THE TEAM

RACHEL CHANOFF

Founding Director

Rachel Chanoff has been working in performing arts and film for 35 years and is the founder and director of THE OFFICE performing arts + film, her New York City-based programming, consulting, and production company. She is the Curator of Performing Arts and Film for the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), Director of Programming of the CenterSeries at the '62 Center for Theater and Dance at Williams College, Consultant to the Feature Film and Theater Programs for the Sundance Institute and to the RAWI screenwriters lab in Jordan, Curator of The New York Jewish Film Festival and The Margaret Mead Film Festival, Senior Artistic Advisor to the FreshGrass Foundation, and the Artistic Director of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, New York’s longest running free outdoor performing arts festival. Rachel is proud to serve on the board of the 52nd Street Project and Working Films. She is also a long time participant in the Theater Development Fund’s Open Doors program, which introduces underserved high school students to the theater.

Professional highlight: Standing shoulder to shoulder with Prince in the wings at Celebrate Brooklyn! before his surprise performance.

LAURIE CEARLEY

Managing Director, Strategy

Joining Rachel in 1998, Laurie has been integral to the growth of THE OFFICE from the beginning. She is an original thinker with broad experience as a hands-on producer, a senior strategist, and a programmer across a range of genres including family programming, where she has helped to conceive numerous innovative series—among them Just Kidding!, Film Factory, and Bring You Own Kid. Since moving to the UK in 2009, she has taken the lead on international productions like William Kentridge’s The Head & The Load (Tate Modern, London; Ruhrtriennale, Duisburg) and Philip Miller's REwind: A Cantata for Voice, Tape, & Testimony (Southbank Centre, London; Baxter Theater, Cape Town), spearheaded ongoing consultancies such as the NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Center, and developed international strategies for the company. She has also been a programming consultant for Sound & Music, a UK organization that promotes challenging contemporary music and sound art. Laurie holds a BFA in Painting and Printmaking with a minor in Graphic Design; in a previous life she was a food stylist and private chef. She currently splits her time between Brighton and Southern France. 

Professional highlight: Watching Olli break his toe on a tent pole in the Hamptons while cooking jerk chicken for Kool & the Gang in a monsoon. 

OLLI CHANOFF

Managing Director, Programming

Olli began working for THE OFFICE in 2001. Since then he has booked countless shows, helped to shape scores of festival lineups and performing arts seasons at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, MASS MoCA, FreshGrass, and elsewhere, and been lead producer on events at major venues and festivals around the world including the Sydney Opera House, the Brighton Festival, Lincoln Center, and the Dublin International Theatre Festival. Olli is the Director of of Programming for the FreshGrass Foundation and the lead programmer and a co-producer of the FreshGrass Bluegrass and Roots Music Festival at MASS MoCA. Along with his programming and producing work, Olli maintains the voice of THE OFFICE, putting our curatorial work into context by creating marketing and promotional copy for our partner institutions and individual productions and overseeing all other written material. Prior to finding his calling at THE OFFICE, Olli was the editorial director of one too many startup Internet companies, a screenplay reader, a reluctant book publicist, a freelance production assistant, and a below average busker. He has a BA from Dartmouth College in English and American Literature. 

Professional highlight: 2 AM meal at a diner in LA with Lou Reed and his Tai Chi instructor Master Ren after a show at Royce Hall, where they advised me together on the proper way to eat a hamburger (no bun, no cheese, no condiments, with your hands).

ERICA ZIELINSKI

Managing Director, Producing and Development

In addition to serving as one of the lead strategists for the overall project of the opening of the REACH at the Kennedy Center, Erica is the Senior Producing Manager of the project in Phase 1. She will be on the ground in Washington, DC and be central in reviewing overall budget assumptions, assessing financial goals, and shaping a comprehensive expense budget.  She will revise and refine overall venue and timing schedule and internal communication tools for project management. She will also take charge of reviewing the overall staff structure. Erica was also Lead Producer of The Mile-Long Opera for THE OFFICE. Prior to joining THE OFFICE, Erica was the General Manager and Producer of the Lincoln Center Festival. She is the Founder/Principal of Global culture+art, a bespoke producing and project management consultancy.

Professional highlight: Being personally and graciously thanked from the stage by Elvis Costello.

