Kate Freer
I am a multimedia designer working in theater, installation, and film. My work is driven by the love of storytelling and belief in its power to shift reality.
I graduated from New York University with a BFA in Film and a minor in Computer Science. When I discovered multimedia design through collaborating with friends in the theater department I was immediately hooked. However, there was no training offered for this path at that time, especially for women, so I had to create my own curriculum. I had to discover all the necessary tools through experience and investigation.
Throughout my career I have encountered amazing artists who have become close, frequent collaborators including Liz Lerman, Ping Chong, Ty Defoe, Tim Bond, Kamilah Forbes, Talvin Wilks, and Tamilla Woodard. I am drawn to artists who share my passion for artistic activism. We strive to lift and amplify the stories of the communities we work with. The goal is to expose the human cost of incarceration, the toll of immigration, the insanity of racial inequality, the violence inflicted upon nature, the need for indigenous rights, and the pervasiveness of gender discrimination. The collaborations I prioritize are those where my design can transcend multimedia to become intermedia. When the video becomes integral to the overall experience, woven through the heart of the production.
Deeply tied to my artmaking practice is my passion for teaching, facilitating, and mentoring. My own mentors, Maya Ciarrocchi and Liz Lerman, shifted the course of my career and I am forever grateful for the opportunities they provided for me as a young designer. I am part of the mentorship program with my organization, Wingspace Theatrical Design, where I have also facilitated a number of discussions on class and access in American Theater and First Nations representation in theater. I am a Teaching Artist with Roundabout Education and associate professor at The New School and University of the Arts. I have an amazing cohort of interns that have worked by my side over the last decade. I deeply believe that the next generation of theatermakers will be the greatest changemakers.
Storytelling can shift reality by connecting people to experiences outside the ones they’ve lived. It can create empathy and change minds. It’s in fact the best way to persuade. I love to delight and awe, but I also want to speak difficult truths and challenge audience’s perception of the status quo.
