https://www.catac-akron.com/home daily 1.0 2025-11-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1609366584862-8PFHMGSXD7XSHPOBF9Y1/72115539_10157725567310908_1220653250533916672_n.jpg Home - Meet our resident companies With an emphasis on new works, our resident companies explore topics of both local, national, and international relevance! Image courtesy of New World Performance Laboratory https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1609366397046-DN8AD93VD32P4E12VFER/DSC_6595.jpg Home - Supporting the Arts Ecosystem As a 501c3, the Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture’s mission emphasizes the organization’s support of regional artists and welcomes diverse perspectives and methodologies! Do you need a fiscal sponsor? Do you need assistance with developing your work? CATAC may have the resources to help! image Courtesy of Shane Wynn, Reimagining the Village, The Chameleon Village https://www.catac-akron.com/ourspace daily 0.75 2024-06-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1604976043923-MSGREMQJS1O6Z8QQXYFD/14292233_10154515271245908_3902258276747588578_n.png Our Space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/64b160ce-b7b8-4dbe-ab49-02b291e892fe/IMG_4867.jpg Our Space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1604976040443-CBTB9W4LULJ490L1M50E/14333079_10154515271240908_4095943900186453649_n.png Our Space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/aca54c72-b90e-49ff-9fe9-1821bb54b506/IMG_4866.jpg Our Space https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1604976043955-O4OOE5TEFBE08BUS3WA9/14333170_10154515271250908_3733081961942531774_n.png Our Space https://www.catac-akron.com/mission daily 0.75 2024-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1632485889934-213BLIKBQ702DLOPMX4C/Sponsors.png Mission & Aims - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.catac-akron.com/team-2 daily 0.75 2026-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1607359883835-ZVS8KI91X9YNA5JHGC3W/12322391_1038579762871221_283279687497575610_o.jpg Our Staff & Board Kirsten (Kix) Nicole - Tech Director https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/a66103c8-1871-42eb-8263-448bc53aa3e2/Gaffney+headshot.jpg Our Staff & Board Tessa Gaffney - Marketing Mage https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1605026345166-SQTQDX9DZQN22OZ9HJ0L/14022247_10154315773570449_8559813124419504556_n.jpg Our Staff & Board Chris Hariasz - Lighting Designer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/90f279be-0f29-4498-ab23-43e6f01f6b82/image.png Our Staff & Board Rosilyn Jentner - Spaceman https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/118a8a91-72c2-47a4-a35e-9a1b50080eb1/Katie+copy.jpg Our Staff & Board Katie Beck - Oracle of Synthesis https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1609720383841-V0YSWB46ZTX8SCXXOZYN/3331_1143360900383_2074956_n.jpg Our Staff & Board Inda Blatch-Geib - Resident Costume Designer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1609709048476-N2TRGD65RLUE733EWV5J/TB3_7157.jpg Our Staff & Board Josy Jones - Strategic Partnerships https://www.catac-akron.com/residentcompanies daily 0.75 2024-04-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1605022658889-QOYUOHASU55ZMJ4LNR3X/gumdip_logo_500x500_noBG.png Resident Companies - Gum-Dip Theatre Gum-Dip Theatre's mission is to celebrate, challenge, and invent community identity in the Rust Belt. Through neighborhood story circles and PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN theatrical performances, we aim to enhance civic engagement and participation. Gum dipping was a tire process used by the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company. They dipped all the cords and fibers in rubber gum before making the plies of the tire. Gum dipping a tire made it blowout-proof. As gum dipping is to a tire, we hope to strengthen community through our own process. Gum-Dip Theatre also reclaims the name as a nod to the industrial history of the Rust Belt. www.gumdiptheatre.com https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1605022709748-O2YK8AHK8XJTDWYX0E9V/Logo_full.png Resident Companies - The Chameleon Village Theatre Collective In 2015 in Macon, GA Josy Jones observed that there were numerous under-utilized structures and under-appreciated businesses. She also continued to meet talented creatives who were looking to grow their practices, but were having trouble convincing people to give them a space to learn and grow. After a conversation with the 567 Center for Renewal about activating their space for their First Friday event, the Chameleon Village was born. Since then, it has continued to be shaped and reshaped according to the artists interested in the work and the communities Josy serves. Currently located in Akron, OH, the work has evolved from an improv troupe to work in a tattoo parlor to playwriting courses for site-specific work and more! www.TheChameleonVillage.com https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/01fd060e-96e7-4308-a76b-ca11780d5954/Qu+Events.png Resident Companies - QuTheatr Tobias Keene, D.D.S. Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Dr. Tobias Keene brings a bit of unabashed Southern hospitality to all his patients. He moved to Washington, D.C. over thirty years ago as a freshman at Ivy College. Right after graduation, he attended World University’s School of Dentistry. Before opening Keene Dental in 1994, he worked for free clinics and some of the finest practices in the District. He is part of the 123 Dental Association and stays up-to-date on the latest dental discoveries. When not striving to keep his patients happy and healthy, he’s enjoys hiking with his family in Rock Creek Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1605023341907-R46NIC5EXNFAR4P7QBW1/17499308_1075311539279206_2896948363800877748_n.jpg Resident Companies - Ma’Sue Productions Tobias Keene, D.D.S. Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Dr. Tobias Keene brings a bit of unabashed Southern hospitality to all his patients. He moved to Washington, D.C. over thirty years ago as a freshman at Ivy College. Right after graduation, he attended World University’s School of Dentistry. Before opening Keene Dental in 1994, he worked for free clinics and some of the finest practices in the District. He is part of the 123 Dental Association and stays up-to-date on the latest dental discoveries. When not striving to keep his patients happy and healthy, he’s enjoys hiking with his family in Rock Creek Park. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1605022574543-DKDDFJO3VV05BXA037CP/17311043_10155130373150908_8161994405676809955_o.png Resident Companies - New World Performance Laboratory Tobias Keene, D.D.S. Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, Dr. Tobias Keene brings a bit of unabashed Southern hospitality to all his patients. He moved to Washington, D.C. over thirty years ago as a freshman at Ivy College. Right after graduation, he attended World University’s School of Dentistry. Before opening Keene Dental in 1994, he worked for free clinics and some of the finest practices in the District. He is part of the 123 Dental Association and stays up-to-date on the latest dental discoveries. When not striving to keep his patients happy and healthy, he’s enjoys hiking with his family in Rock Creek Park. https://www.catac-akron.com/contact-us daily 0.75 2021-01-21 https://www.catac-akron.com/press daily 0.75 2022-11-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/756496db-f228-4182-9ba6-fff760d3a686/GumDipweb_0.jpg Press - “There is so much trauma and there is so much…to heal. But at the same time, there is so much to celebrate in every state in our life.” — Ideastream, “Former refugees act as 'Brokers Without Borders' in Akron Gum-Dip Theatre production” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1630694559822-DTNF5KGUJ2S5O99NHL96/CATAC-2.jpg Press - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1614005575889-GRUU6FY6QY0K800AMMXG/a74a160c-f6b1-4d44-aefe-49fb7c7bb99f-CATAC.jpg Press - “One of the common things about the four of them is a real need and desire to make theater and to really explore the possibilities of theater. None of them are content with the status quo of conventional theater," Slowiak, 65, said of the incoming leaders.” — Akron Beacon Journal, “CATAC co-founders turn to quartet of young theater artists as new leaders,” on new CATAC leadership. