Bobby Phillips
Director
Grand Rapids has been home since 2012, though I've traveled every step of the way. My first projects in organizing were held in our living rooms and basements during the house venue days. Loud concerts, poetry readings, publishing and group meals were the ways we kept our people creating.
A video editor since childhood, I worked in television production while earning my degree in Philosophy from GVSU. I returned to filmmaking as a climbing arborist, telling the story of storm chasers doing dangerous tree removals in the wake of tornadoes and hurricanes.
I learned to direct improvisation with Fictional Friends Improv, and went on to discover the roots of the teaching in an Atlanta school of legendary origins. Eventually, I found my way to the little-known founder of the tradition, Viola Spolin. I have been taught by Spolin's granddaughter Aretha Sills, and Whole World Theater founder David Webster.
As a volunteer in Europe and South America, I came to understand the true value of living in community. Life in the United States has always felt disconnected and strained to me. I spent years with fellow travelers from around the globe, taking care of cows, building greenhouses, trimming bamboo, cultivating orchids, training horses, and preparing guests for psychedelic experiences. I felt at home in the experience of cooking, eating, and working alongside the same individuals day in and day out, relying on them, and learning their languages and ways. In New Orleans, I finally met an American culture steeped in the tradition of radical self-expression. Make no mistake about it: I am here to help inoculate West Michigan with that attitude. The staunch culture of conformity and repression that came to dominate this part of the world should count its days. It is our destiny to live lives of deep connection to the Earth and one another, lives of transformation, restorative justice, and magic.