About Us

Frances Rippy is a director, producer, dramaturg, performer, and cooperative theatre-maker originally from Louisville, KY. They hope to create complex work infused with a sense of humor and play which inspires, excites, and expands our collective imagination. They are passionate about arts accessibility and ways to make theatre a more environmentally sustainable practice. They are currently studying physical theatre post-bachelors degree at the Accademia dell'Arte in Arezzo, Italy. They previously worked as a performer, director and President of the Vassar College Shakespeare Troupe, a site specific, free, outdoor, and carbon neutral company producing scrappy and touching productions from Shakespeare’s canon. Other past artistic training includes graduating Cum Laude from Vassar College with Bachelor's of Arts, from the directing program of the Youth Performing Arts School in Kentucky, from the summer conservatory of the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, and the Walden Theatre Conservatory of the Commonwealth Theatre Center. Their past work experience has also shaped their work immensely, namely working in Development at Williamstown Theatre Festival, in Production Management and Artistic Administration at Kentucky Shakespeare, and serving as the Vassar Ticket Fund Coordinator for the Vassar College Drama Department.

New York based collage artist, Naomi Friedman, has been working through the medium of physical and digital collage art for the past few years. Through their work with social justice and arts nonprofits, such as the Youth Justice Network, the Newburgh LGBTQ+ Center, and the Williamstown Theater Festival, Naomi has worked to combine their passion for prison activism with a commitment to emergent political and artistic praxis. Naomi dedicates themselves to centering found object art and community testimony in their work—including the curation of materials and resources, as well as the creative process. Naomi graduated Cum Laude from Vassar College with departmental honors, and has participated in two artist residencies following graduation—with the Arquetopia Foundation and Kolaj Institute—to further expand their collage practice. Naomi co-founded the Boyz With Apple Artist Collective and serves as a Producer, Scenographer and Manager for the Clownz With Apple Production Company. As a part of the collective, Naomi has created and shipped unique pieces of analog collage art globally, as well as created art installations and graphic design campaigns for a variety of arts and non-profit organizations.

Fiona Bruckman is a dancer, photographer, and craftsperson—specializing in unique knitwear—from Philadelphia. Fiona graduated from Vassar College with a Bachelors of Arts and danced with the Vassar Repertory Dance Company throughout their tenure at Vassar. Fiona is a co-founder of the Boyz With Apple Artist Collective, and Head choreographer for the Clownz With Apple production company. Fiona also draws crafting inspiration from working for the Repair Café movement which celebrates the potential to build community through crafting and skill share. Their previous work experience includes being a contributing writer at urbz, an architecture and planning firm based out of Mumbai; New York State Fellow and Field Representative for Our Climate; Fundraising Team Leader Coach and intern at For the Many, formerly known as Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson; and being the Programs and Services Intern at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Fiona has also been accepted to present research with urbz at the ICBE conference in 2023.