Alumni Profiles
Alexis Poledouris ’95
“...I was part of a community that supported, encouraged and challenged me to find connections between the artist in me and the world around me.”
Alexis has always pursued theater as a way to make a positive social impact. From her time experimenting with feminist performance art in the Crossroads Alley to her career today as a drama therapist, Alexis has understood the powerful role that personal expression can have in individual and communal transformation. Alexis, who entered Crossroads in seventh grade, reflected, “Looking back, I realize how unusual and how lucky it was that as a middle and high school student, I was part of a community that supported, encouraged and challenged me to find connections between the artist in me and the world around me.”
After graduating from Reed College, Alexis landed in New York City, received an MFA in directing from Columbia University and established herself as a professional theater director. While this had always been her dream, something felt missing. So, when her husband was offered a job in Los Angeles, she was open to returning to the West Coast. In 2010, Alexis reconnected with friend and mentor Bob Riddle, then head of school at Crossroads, who encouraged her to apply for an open position as a Middle School drama teacher. Alexis was thrilled to rediscover the impact of theater on the lives of young people and to reflect on its meaning to her as an adult.
Alexis eventually left her teaching jobs at Crossroads and TREE Academy to pursue her certification as a drama therapist from the North American Drama Therapy Association. The process brought together her years of theater experience with coursework in psychology, counseling and social work. She currently works with adolescents and adults in various outpatient and hospital programs, including leading groups for people with eating disorders and mood and anxiety issues. In conjunction with New York University’s Drama Therapy Theatre and Health Lab, she leads a group for patients with Parkinson’s disease that focuses on playwriting. She also sees clients in private practice; continues to teach and direct; and enjoys life in Los Angeles with her husband, Shaun Rance, and their two children.
