Sessions
Devised Theatre Orientation
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Wed
Devised Theatre Round Table Discussion
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM Thu
Genesee Spridco (she/her/hers) is a professional actor, movement director, producer, teacher and mask maker. She is Co-Artistic Director of Imaginez, a Chicago/Milwaukee based physical theatre ensemble that produces original works featuring specialized skills such as fire performance, aerial silks, dance theatre, mask, mime, clown and more. Genesee directs Imaginez throughout the Midwest and into Canada presenting spectacle based event entertainment and touring their acclaimed physical theatre productions "Take Flight: An Adventure in Cirque" and "Miranda: One Woman's Tempest."
Over the past eight years, Genesee has guided and facilitated the creation of many original devised works and currently works as director of the Devised Theatre Initiative for KC/ACTF Region III and a devising coach in KC/ACTF Region VIII to bolster the unique opportunity devising offers to voices and stories that are often left out of the limelight- to empower actors and bring diversity to the stage expediently through the actors' dynamic perspectives and experiences.
Genesee has worked as movement performer and director with theatre companies throughout Chicago and Milwaukee including Chicago's Fifth House Ensemble and Milwaukee's Shakespeare in the Park for five of their past eight seasons. While teaching, she also continues to perform weekends all over America with an award winning vaudeville style comedy troupe of women called the Washing Well Wenches. She currently teaches movement for the undergraduate and graduate acting programs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
She received her BFA in Directing and BS in Theatre Education from Viterbo University and her MFA in Ensemble Devised Physical Theatre from Dell'Arte International School for Physical Theatre. She is a member of the Association for Theatre Movement Educators, the Theatre Communication Group and the Network of Ensemble Theatres.