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MISSION STATEMENT
Resolve Productions develops and produces new work alongside reimagined established plays. We develop original voices while returning to established texts with fresh eyes, creating work that is immediate, human, and in direct conversation with the world we live in now.
Rooted in New York City, Resolve connects artists, audiences, and communities through bold, story-driven work.
OUR STORY
In 2015, a production of Misterman, developed at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts, was invited to headline Boulder Arts Week. We had the work, but no company to stand behind it.
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A group of collaborators, friends from graduate school, aligned in work ethic, passion, and belief, sat down to name what we were already building: a home for the work and a future to grow into.
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Resolve Productions was built to carry the principles we already lived by: collaboration, rigor, and a commitment to seeing work through, from first spark to full realization.
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A company formed not before the work, but because of it.
MEET THE TEAM
Melissa Firlit (She/Her)
Co-Founder & Artistic Director
Melissa Firlit is a New York–based director, producer, and educator, and the Artistic Director of Resolve Productions. Her work focuses on developing new voices and reimagining existing texts.
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Directing credits include 59E59 Theaters, The Tank, New Light Theater Project, Luna Stage, Mile Square Theatre, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Creede Repertory Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, FringeNYC, and United Solo, among others. With Resolve Productions, she has developed and presented new work in New York and internationally, including multiple runs at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Melissa is a full-time faculty member in the CAP21 Musical Theatre Conservatory at Molloy University, where she teaches acting and devised theatre and directs mainstage productions.
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She holds an MFA in Directing from Rutgers University and a BA in Theatre from University of Hartford, with additional training at the National Theater Institute. She is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
melissafirlit.com
Craig MacArthur Doležel
Co-Founder
Craig MacArthur is a New York City-based actor and graduate of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Praised for his work, including the Irish National Tour of ‘Misterman’ by Enda Walsh (directed by Melissa Firlit) and collaboration with Spectrum Dance Company for their production of ‘(IM)PULSE’ (directed by Donald Byrd), Craig is a certified Fitzmaurice Voicework instructor. He teaches master classes in voice and diction for the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Center, and is on faculty at HB Studio, guest lecturing at schools within NYU Tisch.
craigdolezel.com
Michael Thomas Walker (He/Him)
Collaborator
Michael Thomas Walker (he/him) is very excited to be working with Resolve Productions again having previously been involved in Misterman, Marrow, BUBBA, and The Glass Menage. He is an actor and a director and currently serves the Executive Producer at Theatre Tuscaloosa. He previously taught acting at the University of Montevallo and served as chair of the department. He holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Alabama and an MFA in Acting from Rutgers University.
Michael has worked as a performer at several Off-Broadway theatres including Classic Stage Company, New Light Theater Project, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Jean Cocteau Repertory, and Boomerang Theater Company. He has performed on US national tours that include Hairspray (Edna Turnblad) and Seussical the Musical (Horton the Elephant). His film and television appearances include Boardwalk Empire, Dirty Little Secret, Now That’s Cute, and Non-Stop.
Michael is a recipient of the Wildacres Playwriting Residency and was a finalist for the Edna St. Vincent Millay Colony Playwriting Residency. His solo show, BUBBA, received the Best Variety Show Award in the United Solo Festival, Best Solo Performance Award for the Planet Connections Festival and was a Time Out NY Critic's Pick. He is co-author of the play Canfield Drive which received its world premiere production at The Black Repertory Theatre in St. Louis and the National Black Theatre Festival.
Special thanks to his wife Kate and son Benjamin.
https://www.michaelthomaswalker.com/
Elaine Wong (She/Her)
Lighting Designer
Elaine Wong is a Toronto-based freelance lighting designer. She received her MFA in Stage Lighting Design from Rutgers University, and is the resident lighting designer with Resolve Productions NY. Her work focuses on using colour and space to support storytelling, especially in developing new works.
Previous designs with Resolve: Marrow, Misterman, Jack Offerman’s Big Uncut Flick, Bubba. Other design work includes: New Light Theater Project, Thingamajig Theatre Company, box. Productions, Mile Square Theatre, The Flea, Snapped Productions, American Theater Group, The Princeton Festival, Access Theatre, LSNelson Productions, Rutgers Theater Company, Preface Theatre, and others.
Elaine has also served as a Faculty Master Electrician and Lighting Supervisor with Montclair State University, a resident lighting designer for the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts, and a project manager with Moss LED.
www.elainewong-lx.weebly.com
Stephanie Genda (She/Her)
Costume Designer
NYC Theatre Credits: World premiere The Karpovsky Variations, The Lucky Ones, Romeo & Juliet (Boomerang Theater Company), Don’t Do This To Us! (The Tank), Marrow (59E59 and Edinburgh Fringe), Bubba (NY FringeFest), Complete Works of William Shakespeare…Abridged, Bunnicula (Mile Square Theatre), Satellites, Linger (Premiere Stages, Best Costume Design Broadway World); Regional Theatre Credits: World premiere Milkweed, The Brobot Adventure (Kitchen Theatre Company) Lucky Stiff, A Comedy of Tenors, Ripcord, The Importance of Being Earnest (Florida Repertory Theatre); 42nd Street, Lost in Yonkers (Riverside Theatre); Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (Tuacahn Center for the Arts); Crossing Swords, Tick, Tick…BOOM! (American Theatre Group). Othello (American Shakespeare Center) Broadway: Assistant Costume Designer Company, Ain’t No Mo, and Company (First National Tour). Stefanie works as the Assistant Costume Director at Manhattan Theatre Club on both their Broadway and Off Broadway theaters.
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http://www.stefaniegenda.com/
Kristyn Pope (She/Her)
Collaborator
Kristyn Pope is grateful for the opportunity to work with Melissa Firlit and Resolve Productions. Her NYC performance credits include Radio City Christmas Spectacular (Rockette/Swing), Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, and the Thoroughly Modern Millie Reunion Concert, as well as City Center Encores! productions of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Lady, Be Good!, and The New Yorkers. Regionally, she has performed at Arena Stage, Goodspeed Opera House, Houston Theatre Under The Stars, North Shore Music Theatre, Paper Mill Playhouse, and Walnut Street Theatre.
In collaboration with Melissa Firlit, Kristyn has choreographed productions of Cabaret, Anything Goes, and The Wedding Singer at Molloy/CAP21, where she is currently on faculty. Other recent work includes Hairspray (Fireside Theatre), White Christmas (Houston TUTS), 42nd Street (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), Beehive: The ’60s Musical (Florida Repertory Theatre), and Singin’ in the Rain (Ogunquit Playhouse).
She has taught for Broadway Dance Center, the A1 Conference, Steps on Broadway, Broadway Theatre Connection, and Motivated Movers. Kristyn holds a degree in Psychology from Northwestern University.
Melissa Melendez (She/Her)
Collaborator
Originally from France, Melissa Melendez is a French-American actor and singer based in NYC. Favorite acting credits include Men on Boats (directed by Melissa Firlit), and Victor/Victoria, and being a cold reader for 2+ years for a playwrights group.
Alongside her work as a performer, Melissa leads marketing and graphic design for theatre and beyond, including supporting Resolve Production's campaign for Jack Offerman's Big Uncut Flick at the 2025 Fringe Festival. Her work spans branding, social media, and visual storytelling, helping shape how projects connect with audiences.
Melissa is passionate about developing new work, supporting playwrights, and exploring stories rooted in history and cultural identity. Her work (both onstage and behind the scenes) is driven by collaboration, curiosity, and a sharp sense of humor.
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