Frank Wo/Men Collective

http://www.frankwomencollective.com // @frank_wo_men

Frank Wo/Men Collective is a group of fresh, multitalented theatre and dance artists. The collective evolves project to project, crossbreeding different assemblages of talent and enthusiasm with each collaborative new work.

The artists of Frank Wo/Men Collective co-produce a multitude of forward-thinking, highly physical pieces which are at times fervid, humorous, or idiosyncratic. The work is underpinned with the collective’s shared values of social awareness, intersectional feminism, androgyny, body positivity, and life choice acceptances. From a clowning and Butoh-infused solo exploration and a squeaky toy glutes band to poignant duets, ballet, and opera, the Frank Wo/Men put forward risky work, no-holds-barred.

Kelsey Oliver, an Austin native, is a freelance choreographer and performer in the digs for ridiculously experimental theatre, film, and concert dance. Kelsey has collaborated on works with the Rude Mechanicals, Underbelly Theatre, Magdalena Jarkowiec, The Theorists, Body Shift, Capyac, UT New Theatre, Ground Floor Theatre, Heloise Gold, CB Goodman, Cordova Quartet, + more. Kelsey has also been an adjudicator, choreographer, and dance instructor for studios and teams throughout Texas. She received a B.F.A. in Dance in 2015, studying at the University of Texas at Austin and Le Centre National de Danse Contemporaine in Angers, France. 

Roberto Di Donato is a theatre maker of Venezuelan & Italian ​descent. He worked with Virginia Scott on The Commedia Company in NYC. Roberto has translated plays written by Luigi Pirandello which were produced at Theatre 71. He was a core member of the New York based “Queer Scouts” and a former Abrons Arts Center Resident. Most recently, Roberto has also assisted José Carrasquillo & Jeanette Buck working on movement vocabulary for Rhinoceros produced by Tantrum Theatre. Roberto is an MFA Directing candidate at Ohio University and recipient of The Original Works Grant. 

Chris Conard is an Austin-based artist and designer. He graduated from SFUAD in Santa Fe, NM with a BFA in Technical Theater Design in 2014. Chris is interested in creating original work that challenges the viewer, the institutions of normality, and perspectives of reality. In 2017 and 2018 he won the Austin Critics Table Award for Best Set Design, was nominated for Best Lighting Design in 2017, and was the 2017 B. Iden Payne Award winner for Outstanding Set Design. Chris is currently pursuing his MFA in Design and Technology from UT Austin.

Alexa Capareda is a classically-trained contemporary dance artist centered on unaffected virtuosity, versatility, and the earnest and playful. She trained in her native Philippines, Austin, and Montreal before joining Balet Bratislava in Slovakia. She received 3rd prize at the 2013 Festival of Choreographic Miniatures in Serbia. Ballet Master for Ballet Austin II and the Butler Fellows, Alexa also works with Performa/Dance, ARCOS, BLiPSWiTCH, Magdalena Jarkowiec, and Jennifer Sherburn. She has collaborated with sound artists Steve Parker, Brent Baldwin, Houston-based Transitory Sound and Movement Collective, Austin Camerata, and LOLA Austin. In 2017, Alexa received an Austin Critics Table Award for Excellence as a Dancer. ​Alexa holds a B.A. in English, minor in Theatre and Dance from UT Austin.

Artist website
www.frankwomencollective.com
www.Kelsey-Oliver.com
www.robertdidonato.com
www.Jchrisconard.com

Social
Instagram: @frank_wo_men
Facebook: @frankwomencollective