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Andrew Child

Andrew Child

Andrew is a multimedia artist who has worked regularly as a director, animator, performer, and designer. His writing focuses on the complete arts ecosystem. He has been a guest artist at Emerson College, New England Conservatory, New York University, Clark University, Massassoit Community College, and more, and has been quoted in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Boston Globe, and others. You can hear him on the Broadway Podcast Network interviewing acclaimed artists, scholars, and historians for 50 Key Stage Musicals: The Podcast, or you can read his chapter on The Merry Widow in Routledge Press' 50 Key Stage Musicals.




LEARN MORE ABOUT Andrew Child

First Show:

The first show I saw was a production of 'Annie' at my local high school.

Favorite Show:

My favorite shows (in no particular order) I've ever seen are: Sammi Cannold's original production of 'Endlings' by Celine Song (A.R.T.), Zack Winokur's premiere of Davóne Tines' and Michael Schachter's 'The Black Clown' (ironically from the same season at the A.R.T.), Lee Sunday Evans' original restaging of 'Dance Nation' by Clare Barron (Steppenwolf), Suse Wächter's 'Brecht's Gespenster' (Berliner Ensemble), Joel Grey's 'Fiddler on the Roof' (National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene), Faye Driscoll's 'Thank You for Coming: Space' (REDCAT), Michael Arden's revival of 'Once on this Island' (Circle in the Square), and Summer Williams' production of 'Wolf Play' by Hansol Jung (Company One).

Favorite Stories:

  • Review: WOLF PLAY at Company One Theatre - Writing this article was such a treat because I was genuinely energized and thrilled when I left Boston Public Library after this production. I love puppetry, and seeing the art form elevated to such an emotional state was riveting.
  • Making Space for Gender-Queer Voices (and Making Sure to Pay Them Too) - Though I engaged in the interviews in this series years ago, there is still so much I reflect on from my conversations. Theatre still needs to be making space for gender-expansive voices and the charge must be led by a varied cohort of gender-expansive artists and administrators. This article scratches the surface, not only of what the problems are, but what the future could hold.
  • Review: A HIT DOG WILL HOLLER at Skylight Theatre Company & Playwrights' Arena - I had only been living in LA for two months when I got to review this show and had already started to form a rather bleak judgement on the state of theatre in the city (we were all rebuilding after the lockdown still). I was happily surprised by this world-class premiere by a world-class author in a tiny black box behind a book shop. I still point to this production when people drone on about how LA is "not a theatre city"!
  • Feature: HOORAY LA at Bob Baker Marionette Theater - I've loved every moment I've gotten to spend within the red velvet-decked halls of the Bob Baker Marionette Theatre. The shows are delightful and rife with unparalleled artistry. It was wonderful getting to chat with head puppeteer Alex Evans about this stunning tribute to LA.
  • Review: KATE at Pasadena Playhouse - Sometimes it's difficult writing about an artist of whom you are a fan. Though a major Kate Berlant stan, this show was easy to review. It was thought-provoking, risky, strange, and theatrically-rich, all while packing laughter from beginning to end.


MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

Interview: Kelvin Han Yee of YANKEE DAWG YOU DIE at East West Players
Interview: Kelvin Han Yee of YANKEE DAWG YOU DIE at East West Players
June 28, 2025

Decades before cementing himself in the pop culture consciousness as Ali Wong’s curmudgeonly father in Beef, Yee originated the role of Bradley Yamishita (played in this production by Daniel J. Kim).

Interview: Trevor James of PARADE at Ahmanson Theatre
Interview: Trevor James of PARADE at Ahmanson Theatre
June 15, 2025

While still a high schooler living and finding his passion for theatre in Los Angeles, Trevor James had the opportunity to sing “The Old Red Hills of Home” from Parade for composer Jason Robert Brown.

Interview: Coral Peña of HAMLET at Mark Taper Forum
Interview: Coral Peña of HAMLET at Mark Taper Forum
May 28, 2025

Though familiar with Shakespearean roles, the chance to play Ophelia was still a surprise for Peña. “I usually don’t play roles like this— I play clowns.”

Review: WIDDLE WOMEN at Elysian Theatre
Review: WIDDLE WOMEN at Elysian Theatre
May 13, 2025

Sometimes there are ideas so asinine that they circle back around and become genius again. That’s Widdle Women, and Alcott would be thrilled enough people signed off on this that it is seeing the light of day.

Review: LIFE OF PI at Ahmanson Theatre
Review: LIFE OF PI at Ahmanson Theatre
May 9, 2025

Puppetry and movement director Finn Caldwell is the genius who has really elevated the show, bringing a delightful cast of animals to life in surprisingly realistic and emotional ways.

Interview: Jennifer Chang of A DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2 at Pasadena Playhouse
Interview: Jennifer Chang of A DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2 at Pasadena Playhouse
May 7, 2025

Read our interview with the director of A Doll’s House, Part 2 at Pasadena Playhouse, Jennifer Chang. Learn more about Jennifer's production, her history with the play, and more.

