NEW WAVE THEATRE

Exodus Ensemble founder and Director April Cleveland refers to the email she sent when she was moving to Santa Fe as “insane.” On a certain level, though, she’s glad she sent it. In short, Cleveland had completed her undergrad studies at St. John’s College before picking up a master’s in directing from Chicago’s DePaul University. When her longtime partner, whom she’d met at St. John’s, got hired at their alma mater during the early days of the pandemic, Cleveland agreed to move back, but she did so knowing she wanted to start a theater troupe. While en route, she devised the early idea that would become Exodus Ensemble’s experiential model; she selected a number of actors she respected and composed a hurried email asking them to join her in Santa Fe. Many obliged.