VALERIE DILLON

Special Projects

I came to the United States in 1983 from Zimbabwe to study and graduate in piano performance at the American University. Arriving from this small African country I discovered many new things, most notably that I would be an unemployed pianist, so I changed course and spent the next 25 years owning and operating a contemporary art gallery in New York City. In the 2000’s I began shifting my focus from a primarily visual arts focus to multi-disciplinary artist representation. Hosting chamber music festivals and the performing arts in my gallery in the evenings, I was able to re-engage with my earlier passions. I am a founding board member of National Sawdust and the Lewis Prize for Music and consider myself fortunate to work on the most interesting special projects at the OFFICE. The most exciting moment in my life is loving and being loved in return- while listening to the Zimbabwe band Makoomba. My husband and I have a blended family of 4 children and 3 grandchildren-all spectacular and thriving.

Professional highlight: [can we ask Valerie?]

DIANE EBER

Senior Programmer and Producer

With more than 12 years of experience producing and programming live performances, Diane has become a master of remaining calm and organized in the midst of chaos. She has spanned the music industry working at a booking agency, a major record label and 8 years programming and producing at BRIC and BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn Festival. As Associate Producer of Celebrate Brooklyn, she contracted and advanced all performances, hired and managed a seasonal staff of over 100 people, created production schedules and event summaries, led weekly production meetings, and acquired all necessary Parks Department and City permits. She is able to deftly navigate a diverse population of stakeholders, from production staff to performers, and sponsors to attendees.

Professional highlights: Working with David Byrne at opening night of Celebrate Brooklyn in front of 27,000 people in Prospect Park and launching the Brooklyn Bridge Park Celebrate Brooklyn! dance party series.

LYNN KOEK

Senior Producer

While growing up wanting to rescue monkeys from poachers in Central Africa, Lynn was inevitably headed for a career in the arts. After studying Musicology at the University of Amsterdam, Lynn started working as a freelance producer in the Netherlands. She has worked in theater, music, film and visual arts as a producer, programmer, set dresser and director’s assistant. She has worked in the Netherlands, Australia, the United States and other places around the world. After joining THE OFFICE in March 2016 and living in New York for 4,5 years, she is currently based in Amsterdam and holding down the Europe-fort with Laurie. Lynn has worked intensively on many projects, including William Kentridge's Sibyl and The Head & the Load (filling a double role as directors assistant and producer), Triumphs and Laments, Refuse the Hour, Bangsokol: A Requiem for Cambodia and many others. Besides her work at THE OFFICE, she occasionally creates soundtracks, plays Zimbabwean mbira, and travels back to New York City regularly. 

Professional highlight: Being in the rehearsal room when Philip Miller & Thuthuka Sibisi’s breathtaking music for Triumphs and Laments was played live for the first time.

NOAH BASHEVKIN

Programmer and Producer

Before joining THE OFFICE team in April 2016, Noah studied English Literature and Religion at Williams College, with an emphasis on critical theory and film. Since graduating, Noah has worked in film production, international film distribution strategy, and as an associate with Catapult Film Fund, for whom he still serves as a program advisor. He has served on programming committees for Rooftop Films, Hamptons International Film Festival, and DOC NYC, and served as an application evaluator for Fork Films. At THE OFFICE, Noah produced the feature documentary MUSEUM TOWN, programs High Mud Comedy Festival at MASS MoCA, produced the US Tour of Carrie Mae Weems’ PAST TENSE, and consults across programming in film, theater, and dance. He mostly watches movies, but enjoys reading a good memoir in his down time.

Professional highlight: Helping Meryl Streep with pronunciations for her voice work on MUSEUM TOWN.

CATHERINE DeGENNARO

Producer and Programmer

While studying English and American Musical Culture at Georgetown, Catherine followed her love of music and multimedia storytelling through Washington D.C., working everywhere from college radio studios and record stores to NPR Music and The Kennedy Center. After graduation, Catherine spent four years with the Performing Arts team at MASS MoCA where she offered administrative and front of house support to events from major music festivals to site-specific works in the museum’s galleries and spearheaded local artist outreach. Since landing in New York and joining THE OFFICE in 2017, Catherine has been lucky to cross the city and globe working on William Kentridge's The Head & The Load, Bangsokol: A Requiem for Cambodia, and The American Museum of Natural History's annual Margaret Mead Film Festival and inaugural EarthFest. In her off hours, she enjoys thinking about Mt. Greylock and starting too many books and craft projects at once.  

