Meet the Company
Josy Jones, Founder
Josy Jones is an actor, director, playwright and community organizer. With a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre and International Relations, her work has always been focused on providing a platform to amplify the voices of different communities. Jones’ goal is to shine a light on under-utilized and underappreciated spaces and businesses, provide space for artists to explore their talents, and be a force for making theatre an inclusive artform. Out of these goals, the Chameleon Village was born in 2015. Awarded the 2018 Emerging Cities Champions Fellowship through 880s Cities and the Knight Foundation, Jones created a walking site-specific theatre tour through the Cascade Valley neighborhood called “Reimagining the Village.” This project provided residents of the neighborhood the opportunity to learn playwriting, activate underappreciated space and reshape the narrative of their neighborhood. Her work has activated tattoo parlors, art galleries, created walking theatrical pieces and provided many opportunities for creatives to explore their practices through mentorship and new project development. Jones hopes to help site-specific theatre shape economic development through community engagement.
Tessa Gaffney, Company Member
Tessa Gaffney is an Arts Administration Masters student at the University of Akron, founder of EraAir Theatre Company, and company member of the Chameleon Village. Her interest in creative placemaking inspired the creation of EraAir, originally an initiative to bring art to underutilized spaces in her hometown, and led her to intern in a sustainable community in the jungles of Panama, in which she contributed to the construction of a town amphitheater. She is interested in pursuing further education in Dramatherapy and exploring the role of theatre within community.
Marina Gordon, Company Member
Marina Gordon was born in Ukraine and grew up in Israel where she graduated from The Holon Theater Studio for Performing Arts. She then moved to New York. Her NYC credits include “Enemies: A Love Story”, “The Marriage Contract” and “Jewish Bliss”. Since moving to Akron in 2012 she appeared in “The Comedy of Errors,” “Ubu Rex,” “Hedda Gabler,” “The Diary of Anne Frank” at Magical Theatre Company, “The Rainbow Serpent” at Talespinner Children’s Theater, and in “Emperor’s New Clothes” at the Illusion Factory. Her work also includes film, commercials and voiceover. Her credits include Enemies: A Love Story (NYC), The Comedy of Errors (Akron U), The Diary of Anne Frank (Magical Theatre Company), The Rainbow Serpent (TCT), Romeo and Juliet (RTC), The 2019 NeoMFA