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Our Work​
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Stages and classrooms have similar dynamics. A leader at the front engages and inspires those gathered around. They are taking a journey together, the success of which is dependent on relationship building, creative capacity and a common sense of purpose.
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Courageous Stage uses the theatre arts to activate the creative power within the community and to promote lasting personal and collective discovery. ​​​​​We began in 2018 as an outreach program to the schools in Addison County, Vermont under the auspices of Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater. Within 3 years, we expanded to include over 20 schools and 6 school districts (five in Vermont and one in Los Angeles, California.) To meet the demand and serve a state-wide and national demographic, we created our own organization in 2021, Courageous Stage LLC. Courageous Stage is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.
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"[CS] is about building trust.
It is about communicating with words and without. It is about encouragement and motivation. It is about tears and fears and
letting go." ​
-Educator Testimonial​
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We have employed 20 professional theater artists from all over the US and continue to partner with the Town Hall Theater in Middlebury and have established many more on-going partnerships including: the Bread Loaf School of English, the New Perennials Project at Middlebury College, Burlington’s Flynn Theatre, John Brown Lives!, a freedom education project and Middlebury Underground, a multi-disciplinary arts and event organization. ​​​
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"We all need to be reminded of what we already truly know within ourselves."
- Educator Testimonial ​​​
CS has created professional development workshops for a Master’s program at Middlebury College’s Breadloaf School of English and has created teaching artist workshops for the Flynn Theater in Burlington, VT. CS has partnered with Beyond the Page at Middlebury College and a Master’s cohort of Early Childhood Educators through Castleton University. Topics: Leadership, Creativity, Transferable Skills and Community Engagement.
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In 2025, CS will be launching a comprehensive 25-day professional development program for educators. Research-based and drawn from over 50 years of combined experience, founders Lindsay Pontius and Craig Maravich offer practical problem solving ideas and engagement strategies. This is a fully accredited, asynchronous course designed to equip teachers with strategies for supportive community building and the daily challenges of a classroom.
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"The possibilities
are endless. "
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