Who is infinite spark theater company?

We are Rachel Kodweis and Jon Froehlich, a duo of theater professionals who trained, performed, and produced theater in New York City, regionally, and internationally for a combined total of almost 30 years before relocating to Rochester NY during the 2020 pandemic.

We are a direct descendant of our former company in NYC, Cloud of Fools, which was co-founded with Casey Robinson, Susan Hyon, and Laura Butler Levitt, and which was itself a direct descendant of the Theatre Kuden of maestro Niky Wolcz.

Since moving here, we’ve mounted several productions at Rochester venues, and are enthusiastic about contributing to the dynamic ecosystem of performers and theater makers that make up this community.

ABOUT US

what kind of theater do we make?

Part of what “Infinite Spark” means to us, is to make theater across a wide variety of styles, genres, and creative approaches. Our background is in a diverse lineage of theater traditions, which inspires us to ask: How many ways can we tell stories? How can we challenge the formulaic, and discover new forms & expressions? How dynamically can we transform our bodies, and space, and time—to entertain, surprise, and move you?

We have made theater pieces sourced from many inspirations:

• silent film comedy

• gothic horror

• ancient myth

• music

• novels

• pieces of visual art

• and yes—also from existing plays, both classical and contemporary!

We follow the ‘infinite spark’ of each project into whichever expression best suits it: from comedy, to drama, to the category-defying. From presenting classical and contemporary plays, to making completely original, outside-the-box pieces, we craft and adapt everything to highlight its most embodied and playful aspects.

how do we work?

Collaboration: Another part of what “Infinite Spark” means to us, is to make our work as collaboratively as possible. This means that each collaborator’s insights and creative contributions are welcomed at every level, and across disciplines. Whether you’re a performer, crew member, or administrator, if you’re involved in our process with us, your voice is essential to making each production reach its fullest expression.

Being collaboratively oriented does three things: it makes the process more enjoyable, it enriches the creative outcome, and it creates the conditions for building relationships and mutual support across our local theater community.

The Body: We put the expressive body at the center of our work—especially as expressed in ensemble. (Some call this “physical theater”!) As a result, physical training and development of the play instinct form the pillars of our creative process, and are central to the effects that our work strives to create.

WHAT can audiences expect from our shows?

For each performance, we bring our full craft to bear on making work not only for you to observe, but to feel yourself caught up in. In the ways that we transform our bodies and bring alive the shared space, our mission is to craft one-of-a-kind experiences for you to share alongside everyone who’s with you in the theater, as a communal event.

For us, theater is an act of collective imagination and community. We try to create a shared dream that can envelop all who witness it in the felt experience of the communal art of being.

This makes everything we present an experiment in some way—either with new forms of storytelling and theatrical expression, or with finding fresh ways to express familiar stories and universal themes.

Aspiring to this potential is a tall order, but it is the ‘infinite spark’ that animates us.