Born in Queens, NY in the U.S, C. Meranda Flachs-Surmanek (they/them) is an interdisciplinary scholar-activist practicing people’s theater, urban planning, poetry, and clown. As a facilitator, Meranda creates opportunities for people to perform differently with each other, on stage, in our organizations, and in civic life.
Meranda is influenced by experiences in the EmergeNYC Fellowship, their work with Arts for Art / the Vision Festival, Nancy Agabian’s Creative Writing from Queer Resistance workshop, and other spaces for ceremony and solidarity which help us unearth new truths about our shared world. These radical learning environments remind us how to hold freedom, joy, and beloved community.
Meranda is a graduate of New York University and Virginia Tech, where they obtained their Master’s in Urban & Regional Planning and Master’s of Fine Arts in Theatre for Public Dialogue focusing on the centrality of creativity in navigating complex social issues. Meranda is a Coach with the Center for Communicating Science, with a previous appointment as an Adjunct Instructor.
Past projects include the development of theatre programs that address moral injury and burnout with 1,000 healthcare workers at 20 hospital across the U.S. as a Lead Facilitator with The Clinic Performance, and Artist-in-Residence at Carilion Clinic.
Meranda’s Ashkenazi Jewish embodiment, white body, and working class upbringing impact their aesthetic process and approach to organizing.