The Caterpillar's Footprint
The Caterpillar's Footprint
The Caterpillar's Footprint
The Caterpillar's Footprint
The Caterpillar's Footprint
Who We Are
Staff
Ashley Laverty, Founding Artistic Director
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Ashley (she/her) is the founding Artistic Director of Kerfuffle. Under her leadership, Kerfuffle has partnered with many arts and non-arts organizations to bring aesthetically exciting, engaging, and accessible theatre experiences to children around the country in museums, libraries, parks, and community centers. With Kerfuffle, she has developed and directed The Conductors, Toddler Hiking Club: An Imaginative Nature Walk, Toad Hall, Goose and Gert, Nested, and The Caterpillar's Footprint. She has over 10 years of teaching artist experience, specializing in drama in the early childhood classroom. In Chicago, Ashley is proud to be a teaching artist with Lifeline Theatre, Writers Theater, Imagine Performing Arts and The Stage School. She is also a Kennedy Center teaching artist. Ashley holds an M.F.A in Theatre for Youth from Arizona State University and a B.A. in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Musical Theatre from Point Park University's Conservatory of Performing Arts. www.ashleylaverty.com
Jeff Sachs, Managing Director
Jeff (he/him) is a theatre artist and arts administrator in Lexington, Kentucky. He has worked artistically with Kerfuffle as the playwright of Bookworms, the scenic designer for the Chicago premiere of Goose and Gert and the original production of The Caterpillar's Footprint, and the production designer for wonderwander. Originally from Long Island, Sachs has worked as a teaching artist in Illinois, Kentucky, and Arizona. He has his bachelor's in Theatre from Northwestern University, his M.F.A. in Theatre for Youth from Arizona State University, and his M.B.A. from DePaul University. He is the managing director of Lexington Children's Theatre and Kerfuffle.
Miranda Taylor, Production Manager
Miranda Taylor (She/They) is a type one diabetic, Chicago-based actor, director, stage manager and Production Manager! Miranda studied at Gordon College, specializing in Musical Theatre and received her Master’s from Adelphi University in Theatre Education Production Management. She has worked at Lifeline Theatre, Proboscis Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Kerfuffle, The Artistic Home, Writers Theatre, and been a part of a number of New Works projects. They are passionate about developing new works, supporting young artists, creating safe spaces for artists and audiences of all abilities and provoking empathy. Miranda could not be more excited to join the Kerfuffle Team!
Kerfuffle Board of Directors
President: Jim Alrutz
Secretary: Amanda Pintore
Treasurer: Jeff Sachs
Officers: Wyatt Kent, Ashley Laverty, Katie Ann Millar
Jim Alrutz, President
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Jim Alrutz (he/they) is an attorney and mediator in Chicago, working in alternative dispute resolution and access to justice. He is the Programs Director for the Early Resolution Program at the Center for Conflict Resolution, and is adjunct faculty at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, teaching Professional Identity Formation. He has worn a number of artistic hats in his day, including sound designer, composer, stage electrician, and podcast producer. Jim is a firm believer in the value of engaging young audiences with live performances to foster a lifelong love of and support for the arts.
Wyatt Kent, Officer
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Wyatt (he/him) is a theater director and artistic director of Red Theater in Chicago. Directing credits include immersive and devised work (The Wild Party, Out of Many, De/Ascending), Shakespeare adaptations (Romeo and Juliet et al., Macbeth, Julius Caesar) and new play development. With Red Theater, he most recently directed the world premiere Indoor Cats by Mora V. Harris and will be directing Hamlet in Spring 2024. He previously worked as a teaching artist and Artistic Director for Compass Creative Dramatics and holds an MFA in directing from Arizona State University.
Katie Ann Millar, Officer
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Katie (She/Her) is the Chief Operating Officer of the Millar Family. Other roles include Artist, Wife, and Mom to two of Kerfuffle’s biggest fans. Katie has been blessed with a diverse amount of artistic (BA Theatre, Point Park University, Dancer/Actor/Singer/Choreographer/Teaching Artist) and other professional experiences (Business/Marketing/Sales/FundRaising/Food Service.) She is passionate about theatre reaching young audiences and hopes as a board member her accumulated wisdom and talents can support and enrich the mission of Kerfuffle.
Amanda Pintore, Secretary
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Amanda Pintore (she/her) is a director, choreographer, and educator focusing on movement and dance education, devised theatre, and making theatre and dance performances with and for 0-6 year olds. She also specializes in arts integration, creative facilitation strategies, and training in teaching artistry. She is an Assistant Professor in Theatre for Youth and Community and Acting at Arizona State University. She is also a Fulbright Specialist and recently collaborated with students and faculty at the Atlantic Technological University in Ireland in the fall of 2023. She has an MFA in Theatre for Youth from Arizona State University.