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Core Creative Team
Artistic Director
Arizona Theatre Matters creates original works and reimagined classics designed for digital platforms and global audiences. All ATM projects integrate vocal performance, sign language, audio, and visual storytelling, shaping accessibility as a core artistic practice. Sign language is always on screen. The company collaborates with Blind artists, Deaf artists, and artists with multiple disabilities across disciplines, centering collaboration, craft, and clarity of storytelling.
Under Simpson’s leadership, ATM has developed a substantial body of digital work shared through the company’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/@arizonatheatrematters. ATM’s productions are viewed by more than 118,000 subscribers and non-member audiences across the globe, reaching viewers in 194 countries and in more than 300 captioned languages. The company’s work is engaged by audiences, educators, and arts organizations seeking inclusive models for theatrical creation and access.
ATM’s work demonstrates how theatre can be created, shared, and experienced beyond traditional stages. Simpson’s recent plays and productions are featured on the Arizona Theatre Matters YouTube channel, where the company continues to develop and share new work with audiences worldwide.
Associate Artistic Directors
With a passion for preserving theatre history while pushing the boundaries of contemporary performance, Michael brings a bold artistic vision to ATM, ensuring that every production balances tradition, innovation, and inclusivity.
“If you think accessibility is ‘too expensive,’ wait until you see the price of irrelevance.”
Born and raised in Toronto, Tate Richardson was destined for the theatre. The son of a radical Canadian playwright and a classically trained British actor, he grew up in the Annex district, where artistic salons, late-night script readings, and boundary-pushing performances were part of daily life.
Despite his privileged access to the arts, Tate quickly realized that theatre, as it existed, was not for everyone. His best friend, Rory, was deaf and a passionate lover of storytelling, but when Tate started attending live performances, he saw firsthand how exclusion was built into the system.
That moment changed him forever. Rejecting the conventional theatre establishment, he honed his craft on the Fringe and SummerWorks circuits, where innovation and accessibility went hand in hand with bold, unconventional storytelling.
As Associate Artistic Director of ATM, Tate ensures that every production, initiative, and grant proposal is built with accessibility at its core. He oversees funding strategy, artistic development, and long-term vision, ensuring that ATM remains at the forefront of innovation, inclusion, and undeniable theatrical excellence. Though rarely in the spotlight, his influence is undeniable.
Creative Team
Based in Des Moines, Iowa, Diana transitioned to **voice directing and acting** in 2010 and considers this the most satisfying time of her life, using her talents to advance **inclusive storytelling** and break barriers in theatre.
Guided by his favorite quote, “Start early, finish early,” he makes a positive impact in both his professional and charitable pursuits.
Half Spanish, half Irish, and raised in Glasgow, Maeve Torres is ATM’s Resident Dramaturg. They have always existed at the intersection of cultures, perspectives, and stories. Their love for dramaturgy began in their teens, spending hours dissecting scripts in tiny, dimly lit theatres and arguing structure over pints in student pubs.
Now based in Chicago, Maeve is a full-time editor, script consultant, and dramaturg who thrives both in rehearsal rooms and on the page. With an academic background in literary theory and performance studies, they bring a sharp, incisive mind to every project, challenging playwrights to deepen their work while honoring their original intent.
At ATM, Maeve ensures that storytelling is as rigorous as it is relevant—guiding productions through deep historical research, structural integrity checks, and the kind of candid feedback that makes good theatre great.
They will never tell you what to write— but they will absolutely tell you when what you’ve written isn’t working.
John McCann – Audio Supervisor
ATM’s Audio Supervisor and Musical Guru, John is a guitarist and bluegrass mandolinist. As an advocate for the blind, he serves on the Arizona Governor’s Council on Blindness and Visual Impairment and is active in the American Council of the Blind.
Kevin Tye – Production Manager, Audio Designer, Senior Engineer
Kevin Tye is the owner and operator of Albion Sound, where he specializes in sound design and audio engineering.
With a passion for creating immersive auditory experiences, Kevin has built a reputation for his meticulous attention to detail and innovative approach to sound.
Arizona Theatre Matters 
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