Alumni in Action

Yihui (Eva) Shen (‘19)
Yihui is a versatile theatre practitioner currently working at Seven Ages, China's leading musical production company where she oversees online theatre courses. She was involved in several musicals including the Mandarin version of Cinderella, Man of La Mancha, Avenue Q, The Sound of Music, and the Matilda tour of China. She is thrilled to see the growth of Chinese musical market and hopes this art form will continue to bring happiness to many people.

Eric Schwartz ('12)
Eric, the Interactive Products and Operations Director at The Shubert Organization, oversees product and project management for over 20 Shubert Ticketing products. He also chairs Shubert's customer service committee, supporting theatergoers at 30 venues. Ensuring success for patrons and producers, Eric has managed many of the biggest on-sales in Broadway history. His favorite event is the annual Broadway Flea Market where he enthusiastically runs the Shubert table.

Hyoseon Kim ('16)
Hyoseon is an arts administrator working to support underrepresented arts communities. Her current interests lie at the intersections of inequality, disability, and “normality” within the arts. Hyoseon manages international relations for the Korea Disability Arts and Culture Center (KDAC) in South Korea. Currently, she is also an International Society for the Performing Arts Fellow (2019-2021). Prior to joining KDAC, Hyoseon served as an education administrator at Flushing Town Hall in New York.

Francine Sheffield ('12)
For six years, Francine performed around the world with Urban Bush Women. After earning her MA, she worked as an artist representative for Pentacle. In 2014, she founded Sheffield Global Arts Management, offering exceptional artist representation and consulting services with a focus on women and people of color. Francine serves on the board of the Association for Performing Arts Professionals, and co-chairs the Agent, Managers, Producers and Promoters Council for Dance/USA.

Kyle Pickles ('06)
Kyle is the associate general manager for American Ballet Theatre where he has worked for 13 years. In his current role, he works closely with the general manager and his primary responsibilities include managing labor relations, cultivating presenter partnerships, and producing special projects. Along with the company manager, he  handles all touring logistics for the 130 members company moving them across the country and around the globe.

Shu-Chun Lai ('03)
Shu-Chun is the business director of New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center in Shanghai, China. Since 2019, she has been responsible for planning the 2023 grand opening of this performing arts center. Previously, for over 15 years Shu-Chun  served as tour manager, program director, and cultural attache at U-Theater Taiwan, Beijing Music Festival, Guangzhou Opera House, and British Council Taiwan. 

Shawn Choi ('07)
Shawn, the director of marketing and community engagement at Flushing Town Hall, came to New York from Seoul in 2004. He longed to build stronger ties between the Korean traditional and contemporary music scene and American audiences so he founded his own artist agency, SORI. Shawn has been an instrumental figure in raising awareness of Korea’s diverse and unique performing arts scene in the U.S. and Canada.

Rachel Risso-Gill ('12)
Rachel is the director of individual giving at the Park Avenue Armory. Prior to joining the Armory’s fundraising team, Rachel worked as the development associate at the Metropolitan Opera. She has freelanced in front of house and event management roles at many leading performing arts centers including Baryshnikov Arts Center, The Juilliard School, Lincoln Center, New York Philharmonic, and Theatre for a New Audience.

Bonnie Bee ('15)
Bonnie works in fundraising for Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, the national performing arts center of Singapore, where she focuses on developing and managing corporate and commercial partnerships. Starting her career in New York, she worked in marketing, PR, data analytics, and digital content development for nonprofit and for-profit arts organizations. She is interested in arts investment, corporate philanthropy, and audience development utilizing digital and physical platforms.