Mission and Background The mission of Collective Hole Productions (CHP), founded in 2006 by Edward P. Clapp and Rebecca V. Nellis, is to blur the traditional lines between the writing, rehearsal and performance phases of each project. The CHP approach is to bring the director’s eye and storytelling skills to the writing and to involve the playwright in the challenge of bringing the words to life. Collective Hole has produced three original works of theatre since its inception, Run the Maze, Burn the Maze (2006) Tucker in a Box (2007) and Appetite for Destruction (2008). As a company, Collective Hole believes that the arts should be part of the daily human experience and an active participant in the world. In the past, Collective Hole has contributed a portion of its ticket sales to the Robin Hood Foundation, provided free tickets for students from poorly performing New York City high schools and partnered with environmentally conscious companies to produce merchandise and to provide web hosting services. In addition to growing as a company, CHP also makes it a priority to engage its audience and core artistic community in a dialogue focused on the growth of independent theatre as a domain. Likewise, in their professional lives, both Rebecca and Edward are passionate about addressing the impending generational shift in leadership in the arts and not-for-profit sectors. Biographies Edward P. Clapp: Co-Founder, Resident Playwright Edward has written and co-produced three Off, Off Broadway plays (Appetite for Destruction, Run the Maze, Burn the Maze, Tucker in a Box) in the past two years. As a spoken word artist, Edward has performed throughout the US and Europe at venues such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Edinburgh, Scotland), Shakespeare and Company (Paris, France), The Bowery Poetry Club (NYC) and as a featured author at the Guild Hall Summer Writer’s Series (East Hampton, NY). His poems have appeared in literary journals including The Dudley Review, Quarterlife, Avocado, Confluence, Nerve (U.K.) and Kilometer Zero. Edward’s fiction has been published in Word Jig—an Anthology of New Scottish Fiction (Hanging Loose Press, 2003) and Philly Fiction (Don Ron Press, 2006). Edward received his BFA from Rhode Island School of Design, his Masters of Letters from the University of Glasgow and his Ed. M. in Arts Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Edward is currently a doctoral student and teaching Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His research interests include the social, cultural and neurological bases of creativity, as well as developing strategies to address the impending generational shift in leadership within the arts. Rebecca V. Nellis: Co-Founder, Resident Director Rebecca directed and co-produced Collective Hole’s three plays (Appetite for Destruction, Run the Maze, Burn the Maze and Tucker in a Box) in New York. Also in New York, Rebecca has worked as a director and stage/rehearsal manager with Falling Plaster, Common Ground Stage and Film Company, The Flock Theatre Company, Nevermore, Inc. and The Theatre for the New City. Rebecca worked in the casting departments of the Paper Mill Playhouse and the television show Lateline. Additionally, she was a teaching artist at the City Lights Youth Theatre. Before moving to New York, Rebecca studied theatre at the Chicago Academy for the Arts and the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. She is a graduate of New York University’s Experimental Theatre Wing. Outside of the theatre, Rebecca is the Director of Programs for the CEW Foundation’s Cancer and Careers initiative. Recent Collaborators Erin D. Coffey, Vice President of Talent Acquisition Operations and Retention Barnett Cohen, actor Garrett Feek, actor Stefanie Frame, actor Sara Gozalo, actor Rebecca Gurian, photo retoucher Julia A. Middleton, intern and stage manager Nina Morrison, casting consultant Brian Morvant, actor Kurt Rodeghiero, actor RTMBTM.htmlRTMBTM.htmlTucker.htmlPast.htmlshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3

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