Creator of Aerial Animation
Abigail Baird
Through live performance, as an interdisciplinary theatrical storyteller, Abigail aims to create social change by sharing narratives that ignite
a positive transformation in viewers. |
Abigail baird is a physical storyteller who devises multi-modal theater, she transforms puppetry, animation and aerial acrobatics into engaging and electric theatrical performances. Grounded in 20 years of exhaustive study, analysis, and practice, she has pioneered a singular methodology of devising that focuses on principles that align across all forms. By physically interacting with puppets and giant projected animations she builds symbiotic relationships that breathe life into media tools.
Abigail taught and trained at NECCA in Vermont and studied at Circomedia in England before joining Wise Fool New Mexico as a touring performer and teacher in 2007. Wanting to develop her skill set in hand-to-hand, she moved to Oakland, CA in 2010 to study under the great master Lu Yi. For over a decade Abigail was the Creative Director of Educational Programming at Kinetic Arts Center in Oakland, California. She has a self-designed BFA in technical theater, sculpture and puppetry from the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico. As a professional acrobatic-actor Abigail spent two decades honing her own innovative methodology of theater devising and originating Aerial Animation. In the footsteps of Buster Keaton, Aerial Animation is a modern twist on silent film storytelling that competed through the semifinals on America’s Got Talent and The Incredible Talent of France with six internationally broadcasted performances. Propelled to further refine my artistry as a catalyst for expansive thinking, Abigail has returned to school at UConn to earn her MFA in Puppet Arts. As she clarifies and coalesces her singular artistic form, she is using the connecting power of puppetry as a means of harmonizing humanity and technology. Through her distinctive contributions, she intend to actively shape the rising field of media theater towards human relatability. |