After an initial first season of four 24-hour new play festivals, the new St Louis theatre company PRIME is proud to announce five new staff members, including a new Artistic Director. This change is imperative in the growth of the company and in order to support the ambitious goals of Season Two and beyond.
PRIME was launched in November, 2016 with The Transmigration Show, a 24-hour theatre festival themed around reincarnation. During their first season, they produced 25 new short plays by collaborating with over 100 artists from St. Louis, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Canada, England, and Japan.
"We ran Season One with a skeleton crew - just my co-founder and me - but as we expand our shows beyond plays produced in 24 hours, we are adding some amazing talent to our team," said Kyle Kratky, Co-Founder and Managing Director of PRIME. "These people are active artists in their communities, and they bring passion and experience to their roles."
PRIME's Season Two has not yet been announced, but new Artistic Director Matt Heckman hints that it will be ambitious, taking PRIME much further, saying "Season Two will be a theatrical adventure."
Here's a glimpse of the new staff at PRIME:
Matt Heckman, Artistic Director
Matt Heckman has been writing and directing for film and theatre for over fifteen years. He served as Artistic Director for Immediacy Theatre Project from 2006 to 2012, during which he oversaw the production of hundreds of short-form plays from artists across the St. Louis area. He's been a part of over a dozen twenty-four hour play festivals including the creation of The Journey of Charlie Stillaway, in which six groups portrayed different moments in the life of the titular, fictional character. Matt studied film production at Webster University and has been featured twice in the St. Louis International Film Festival.
"Coming to PRIME feels like coming home," said Heckman. "I gravitate toward authenticity in art, I want real people on the stage. That's what I'll be focused on in my role."
Madelyn Boyne is a theatre artist and a native to the St Louis metro area. She studied Theatre and Dance at the University of Missouri. Madelyn has worked as performer, director, playwright, and technician, but is especially passionate about theatre arts education. She is thrilled to head PRIME's educational efforts and eager to share her love of all things theatrical with the city of St Louis.Sarah Gene Dowling is a local performer who has worked with a wide range of theatre companies throughout the country. For more than a decade Sarah has worked as a professional performer. She recently relocated to St. Louis area from NYC, where she apprenticed with two different Public Relations companies that focused on music, dance, and performance art. Alongside her performing endeavors, Sarah helped create and develop The DAVE Project in Providence, RI, a professional theatre that offered free performance courses to middle school and high school children. As the company's Educational Director she assisted in improving arts education in Rhode Island and promoting regional talent.?
Bryce Parsons-Twesten has worked as a writer on and off the stage for ten years. He previously wrote for the satire news source The Copper Times and worked as an editor for 826CHI, where he developed the project The Monster Gasped, OMG - a book showcasing original monster stories written by Chicago youth and illustrated by Chicago artists. He currently manages the oral history project These Are People and works as a screenwriter in Chicago. His latest screenplay, The Melancholy Man, is at the outset of its festival tour.
Elle Rank has been with PRIME since their first production and has worked for many companies over the last 8 years, including Insight, HotCity, Immediacy Theatre Project, Opera in the Ozarks, and Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre. She studied Stage Management at Saint Louis University.
