Creative Stage Collective to Present CSC Open Day in August

Creative Stage Collective will present CSC Open Day on Saturday, August 9, 2025 from 1-3pm at Ballet Hispánico. Children ages 8-16 will be invited to join the CSC Youth Troupe and some of their fabulous CSC Adult Professional Artists for two hours of theater, movement and music games and activities. Lead artists will include Madeline Bender, Andrew Dolan, and Sheri Graubert.

Sign up for a slot here. For more information, visit https://www.creativestagecollective.org/upcoming-events.

There is no cost to join and no limit to how many workshops participants can attend. This program is designed to serve as a fun and enriching educational opportunity for kids in the neighborhood, to get to know the local community and introduce them to CSC's multi-generational performing troupe. This is a "drop off" workshop. However, parents are warmly welcome to stay and observe (and may even be invited to participate on occasion).

At CSC, your child doesn't just learn to perform; they gain vital life skills through genuine artistic collaboration with professionals who value their creative ideas. This unique mentorship model builds confidence, creative thinking, communication skills, and emotional intelligence that serves them in all areas of life. This program is designed to serve as a fun and enriching workshop. It is NOT an audition. However, attendees who show exceptional interest, talent, and imagination may be invited to join the multi-generational performing troupe for upcoming performances.

Andrew Dolan's acting credits include American Daughter (Broadway), Strictly Dishonorable (Vineyard), Pink, Ted Kaczynski (SPF), What Then (Clubbed Thumb), Tree House (NY Stage & Film), Measure for Measure (Target Margin) UK: Edmond (National Theatre). The Woods (National Studio), Boy from the Book (English Touring Theatre). Regional: Mamba's Daughters (Spoleto Festival), Burn This, Marco Millions, Cyrano, 12th Night, Hapgood (ACT), Substance of Fire. Savage/Love (Magic Theatre), Loot, Amadeus (Arizona Theatre Co.), Road to Nirvana, Down the Road, Boy's Life, Coming Attractions (Encore Theatre). TV/Film: "Chicago Med", "Your Honor", "Search Party", "The Good Cop", "The Americans", "The Good Cop", "Elementary", "Blue Bloods", "The Tick", "Bull", "Good Wife", "Black List", "House of Cards", "Person of Interest", "Conviction", all "Law & Orders", "Madoff", "Jezebel James", Handsome Harry (Tribeca '09) Unstoppable, Partners in Crime, 28 Days, Ash Tuesday. Deal Breakers (Sundance '07), Training: Bowdoin College, American Conservatory Theatre. Andrew is a former SAG Board Member and former Artistic Director of Encore Theatre Company. As a writer he has written and produced several award-winning short films and optioned several film scripts. His play The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King won the Ovation Award for Best Play in Los Angeles. His play That Good Night won the David Calicchio Award at Marin Theatre Company. His work has been developed with Playwrights Horizons, Clubbed Thumb, EST West, NY Stage & Film, Berkshire Playwrights' Lab, Intar, Road Theatre, Mile Square Theatre, and Barrington Stage Company. In addition to the Stella Adler Studio, Andrew Dolan has taught at ACT, AMDA and the American Academy of Dramatic Art.

Andrew has appeared in Creative Stage Spectacular performances (2023, 2024) and is a frequent contributor to CSC Troupe Meetups.

Sheri Graubert is an accomplished Anglo-American actress, who has performed all over the world. Her portrayal of Isabella in Measure for Measure, was described as 'immaculate,' by the New York Times.

She has worked extensively, in a wide variety of styles, from the classics to the very new, and with a range of companies and directors on both sides of the Atlantic. Sheri has toured the world performing Shakespeare with Cheek by Jowl, worked on the oldest story known to man (Gilgamesh) with The National Theatre in London, performed at the Joseph Papp Public Theatre in New York City, and originated parts in numerous modern plays with companies such as Clubbed Thumb in NYC and Theatre Royal, Stratford East in London.

Sheri Graubert is also an award-winning, published playwright. Her plays have been produced in New York City, Chicago, Washington D.C., London, Tokyo, the Philippines, Australia as well as many other countries and cities.

Sheri's debut middle grade, historical fiction novel, Molly Shipton, Secret Actress, was published by Clear Fork Publishing on September 27th, 2022. It has already won a LitPick 5-Star Award, a 5-Star review from Author's Reading Weekly and several 5-Star Amazon reviews. Sheri's children's play, Rick Spacey & the Space Cadets continues its eleven year run in New York City children's hospitals. The company approached Sheri to write the sequel.

Sheri joined the Creative Stage Spectacular cast in 2024. She is also a vital contributor to the CSC writing team and frequently helps in devising sessions with the youth troupe.

Creative Stage Collective brings together youth and professional artists to co-create original kid-inspired theater with a spirit of playfulness and community that envisions a more empathetic world. CSC stands at the unique intersection of professional theater and children's creative development, forging a distinctive space where young imaginations and professional expertise combine to create performances that are both artistically excellent and socially meaningful. Unlike traditional youth theater programs or professional companies that occasionally work with children, CSC's collaborative model places equal value on both professional artistry and childhood imagination, creating a genuinely multigenerational creative community that produces work reflecting the depth, joy, and innovative thinking that emerges when generations create together.