David D. Mitchell Bio and Artistic Statement

BIO

David D. Mitchell, Managing Director of Run of the Mill Theater, Baltimore MD, is an actor, writer, and administrator, returned to Baltimore after working with both The Actors Studio and The Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. He received an M.F.A. from the Actors Studio at The New School for Social Research, working with master teachers Barbara Poitier, Gene Lasko, Susan Aston, and Arthur Penn. While at The Neighborhood Playhouse, he worked with Harold G. Baldridge, Beverly Sugarman, and Lawrence Feeney. He has been involved with numerous arts education organizations (City Lights, LEAP). David is a graduate of Morgan State University and holds a B.A. in Theater. He currently teaches at Morgan. Plays directed: Black Nativity by Langston Hughes, Les Blanc by Lorraine Hansberry, The Great MacDaddy by Paul Carter Harrison, Sizwe Banzi is Dead by Athol Fugard, Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca and several short plays featured in RotM's Annual Variations Project (Read about it @ www.runofthemilltheater.org)

Describe the type of theater you would like to create and/or support and sustain. The point of the statement is to give other theater professionals a sense of where your specific theatrical interests and concerns lie.

Run of the Mill Theater is dedicated to providing innovative programming of new and under-produced plays, creating opportunities for professional and aspiring artists to collaborate, and fostering cultural diversity. The organization supports and encourages new artists in their continued development by providing a safe and structured environment for learning and the exploration of new ideas. Run of the Mill Theater consistently provides space for emerging artists and arts organizations by creating collaborative community based projects.

My goal, as an arts administrator, is to create and maintain a safe environment for artists of any age, gender, sexual orientation, or ethnicity. I accomplish this by creating long-term, process-oriented projects that yield more than a final performance. I’m interested in theater that develops thinking skills, social skills, and personal skills. I’m producing theater that encourages creativity and collaboration by providing a nurturing and supportive environment in which actor/students learn the fundamentals of playwriting, acting, directing, and theater protocol.

Artistic Statement:

I've been a facilitator and major "catalyst" in bringing together diverse segments of the performing arts community in Baltimore. I've initiated working relationships among students from Morgan Stae University, Towson State University, UMBC and Loyola College who generally have not worked together previously. This has been accomplished through various productions and an increased number of staged readings that provide opportunities for younger theater students of varying backgrounds to work alongside more experienced professionals. I've created opportunities for emerging arts organizations from diverse segments of the Baltimore performing arts community to work together on projects.

As the head administrator I've built upon RotM's initiative to explore work of Hispanic and Latino playwrights, assisting with RotM's production of Icarus by Edwin Sanchez to directing a production of Federico Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding. When creating collaborative projects or in-house programming, I've successfully avoided gender and racial stereotyping. I've had the opportunity to work will several other Art Education groups in Baltimore as the lead theater consultant (BELL-Building Educated Leaders for Life, Young Audiences of Maryland, and Bright Starts). I’ve worked in the classroom and at community centers. My experience has led me to believe the only approach to effective arts programming in Baltimore is an aggressive team oriented approach.

Finally, I've fostered the development of Run of the Mill from an emerging theater of young talented, predominantly white actors to include a wider range of age and cultural backgrounds. Our casting over the past two years has expanded to include Hispanic, Asian, Indian, African-American, and even French-Canadian actors. Our playwrights are becoming more diverse and exploring themes that reflect greater consciousness of community issues and cross-cultural relationships.

Shoot me an email... and let's collaborate!

David D. Mitchell
Managing Director
(and interim AD)
443-885-3670
_______________________________
Run of the Mill Theater
"It's anything but!"
PO Box 38770
Baltimore MD 21231
www.runofthemilltheater.org