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1605029477601-MMYE900CDR37SXGOT9K4/16992347_10155062205845908_5642153050411958580_o.jpg Press - “They knew they didn’t want to be in the more traditional commercial theatre production space, which mandates a company maintain a regular and regimented schedule of practice and performances; they wanted something better suited to their process and craft.” — Springboard for the Arts, A Theatre Laboratory for the New World in Akron on NWPL https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1609725431385-8W1YMROQUJB31RFGQS0I/PH-716009982.jpg Press - “Jaxx Cheline never acted before joining QuTheatr Ensemble in Akron, but an appreciation for art and interest in making money was enough to propel the 14-year-old to give it a try.” — ideastream, Akron’s QuTheatr Highlights LGBTQ+ Youth Experiences on QuTheatr https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1609725648786-NF73N6K11PLM7UH66D3W/67429815_889319688107673_3783295116039421952_o.jpg Press - “In these interviews, people seeking asylum in the U.S. seek to demonstrate to U.S. law enforcement that they have a credible fear of danger if they return to their home countries.” — The Devil Strip, ‘Denied Admission,’ a new play about asylum seekers, wants your feedback this weekend on Gum-Dip Theatre https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1609725908330-PT1186BUL9O9XEFHFE5P/DSC_6730.jpg Press - “To reclaim that narrative, Jones developed and taught a free playwriting course called Reimagining the Village. Residents crafted plays inspired by public spaces in Cascade Village.” — Akron Life, Reimagining the Village on the Chameleon Village Theatre Collective https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1609952968939-2L81FK9WXDDB3GXHJRY3/42686594_10156771500625908_5868672991478415360_o.jpg Press Don Quijote (2018) Special Mention from Cleveland Critics’ Circle 2018: New World Performance Lab for a galvanizing and inventive production of a bilingual adaptation of Don Quijote by Argentine playwright Patricia Suarez. http://clevelandtheaterreviews.blogspot.com/2018/12/cleveland-critics-circle-2018-theater.html Cleveland Scene awards: https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/huzzah-cleveland-scene-theater-awards-2018/Content?oid=27631247 Cleveland Scene review: https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2018/09/18/dont-miss-new-world-performance-labs-amusing-and-engrossing-production-of-don-quijote-in-akron Rave and Pan: http://raveandpan.blogspot.com/2018/09/don-quijote-new-world-performance-lab.html West Side Leader review of DQ: http://www.akron.com/akron-ohio-entertainment-news.asp?aID=38690 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1609953102315-LM0QRDZJX7K6T3GD3TKV/18192643_10155261999550908_8916546726720884123_o.jpg Press - Devil’s Milk Trilogy (2015-2017) Devil’s Milk ABJ reviews: http://clevelandtheaterreviews.blogspot.com/search/label/New%20World%20Performance%20Lab –review of Goosetown: The Devil’s Milk, Part 2 by Yoly Glez M Heisler — Akron’s ghosts come to light in ‘Devil’s Milk’ open rehearsal (8.17.15) -review of Death of a Man: The Devil’s Milk, Part 1 by David Ritchey, West Side Leader — NWPL’s ‘Death of a Man’ examines story of rubber (5.21.15) -review of Death of a Man: The Devil’s Milk, Part 1 by Kerry Clawson, Beacon Journal — ‘Death of a Man’ chronicles atrocities of rubber’s dark past (5.20.15) -review of Death of a Man: The Devil’s Milk, Part 1 by rdurbin, Knight Blog — Open rehearsal for New World Performance Laboratory’s “The Devil’s Milk Trilogy” generated good audience feedback (4.2.15) review of ORLANDO by Kerry Clawson, Beacon Journal — Theater review: Gender-bending, thought-provoking ‘Orlando’ at NWPL (8.17.14) review of A Couple of Poor, Polish-Speaking Romanians(6.13.12) https://www.catac-akron.com/get-involved daily 0.75 2025-05-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1609722434279-SYVSFP2HLHU1FBFED47C/49622942_10156996110040908_4165210583026630656_o.jpg Get Involved https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1609722533626-DN5WKDSMAXLREBZ0AM6V/2018_02_26_UntilNameBecomesPrayer-0020.jpg Get Involved https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1609722692544-AOV224SKDH29WUBYBV92/jaxx-dance.jpg Get Involved https://www.catac-akron.com/general-3 daily 0.75 2021-01-06 https://www.catac-akron.com/donate daily 0.75 2025-03-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fa9ec40b96d2543132ec654/1611684847275-9BBZE6PA1BU1H3AR163H/DSC_6770.jpg Donate - Mail your Donation If you wish to donate by mail: 1) Print & complete the CATAC Pledge Form 2) Mail it with your check to: Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture 220 South Balch Street Akron, OH 44302 Please designate your donation as: “Producer Pledge” and make your check(s) payable to Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture. WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT! Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Tax ID # 830462908
 
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