Kate Bell
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Playwriting, Memoir, Creative Non-Fiction, Acting, Choral/Vocal Music
English
K-12 Schools, Hospital, Adult Day Care, After School Program, Assisted Living, College/University, Community Center, Hospice, Independent Living, Library
Association of Teaching Artists
PLAYWRITING: Estrogenius Festival, October 2010 Manhattan Theatre Source, New York, NY Full production of Last Call as a part of the Estrogenius Festival. Directed by Mimi McGurl. Brooklyn Playwrights Collective, March 2010 Manhattan Theatre Source, New York, NY Full production of Seventh Circle, Second Ring as a part of the BPC Dante Festival. Directed by Ross Peabody. Semi-finalist (for Lions of Babylon), O'Neill Theater Conference, 2009 New Perspectives Theater Company, August 2008 New Perspectives Studios, New York, NY A workshop production of The Waiting Room as a part of the Women's Work Project Lab's Girl Power Festival. Directed by Melissa Maxwell. Honorable Mention (for Lions of Babylon), Bay Area Playwrights Festival, 2008 Committed Theater Company, November 2005 The Bernie West Theatre at Baruch College, New York, NY A three-week run of a full production of Estrella, My Refugee directed by Thomas G. Waites. Women Center Stage Festival, July 2003 The Culture Project, New York, NY A workshop production of Estrella, My Refugee (previous title of Gringita); the play was a feature presentation of the festival. Directed by Emmanuel Bocchieri. Runner-up, Princess Grace Award, Princess Grace Foundation, 2002 MUSIC: RECESS, Brooklyn, NY, March 2010-Present Manages, plays bass and sings, and writes songs for the Brooklyn-based rock trio, RECESS (www.myspace.com/recessbrooklyn). The Poma-swank (Poma-swank Productions), Brooklyn, NY, July 2003-February 2007 Managed, composed music for, and sang with the Brooklyn-based jazz ensemble, The Poma-swank (www.myspace.com/pomaswank), which released its album, Red Sky in Brooklyn, in the summer of 2005. Performed regularly with the band at various New York City venues, including headlining the 2005 Williamsburg Jazz Festival.
Park Avenue Armory, New York, NY, March 2010-present Teaching Artist Creates curriculum for and facilitates gallery tours/arts workshops for 6-12th grade students visiting the Armory's exhibits and performances. Recent work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Ryoji Ikeda, and Richard Greenaway. Theater Development Fund, New York, NY, February 2007-present Teaching Artist Teaches playwriting to high school students (9-12) throughout the New York City metro area as a part of TDF's Residency Arts Program. Co-authored the "styles" section of the second semester curriculum, a resource to help teachers guide students through exploration of more non-traditional playwriting forms, such as the choreopoem or Augusto Boal's "Theater of the Oppressed." Marquis Studios, New York, NY, June 2006-present Teaching Artist Creates the curriculum for and teaches a variety of arts-in-education residencies in schools (preK-8) and after-school programs throughout the New York City metro area, including residencies in Creative Dramatics, Mask Improvisation, Rhythm and Music, Songwriting, and Choral Music. Lower Manhattan Arts Academy, New York, NY, September 2005-present LoMATE Director Creates the curriculum for, teaches, and directs productions for the Lower Manhattan Arts Academy Theater Ensemble. Culminating projects have included full productions of Mother Courage and Her Children, Once on This Island, 365 Days/365 Plays, Pippin, The Tempest, Rent, Metamorphoses, A Chorus Line, The Laramie Project, and Hair, as well as performances of student-written work at DATCO's Rebel Verses Festival 2008. The LoMA after-school theater program has been acknowledged for its "Best Practices" by the National Guild of Community Schools in the Arts. Community Works, New York, NY, February 2005-present Teaching Artist Teaches the Making a Difference program, a community-learning arts project, with focuses in theater and music. Also designs workshops and professional development seminars in creative writing, theater, music, or songwriting.
