Michael DeFilippis is the Artistic Director and co-founder of New American Ensemble. An actor and director originally from Chicago, he received his degree in acting from The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. While in London, he spent two years in apprenticeship to British director and pedagogue James Kemp, in the lineage of the Yat Malmgren Character Analysis work, developed out of Laban movement theory. Defilippis has trained for over a decade under Brian McManamon and has studied directing under John Gould-Rubin, founding member of Labyrinth Theater Company.  Michael is an alumnus of the directing track at the National Theatre Institute, and in 2025 was selected to attend the LaMama Umbria International Director’s Symposium.

Scott Gordon is the Co-Founder and Development Director of New American Ensemble. Born and raised in New Rochelle, NY, he attended The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, graduating with honors in 2018. While in London, he studied improvisation under master practitioner Adam Meggido, and Bouffon and LeCoq (specifically the Gaulier lineage) under movement expert John Baxter. Scott employs fundamental leadership lessons from his theatrical training to inform his day-to-day practice in the corporate space as the Customer Experience Event Coordinator at The Related Companies.

Gianna Kiehl is the Co-Founder and Executive Director at New American Ensemble. Raised between Burlington, VT and Munich, Germany, she graduated in 2018 from The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. While pursuing a commercial television career as an actor, Gianna was an associate producer at Ferodo Bridges, where she participated in research and development for the critically- acclaimed Antigone [on strike], which opened at The Park Theater in 2025. Gianna also executive produced the critically acclaimed world premier of David Persiva’s tragicomedy Us, staged at the White Bear Theater in Kennington. Gianna has long worked as a corporate leadership consultant, helping managerial teams increase efficiency through reframing communication. She also serves as Operations Director of Courageous Stage, an educational organization specializing in arts-integrated learning strategies and professional development for educators.