Bruce Livingston, Executive Director and Founder
Bruce has been connecting youth ‘at the edge’ with theatre since 1996. He established PlayWrite to pursue this passion, combining established theatre practices and neuroscience research with engaged and invested coaches to best serve the needs of youth. Bruce holds degrees from Reed College and the University of Chicago, both in Anthropology. He lived and taught in Shiraz, Iran from the late 60’s until the 1978 revolution. In 1980 he entered the culinary world in Paris, and adventures with food occupied him for the next decade and a half. In 1996, he was invited to write a play for a child in the Haven Project, and ever since has been passionately involved in connecting under-served youth with theatre. He served as Managing Director of the Haven Project from 2000 through April 2003, and founded PlayWrite in November of 2003.
Lyndsay Hogland, Program Director
Lyndsay has worked for over 17 years as a Production Stage Manager and Technical Director for numerous companies, including: BodyVox, the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Artists Repertory Theater, Oregon Children’s Theater, Profile Theatre Project, and the Romanian-style circus Cicuri Curajul. She believes strongly in the integral role that story-telling plays in the intellect and vivacity of a civilization, and is immensely proud to be a founding member of PlayWrite Inc
Emily Andrysick, Development Associate
Emily joined PlayWrite in June of 2011 with a BA in Drama from the University of Virginia. Her infatuation with the Theater was born at Oberlin College, where she attended school for two years. She’s a big time cheerleader for the celebration of individual voice, and so she ditched the East Coast for Portland, eager to work with an organization that celebrates voices so enthusiastically. Out of the office, Emily frantically scribbles in Moleskine journals, combs the city for perfect coffee, works on her Life Coaching business, BombshellCoaching, and giggles at the antics of her pets. She is thrilled to work for a group that stands so strongly for empowerment and acknowledgment of some truly fantastic young people, and has nothing but love for PlayWrite. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Orion Bradshaw, Coach, Performer
Orion has a BFA degree in Theatre Arts, with a minor in Shakespeare Studies, from Southern Oregon University, and spent 3 seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Since relocating to Portland, Orion has performed with Northwest Classical Theatre, Profile Theatre, Milagro Theatre, and Post5 Theatre (of which he is Co-Founder & Managing Director), among others. Orion has been a theatre educator for over 6 years, with extensive experience teaching Drama and Shakespeare studies. In addition to loving his work as a coach & actor with PlayWrite, Inc., he is an outreach teacher for Northwest Children’s Theatre, the Young Players Co., and others—as well as a seasonal performer/educator for OSF’s annual School Visit program. May the learning never cease!
Gavin D’Avanther, Coach
A lighting and stage management professional, Gavin served as Operations Manager and Creative Director for the Northwest’s largest event lighting company for nearly 10 years. Gavin was introduced to PlayWrite by a friend and became instantly enamored with the program. Inspired by her involvement with PlayWrite, she currently works for the Girl Scouts, directing summer camp and creating programs to help girls develop courage, confidence, and character. She believes that outdoor experiences and artistic expression are the two most powerful and yet most overlooked pathways to helping young people discover their own strength and values. In her spare time, Gavin enjoys backpacking, fly fishing, yoga, dog scootering, stunning food experiences, and adventure travel. She is currently pursuing an MBA at Portland State University.
Chantal DeGroat, Coach, Performer
Chantal DeGroat is honored to work with such a remarkable company as PlayWrite, Inc. Her work with children spans newborn through teen years, both in a clinical setting and in school. Having trained with Holding Hands in Los Angeles, Chantal has an affinity to working creatively with special needs children. Her theatrical outreach work began with Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre in Los Angeles as well. Chantal’s passion for acting began at 12 years old with Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, MA, and continued to gain her a BFA in Acting from Emerson College in Boston. It was a tremendous pleasure to come full circle and teach Shakespeare to senior level drama students at the University of Exeter, England. She has enjoyed working on the stage and screen, as well as in the recording studio for Grammy Nominee, Sam Sparro. Chantal’s love of children and theatre has prepared her for this joyful experience working with PlayWrite.
Rosemary King, Coach
Rose currently owns her own communications business that serves clients in the nonprofit community and business sector. Prior to launching her business, she was an Air Force officer with 20 years of active duty military experience. As a speechwriter for the Secretary of Defense and two Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, her work has reached international audiences in Russia, Hungary, Belgium, Mexico, Columbia, Estonia, Macedonia, and Kosovo. Rose holds a PhD from Arizona State university, a master’s degree from Harvard, and a B.S from the US Air Force Academy. Newly arrived in Portland, she enjoys exploring the trails of Forest Park, skiing on Mt Hood, and playing ice hockey in Vancouver. Rose joined PlayWrite in 2011. She is inspired by her student’s willingness to create characters – a number two pencil, a skate shoe named Carl, a tumbleweed that raps – who are unafraid of pursuing their greatest dreams.
