Jane Brazell
Booking Agent
We mourn the loss of Jane Brazell and celebrate her life everyday. She was a constant support to Peterson and an enthusiastic promoter of his work. Jane Brazell spent many years in the backstage of theaters around the world. Self-identifying as a "theatre techy," Jane believed in the magic making of theatre to add quality to life. Jane was an American Sign Language Interpreter and aunt to three magnificent nephews and one marvelous niece.
Dr. Jennifer O’Brien
Climate Change Researcher
Dr. O’Brien teaches Environmental Science at the Watkinson School in Hartford, CT. Passionate about teaching, she brings a deeper understanding of the environment to her students through project-based learning and the use of technology. She studied tree frogs in Puerto Rico and is also a mass consumer of pop culture. Ask her about climate change and cocktails.
Alex Skitolsky
Dramaturg
Alex Skitolsky is a director, dramaturg and activist who creates original, highly collaborative works addressing contemporary social issues and the experiences of marginalized populations. Over the past fifteen years, he has helped originate dozens of performances in collaboration with community groups, non-profit organizations, and professional theatre companies. Alex gets his grit and independent spirit from the city of Memphis but now calls Sunbury, PA home, where he facilitates his favorite collaborations as a partner, parent, and community volunteer.
Millville Meeting Support Committee
Four times a year Peterson meets with members of a support committee. This Quaker practice serves people who are activists, ministers, or going through major life changes. Each quarter Peterson submits a written report about the past three months and how things have been going. He reflects on his mission, dilemmas that arise while touring, and questions he is pondering. The support committee listens closely and asks probing questions to help Peterson better understand the nature of his work and his role in a rapidly changing world. In addition, the committee provides on-going support by sending encouraging notes and emails, being available to chat while Peterson is on the road, and providing him with stimulating articles and critical feedback. The members of the support committee are: Carol (clerk), Jen, Joan, Janice, and Mel.
Ruth Wilde
Collaborator
Ruth is the UK Outreach Worker for Christian Peacemaker Teams. She also works as National Coordinator for Inclusive Church, so she understands how oppressions can intersect, and how climate change is ‘sexist, racist and classist’. Ruth has known about the oppression of / racism against indigenous peoples since she went on a CPT delegation to Grassy Narrows First Nation, Ontario, Canada in 2011. Now she sees clearly that climate change is also 'racist' against indigenous peoples and she thinks this is painfully ironic because they are often the humans who live the most sustainably and most in harmony with the earth. This makes her more determined than ever to educate and speak out about what is happening to indigenous peoples around the world! Ruth lives in Birmingham, UK with her wife Ellie. Ruth and Peterson will tour the UK together in September 2018.
Prescott Allen Hazeltine
Researcher
Prescott grew up in the hills of western Massachusetts, and still feels most at home out in the wild. He went on to graduate from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with his undergraduate degree and has done post graduate studies at the University of Houston as well as the Gemological Institute in New York City. While hiking is a major passion, as is snowshoeing, he also love to read, research and learn, and can just as easily get lost in internet information as he can photographing the wilderness.
Dr. Natasha DeJarnett
Policy Analyst, Environmental Health, Center for Public Health Policy
Natasha DeJarnett, PhD, MPH is a Policy Analyst focusing on Environmental Health for the Center for Public Health Policy at the American Public Health Association. In 2017 she and Peterson collaborated and organized a workshop that focused on vulnerable populations and climate change. The interactive workshop considered vital questions: For too long, climate change communication has been framed as a wildlife conservation issue concerning polar bears and ice caps. But what about its impact on people, particularly on communities that are socially isolated but on the front lines of climate change? When it comes to extreme weather events, we are all in the same boat together, just not all on the same deck. Some people are disproportionately affected. In addition to saving lives and improving health, what other benefits happen when we shift our focus?
Glen Retief
Husband, Creative Consultant, Chief Snuggler
Glen Retief, Peterson's husband, writes fiction, memoir, literary journalism, and personal essays. He lives in Central PA with Peterson and teaches at the Writers’ Institute at Susquehanna University. Winner of the 2012 Lambda Literary Prize for Gay Non-Fiction, he authored, The Jack Bank--A Memoir of a South African Childhood.
David Rahrer
Webmaster
David Rahrer is a freelance web developer and server administrator from Lakeland, Florida, and he acts as both for petersontoscano.com.