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 Chicago. 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 and his Master of Fine Arts in Theatre for Youth from Arizona State University. He is recently received his Master in Business Administration from DePaul University.
Kerfuffle Board of Directors
President: Jim Alrutz
Secretary: Amanda Pintore
Treasurer: Jeff Sachs
Officers: Anne Phillips, Wyatt Kent, Ashley Laverty
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.
Anne Phillips, Officer
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Anne (she/her) owns and operates The Edge Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. Prior to opening the theater, Anne had a successful career in banking and finance working at both The Chicago Corporation and The Federal Reserve Bank. Anne is an active supporter of the arts in Chicago. In addition to her board membership at Kerfuffle, she also serves on the board at Steppenwolf Theatre Company and the Old Town School of Folk Music. After graduating from The University of Texas, Anne and her husband moved to Chicago where they raised three children.
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.