ASU theater professor wins national book award
Amanda Pintore (center) stands with Jamie Macpherson (left) and Jeff Sachs (right), alums of the ASU MFA in theater (concentration in theater for youth and community) program. Photo courtesy Amanda Pintore
Amanda Pintore, assistant professor in the School of Music, Dance and Theatre, part of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University, was recently awarded the American Alliance for Theatre and Education’s Distinguished Book Award for her book, “Theatre and Dance with Children as Artistic Partners: Devising Performance for the Very Young.”
“It’s really meaningful to be acknowledged in this way,” said Pintore. “It’s exciting not only that theater for youth books are being acknowledged, but that performance practices for the very young are being lifted up in the field.”
This is Pintore’s third acknowledgement by the American Alliance for Theatre and Education. The organization brings together practitioners, scholars and educators at the intersection of theater and education, and each year, the awards recognizes outstanding contributions to the field.
Pintore is a director, choreographer and educator who focuses on creating theater and dance performances with and for children 6 years old and younger. She said she has always appreciated the work of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education and their inclusion of work for the very young.
In continuation of her research, Pintore will be presenting 16 performances of her newly co-devised work “Red” at the Mesa Arts Center and six performances at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix. The work was developed in collaboration with ASU alumni Olivia Herneddo ('22 MFA) and Jisun Myung ('18 MFA). In the spring, she will be teaching her annual class that helps ASU students create, present and tour an original dance and theater production for very young children.
“Babies and toddlers are deeply deserving of dynamic artistic experiences,” said Pintore. “I think it's critical to develop spaces where families can create alongside other families and artists. These generative spaces help turn down the noise on other things and let people really experience what it's like to be artistic together as a family unit.”