Eliza Livingston, Coach
Eliza wears a number of hats (writer, innkeeper, midwife, perennial student), but the one she wears with special pride is coaching for PlayWrite. It continues to be an awesome experience to work with the talented young writers, and with PlayWrite’s phenomenal and dedicated actors and coaches.
Timothy Scarrott, Coach, Performer
Timothy is honored to be a part of the magical and wonderful world of PlayWrite. He is the founder of Theatre Uber Alles, which includes Cheeseburger Dinner Theatre, The Portlandian Theatrical Society, Over The Cliff Notes and The Shakespeare Liberation Army. He teaches children’s theatre at the Multnomah Art Center. Some of his other exploits include picking strawberries covered in volcanic ash after the Mt. St. Helens eruption, viewing the Northern Lights in Alaska and getting married to his lovely wife, Dawn, and becoming a step-dad to his super cool daughter, Alexandra.
Anne Sorce, Coach, Performer
Anne is a performer and creator of original work. She is the co-artistic director of the Portland-based physical theater company Push Leg and a founding member of the international ensemble Theatre Run. Other companies she has worked with include Imago, Northwest Classical, defunkt, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Temporary Distortion, and Movementpants Dance. Anne studied clown and bouffon with Giovani Fusetti and is a graduate of the École Jacques Lecoq. She is overjoyed and grateful to have found a home in Portland and with PlayWrite.
Kristin Steele, Coach
Kristin Steele has been a writer and non-profit advocate in Portland for eighteen years, spending several of them coaching fantastic, young writers with PlayWrite Inc. They have certainly taught her more about dramatic conflict than her MFA program. She has also volunteered as a community writing facilitator for the last ten years, leading adult workshops in domestic violence shelters, county jails, public housing projects, and community spaces. Her writing has appeared in magazines, anthologies, online, and on stage (www.onethemusical.com). When not doing any of those things, Kristin collects old typewriters and tries not to buy more books than she can read in one lifetime. She’s currently losing on that point.
Paul Susi, Coach, Performer
Paul J. Susi has been a PlayWrite actor since 2005 and a coach since 2008. Performance credits include Mr. Badger in “The Wind in the Willows” at Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Miles in “The Drawer Boy” with Vermont Stage Company, and Elijah the Prophet/Stone Ghost/Bear in “Blue” with Hand2Mouth Theatre/Stacja Szamocin, Poland. Local credits include Strong Man in “Madeline and the Gypsies” and Tybalt in “Romeo and Juliet” with NW Children’s Theater, Emperor of Japan in “A Few Stout Individuals” with Profile Theatre, Bacchus/Orpheus in “Metamorphoses” with Artists’ Repertory Theatre, the title in “Othello” with Portland Actor’s Ensemble, and Slave/Master in “Jerusalem” with Hand2Mouth Theatre. Puppetry credits include “Long Christmas Ride Home” with Theatre Vertigo and “Ride the Red Mare” with Tears of Joy Theatre. Trained as an EMT-Basic and a Wildland Firefighter, Paul is also a founding member of The Forgery Theater Collaborative.
Jeanette Weston, Marketing Director (Volunteer Position)
Jeanette brings a strong marketing and public relations background to PlayWrite. With a BS and MA in journalism and public relations from the University of Nebraska, she recently upped her social media savvy by completing a certificate in digital marketing strategies at PSU. She is passionate about non-profits, having worked with many throughout her career. Jeanette grew up in a military family and has lived in nine states as well as Guam. She loves the northwest, calling Portland her home since 2000. An avid distance runner and rabbit advocate, Jeanette enjoys spending time with her family and two mischievous dogs.
Jeany Park, Volunteer Coordinator (Volunteer Position)
Jeany Park is delighted to join the PlayWrite, Inc. team. A recent transplant to Portland, she is currently exploring new career paths after having worked as a theatre artist for fifteen years. Jeany is enjoying her Life Coach training, and is currently coaching on a part-time basis. She is loving working as a Volunteer Coordinator for PlayWrite, Inc. and spends most of her downtime hanging out with her wonderful family.
Matt Batchelder, Graphics (Volunteer Position)
Matt Batchelder is a theatre fan and a printer whose clients include Oregon Ballet Theatre, Portland Center Stage and the Portland Opera. He is proud to be a “gopher” for graphics-related projects at PlayWrite. Matt believes that if you can talk, you can sing; if you can walk, you can dance; and if you can dance, he wants to be a part of your revolution.
