about us
mission
our mission is to tap into the ephemeral nature of theatre as an art form that leaves no trace and only exists in the present. to put to the test the idea that theatre can happen anywhere, from a mountain to a Walmart parking lot. to challenge expectations of what a play is. to blur the lines between theatre and nature. to pull back the veil of the illusion of disconnection (particularly between the “audience,” “performers,” and the natural environment). to make a space for voices that are not best served by the walls of a theatre space in NYC or for works that are too “out there” to be “produced.”
we are not affiliated with Leave No Trace (organization) but certainly abide by those 7 principles when creating in natural spaces
goals
we create site-specific work that is informed by landscapes across the American continent, and governed by the non-human world of nature.
it is our goal to offer free or donation-based performances whenever possible to engage all participants with an adventurous spirit.
it is our goal to offer classes and educational programming for young theatre artists and adventurous, nature-loving students.
leadership
Melissa Toomey (Co-Artistic Director/Founder-Philadelphia)
Melissa Toomey is an adventurer, playwright, and performing artist. She has worked with Luna Stage Company, The Writers Theatre of New Jersey, Fresh Ground Pepper, The Tank, Premiere Stages, Arizona Theatre Company, Delaware Theatre Company, McCarter Theatre Center, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, The Pearl Theatre Company, The Barrow Group, Southwest Shakespeare Company, New Jersey Play Lab, Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival, among other companies as a theatre artist, and was the founder of the Montclair Shakespeare Series (now on hiatus). She is currently a playwright in residence at Art House Productions as part of the 2021/2022 INKubator New Play Program.
She was once a full time traveller, and spent years wandering the West. An avid hiker, she has worked in the outdoor/tourism industry guiding and supporting other hikers and adventurers at Grand Canyon National Park, Kanab, UT, Phoenix, AZ, Flagstaff, AZ and more.
BFA: SUNY Purchase.
Katie King (Co-Artistic Director/Founder-Southwest)
Drawn to outdoor installation work, new plays, devised work, and experimental pieces are Katie King’s milk and honey. She has studied theatre with the NY Neofuturists and at the South London Theatre, gaining an acting degree at TESC with a one woman show in Brooklyn and New Orleans. She has directed actors at canyon cliff and lava hoodoo waterfall, under both rainfall and starry southwest night sky. King is a director, writer, actor, and mother, currently an MFA Candidate in Creative Writing at Wilkes University.