Meet the First Theatre Ombuds

For the past year, Nathalie Rodrigues de Carvalho has been the Production Ombuds for Smith Street Stage in Brooklyn, New York. Although the 12 year old theatre company is a small non-profit, it has been offering an Ombuds for many of its recent productions. Currently, she is the Ombuds for The Comedy of Errors in Carroll Park. So far, she is the only Ombuds working directly and exclusively for a theatre. 

Carvalho explains her Ombuds role with the company:

I work with actors specifically to ensure they do not feel powerless within the hierarchical power structure of theatre companies, and am currently exploring how the role of Ombuds fits in within the entertainment industry overall. A lot of my passion for the wellbeing of artists comes from my own background of having been in the industry and felt personally how little resources there were that could mediate conflicts or help me report harmful interactions.

Carvalho has been a professional actress herself on both coasts, working in theatre, film, and television. She graduated from the University of Southern California and earned a BFA at New York University. She is currently completing a MSW at Columbia University. (Broadway World; LinkedIn.)