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Darren and Heather Stevenson (Founding Artistic Co-Directors, PUSHer), born in England and now a U.S. citizen, met PUSH co-founder and wife Heather Stevenson during their studies at The Center in St. Louis. Both went on to study with Several Dancers Core in Atlanta and The Goldston & Johnston School for Mimes at Kenyon College. In Atlanta, the Stevensons founded The Studio School of the Arts, a community training center. In 2000, they relocated to Rochester, NY, where PUSH Physical Theatre was born. Rather than relying on their trained movement vocabulary, PUSH was formed from a shared belief that each performer should bring their unique life experiences to the stage. Darren leads the company and has also spoken about PUSH’s unique, improvised creative process at TEDx Rochester. 

Ashley Jones (Creative Director, PUSHer) is a physical actor, deviser, and director. He trained at Rose Bruford College and Academia Teatro Dimitri before going on to train with Phillipe Gaulier and Angela De Castro in theatrical clowning. As a physical performer, Ashley has worked and trained with international theatre companies Gecko Physical Theatre, The David Glass Ensemble, Nonsuch Theatre, and Frantic Assembly. His recent devised work includes: LifeHack (2019), Intotheclouds (2018), The Party’s Over (2017), Eclipse (2017), and The Russian Play (2017). Directing credits include Rite of Passage (2015, 2016), EnCircled (2019), and TILT (2019). Ashley would like to thank the generous support of the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts.