Spring Break Acting Intensive: Devised Theater 

With nearly 40 years of directing and teaching experience, Josh Bickford began his career at Adventure Theatre in Glen Echo, MD. His extensive background in public education spans 31 years, culminating in his 2024 retirement as a middle school Theatre Arts Educator. Throughout his career, Josh worked with the Institute for the Arts and served as Director of the Performer’s Corner Summer Workshop. Notably, he spent a decade as a Director with Arena Stage’s Voices of Now program, collaborating with teen artists to create original devised theatre based on their personal narratives.

Building on this foundation of educational leadership and devised performance, Josh now serves as the Director of Education for Precipice Theater Team and Co-Director of the Acting for Young People (AFYP) Adventures Cast. His work continues to reach international audiences; since 2023, he has collaborated with the International Schools Theatre Association, directing productions in Colombia, Panama, and Peru.

Ashley Forman worked in the education and community engagement department at Arena Stage for over 22 years. She served as the Director of Education for 17 years, over-seeing lesson planning and curriculum for all of Arena Stage’s education programs. Ashley was responsible for the design of Voices of Now, Arena Stage’s devised theater program for young artists in the D.C. area and served as the artistic director for that program and its ten devising ensembles for 20 years. Through partnerships with the U.S. Department of State, Ashley implemented her devised theater model in India, Ukraine, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Peru. From 2013 to 2020 Ashley was as a visiting artist and guest lecturer at Utah State University, where she devised and directed plays with theater education students and taught masterclasses for their BFA acting students.

Ashley has facilitated workshops with public health workers for the National Institute of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, the Archie Institute in Atlanta, and DC Child and Family Services Agency, the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing, and the Red Cross. She has devised autobiographical plays with numerous populations including young people aging out of the foster care system, grieving teens, survivors of childhood trauma, as well as professional artists, and social advocates. She has presented on her work at numerous conferences including AATE, ATHE, and TCG. Currently Ashley is in her second term as a board member for the American Alliance for Theater and Education, where she serves as their national programming director.

In June of 2024, Ashley started Precipice Theater Team to continue her life’s work of devising, evocative theater that provokes discussion, and leads to empathy and understanding.