Q: Tell us about yourself.

A: I'm Steve Gravelle. I'm an educator, a writer, a cook, and a carpenter. I love to ride my bike around Philadelphia and the area, I've seen every Marvel movie in the theater, and I make the world's best macaroni and cheese. I'm originally from New Hampshire, but I've lived in Philly since 2006. 

Q: What was your role at Theatre Exile? How long did you work there, and what was your favorite part of the job? 

A: When I left Theatre Exile, I was the Education Director, but I had previously been Education Coordinator and Master Carpenter. I worked there from 2012-2020. My favorite part of the job was exactly what I've taken into my new life: working with young people. I loved teaching students how to write and perform their own work, to tell their stories, and to discover that they could all write and perform original works of theater, even if they didn't think so at first.  

Q: What was the most rewarding part of your position?  

A: To witness the growth in my students. To see them develop their own unique voices, push through obstacles in the creation process, and learn the kind of skills that theater so perfectly teaches: collaboration, self-confidence, public speaking skills, and determination. Many students I worked with over the years had no interest in theater when we started but ended up really loving the process and the end product!

Q: Tell us about the Paper Wings program and the value it brings to the community.

A: Paper Wings is a really special program. A professional teaching artist visits each classroom about once a week, working with the students to help them write and perform original monologues and plays. Every student is challenged to write something that only they could write... I pushed students every week to instill a clear sense of their unique selves into their work, always bringing it back to that essential question: why is this something only you could write?

Most of the work wasn't autobiographical, but featured characters based on people they knew, some emotional realities of their lives, and even small parts of themselves that made the work truly their own. The value to the community consists of building up every student that Paper Wings works with, teaching them writing and performance skills, but also helping them to grow as artists and people, and to leave the program with increased confidence that they take into every part of their lives.  

Q: What new opportunities are you pursuing since leaving Exile? 

A: I recently made the transition from teaching artistry to seeking my master's degree in education from the Relay Graduate School of Education. This year, I'm a teacher resident at Frankford High School, which means I'm co-teaching senior English with a veteran teacher while I take grad school classes at night. Then I'll have one year as a solo classroom teacher while finishing my M.E.  My new life is a lot of work, but I really love it so far!