Ayelet Schrek
About Me
Ayelet is an educator and artist based in San Francisco, California. They specialize in the intersections of arts and socio-politics, the integration of multiple artistic forms, and facilitating brave and generous workspaces. In addition to their professional artistic pursuits, Ayelet enjoys a panoply of hobbies including music, writing, crafting, and wandering San Francisco's abundance of parks.
Born and raised in San Francisco, Ayelet's affinity for the arts was evidenced at an early age; even pre-verbal, they attempted to participate in family games and storytelling. As language developed, so did a rush of stories Ayelet would dictate to their parents or act out with their friends. As they got older, they'd write musical plays and record and edit videos with their friends as a form of play. Visual arts and crafting also began to develop as interests.
When Ayelet turned seven, they started participating in theatre classes after school, and camps in the summer. This began their formalized education in theater. Every subsequent summer was spent at a variety of performing arts camps. In middle school, they chose drama as their elective, and continued to do theater and art classes after school. They also discovered their love of writing, and in eighth grade, decided they wanted to become a teacher.
Ayelet then attended The Jewish Community High School of the Bay, where they came under the mentorship of Dylan Russell, the creator and director of the drama program. Ayelet participated in all twelve theatre productions as actor, director, playwright, dramaturg, and technician. They received a deep and thorough training with Dylan, and participated in theatrical endeavors outside of school such as the Young Playwrights Inc 'Urban Retreat' and Playground SF's 'Young Playwrights Project.' They also began interning with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, which would provide Ayelet's first professional teaching artist job once they turned eighteen.
Ayelet attended Brandeis University, where they continued to pursue theater, joining a sketch comedy troupe their first week on campus, directing one full-length show per year and a smattering of shorter pieces, co-founding the Brandeis Association of Rising Dramatists (BARD), Brandeis' first and only playwriting club, and acting in several projects. They also wrote as a theatre critic for two of the school's newspapers, had work published in multiple literary magazines, and participated in protest and social justice work. They worked on campus for the Theater Department as 'head usher' for productions and 'stitcher' in the costume shop. They graduated summa cum laude with high honors with a BA in 'English,' and minors in 'Theater Arts' and 'Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation.' They continued to teach each summer.
Post-graduation, Ayelet returned to San Francisco and found work as a sewing teacher, before landing in a position as Production Manager for the Jewish Community High School of the Bay's Theater Department. They continued to work with the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, teaching camp during the summers and residencies during the school year. When the pandemic hit, they transitioned into co-founding and co-leading SF Shakes' Education Workgroup, creating, adapting, and implementing programming. They also began offering virtual coaching. They've worked with several theatre companies around the Bay Area as actor, director, and playwright, and are now transitioning into a focus on psychology as a certified peer counselor, while continuing their work as a coach and, as always, making art.
A Quick Overview of Identity
Name: Ayelet Worton Schrek
Pronouns: They/them or ze/zir (or pick your favorite non-binary pronoun!)
Gender: Non-binary; genderqueer; agender
Sexual Orientation: Queer
Race: White
Ethnicity: Ashkenazi Jew
Religion: Secular Judaism; contentedly agnostic
Nationality: From the USA
Ability: Disabled and neuroqueer
Socioeconomic Status: Born middle class; income poor but with security nets
Education: Undergraduate degree; extra-institutional learning
Languages: English (fluent); Spanish (básico); Hebrew (basic)
Questions about any aspect of my identity? Please feel free to reach out and ask!