Gabrielle Kurlander

Gabrielle L. Kurlander (born 1963) has been the president and CEO of the All Stars Project, Inc. (ASP), since 1990.^[1] An innovative non-profit producer, Kurlander has expanded and established the All Stars Project as one of the country’s leading youth development efforts and has raised over $50 million privately for its performance-based development programs. She has been featured in an article on philanthropy and performance in Fund Raising Management.

Acting career

Growing up in Ithaca, New York, Kurlander’s early career was in the performing arts; she began acting in professional summer stock and regional theater as a teenager. She studied acting with the acclaimed teacher William Esper.

Shortly after arriving in New York City to pursue an acting career, Kurlander was cast in the national tour of the Broadway hit, Biloxi Blues. Returning to New York in 1987, she joined the Castillo Theatre Company. An actress and singer, Kurlander has performed with the company in more than 35 productions and is a member of its directing staff.

Kurlander was executive producer of the award-winning independent film, Nothing Really Happens and of the dance/theatre show License to Dream, written by Fred Newman and choreographed by David Parsons.

Kurlander has been a member of the Castillo Theatre Company, which is part of the ASP, since 1987. She has performed in over 35 productions, is on the directing staff, and performs with the Castillo Players, the resident improvisational comedy troupe. In 2007, Kurlander starred as Susan B. Anthony in Backstage: A Love-Hate Relationship of the Women’s Movement. During the 2008-2009 Castillo Theatre season, she co-directed the musical Coming of Age in Korea with the dancer/choreographer Desmond Richardson.

Community organizing

In the mid to late 1980s, Kurlander spent several years volunteering as a community organizer for grassroots organizations, working in Harlem and in many of Brooklyn’s poor communities. She also participated in community organizing initiatives while on tour in Chicago and Philadelphia.

In 1988, Kurlander worked full-time as a top aide/scheduler to Lenora Fulani during her history-making independent run for the presidency. Following the campaign, she worked for Fulani in Harlem, and co-edited the book Independent Black Leadership in America.

Business development

When Kurlander took the helm at the ASP in 1990, she was its only staff member; the organization had a budget of $200,000 annually. Today, the ASP employs 34 people in four cities, reaches 10,000 youth, and has over 900 people volunteering annually. Since 1990, Kurlander has systematically led the creation of the ASP’s unique^{[citation needed]} partnership with the business community, expanding the ASP’s budget to $6.6 million, entirely through private sources.

In partnership with the retired prima ballerina Susan Jaffe, Kurlander has also established the ASP’s Artist Committee whose members include the actor Charles S. Dutton, the actor/comedienne Fran Drescher, the choreographer/dancer Bill T. Jones, the dancer/choreographer Desmond Richardson, the theatre director Robert Wilson and the actor/singer Donna Murphy.

Kurlander holds a BA in theater and business from SUNY Empire State and resides in the West Village.

References