Mission
To give communities a voice through the arts.
Vision
To identify and engage with communities who lack equitable access to the arts. In partnership with each community we will develop unique, custom arts and theater-based projects or curriculum to articulate a community’s voice.
Teaching Artist
Currently teaching UBU Youth Theater in Tyringham, MA and collaborating with the Barrington Stage Company on developing a Youth Council to explore themes from "West Side Story". In 2015 Ann initiated the first theater program at the Boys and Girls Club of the Berkshires in Pittsfield, MA for middle and high school youth. She has also taught theater with the Pittsfield Public Schools' high school EOS/Educational Options for Success program and the Pittsfield Schools' Summer Gateways ESL program.
Community
Currently producing the Tyringham Arts Festival on July 28th, 2018 with the residents of Tyringham, MA. In August of 2017, Ann produced a community-based, site-specific production of Thornton Wilder's"Our Town" with the residents of Tyringham, MA. She is a Youth Mentor at Pittsfield Community Connection in Pittsfield and in 2015/16, Ann was a mentor with Multicultural Bridge’s 'Happiness Toolbox' program in Pittsfield, MA. Ann served as the Youth Advisor for the city of Pittsfield’s Youth Commission from 2014 to 2016. She has also served on the Board of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA.
Education
Ann holds an M.A. in Theatre Education from Emerson College ‘13, and a B.A. in Theatre and Music Composition from Bennington College ‘82. She has attended professional development workshops across the U.S. at theaters and arts organizations including Cornerstone Theater, Shakespeare & Company, Arena Stage, AATE National Conferences and the Mass Cultural Council, among others.
Why Community?
To provide artistic experiences that empower and engage communities. Theater and the other arts can be inaccessible for a variety of reasons: economics, distance, accessibility, unfamiliarity or simply lack of exposure or understanding of the arts. By providing access to community-based artistic experiences, and addressing accessibility barriers we can enrich the cultural life of area residents of all ages, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels. The arts can be an instrument through which to celebrate a community’s character and articulate its individual voice.
