Program Management

Dallas Thomas

Dallas Thomas

Director of Education and Engagement,
African American Shakespeare Company

Dallas oversees Handful Players programming and brings a wealth of dance training in hip-hop, jazz, contemporary, and musical theater. Since arriving in the bay area in 2016, Dallas has thrived in both the performing arts and education fields, excelling as a teaching artist and program director. Beyond his professional role, Dallas co-owns and directs a youth dance non-profit alongside his husband, united by their mission to extend high-quality performing arts opportunities to underprivileged communities and support aspiring artists of color in their journey to become performing art educators. Dallas’s ultimate aspiration is to create an inclusive platform that empowers diverse talents to flourish in the realm of performing arts education.

Benjamin Viray

Benjamin Viray

Youth Education Program Manager

Benjamin’s passion for serving youth started early in his career, where he took on different roles at his local school district. His desire to work with children grew through his work at Big Lift Inspiring Summers, in which he taught STEAM-based curriculum and worked to help improve the reading and writing proficiency of students at elementary schools in his community. He now utilizes his quantitative and education-focused background as the program and business coordinator at Handful Players, where he impacts the students through his support of the teaching artists, both inside and outside the classroom. Benjamin graduated from St. Mary’s College of California in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a double minor in math and computer science.

Darien Caine

Darien Caine

Program Coordinator

Darien understands first-hand the impact of performing arts on underserved youth having studied and performed in Handful Players’ musical theater programs for two years as a youth. He values the chance now to give back to a group that had a significant impact on his life by helping him gain tools to see the world from more than one perspective. As Program Coordinator, Darien manages the scheduling of program workshops and special event activities and related reporting and general administrative tasks. He serves as the liaison helping teaching artists and partner camp contacts stay connected and in communication. He has a B.S. in Biochemistry from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.