company performing issue-based plays for young and old audiences alike throughout New Jersey. Andrew played the role of Benvolio in the first annual NBTF production of Romeo y Julieta and is currently working on his second independent feature film, 11/11/11. As a musician, Andrew writes and
performs throughout the tri-state area (e.g. The Stone Pony, NJ and The Town Tavern, NYC) for the band Cotton.

“To be a member of coLAB is to share in the collective faith that art not only enriches, educates, and guides us, but that we bear the burdens and the questions of life together. It’s not a place for those that only want something better for themselves, though we all seek personal satisfaction on some level. The main difference is that in coLAB we succeed BECAUSE of our friends and our community, not in spite of them.”

Suzanne Lee

A dancer who is currently teaching at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. Suzanne has toured around the world, working with companies such as New York City Ballet, Dance New Amsterdam, Broadway Dance Center, New York City Dance Alliance, and the Australian Dance Theatre.

“coLAB has allowed me to keep working on my own art while helping others who haven’t had the same fortunate opportunities that I’ve been lucky enough to have. From the first festival to the first gallery reception, my journey with coLAB has been so amazing that I know no matter where life takes me, I won’t ever be that far from New Brunswick. “

John KellerJohn Keller

An actor and teaching artist who serves on the coLAB Leadership and is the Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of the New Brunswick Theater Festival. He served as Producer of NBTF’s inaugural production Romeo y Julieta. He is a native of New Brunswick, NJ and holds a Masters in Fine Arts in Acting from Rutgers University – Mason Gross School of the Arts. Rutgers Theater Company Credits include John Proctor in Crucible, Hermocrate in Triumph of Love, Gregory in Romeo and Juliet, Column Primrose in Seamarks as well as roles in Getting Out, Hard Heart, and Wilde Abandon.. In addition to teaching residencies in New Brunswick, Perth Amboy and Jersey City schools he also has taught Acting in the Rutgers University B.A. program. John has worked for 8 years in as both an actor and teaching artist. Off Off Broadway credits include world premiers of Summer by Martin Zuckerman with Turtle Shell Productions and You are now the Owner of This Suitcase with Theater 167 and directed by Ari Laura Kreith. At George Street Playhouse he appeared in Inspecting Carol directed by David Saint and starring Dan Lauria and Peter Scolari. Other regional credits include the Worcester Shakespeare Festival where he spent two summer seasons as a Resident Actor. Roles included Banquo in Macbeth, Theseus/Oberon in Midsummer Nights Dream, Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing, and Duke Orsino in Twelfth Night. While at Worcester Shakespeare Festival John also served as Co-Director of Education and taught an intensive summer High School Shakespeare Conservatory. He also has experience as a Company Member of Charleston Stage in Charleston, SC where he appeared in four main-stage productions and conducted over 20 short and long term theater education workshops in South Carolina elementary and high schools. Other regional credits include Growing Stage, and Emerald Isle Repertory and Centenary Stage.

Theresa Fransisco (Gallery Manager)

Currently a student, at Mason Gross School of the Arts majoring in both Studio Art (painting, sculpture) and Art History. Her main goal as manager of the coLAB gallery is to create a safe haven for artists and the general public to experience a greater sense of community and personal growth through the arts.

Jack Leary

Over 25 years experience as a performing musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist with over a dozen area ensembles. His chief musical project at present is The Band Called Fuse, a six-piece hip-hop/soul-rock band based in New Brunswick and gigging regularly in New York, Newark, and Philadelphia. In conjunction with coLAB, Jack has created Make It, a audience-directed live experience involving music, dance, live painting, and visual projections.