The Board of Directors of StageOne Family Theatre announces Andrew D. Harris as the Producing Artistic Director. Andrew has been serving as Interim Producing Artistic Director since January of this year. “The board feels Andrew has proven his ability to lead and we are looking forward to supporting him through our ever changing local and global landscape.
Andrew has seen the ups and downs of StageOne over the years and we believe his experience, determination, and creativity will ensure success,” said StageOne Family Theatre Board President Jon Riehm, announcing the decision.
Harris joined the StageOne Family in 2001, and became Associate Artistic Director in 2007 after serving in the role of Education Director. Highlights of his career included teaching with the TAPP program for single and expectant mothers, a StageOne collaboration with KY School for the Blind, another with incarcerated youth at the former Cardinal Treatment Center, and in partnership with Jeff Jamner at the Kentucky Center for the Arts and JCPS, developing the On-Ramp to Deeper Learning Professional Development training program. He directed such StageOne favorites as Tuck Everlasting, Wiley and the Harry Man, And In this Corner Cassius Clay, Harold and the Purple Crayon and 9 years of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. “I found theatre by accident when I was young. It’s crucial that we ensure theatre is accessible to every young person,” said Harris when asked why StageOne is vital and what he’s excited about in leadership, “not necessarily to create young actors and actresses, but to aid in developing empathetic, emotionally intelligent human beings.”
Dr. Jimica Howard, Asst Principal at Slaughter Elementary, said this “When we first began working together on the On Ramp for Deeper Learning Arts Integration Grant we would never have imagined that we would eventually work together on grants valued in excess of $700,000 from Fund For the Arts, Disney Musicals in School, Title I, and KDE! He [Harris] has been an attentive guide, a thoughtful collaborator, an engaging teacher, and a voice of wisdom as our school has gone from offering minimal arts opportunities to being able to call ourselves an “Arts Integration School.” With his help, our students now have agency, voice, and experiences that we may not have been able to support on our own.” Slaughter Elementary and StageOne Family Theatre recently announced a partnership on a 21st Century Community Learning Centers program for the 2020-21 school year.
ABOUT STAGEONE FAMILY THEATRE: StageOne Family Theatre fosters empathy and sparks the imagination of children and their communities through the transformative power of live theatre. Now in its 74rd season, StageOne Family Theatre provides high-quality productions to children and their families. StageOne is recognized as one of the nation’s leading professional theatres for young audiences, performing annually for over 70,000 young people, their families and teachers statewide across Kentucky and Southern Indiana in schools and at The Kentucky Center’s Bomhard Theater. The company has received numerous awards and commendations, including the Sara Spencer Award from the Southeast Theatre Conference and the American Alliance for Theatre in Education for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Theatre for Young Audiences. Currently, StageOne is providing high quality, relevant performances and trainings on its digital platform, Channel StageOne, www.stageone.org/channel-stageone/
