DREW VALINS
“One glowing delight in this production is Drew Valins” - NY TIMES
Drew Valins is an actor, playwright, solo performer, and co-founder of the theater company ARA. He has appeared on CBS’s Bull and is a 15-year member of the troupe Shakespeare in the Parking Lot & Bryant Park, where he has performed in many of the great roles, including Puck, Iago, Autolycus, and Don Pedro. His solo work has toured internationally and has had an audience of dignitaries such as Madeline Albright.
STAGE AND SCREEN ACTOR
“Sometimes even the most tedious theater experience can be redeemed by the appearance of a fine actor.”
-Mark Leib, Creative Loafing
RECENT WORK
LAKEPLAY
My full length play had its World Premiere at the Wild Project, NYC in October 2024. A co-production with the Drilling Company and Ara Theater
WHERE IS NOW
I starred in this short which was screened at the New York International Short Film Festival. “Where is Now” is a cinematographic love letter to the ocean and its most majestic inhabitants by filmmaker Michaela Lind. Inspired by the absurdist writer Daniil Kharms and the band Sigur Ros, this short narrative film examines our awareness in the era of increasing climate catastrophes.
DER BAU
Der Bau is a new adaptation for the stage, written by Franz Kafka, adapted + performed by Drew Valins, and directed by Michaela Lind
After a packed-house staged reading at the Czech Embassy in Washington DC, in June of 2024, we are in talks with the Embassy and our partner, The Alliance for New Music-Theater for development of a full run of the piece.
ARA THEATER AND MEDIA
ARA is a multidisciplinary theater and production company founded by Michaela Lind and Drew Valins with a combined 40+ years of experience working as award-winning performers and creators. Their work has toured globally (Edinburgh Fringe, Israel, Prague, and Sweden,) and has been featured in unique venues (Public Theater/Under the Radar, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Ted Talks, The Swedish and Czech Embassies in DC, The Beijing Children’s Opera, to name a few). They have worked with true artistic luminaries such as Slava Polounin (of Slava’s Snowshow), Bill Irwin, Kendall Cornell, and David Shiner, and they have had the esteemed audiences of the Dalai Lama and Madeline Albright.