Paco José Madden is the former Associate Director & Grant Writer for ASU Foundation. Previously, he was the Development Director for Class Acts Arts (now Artivate), an arts education organization in Silver Spring, MD which brings the performing artists to schools and out-of-school time programs. At Class Acts Arts, Mr. Madden managed grantwriting, individual giving, and special events. Other development experience includes grantwriting and fundraising at Washington Shakespeare Company (now WSC Avant Bard) and Young Playwrights Theater (YPT). As a teaching artist, Mr. Madden taught creative writing and dramatic arts at Imagination Stage, Inside Out Community Arts (now P.S. Arts), InterAct Story Theatre, and YPT and with several other organizations. While the Program Coordinator at InsideOut and the Program Associate at YPT, Mr. Madden oversaw programming for at-risk, special needs, and differently-abled youth; developed curriculum; managed artist teacher training and placement programs; performed community outreach; and coordinated final performances and camping retreats.
Mr. Madden received an MFA in Dramatic Writing from Arizona State University and a BA in Drama from Catholic University of America. He is an active playwright and screenwriter. His play, A Shakespeare Carol, combines Dicken’s A Christmas Carol with the life and works of William Shakespeare. The play will be produced by the ASU Theatre and Shakespeare Club this fall. Rosemary’s Baby Goes to High School, about the Devil’s daughter saving the world, will be produced by Phoenix’s b3 in the spring of 2020. Mr. Madden has received numerous accolades for his creative endeavors including five D.C. Larry Neal Writer’s Awards.