Michael Gonzalez, a New York-based Latino screenwriter and TV writer, holds a degree in Race and Satire from New York University and is currently enrolled in Columbia University's Screenwriting and Directing MFA program. He approaches comedy with a deep seriousness. His short film, HEAT, delves into the dissolution of an interracial couple's relationship, both social media influencers, amidst the backdrop of a wellness retreat one year after the Black Lives Matter movement and during COVID-19. Set in the Hudson Valley, the film explores the complexities of their relationship, where their public personas clash with their private identities. Amid hot yoga, scenic hikes, bird walks, and sound baths, the couple grapples with irreconcilable differences threatening their tranquil getaway, forcing them to confront their true selves amid the serenity they sought to escape to.

Affiliation: Columbia

I am an interdisciplinary visual artist from State College, PA. My primary medium is painting, but I also incorporate drawing, printmaking, textiles, and other media depending on the project. Originally from Korea, I moved to the USA after high school to study abroad. As an adventurous foodie, I love trying new recipes, exploring different ingredients from various countries, and learning about diverse culinary cultures. During my residency, I plan to work on my ongoing project, "Hate Alphabet," which examines power dynamics in language, colonial legacies, and the pressure of assimilation. Additionally, I am excited to see what new inspirations the residency might bring to start new artwork.

www.doahlee.com

Affiliation: Pen State

Allegra Ritchie (she/her) is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Voice and Speech, and Text in the School of Theatre at Penn State University. As an offshoot of her professional and personal enjoyment of heightened text, Allegra has developed a daily sonnet writing practice which fostered a deep observational curiosity about her relationship with the natural world. During her time at the Catwalk Institute, Allegra will be working on a project she’s dubbed “Human Animal” which combines sonnet writing and kinetic sculpture/ mobiles to explore this relationship between woman and wilderness though the lens of another of her hobbies— fly fishing. This will be Allegra’s first time as a Catwalk Resident, and she looks forward to joining this creative community this summer!

Affiliation: Penn State

Susan Hamburger is a theatrical lighting designer and educator. She received her MFA from Yale School of Drama and has worked at NYU as their Dance Production Manager for 19 years. She will be using this residency to work on a handbook for dancers to use as a reference guide to self-produce in New York City. Though specific to dance production and New York City venues and nuances, most of the information is practical and applicable to other live performance events and other cities.

Affiliation: NYU/Tisch

I am a playwright-poet-musician from Manhattan who writes language-charged scripts. My plays begin with the micro-politics of relationships and expand to social-political dimensions. I often write about women and girls who are marginal and disenfranchised and must fight hard for themselves. I will be working on revising my new full-length play, CAGE, about a thirteen-year-old girl who brings home a wild snake as a pet and provokes her emotionally distant mother. The play asks who we are in relationship to non-human species, looks through the angst of a lonely young teen who feels she has no future because of the climate emergency and desperately seeks her mother's love.

www.barbarablatner.com

Affiliation: Vassar