Our Mission
The Mission at The Organic Theatre LLC is to establish a fresh, progressive foundation of inclusive art that will create content surpassing industry standards.
Our Philosophy
The Organic Theatre LLC was conceived with the idea that one does not need fear in order to create art. By eliminating the need for competition, self-sabotage, and survival, we hope the industry will be filled with collaboration, cooperation, and love for the craft and the artist. We believe that this strategy will not only benefit the individual artists but will become inspiration for the patrons partaking in The Organic Theatre LLC productions.
Our Story
Our Maryland-based company started when a group of artists had a brunch in 2018, to discuss eliminating the negativity within the theatre industry. The main consensus during that meeting was a call for a cultural change, one that would prove that theatre does not need to exist in a toxic environment. We are inspired by our work in Inclusive Theatre, finding that many of the lessons we teach actors living with intellectual or developmental disabilities should be taught to our fellow teachers and peers in the industry. After discussing this idea, we came to the conclusion that it’s our lessons on positive well-being, social skills and self-care that result in a more loving rehearsal setting, and more success on stage.
After creating a curriculum using the works of scholars like Julia Cameron, Patch Adams M.D, and Susan Parenti M.D, we felt ready to teach our ideas, but first wanted to lead by example. Our online productions practice the art of ego-less theatre, one where we focus only on collaboration, positivity, and love; for ourselves, our scene partners and the craft as a whole.
Welcome to Organic.
Our Team
Luke Scaros, Artistic Director, Teaching Artist
Melanie Zehner, Program and Events Director, Teaching Artist
Emma Shannon, Education Director, Teaching Artist
Sarah Sandifer, Company Manager
Kathryn Hamilton-Lodge, Merchandising Coordinator
Shannon Katz-Dean, Communications Director
Mendel Katz-Dean, Webmaster
Victor Peddicord, Video Editor
Luke Scaros
Melanie Zehner