Shadowbox CEO engages community

She's BOORD to be wild

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WHEN A HEARING-IMPAIRED patron asked Shadowbox Live for interpreting services, the theater responded immediately by hiring services to complement its live performances. But for Stacie Boord, this wasn’t enough.

“They did a fine job, but I was thinking it could be so much better if I can just get my hands on them,” says the founding member and, now, CEO of Shadowbox. “They could be so much more engaging and we can make a part of the production.”

This led to a partnership with Columbus State Community College. For the last four years, the Artistic American Sign Language program has trained students to become not only interpreters, but performers.

“(We) teach students how to move with the music so that it’s a beat, and how to … adopt the character and the physical mannerisms of whatever character they’re signing for,” Boord says. “(They need) to be a bonus, a wonderful addition to the show, because it is an art form and these kids just knock it out of the park. … We have our hearing and not-hearing patrons come specifically for that show because it’s just thrilling and beautiful to have them on stage.”

A Founding Member

The interpreter program is one example of how Boord has recognized and seized opportunities throughout her life and career. Boord first heard about Shadowbox while attending The Ohio State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance.

“My intention was to do one Shadowbox show and get out to pursue a career in classical art,” Boord says. “And then I just really fell in love with the rock genre.”

To date, Boord has participated in more than 10,000 Shadowbox productions. Some of her favorite performances include her role as Dolly in Holiday Hoopla's Santa Babies and Velma Kelly in Chicago.

“I love playing Dolly in the Santa Babies, a role I originated almost 30 years ago. She just had an innocence and a joy, and she was a real thrill when she was just crazy,” she says. “I didn’t have to think; I got to drop my IQ and just go out there and have a great time with my colleagues on stage.”

Rocking the Box

Boord has spent her entire life and career asking questions.

“Is there a need? Is there some way that I can help? Can I address this?” she says. “We respond to the world around us.”

12 years ago, Boord felt compelled to expand Shadowbox into education for high school students. At the time, Shadowbox was relocating from Easton Town Center to the Brewery District and Boord was searching for corporate sponsors. When she called Battelle, she reached Community Relations Liaison Christina Brown, who now works for Huntington National Bank.

Brown was an avid Shadowbox fan, and while Shadowbox didn’t fit Battelle’s giving guidelines at the time, Boord says, the two organizations came up with a creative way to work together. When the two met for lunch, Boord learned about the Metro School, a STEM-focused magnet school founded in 2006 as a collaboration between OSU and Battelle.

“I went on a tour at the school and it really spoke to me,” Boord says. “And so I said, ‘Hey, why don’t I create a program where these kids can have a field experience of what it’s like to be in the arts?”

The end result was STEM Rocks the ’Box, an eight-day after-school program that takes high school students through the audition, rehearsal, production and performance of a sketch comedy and rock ‘n’ roll show. The program spawned partnerships because it gives kids the understanding that life is about courage.

“We felt like we had something real to offer, and they’re incredibly powerful transformational programs, because they give kids the understanding that life is about courage,” Boord says. “If you have a passion, if you have an interest, you just have to try.”

Brown says it’s been exciting to see how Shadowbox’s education arm has taken off. She credits Boord’s abilities as both an artist and a strategist for its success.

“Stacie is phenomenal,” Brown says. “Without her ability to think outside the box, it wouldn’t have been possible.”

Pandemic of Possibilities

Since the onset of the pandemic, Boord and Shadowbox have had to explore new ways to engage with the community.

The theater company has experimented with virtual programming, such as recordings of its performances and using specific locations to create better settings for comedy sketches. Whether it’s before or after the pandemic, virtual or on the stage, Boord and her team are constantly tinkering to see what makes the performances effective.

“You can’t go to school to learn what we do,” she says. “You could go to school and potentially get trained in a certain aspect of what we do. But …. there’s no degree for that. There’s trial and error, and you have to try and you have to trust.”

Shadowbox Education Impact

From 2009-2021, Shadowbox Live’s education program has served approximately 15,600 students through matinee performance, presentations, auditions, showcases and program participants.

Its programs include the following:

• Arts Immersion Program: a 10-day intensive program trains students in all four rock arts disciplines – music, acting, vocals and dance – as well as professionalism, marketing, social media, wellness and financial guidance. The immersion program ends with a public showcase by students.

• Internships: administrative and artistic pre-professional programs.

• Artistic ASL: efforts to improve the live performance for a hearing-impaired audience.

• Student Matinees: 45-minute performances for teachers and students, followed by a Q&A session with the performers.

• Student Gallery: dedicated gallery space for young visual artists in central Ohio, launching this fall. Students will receive a stipend to assist with the showcase of their works.

• STEM Rocks the ’Box: the cornerstone of Shadowbox’s education outreach. and the company has now worked with more than 40 area school districts.

Brandon Klein is an associate editor. Feedback welcome at bklein@cityscenemediagroup.com.