Cave Dogs

About the Artist

Cave Dogs principal members are Suzanne Stokes, James Fossett, Adam Mastropaolo, Dillon Paul., Ted Conway and Alchemy Mastropaolo. Grammy Award winner Dean Jones creates the soundtracks, with additional audio by Emerson Fossett.

We embrace the collaborative process, possess a strong work ethic and are invested in creating and sustaining a community. We are dedicated to expanding and strengthening our technical and conceptual skills to produce innovative work. While each member brings specific strengths to the collective. Each routinely alternates between performing, puppeteering, lighting, gripping, running tech and crewing during a performance. Together, we acknowledge the unexpected, celebrate the surprise, and allow the work to take shape from it.

Cave Dogs performances include: Liquid States (2019), Sure-Minded Uncertainties (2013), Archaeology of a Storm (2008), Ferrous City (2002), How to Build a Raft (1998), Emily’s Circus (1994), Sustenance(1993),Fall of Perception (1992), and Shadows of Doubt and Other Precarious Truths (1991).

Our name, Cave Dogs, originated from performing in the Widow Jane Mine; a cavernous cement mine in Rosendale, New York. Cave Dogs performs in the Hudson Valley, nationally, and internationally in a variety of venues: from pristine 16th century cathedrals in Scandinavia to William Kentridge’s The Center for the Less Good Idea in Johannesburg, South Africa.

International performances include; Reykjavik Fringe Festival, (Iceland), Sibikwa Arts Centre (Benoni, S.Africa), The Centre for The Less Good Idea (Johannesburg, South Africa), The Skissernas Museum (Lund, Sweden), The Academy for Untamed Creativity (Copenhagen, Denmark),The Malmo (Sweden) Cultural Festival. US performances include: Rochester Fringe (Rochester, NY), The Brooklyn Children’s Museum (NY), Fringe NYC (New York, NY), New Orleans Fringe (New Orleans, LA), Alfred University (Alfred, NY), PortFringe (Portland, ME), Women’s Studio Workshop (Rosendale, NY), The Woodstock Fringe Festival (Woodstock, NY), P.S. 122 (NYC), Henry Street Settlement (NYC), HERE (NYC), McKenna Theatre, (New Paltz, NY), The New Orleans Fringe Festival, Mobius (Boston), SMFA (Boston, MA), MassArt (Boston, MA), and The Center for Contemporary Art (Santa Fe, NM).

We have received multiple grants from Franklin Furnace (NYC), The Jim Henson Foundation (NYC), The NLT Foundation (Boston, MA).

Members
Suzanne Stokes – founder, artistic director, co-writer, lighting design, choreographer, performer, props, costumes, grip, and promotions

James Fossett – co-founder, writer, producer, video and sound design, lighting design, performer, props, tech design, grip

Adam Mastropaolo – co-writer, lighting design, choreographer, performer, props, grip, web design and promotions

Dillon Paul – co-writer, lighting design, choreographer, performer, props, grip

Ted Conway – audio engineer, technical support, co-writer, lighting design, choreographer, performer prop design, puppeteer, costumes, grip

Alchemy Mastropaolo – choreographer, performer, grip

Dean Jones –musical director, sound design

Emerson Fossett – sound design

Exhibitions

Click on the Exhibition to learn more