AIE Directory

Residency Artist - Theatre

Mad River Theater Works

Bob Lucas and Chris Westhoff
PO Box 156
Zanesfield, OH 43360
Phone: (937) 465-6751
Emails: chris@madrivertheater.org
Website: www.MADRIVERTHEATER.org

Mad River Theater Works is a company of actors, directors, playwrights, musicians, educators, and songwriters who share a passion for making and performing plays with music. Our primary goals in conducting residency work are 1.) to lead students and teachers to new understandings about art, story and song and 2.) to show how theater and music can be powerful tools for seeing the stories of our communities with fresh eyes. We enjoy working with kids from third grade through high school, as well as adults through school or community-based settings. We involve people of all ages and abilities, and our focus is often on stories from local history. Methods we have used to do this are bring older residents into schools or sponsor story circles to share memories and learn about our collective past. We lead participants in the creation of original writings, stories, songs and plays that combine real and imagined events that are then shared with the community at the close of the residency. Our process includes supporting the school curriculum as well as the Social Studies and Fine Arts Academic Content Standards. In a recent residency, we partnered with an elementary school art program and produced a play with music and puppets based on regional pioneer folklore. In another residency, a teacher core group acted out a story from their youth while student plays reflected similar adventures from earlier times. Residencies are uniquely tailored to the needs of each site and provide in-depth experiences that are exciting and challenging for all ages.

Mad River Theater Works produces two to three productions every year. The subject matter can be eclectic, from Jackie Robinson and the integration of baseball to the famous railroad man Casey Jones or the Underground Railroad. Our plays are often set in the past but always address contemporary issues. We frequently focus on race and diversity as well as the changing role of women in our society.

Most of us in the company grew up in small towns and, like many others from rural communities, when we got interested in music and theater we moved to the city. We worked in theaters and have toured rigorously, but have returned to our roots to create a company that reflects our pride in our upbringing and an awareness of the greater world that surrounds us. Mad River Theater Works is recognized as an outstanding ensemble performing for youth in America today, and has been taking its productions and residencies throughout the United States and Canada for more than 30 years.