ASU theater faculty, alumni win national award for performance for the very young

Amanda Pintore, assistant professor in the theater for youth and community program at Arizona State University, recently had her co-created work “Red” recognized with a Theatre for Young Audiences Artistic Innovation Award by Theatre for Young Audiences/USA at this year’s national festival and conference. 

Co-creators Olivia Herneddo ('22 MFA) and Ji Sun Myung ('18 MFA) along with Pintore ('17 MFA) are all alumni from ASU's MFA in theater program.

“It is incredible to receive this recognition,” said Pintore. “Theater and dance for the very young is still an emergent field in the United States, and we are honored that Theatre for Young Audiences/USA chose to uplift a performance for 12- to 36-month-olds this year. We see this as an exciting indicator of where the field is headed, where artists are experimenting and taking leaps, and what else might be possible in performance for this age range.”

“Red,” their award-winning creative project, is an immersive dance performance for 12- to 36-month-olds and their families. Filled with joyful chaos and playful exploration, the project uses Pintore’s creative research methodology to build a performance that positions toddlers as experts in the experience. Mesa Arts Center and Children’s Museum of Phoenix continue to be meaningful partners in the work; both venues are remounting the show this fall.

All three artists bring their unique perspectives to the project. Herneddo is currently a lead experience designer for ASU Enterprise Technology. She was not only a researcher and performer for “Red” — she was also a parent participating in the show with her own toddler.

“Sharing this journey with my toddler has been the highlight of my career,” said Herneddo. “She was involved from the earliest research stages, but the live performances brought a unique challenge: how to be a professional performer and a present mother at the same time. … Balancing the needs of my child, my collaborators and the audience was a journey into uncharted territory, and I’m so proud of the grace we found in those moments.”

Herneddo said she believes the show helps build a shared visual language between parents and children. She and Pintore have been creative partners for nearly a decade, with their artistic collaboration starting in Lawrence, Kansas, and their respective MFAs from ASU’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Pintore served as a consultant on Herneddo’s thesis show, “Hello World!,” which received the Outstanding Excellence in Innovation and Creative Practice Award from the Herberger Institute that year. 

“Following a two-year hiatus to focus on my family, the timing finally aligned for us to work together again,” said Herneddo. “What started as a shared daydream blossomed into ‘Red,’ and after 18 months of development, it’s incredible to see the fruits of our creative labor.”

For composer and musician Myung, the experience reminded her of the importance of play and fun when creating art. She said that letting very young children guide the process brings those principles to the forefront.

“I think it's important to nurture young people's appreciation of creativity and beauty,” said Myung. “However, I think the significance of our performance is that it's a performance with the very young where we (adults) also learn from these amazing artists who have less fear and judgement.”

A Fulbright Specialist who worked with early childhood educators, Pintore has also been featured in The New York Times. She said she is honored to collaborate with Herneddo and Myung on this project.

“As an alum and current professor of ASU's MFA in theater for youth and community program, it is incredibly meaningful to take the early seeds of my experience as a student and watch them unfold at this stage,” Pintore said.

She is excited to see where “Red” goes next and to continue to create performances for and with the very young.

“Performances for the very young uplift children in the birth-to-age-6 range as artists, collaborators, consumers of art and vital members of arts and culture,” said Pintore. “These performances give families a space to be themselves, experience art that is designed just for them, and center play and performance in their lives.”