In the final episode of the series, Aaron is joined by voices from throughout the series to share bits of teaching wisdom, poems, quotes and insights for teachers, as well as advice for teaching cartwheels. This episode concludes with a letter Aaron once wrote to a departing student as their high school and Echo Theater Education came to a close.

Episode 12: “Stories” 

Aaron tells stories about Echo’s past, performances he helped create, and his own path to Echo. This episode also includes an interview with Henrietta Clinkscales, a Portland based Story Fairy, about the importance of stories and why humans need them.

Episode 11: “Kids” Many of Echo Theater’s students are in the 5-12 year old age range. Aaron shares ideas and insights from interviews with 7, 8 and 9 year olds who have been involved in the Echo school about imagination, being active, and what they think it is important for kids and other human beings to learn. This episode also features a short radio play and interview featuring the voices of Aaron’s two children, Cyd and Kai Wheeler-Kay.

Episode 10: “The Reason We Come Here” In the Echo tradition of supporting youth artists, this episode was created and edited by two 14 year-old students at Echo, Liv and Yulana, who wanted to explain why so many different types of people, themselves included, find Echo to be like a second home. Featuring interviews with students and staff as well as commentary from two people who grew up here, this episode offers an insider’s look at what is going on at the Echo Theater Company, and why it is important. 

Three artists from different backgrounds who have all spent time creating, teaching, and collaborating at Echo Theater, share stories and perspectives in conversations with host Aaron Wheeler-Kay. Featuring wisdom arising from Disabled, Transcultural, and multidisciplinary lives, these artists and teachers offer humor and insight about living lives with purpose, empathy and embodied awareness.

Episode 8: “The Heart”: Two teen students at Echo take over the direction and interviews of the podcast in order to illuminate the history and philosophy of two members of the Leadership team who are also married to one another. Wendy Cohen and Aaron Wheeler-Kay have been working together at Echo for over 25 years and in this episode we hear how Echo informs their lives, and how their lives inform Echo.

Episode 7: “The Brains”

All successful not-for-profits need leadership. In this episode we hear from the Executive Director and Office Manager for ETC about the nature of leadership, unknown responsibilities these jobs entail,  and how a background in arts as well as communications and math help support the ongoing success of an arts non-profit. Recorded in the Echo office during a work day while a kids Summer Camp is occurring in the theater adjacent to the office.

"The Echo Theater, an old silent movie house in Portland, OR, is home to a non-profit arts and education organization called the Echo Theater Company. ETC is a performing arts school with a focus on circus arts, collaboration and inclusivity. Through interviews, soundscapes, rap and reportage, listeners learn about the history and philosophy of this unique organization,and what it has to teach us about each other and ourselves."

This episode features a conversation between Aaron and Improvisation teacher Phil Incorvia that reveals how improvisation works, and what kind of impact an improviser’s mindset has on a wide range of disciplines, including music, diplomacy, parenting, leadership, and coexistence. This episode features cello music by Collin Oldham as well as tap dancing by Aaron Wheeler-Kay.

Three women, decades apart in ages, each who were part of the Echo community when they were teenagers, discuss the impact that being involved at Echo had on their lives then, and how it resonates today. This episode features Brittany Walsh, a professional hand balancer and circus instructor, Marika Reisberg, a Dance Movement therapist and Creativity Coach, and Flo Buddnebaum, a performer and Teaching Artist currently on staff at Echo.

"The Echo Theater, an old silent movie house in Portland, OR, is home to a non-profit arts and education organization called the Echo Theater Company. ETC is a performing arts school with a focus on circus arts, collaboration and inclusivity. Through interviews, soundscapes, rap and reportage, listeners learn about the history and philosophy of this unique organization,and what it has to teach us about each other and ourselves."

On this episode:

Four teenagers who have grown up in the Echo community discuss the expectations, challenges and realities of being a teen in the midst of a pandemic, and within a society and culture that is not well designed for them. This episode features music by Tera Zara.

"The Echo Theater, an old silent movie house in Portland, OR, is home to a non-profit arts and education organization called the Echo Theater Company. ETC is a performing arts school with a focus on circus arts, collaboration and inclusivity. Through interviews, soundscapes, rap and reportage, listeners learn about the history and philosophy of this unique organization,and what it has to teach us about each other and ourselves."