We recently connected with Stephanie Bartage and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on was directing The Shawshank Redemption stage adaptation by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns. I have always been a Stephen King fan and this story has been one of my favorites growing up. I had the chance to make it come to life on stage with 225 Theatre Collective, a theatre nonprofit I co-founded with Victoria Brown. It was a rewarding experience because I proved to myself that I can be ambitious and take on bigger projects. Directing this show taught me a lot more about theatre and how theatre and film can sometimes work together.

Stephanie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I graduated Delgado Community College in 2019 with a degree in Theatre. I moved to Baton Rouge from New Orleans after graduation and decided to open up a theatre nonprofit with co-founder Victoria Brown in 2021. 225 Theatre Collective is on a mission to bring more diversity on stage. It has been rewarding getting to create opportunities for local artists to express themselves in a safe place. Although theatre is our main focus we like to host events and classes that celebrate all different kind of art forms. I am proud of everyone who has helped the collective grow. 225 Theatre Collective has produced many shows including plays written by local playwrights. We strive to create events that our community is interested In but that are also unique to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

We educated our selves on other theatre companies in the area and followed artists that were involved in any capacity with these local theaters. Although time consuming, it helped us grow quickly because we knew who our audience was and where to find them.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Getting to see the growth in people is amazing. I’ll have an inexperienced actor take a lead role and learn a lot during the rehearsal process. Once they hit the stage they are comfortable and believe more in themselves. If I can make a difference in an actors life through my direction, I am grateful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://225theatrecollective.com
• Instagram: @225tc , @stephaniebartage
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephanie.bartage.24/

Image Credits

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