Review: AINADAMAR: THE FOUNTAIN OF TEARS at LA Opera
Review: AINADAMAR: THE FOUNTAIN OF TEARS at LA Opera
May 2, 2025

The piece feels like a sophisticated relative of Cirque du Soleil and, with a striking funeral procession, a chorus of women villagers, and a revolving quartet of confessions, somehow also lands like a well-worn gem of musical theatre.

Review: COSÍ FAN TUTTE at LA Opera
Review: COSÍ FAN TUTTE at LA Opera
March 10, 2025

Whether thanks to Cavanagh’s approach or director Shawna Lucey’s reinventions, the opera never seems to warrant excuse or apology. Justin Austin and Anthony León never miss a chance for silliness, strutting about the stage with ridiculous levels of machismo to match their preposterous mustache disguises.

Review: IDOL WORSHIP at Catalina Jazz Club
Review: IDOL WORSHIP at Catalina Jazz Club
March 10, 2025

It is evident that Christ and Stole have been performing this show for a while: it is a well-oiled machine. Though still playful with each other, Christ tees up punchlines and gags perfectly which Stole is always able to nail home.

Interview: Gregg T. Daniel of TOPDOG/UNDERDOG at Pasadena Playhouse
Interview: Gregg T. Daniel of TOPDOG/UNDERDOG at Pasadena Playhouse
March 4, 2025

“There’s a great sense of theatricality, an element of surprise. (Parks) brings us in with humor and lightness and then pulls the veil back on us. The play exists in the world of three-card monte—- she cons us.”

Review: AN EVENING WITH JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL at Catalina Jazz Club
Review: AN EVENING WITH JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL at Catalina Jazz Club
March 4, 2025

John Cameron Mitchell’s cabaret show exhibited his demented, impish persona through a series of high-energy numbers. Of course, the crowd was most invested in his renditions of songs from Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Review: THE CAMP at Aratani Theatre
Review: THE CAMP at Aratani Theatre
February 23, 2025

With a superior level of artistry in terms of performance, composition, and design, the reality of the Japanese American concentration camps is relayed to contemporary audiences.

Review: MACBETH at A Noise Within
Review: MACBETH at A Noise Within
February 16, 2025

In approaching the play for a new production at A Noise Within, director Andi Chapman has grappled with these facets of the work and— aside from a few key missteps— has delivered a clever, if forgettable, production.

Interview: Beth Leavel of OLD FRIENDS at Center Theatre Group
Interview: Beth Leavel of OLD FRIENDS at Center Theatre Group
February 5, 2025

Even for a seasoned performer, approaching Sondheim’s repertoire can be daunting. “It’s intimidating as a performer because you want to please him, to do something perfect.”

Interview: Mwenya Kabwe of THE GREAT YES, THE GREAT NO at The Wallis Annenberg Center For The Performing Arts
Interview: Mwenya Kabwe of THE GREAT YES, THE GREAT NO at The Wallis Annenberg Center For The Performing Arts
February 3, 2025

'A dramaturg generally works as a kind of advisor to a playwright,” muses Mwenya Kabwe, a theatre-maker currently based in Cape Town, South Africa. How, then, does a dramaturg engage with a process in which there is no playwright in the strictest sense of the term?

Review: Kelli O'Hara in Concert at LA Opera
Review: Kelli O'Hara in Concert at LA Opera
February 2, 2025

O’Hara has approached the entire evening with such severe gravitas and humble respect that familiar messages seem to land fresh on even jaded ears. How else are we meant to keep singing right now?

Review: LIFE & TIMES OF MICHAEL K at Cape Town's Baxter Theatre And Handspring Puppet Company
Review: LIFE & TIMES OF MICHAEL K at Cape Town's Baxter Theatre And Handspring Puppet Company
November 22, 2024

If you have yet to see the work of Handspring Puppet Company, hurry to get tickets for Life & Times of Michael K in its limited run. No one to my knowledge is maneuvering puppets quite like these masters.

Review: LA CAGE AUX FOLLES at Pasadena Playhouse
Review: LA CAGE AUX FOLLES at Pasadena Playhouse
November 18, 2024

Pinkleton has thrown every prop gimmick and novel idea in the book at the show, and in the process has disrupted the stuff that simply works about the piece.

Review: SHIPPING: A MUSICAL at Elysian Theatre
Review: SHIPPING: A MUSICAL at Elysian Theatre
October 20, 2024

It’s hard to succinctly describe Shipping, a new musical by Jen Jackson and Louisa Kellogg with music by Brian Heveron-Smith. On one hand, it’s a scrappy little treat— a cobbled-together weave of local comedy talents that filled the Elysian Theatre with non-stop laughs from beginning to end. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Read the review. </span>

Review: KIMBERLY AKIMBO at Hollywood Pantages Theatre
Review: KIMBERLY AKIMBO at Hollywood Pantages Theatre
October 20, 2024

The show is vibrant and candy-colored, featuring an earnest cohort of character actors perfectly placed into their roles, but with a stirring score by Jeanine Tesori and witty book by David Lindsay-Abaire, the piece is an instant classic of contemporary musical theatre.






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