ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Tyler Riley (he/him) is a New Jersey native. He graduated in 2013 from Stockton University with a B.A. in Theatre Studies. After graduating, Tyler had an 8-year career in house management, most notably at the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ, and at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, BA.

Tyler hopes that in this current role, he can help make Company of Fools even more equitable and inclusive by expanding our talent and design pools. He also aims to create lasting artistic partnerships with theatre service organizations and other theatre companies.

DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE

Alexandra (she/her) is pleased to be a part of the Company of Fools team. She has been called the “Swiss Army Knife of Theatre.”

Favorite acting roles include Gertrude in Hamlet, Mrs Alving in Ibsen’s Ghosts and Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Film and tv credits include featured roles in the Award Winning film Relevance, Gossiping Grams and an appearance on Saturday Night Live.

Alexandra produced her One Woman Show RANT! Shakespeare and Dating in NYC, at the Secret Theatre NY.

Full Length plays include Sunny Shores, a dramedy about family and Quickly’s, a mash-up of King Lear and Henry IV 1&2.

For more info go to alexandracremer.weebly.com.

CO-FOUNDER & LITERARY DIRECTOR

Cameron Clarke (he/him) is a producer, actor, and director with a vast breadth of independent theatre experience. Embracing the term "professional goofball & renaissance man" Cameron is also a writer, stage magician, clown, and educator. A proud Ecuadorian-American, a native of Virginia, and a passionate advocate for a diverse independent theatre community, Cameron founded Company of Fools (with managing director Collin Blackard) in 2016 in order to foster the exhibition and growth of early-career artists. His passion for diversity, inclusion, and new works has driven the company’s mission, and he is proud to now act as literary director & dramaturg-in-residence.

Directing credits with Company of Fools include our inaugural production of True West, a reading of The Pillowman, and CoF’s recent productions of Plucker and Belleville. A voracious reader and writer, Cameron earned his MFA in writing from Randolph College and is the lead fiction editor of The ASP Bulletin, a literary magazine. Cameron can be reached with questions or to submit work at cameron@companyoffoolstsheatre.com.

DIGITAL OPERATIONS MANAGER

Nikita Chernin (he/him) is a NYC-based theater multi-hyphenate specializing in stage management and digital storytelling. A proud member of the Stage Managers’ Association, Nikita has stage managed productions up and down the East Coast, championing thoughtful collaboration and organized chaos (the good kind). Past credits as Production Stage Manager include Blood at the Root, The Cherry Orchard, Frankenstein, Dracula, and Keely and Du.

In addition to his work behind the scenes, Nikita is a presented playwright and a firm believer that theater should be as bold offstage as it is on. As Digital Operations Manager, he’s excited to amplify Company of Fools’ mission through strategic content, community building, and a healthy dose of foolery.

He’s grateful to his friends, family, and collaborators for their support and encourages you to follow his theater adventures on Instagram at @n6chernin.

GENERAL MANAGER

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Lane McLeod Jackson (he/him) is the newest fool on the block, joining Company of Fools as Business Manager with a spreadsheet in one hand and a script in the other. A playwright and director by background, Lane’s excited to help the company continue producing fearless, contemporary theatre while making sure the behind-the-scenes stuff runs just as boldly. When he’s not wrangling documents, Lane writes plays full of myth, mess, and moral ambiguity. His work under the name Noir Theatre leans into pulp, power struggles, and theatrical excess (in the best way). He’s also the co-host of Paperback Radio, a narrative podcast he produces with his wife, author L.J. Longo. Lane joined Company of Fools because he believes in the work—its bite, its weirdness, its bravery. He’s here to help make sure the lights stay on, the forms get filed, and the fools keep fooling—with just enough structure to keep the magic going.

EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Michael Lee (he/him) is a theatre producer and general manager. He has a background in education, marketing, and analysis. He is grateful to Tyler Riley for introducing him to this ambitious organization and looks forward to helping Company of Fools to be a curious and standard-setting theatrical leader.

Michael is proud to be a supporter and partner to artists that are looking to create bold new works and stretch the existing boundaries of theatres across peoples, places, and forms of media, with importance given to growth and sustainability outside of the traditional spheres of power.

He says he likes to sing show tunes but in reality, only can ever remember the words to the first couple lines of any given chorus. (It helps if the song title is part of the main lyric, but even that isn’t a guarantee.)

CO-FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR EMERITUS

Collin Blackard (he/him) is an actor and improvisor hailing from Oklahoma!  He owes a lot to his family and mentors, and is proud to have worked with Company of Fools.

He received a degree in Theatre from Oklahoma Baptist University.  He lived in Chicago and graduated from the Second City Conservatory and iO training center.  Collin continued his studies in New York at UCB, The Lee Strasberg Institute for Film and Theatre, and The New York Theatre Academy.  

Collin is proud to have played Lee in CoF's maiden production, True West.  His career highlights include Danny: Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Adam: Yankee Tavern, Adam Long: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), Henry: The Fantasticks and many more.

CLARE SOLLY (Former Staff Member)

Clare (she/her) was in CoF's inaugural production of True West. Clare is a California gal who has lived in NYC for a decade and has been performing for over thirty years.  A seltzer enthusiast who has published two novels, Clare is currently attempting to publish two more in the next year. She is the Executive Director of The Bechdel Group.  Clare is usually found acting, writing, or dreaming of sitting on a sunny beach.  To find out more about Clare, fancy things about her, and her passions, head to www.claresolly.com or follow her on any of the social medias @actinglikeclare.