the core
Diane davis
Creative ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
A playwright and producer, Diane founded ETC to build a collaborative environment where theater artists come together to create cutting edge stories. She is a member of Actor’s Studio Playwright/Director’s Unit, and was an HB Studios Residency Fellow, Her plays have been developed or produced by Eden Theater, NYTW, AMIOS, Primary Stages, the Barrow Group, Goddard College and HB Studios, Diane studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse with Sandy Meisner, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. She earned a BA in theater from Bennington College and is currently part of the Columbia University MFA playwriting cohort. She is a member of the Dramatist Guild, League of Professional Theater Women, and Honor Roll advocacy group, working toward gender parity for women theatermakers.
Byron Anthony
Managing ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Byron believes that the performing arts are an intrinsic part of what it means to be human. Originally from the Central Coast of California, he is connected to the natural world and all creatures great and small. After graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he worked as an actor collaborating with artists such as Daniel Aukin, Adam Rapp, Derek Ahonen, and Matt Torney on and off stage. In 2021, he joined Brooklyn College’s MFA program in Performing Arts Management with a focus on general management. Recently, he joined Lincoln Center for the Performing arts as an Associate General Manager. As a multi-ethnic American, Byron is committed toward creating innovative, empowering, and sustainable spaces for all people.
Cassandra Paras
Founding Artistic Producer
A performer, writer, and stage and film art director, Cassandra is excited to help facilitate bringing artists together to create both traditional and experimental theater with Eden Theater Company. She currently oversees the aesthetic direction of all Eden Theater Company productions. Cassandra also acts in a variety of off-Broadway plays and films, such as Dan Auerbach's, Waiting on a Song, and on stage as Alice in Clinch, produced by Vertigo Theater Company, or as Arianne, in Lizzie Vieh's The Loneliest Number. Her previous credits include Jeri in Love and Human Remains, produced by Jen Rudolph, originating the role of Cathy in the Amoralist production of The Cheaters Club, and the critically acclaimed Matilda in The Bad and the Better, directed by Daniel Aukin. Cassandra continues to make short films, most notably Sketch, City on Angels, and How to Break Up with your Mother. She is working on a full-length movie script.