Professional highlight: Slowly but successfully driving Laurie Anderson through a Berkshire blizzard to visit her future studio space in MASS MoCA’s Building 6.

GABRIELLE DAVENPORT

Programmer and Producer

Gabrielle hails from Oakland, California, where a love for music was instilled in her starting with Afro-Cuban percussion classes in the first grade. After landing in New York for college, she wrote for a few music blogs before diving into producing; she has since stage-managed at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater, worked closely with festival producers at globalFEST and BRIC, and programmed with Make Music New York. She has also booked for a handful of bands, and contributed to independent projects locally and abroad, both as a performer and producer, including The Hum. Gabrielle joined THE OFFICE in November 2017 to engage singers from across New York for The Mile-Long Opera, feeding her love of public programming. She graduated from Barnard College, and often daydreams about returning to grad school for Ethnomusicology. She spends her free time in Brooklyn cooking, biking, and working on her radio show.

Professional highlight: Booking friends & funk musicians Shareef Keyes & The Groove to open for the legendary Roy Ayers at the inaugural BRIC House Sessions show.

CHLOE GOLDING

Contracts Administrator

Chloe joined THE OFFICE in June of 2018, and we have little memory of life before her arrival. As Contracts Administrator, she coordinates all agreements with our various partner institutions, as well as with the vendors, individuals, venues, and other contracting parties associated with our many productions, and administers all incoming and outgoing financial transactions. She does this with both extraordinary attention to detail and a surprising level of good humor. Chloe graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a double major in Piano Performance and Music Business, and attended the Performing Arts Administration Masters program at NYU. Prior to becoming part of THE OFFICE team she was a development fellow at HERE Arts center, a freelance musician, and a music teacher (she continues the latter two). In her free time she likes to go to shows, eat brunch, and play a lot of music.

Professional highlight: Hanging out in the Tourists hotel lounge latenight after the High Mud Comedy Festival at MASS MoCA with her new favorite comedians Cat Cohen, Sarah Squirm, and Michelle Buteau.

BRUNA D’AVILA

Associate Producer

Bruna is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and a recent graduate of the University of Michigan with a BFA Theatre Directing class of 2019. She interned with THE OFFICE in 2018 and was so excited to re-join the team as a full-time employee days after graduation. Bruna started with a bang as an associate producer on The Mile Long Opera; feeling invincible after that she worked on The REACH opening Festival at the Kennedy Center, Waterlicht, Antigone in Ferguson, the Margaret Mead Film Festival, and the For Freedoms Congress, among other projects. Bruna is excited for many more adventures in art with her amazing colleagues! Outside of THE OFFICE, Bruna collaborates with her friends as the Resident Director for The Originals Theatre Festival. She is also always looking for new playwrights who tell stories about women and Latinx culture to collaborate with!

Professional Highlight: Casually eating lunch at The REACH with Norm Lewis, Megan Hilty, Patina Miller, Adam Jacobs and Alan Menken singing their Disney hearts out!

KYLA GARDNER

Finance and Operations Coordinator

Born and raised in New York City, Brooklyn-Native Kyla is no stranger to the arts. Growing up, Kyla adopted the art form of dance, finding an energizing expression of self through Modern dance. By high school, she tapped into her love for architecture where she honed into her skills for design and, surprisingly enough, science and math. Kyla graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in Finance and is rapidly approaching the completion of her Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst Certification. Before getting involved with THE OFFICE, Kyla was a part of The Armory for 6 years, both interning and working part-time, where she was able to get behind the scenes insight to numerous performing art projects and installations. An opportunity to offer support for the production Antigone in Ferguson introduced Kyla to THE OFFICE and the rest is history. Since joining THE OFFICE in 2019, Kyla has worked diligently in offering internal database support while also effectively process and analyze financial information. On her off time, Kyla enjoys being a tourist in her city, reading books, and staying active.  

Professional highlight: Chatting in between scenes with Diamond Jones and Obi Abili during the run of Antigone in Ferguson.