About Angélica

Of the twenty two years in my fundraising career, sixteen of them have been spent in New York. I’ve seen, interviewed, and worked with dozens of the folks who seek positions in arts fundraising in that time: those who come to the city for a brief but important life experience; and those who, a decade later, have become a part of the culture and ecosystem of New York theatre. Those who stick around tend to have a certain quality about them – an expansive, bounteous generative energy that creates shows, jobs, audiences, organizations.

Angelica Vicens is one of those people. While she was working for me full-time including nights and weekends in an administrative role, she directed a full-length play and a sketch comedy series, taught theatre to children, took nightly college courses and a professional development seminar on producing, and still managed to keep up with contemporary pop culture. And I’m reminding myself now that this was all in just the six months prior to having to social distance and quarantine. She excelled at her job: a complex data and reporting-driven role requiring tremendous attention to detail. Her productions, despite shoestring budgets, were delivered at the peak of professionalism under her producing, direction, and/or stage management. I’m not specifically aware of her experience as a teacher or student, but can only say that I truly envy the kids, professors, and fellow students who got to work with her, and that every one of them can only be wiser for the experience. During the pandemic, a time when the world seems to be falling apart, Angelica was irrepressibly cheerful. She starts work each day excited for a new challenge, delighted to get to know someone new, and ready to engage in every meeting with valuable information and thoughtful suggestions. She asks questions until she has a complete understanding of a task, defends what she believes to be the right course of action, and speaks up if she observes something that can be improved.

Though her vision and abilities exceed this, I’ve said before that if I were running an Off-Off-Broadway theatre and looking for a single person to manage my fundraising operation, I’d hire Angelica in a heartbeat. After a single year together, she now possesses a systems and process-based knowledge every aspect of contributed revenue generation. Corresponding with donors, greeting them at productions, hosting events, writing grant proposals, maintaining a database, and preparing cash flow and revenue tracking documents are all familiar activities to her at this point. Furthermore, by sharing an office with Vineyard Theatre's Managing Director, she observed meetings with every department, in-person solicitations, and the day-to-day activity of running a theatre. When we had to start working from home in March of 2020, Angelica made sure that we didn’t skip a beat, setting up home office systems and equipment that had her up to full capacity in a matter of days. I cannot express more strongly that any investment in the professional development of Angelica Vicens will be an invaluable one for the future of our field. As it recovers from this pandemic, New York will be desperate for energetic and resourceful individuals like Ellen Stewart, Joe Papp, and Lucille Lortel. Angelica is emerging as just such an impresario, full of passion and organizational wherewithal, and already well on her way to remaking New York theatre in her image. I cannot think of anyone more talented, hardworking, or deserving of any opportunity. 

Angelica is the exact type of team member one hopes to find when undertaking a search – she is humble, hard-working, and fully aware of how her support in any capacity furthers the company’s mission. When the COVID-19 outbreak hit New York and our theatre’s entire way of operating was sent into a tailspin, Angelica became an anchor for our department and organization in many ways. During a time that was both emotionally taxing and professionally daunting, Angelica proved herself not only to have the most positive outlook on staff, but to be the true backbone of our department. I say without exaggeration that our emergency fundraising campaign would not have reached 150% of its goal without Angelica taking care of her vastly increased administrative duties with complete autonomy, detail and determination. What’s more, in the wake of the George Floyd protests, Angelica has generously lent her voice to our staff-wide antiracism discussions, sharing candidly about her experiences as a young Latinx professional and inspiring others on our team to be equally vulnerable and outspoken. As you can see from her resume, Angelica has intelligently shaped her early career through a diverse array of experiences, each of which she uses not only to build upon the last, but also to intentionally integrate into her leadership at her own independent company. Nothing would please me more than to see Angelica enhance the value of a worthy organization with the knowledge and skills she has ambitiously obtained at The Vineyard. Angelica is deeply loyal and discerning about the work she puts her name on. When she says she believes in your company’s purpose, you’ll be able to tell from the spark in her eye that she means it – and so will all of your constituents. I assure you that an investment in Angelica will be returned tenfold by her contributions to your success, as was the case while Angelica served on my team.

During my time at Lincoln Center Theater, Angélica was an absolutely vital presence in the Special Events team, demonstrating the kind of leadership and poise that is rare even in seasoned professionals. In what has been an exceptionally busy and demanding year, she has consistently risen to the occasion by managing competing priorities with grace, maintaining her standards under pressure, and showing up as a true pillar of the department. The depth of her commitment to this work, and to doing it well, is evident in everything she produces. Perhaps most impressive has been Angélica's ability to independently project manage a wide range of cultivation events from start to finish. She has taken ownership of these events with confidence and intention, navigating the many moving pieces involved without needing to be directed at every turn. That kind of self-sufficiency is exactly what Special Events requires, and she has delivered it consistently throughout the season. Angélica also has a remarkable talent for building systems and workflows that make our entire team more effective, such as the Opening Nights RSVP system. What sets her apart is that she doesn't just solve problems for herself, she designs solutions with the broader institution in mind, creating procedures that reflect industry best practices and elevate how LCT operates as a whole. Her contributions in this area have lasting value that will be felt well beyond a single season. Finally, it bears recognizing how thoughtfully Angélica has navigated a period of significant transition, adapting seamlessly to working with a new direct supervisor and a largely new executive team. Rather than letting that uncertainty slow her down, she leaned in — building trust, establishing rapport, and finding her footing quickly. She should be enormously proud of the year she has had, and it is a genuine pleasure to watch her grow.