Awareness Theater Company

Company Members

Emily Anderson, Director and Founding Member

ATC creations: Pigs of Oz, Speaking for Ourselves, Bill’s Bill, And Justice for All, The Splendid Telephone, Living the Good Life in Vermont

Solo creations: A Car Owner’s Lament

Joel Bertelson, Founding Member

Joel Bertelson has lived in eight different places in Vermont. He’s got blue eyes, short blond hair and a beard. He graudated from Essex High School. He’s been in a lot of show since high school. He loves playing golf, video games and watching TV and listening to music. He’s a storyteller and a man of many costume shows.

“We’re here to entertain people and have fun doing it. That makes me feel real good inside.”

Solo ATC work: How Junk Food Saved My Life, Families that Break

Edward Ashey Burke, Assistant Director

Edward is the Assistant Director of the Awareness Theater Company, and a graduate of St. Michael’s College, Class of 2005 with a B.A. in Fine Arts/Theater. A resident of Colchester, he is also a proud actor, musician, independent radio disc jockey, amature photographer, novice poet, pirate, and jester, though not in that same order, nor all at once. Multi-tasking scares him, as does math, science and technology. He loves the past, daily creation using the arts, and also celebrating his Celtic heritage. He is addicted to sound, be it musical, mechanical, or human. He thinks everybody should be more kind to their neighbor, so it should come as no surprise that his favorite quote is: “You can never do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late”. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.

“We exist to let our voices be heard, to communicate our stories and lessons to whoever happens to see our shows. We also strive to give a voice to those individuals that cannot speak up.”

Solo ATC work: Silent But Outspoken

Camille Cardinal

Camille loves theater, drawing and music. She also loves sports too; soccer, basketball and bocce ball.

“Since I joined Awareness Theater I have changed in many ways. People notice me more now. I’m not this little shadow that no one can see. I am bright and shiny!”

Solo ATC work: My Hamster and Hamster Heaven

Patty Dow

Patty was born in Plattsburgh, New York and now lives in Burlington, Vermont. She’s got brown eyes and brown hair. Patty is a prolific writer.

“My first performing experience with ATC was on Joel’s show, Families that Break. It was great to be a part of that show. We worked like a team and had fun too."

Mark Utter

Mark is an auxiliary member of ATC.

His bio: “Mark Utter is a man who uses dear Emily to communicate with the world. Good communication for me is facilitated through someone giving me grounding by supporting my often spastic appendages. I am making a movie contrasting my reality of being stuck in my mind versus my true desires. I want everyone who likes my writing to e-mail me.”

ATC solo work: Mark created the text for the green bird in I’ll Fly Away

DJ Fregeau, Company Choreographer

DJ is a graduate of the High School Self Advocacy Theater Program that Emily taught at Colchester High School. Having created many fantastic characters and skits during four years of HS-SAT programming it was natural that DJ would join ATC and continue to create.

Nicole Villemaire

After a solid year of advocating for her inclusion in our theater company we finally agreed to give Nicole a chance. Jumping into the role of the "daughter" in "Living the Good Life in Vermont" she passed the audition with flying colors. We enjoy having her youthful energy and look forward to her future good work with us.

What Awareness Theater Company Means to Us

“Awareness Theater lets us show to people who we are. Awareness Theater gives us strength to see who we are, and to show people with disabilities that we are just like everybody else.”
Camille

“The Awareness Theater Company is like my second family and I enjoy doing lots of shows and being in lots of other shows that others have written. I enjoy traveling across the state. I would like to enjoy traveling more with ATC. We have been in a lot of shows in the past 10 years. It has been wonderful. I hope we stay a theater group long enough for 10 years or more.”
Joel

“As a former college theater student, my professors would probably never forgive me if I didn’t relate a quote here: 'All the world’s a stage. And the men and women, simply players'- who else but William Shakespeare. Much more than players on a stage, though, we are a family. We watch out for each other. We do a check-in at every rehearsal. And, just like the “average American nuclear family,” we all have our own explosive personalities. Our personalities bubble up to the surface as we put everybody’s stories on stage.”
Edward

For information about how you can become a member of ATC to support our work in a “non-performing” way, please go to How We Work.