The NOLA Project is lead by Artistic Director A.J. Allegra. He is a founding member of the organization, along with founding Artistic Director and friend Andrew Larimer. Allegra has over thirty credits with the company as a director, writer, and actor and has been nominated for over twenty Big Easy Awards and has won two, for directing Assassins (2008) and acting in Mr. Marmalade (2009). Under his leadership, TNP has commissioned and produced 16 world premiere plays and has formed many important cultural partnerships with area organizations, the most significant being The NOLA Project’s unique partnership with The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA). In 2012, he was named to Gambit Magazine’s prestigious 40 Under 40 List. He holds a BFA in Theatre from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, a Shakespeare in Performance Certification from RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts) in London, and an MS in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. He currently is a theatre faculty member at Lusher Charter School and previously taught in the NOCCA Theatre Department for seven years.