Jac Ford, Ann Hould-Ward and Beverly Emmons talk about COVID, collaboration, and documenting a legacy as a designer.
The above conversation during a virtual class session was the launching pad that inspired these blogs. Throughout their 16 weeks of working together Fellow Marissa Ontiveros and Co-Teacher Jac Ford, both early career/emerging artists, would ask Ann questions about her experience as a human, collaborator, and artist. In these blogs, Ann responds to these questions.
A little bit of context about Marissa and Jac before you jump in:
Marissa (she/her) is a Brooklyn based Theater Artist. With an emphasis on physical theater, storytelling, mime, Process Drama, and classical text. She proudly serves as a teaching artist at various arts organizations across New York City including Brooklyn Acting Lab, St. Nicks Alliance, CO/LAB Theater Group, Brooklyn Art Exchange, and Learning Extended Arts Programs (LEAP). She holds a BFA from New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She was Ann’s Fellow for Fall 2020 and so grateful for the words of wisdom shared.
Jac (she/her) is an actor, writer, maker based in New York with experience in Off-Broadway Wardrobe Departments as a Dresser and Stitcher. She also went to the University of Virginia for her undergrad, the same university (and department) where Ann got her Master’s degree.
Jac is an actor and collaborator based in New York City. Raised in Connecticut, Jac traveled south for university where she studied at the University of Virginia (Wahoowa!) and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a double major in Drama and French. Though formal schooling might have ended, she is committed to lifelong theatrical and cinematic study and exploration, particularly through performance, which has already brought her to New York, Massachusetts, London, and France.
At the heart of her exploration (both theatrical and cinematic) is the question: How do we make art that is engaging and accessible to a modern audience captured by fast-moving media and omnipresent cellphone screens? In her quest to find the answer, she has found she is drawn to both new works and reimagined classics especially within the realm of magical realism.
Since her background and training is rooted in theatre, Jac is also deeply interested in what makes American Theatre intrinsically American. In a country that is comprised of countless cultures with their own theatrical tradition, is there such thing as American Theatre? She has particularly investigated this question in not only her performance work but also in her work as a producer.
