NAE was founded by Michael DeFilippis, Gianna Kiehl and Scott Gordon. They met as American expats at The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, one of the world’s most prestigious theater programs, where they developed what Lev Dodin would call a “spiritual like-mindedness,” and as storytellers, a shared vocabulary of instrument. 

 

Their individual experiences navigating the entertainment industry eventually drove each to their own realization that the careers they’d envisioned could only be made possible by stepping outside of existing paradigms, taking the reins, and charting their own course. 

 

Beyond all that, they possess a deep and enduring friendship, for which processing communication has always served as the foundation. That same foundation is the one on which New American Ensemble is built. They are not simply artists who appreciate one another’s talent: they are a team of capable and experienced producers, operating out of a spirit of mutual accountability, dedicated to a shared mission of theater.