In The Beginning...
On October 4, 2008 in Columbia, Missouri, a group of friends, acquaintances and occasional strangers came together at what was called "The Super Gigantic Meeting of the Creative Minds." The crowd included actors, writers, musicians, directors and techies; a general hodge-podge of artistic sorts. The food was tantalizing, the drinks…divine, and the conversation… let’s just say there was a lot of enthusiastic chatter! Among the many fabulous ideas discussed one nagging question kept rising to the forefront: Why do we encounter people every day, who do not experience live theater?
Outside of the occasional rock, pop or hip hop concert, there is a large segment of the population who do not participate in performing arts events. They do not seek out opportunities to be touched, moved or otherwise engaged in the arts. How sad and tragic is that? Why do they not attend? Do they think it is boring? Or "uncool" Or too expensive? And how do we reach these people? Out of this rather large question, 5th Wall Productions was born.
The members of 5th Wall are committed to bringing more quality theatrical experiences to the local community. We believe art and expression are vital to our development as a culture. We intend to push the envelope to bring people out of their homes and in front of, or onto, or behind the stage. We expect to produce classic and lesser know works, family-oriented and edgier pieces. We will engage the public and encourage all to, not just sit back and watch, but get involved and LIVE the arts.
Amanda Altier, Artistic Director...
Originally from the San Francisco bay area, Amanda Altier has acted in plays, educated young theatre artists, and directed theatrical productions all over the state of California. Her interest and experience in the performing arts began at the age of five under the guidance of several world-class children's theatre organizations.
Altier was twice honored to be accepted as a California State Arts Scholar, first in 1992 and again in 1993, graduating from that program under the disciplines of Theatre Arts and Creative Writing respectively. Post high school, Altier completed the 2-year Actor Training Program, an intensive, multi-disciplinary conservatory course at Solano College in Suisun, CA. During this period, Altier became a founding company member of the Solano Repertory Company and the Napa Valley Shakespeare Festival. In 1998, she graduated from Stephens College in Columbia, MO with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts. From there she pursued professional theatre work, acting in plays in New York, Los Angeles and Minnesota before returning home to work in the San Francisco bay area.
In 2000, Altier moved to Seattle and co-founded the And Then...Theatre Company, becoming that company's Artistic Director. Most significantly among her endeavors with And Then… was her leadership in developing the Educational Outreach Program for that company, the vanguard of which was to bring classical works of theatre to life in a classroom/workshop setting for 4th through 12th graders, with a focus on making the antiquated language more accessible.
In 2002, Altier returned to Columbia where she lives today. Since then she has directed plays and taught acting classes for Theatre Reaching Young People and Schools (TRYPS), directed plays for the Maplewood Barn Community Theatre and the Columbia Entertainment Company. As well, Altier co-founded Grassroots Productions and the Shakespeare in the Vineyard Shakespeare Festival at Les Bourgeois Winery for a series of summer productions in 2004 and 2005. After a bit of a forced "time-out" to battle Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Altier has returned to doing what she loves. Besides teaching private acting and audition classes, Amanda is currently the Artistic Director and a co-founder of 5th Wall Productions in Columbia, MO where she is guiding their premier season toward launching the Columbia Shakespeare Festival, scheduled for production in the summer of 2009.