E. Bonnie Lewis, Artistic Director
There is a creative spirit inherent in all of us, and part of our life’s journey is to find and express that spirit. E. Bonnie Lewis has been active in the theatre, educational and dance communities in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara for over 40 years, guiding people from many disciplines in their process of moving their bodies and discovering their art. As the Co-Artistic Director of DramaDogs, a Theater Company, she is a consummate theatre artist and arts educator performing, directing, choreographing, facilitating workshops, and producing DramaDogs productions of published plays — Circle Mirror Transformation and Defying Gravity — along with original collaborations with EM Lewis and Jinny Webber – Dance Me to the End of Love: An Ensemble of Short Plays by EM Lewis and Tales of Woo and Woe: A Journey of the Heart (monologues, scenes, songs and sonnets of William Shakespeare). Over the past few years E. Bonnie’s theatrical vision has expanded with DramaDogs newest program RELEVANT ACTION. Artists are being challenged to create beyond the tradition of plays and theatrical literature and to use our artistry to make social and relevant statements, to actively engage our audience to think, feel, and engage in open and thought provoking discussion: The Qualities of Mercy, a theatre piece inspired by the book Just Mercy by Bryon Stevenson in partnership with Santa Barbara Reads at the Santa Barbara Public Library and EM Lewis’ Earth Duet presented in conjunction with “Climate Change theater action” and most recently From Eve’s Fair Hand, a theatre piece that celebrated women writers from history. All are powerful examples of RELEVANT ACTION.
Early in her career E. Bonnie had the opportunity to work with some of the icons of Modern Dance and Movement, Jan Day, Althea Short, – individuals who worked and performed with Bella Lewitsky, Murray Louis, Jose Limon, Doris Humphrey and Charles Weidman. Working on her Masters at UCLA in Dance Movement Therapy, E. Bonnie continued her study with many of the pioneers in the field of dance and movement for expression, creativity, and therapeutic growth and understanding – Irmgard Bartinieff, Irma Dosamantes, and Judith Alter.
E. Bonnie’s most recent performances have been, The Boondawgle Estate, a farce with heart in which she played the mother of twins, and Other Desert Cities at Santa Barbara City College where Silda lived in the dysfunction of a family’s secrets.
The power of integrating the wisdom of the body and its expressiveness within the live performance arena continues to inspire and delight.