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he Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC) is an awardwinning theater that strives to bring high-quality theater to Astoria while supporting local youth and senior citizens. APAC has already been in existence for a decade and a half, and each season introduces new successes, fresh faces and innovative, high-quality theater. One of the greatest joys of witnessing the development of this excellent center of the arts has been admiring the direction and guidance of the leadership throughout the years. We sat down with the newest member of the APAC team, Executive Director Jessica Bathurst, to discuss her journey and discover exactly what she thinks makes APAC so unique. BORO: What is your earliest memory of live theater? Jessica Bathurst: When I was 8, I loved to create “live theatrical experiences” for my parents and their friends, based largely on a Cabbage Patch Kids album. The first professional theatrical production I can remember seeing was “Into The Woods” when I was 11—it came on tour through my hometown. It was magical. I wore that cast album out! BORO: When did you realize you had a gift for helping encourage and create theater? JB: When I was in college, I had the opportunity to work with a student-run theater company called Mask & Bauble. We did everything: acting, directing, design, producing. I produced the fall musical and a festival of student-written oneacts, and I loved it. Producing in college was the first time I had taken a written work from inception to full production, and from then on, I was hooked. BORO: What drew you to the APAC? JB: I was drawn to APAC for the fact that it was a community-based organization The Play is the Thing that both produced professional artistic work of the highest caliber and had long-standing community programs serving both students and seniors. You don't often find that combination in one organization. Also, I was blown away by “In the Bones” and “Merrily We Roll Along,” two very different productions that stayed with me long after I had left the theater. BORO: What are some of your fingerprints people might expect under your direction? JB: As the executive director, I consider myself to be the “host” for all APAC events—whether you've come to see a show, participate in Senior Stars, or have your child in our Summer Stars program, I hope that you feel welcome and at home in our space. I want to meet everyone who walks through our doors, and I want those who attend our programming to feel that they can talk to me about what they've seen, and the work that APAC does. BORO: Theater is such a collaboration ... what are some of the best things about working with the artistic director, Dev Bondarin? T 6 I BOROMAG.COM I DECEMBER 2015 THE ARTS


BM122015
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