Artists from Suburbia was founded in 2015 as a new community-based theatre collective with three major goals in mind:
1. To allow community members from all different backgrounds and walks of life to participate in innovative, new theatrical works, allow their unique voices and perspectives to be heard and respected, and be regarded as valid artists wielding valid points of view.
2. To support and incorporate the works and talents of established artistic professionals, semi-professionals, and highly trained individuals alongside and amongst less-experienced members of their community to support a system of mutual growth, empathy, and social education.
3. To provide works outside of the traditional community-based theatre group's canon to local audiences at affordable prices.
1. To allow community members from all different backgrounds and walks of life to participate in innovative, new theatrical works, allow their unique voices and perspectives to be heard and respected, and be regarded as valid artists wielding valid points of view.
2. To support and incorporate the works and talents of established artistic professionals, semi-professionals, and highly trained individuals alongside and amongst less-experienced members of their community to support a system of mutual growth, empathy, and social education.
3. To provide works outside of the traditional community-based theatre group's canon to local audiences at affordable prices.
Co-Founder and Artistic Director, Andrew Child
With Artists from Suburbia; A Little Princess (director), The Witches (director/ additional puppet design), An Evening of Original One Act Plays (Producer/ Curator)/The Daffodil Girls (director). As director: Peter and Wendy (Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts), Macbeth (Massasoit Community College), The Most Excellent (...) Tragedy of Shakespeare's Womyn (Without a Single Reference to Lady Macbeth) (Brandeis University), The Taming of the Shrew (Nemasket River Productions), Troilus and Cressida (Dragonfly Theatre Co.), Pygmalion, and The Taming of the Shrew (The Crowd Pleasers). As assistant director: James and the Giant Peach (American Repertory Theatre), Exit the King (Actor's Shakespeare Project), Fefu and her Friends (Brandeis University). Because of his work as artist and activist, he has spoken at Emerson College and been quoted in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Boston Globe, WBUR’s The ARTery, and Howlround Theater Commons. Andrew has had the privilege of working in various capacities with several local theatre groups including Liars & Believers (in association with The Oberon), Priscilla Beach Theater, Bay Colony Shakespeare Company, and The Family Performing Arts Center, along with directing staged readings at Brandeis University. Additionally, he has worked with Bridgewater State University’s Arts for Youth Program for five years, teaching classes and workshops in drama, musical theatre, puppetry, and soft shoe, as well as directing productions including Disney’s The Jungle Book, The BFG, and Babe. His original one act play, On the Isle of the Lotus-Eaters, was workshopped as part of a festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and he has been honored to be nominated for three Broadway World Boston Awards (Best Direction; The Witches, A Little Princess, The Taming of the Shrew), an EMACT/ DASH Award (Best Sound Design; The Witches), along with having his work nominated for performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Director, Jamie Semel
Jamie is a theater artist particularly interested in exploring the intersection of theater and environmentalism. For her senior thesis, she directed Luna, a devised play about our relationship to the natural world as told through the two-year tree-sit of environmental activist, Julia Butterfly Hill. She has performed locally with Imaginary Beasts in their recent productions of [or, the whale] and Winter Panto 2018: 20000 Leagues Under the Sea. Favorite credits at Brandeis include Martyr, The Way of Water, Peter and Wendy, Twelfth Night, and The Conference of the Birds. She studied Theater Arts and Environmental Studies at Brandeis University and is a proud alum of the National Theater Institute and the British American Drama Academy. Technical Director, Ethan Child
With Artists from Suburbia; The Witches (Mouse Puppeteer/ Juggling Chef/ additional voices), Christmas on the Common: A Puppet Sing Along! (puppeteer), An Evening of Original One Act Plays (Lighting Designer). As lighting designer: You Can’t Take It With You, Our Town, Pygmalion, Thoroughly Modern Millie. As video designer: Beauty and the Beast (Family Performing Arts Center). As director: The Good Doctor (Cardinal Spellman High School). Previous acting credits: Troilus and Cressida (Ajax/ Paris), Lost in Yonkers (Jay), Bye Bye Birdie (Mr. MacAfee), The Taming of the Shrew (Bianca), Mary Poppins (Mr. Banks), Pygmalion (Prof. Higgins), Arsenic and Old Lace (Jonathan Brewster). Ethan finds pleasure in helping to transform the most unlikely of spaces into venues for unique, high quality theater experiences. He also teaches children magic classes for BSU’s Arts for Youth summer camp, in addition to classes in radio and video acting. More information about Ethan as a magician can be found at www.greatrolandomagic.weebly.com. |
Co-Founder and Communications Manager, Gavin Damore
With Artists from Suburbia; The Witches (puppeteer). Gavin Damore is a theatre PR and communications professional currently serving as the communications coordinator for Barrel of Monkeys Productions (Chicago). Prior to moving to Chicago, he consulted with Boston-area theatre companies and productions, including Fort Point Theatre Channel, Kultar's Mime, and Open Theatre Project. Gavin holds an M.S. in public relations from Boston University and a B.A. in English from Stonehill College. Director, Kalee Burrows
Kalee Burrows is a theatre artist, educator, and community facilitator originally from Brookfield, NH. Currently, she is the Program Manager for VOICES Boston, a nonprofit youth choir and performing arts organization. Kalee is also an active member of Artists Striving To End Poverty (ASTEP), a New York-based nonprofit organization that connects teaching artists with underserved youths. Alongside ASTEP, Kalee taught theatre arts and creative writing classes at the Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project, a boarding school for economically and socially disadvantaged children in Bangalore, India. Kalee went on to work at Ovalhouse in southeast London, where she co-facilitated devised theatre workshops for We Are London, a participatory arts program for young artists and migrants in the UK. She served as the co-director for We Are London’s two main stage devised plays (Shipwrecked; Going Underground). Kalee is a skilled practitioner in devised theatre, directing, meditative visual arts, spoken word, and production coordination. As a teaching artist, Kalee works with young people, adults, and older generations in schools, community centers, and theatre spaces across the globe. These participating organizations include Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Boston Lyric Opera, Kingswood Children’s Summer Theatre, Stonehill College, and Nute Middle School. Kalee holds a MA in Applied Theatre: Drama in Educational, Community and Social Contexts from Goldsmiths, University of London, as well as a BA in Theatre Arts and Performance Studies from Stonehill College. For more information on her work, visit www.kaleeburrows.com Puppet Design, Wildwood Creations
Wildwood Creations, under the design and direction of Bridgewater resident, Joe Wood, is thrilled to be returning to work with Artists from Suburbia. Past collaborations have included productions of The Witches, Christmas on the Common: A Puppet Sing-Along, and the Moon. And she,. Additionally, Wildwood’s puppets have performed at the Puppet Showplace Theatre in Brookline, and been featured in productions of Seussical both at BSU’s Family Performing Arts Center and West Brockton Junior High, as well as Camp Takajo’s productions of Little Shop of Horrors and Annie. Most recently, Wildwood's puppets have included ferocious wolves in Beauty and the Beast and menacing toys in Mary Poppins, both with BSU's Family Performing Arts Center. More about Wildwood Creations’ services here. |