Devised Theatre Ensemble

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.

WIth over 35 years of directing and teaching experience, Josh began his directing journey while working at Adventure Theatre  in Glen Echo, MD. He recently retired as a middle school Theatre Arts Educator after 30 years in public education. Josh is also a former teacher with Institute for the Arts, a summer arts program, and the Director of Performer’s Corner Summer Workshop. He was a Director with Arena Stage’s Voices of Now program for 10 years, where he worked with teen artists to create devised theatre performances based on the artist’s’ personal experiences.

Currently, Josh is also the Co-Director of the AFYP (Acting for Young People) Adventures Cast and a Lead Teacher with the AFYP Summer Camp. In 2023, Josh began working with the International Schools Theatre Association where he was a co-director of Para la Guerra Nada (For War, Nothing) in Bogota, Columbia.