PLAYWRITING: Estrogenius Festival, October 2010 Manhattan Theatre Source, New York, NY Full production of Last Call as a part of the Estrogenius Festival. Directed by Mimi McGurl. Brooklyn Playwrights Collective, March 2010 Manhattan Theatre Source, New York, NY Full production of Seventh Circle, Second Ring as a part of the BPC Dante Festival. Directed by Ross Peabody. Semi-finalist (for Lions of Babylon), O'Neill Theater Conference, 2009 New Perspectives Theater Company, August 2008 New Perspectives Studios, New York, NY A workshop production of The Waiting Room as a part of the Women's Work Project Lab's Girl Power Festival. Directed by Melissa Maxwell. Honorable Mention (for Lions of Babylon), Bay Area Playwrights Festival, 2008 Committed Theater Company, November 2005 The Bernie West Theatre at Baruch College, New York, NY A three-week run of a full production of Estrella, My Refugee directed by Thomas G. Waites. Women Center Stage Festival, July 2003 The Culture Project, New York, NY A workshop production of Estrella, My Refugee (previous title of Gringita); the play was a feature presentation of the festival. Directed by Emmanuel Bocchieri. Runner-up, Princess Grace Award, Princess Grace Foundation, 2002 MUSIC: RECESS, Brooklyn, NY, March 2010-Present Manages, plays bass and sings, and writes songs for the Brooklyn-based rock trio, RECESS (www.myspace.com/recessbrooklyn). The Poma-swank (Poma-swank Productions), Brooklyn, NY, July 2003-February 2007 Managed, composed music for, and sang with the Brooklyn-based jazz ensemble, The Poma-swank (www.myspace.com/pomaswank), which released its album, Red Sky in Brooklyn, in the summer of 2005. Performed regularly with the band at various New York City venues, including headlining the 2005 Williamsburg Jazz Festival.
Park Avenue Armory, New York, NY, March 2010-present Teaching Artist Creates curriculum for and facilitates gallery tours/arts workshops for 6-12th grade students visiting the Armory's exhibits and performances. Recent work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Ryoji Ikeda, and Richard Greenaway. Theater Development Fund, New York, NY, February 2007-present Teaching Artist Teaches playwriting to high school students (9-12) throughout the New York City metro area as a part of TDF's Residency Arts Program. Co-authored the "styles" section of the second semester curriculum, a resource to help teachers guide students through exploration of more non-traditional playwriting forms, such as the choreopoem or Augusto Boal's "Theater of the Oppressed." Marquis Studios, New York, NY, June 2006-present Teaching Artist Creates the curriculum for and teaches a variety of arts-in-education residencies in schools (preK-8) and after-school programs throughout the New York City metro area, including residencies in Creative Dramatics, Mask Improvisation, Rhythm and Music, Songwriting, and Choral Music. Lower Manhattan Arts Academy, New York, NY, September 2005-present LoMATE Director Creates the curriculum for, teaches, and directs productions for the Lower Manhattan Arts Academy Theater Ensemble. Culminating projects have included full productions of Mother Courage and Her Children, Once on This Island, 365 Days/365 Plays, Pippin, The Tempest, Rent, Metamorphoses, A Chorus Line, The Laramie Project, and Hair, as well as performances of student-written work at DATCO's Rebel Verses Festival 2008. The LoMA after-school theater program has been acknowledged for its "Best Practices" by the National Guild of Community Schools in the Arts. Community Works, New York, NY, February 2005-present Teaching Artist Teaches the Making a Difference program, a community-learning arts project, with focuses in theater and music. Also designs workshops and professional development seminars in creative writing, theater, music, or songwriting.
My first teacher was my grandmother, who was seventy years old when I was born. Through her I learned to think of aging not as slowing down, but as a time for rich reflection and further growth. This respect for aging brings me to my collaborations with older adults, as well as my own frustration that our society doesn’t treat our elders as well as I think we should. By working creatively with older adults, I hope I’m working to help create a more civil society where elders are treated as equal, vital, and creative.
Another inspiration for my work with older adults is my aunt, who is presently suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease at the age of sixty-two. Having observed the progress of her symptoms, I’m interested in how creative practice can be therapeutic, and I would welcome the opportunity to collaborate with Alzheimer’s patients and their families. I believe art can be a source of healing for the patients themselves and for their loved ones.
In my own creative life, I’m a writer, director, and singer/songwriter. I’ve taught writing, acting, and music in the New York City Public Schools, Rutgers University, the University of Michigan, the Cooper Union, as well as community centers and libraries all over New York City. I want to work more regularly with older adults because I know what a valuable resource my elders are, and I want to assure that creative programs are alive and well for older people when I join their ranks.
