Tavia La Follette - Executive Director of Artists Upstairs

Tavia moved to Pittsburgh when she decided to continue her formal education. She had been working and teaching professionally for eight years in New York City prior to her return to school. Tavia has performed with and taught students of all ages and back grounds, across the states and abroad. She is an Artist, Director, Designer, Deviser of Theater, Performer and Puppeteer.

Tavia graduated with her M.F.A in Performance-Pedagogy from the University of Pittsburgh in 2002. She then spent two years away from Pittsburgh, teaching at different universities and colleges, building her curriculum vita. Tavia spent a year at Earlham College as Assistant Professor of Theater and Design, a one year sabbatical replacement and was the Artist-in-Residence at Colby College in Maine. Prior to Colby, she taught and designed at the University of Pittsburgh, Greensburg. Tavia has worked in the community arts, teaching Drama classes and Mask and Movement classes through the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Gateway to the Arts and the Boyd Community Center. Her art work has been exhibited in Pittsburgh venues such as the Three Rivers Arts festival, First Night, and Gallerie Chiz. In 2004-05 she was the interim Director of Theater Arts at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg as well as teaching and designing at Point Park University.

Tavia currently teaches Acting at Chatham College and is Executive Director of Artists Upstairs (ART UP).

Tavia and her work have toured all over Europe, Eastern Europe, South America and Japan.