Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Cuppy.
Hi Julia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up a military brat, which meant moving often and learning how to start over again and again. For me, theatre quickly became more than an extracurricular—it was my constant. No matter where we landed, theatre gave me a community, a voice, and a place to belong. Those experiences really shaped me, and I knew early on that I wanted to create that same sense of belonging for others.
I earned my Masters of Arts in Teaching in Theatre Education at Southern Oregon University and spent nine years teaching in rural communities across Oregon. Those years were formative—I saw how powerful theatre could be in small towns where resources were limited but imagination was boundless. It wasn’t just about putting on plays; it was about creating connection, confidence, and spaces where young people felt seen.
Later, I pursued my MFA in Musical Theatre at San Diego State University, which deepened my artistry and opened doors to new opportunities. That led me to La Jolla Playhouse, where I served in a variety of roles. Starting as teaching artist, then Associate Director of Education & Outreach and then ending as the Director of Education & Outreach. My time there was transformative. I got to work at the intersection of education and new play development, creating programs where students could see firsthand how theatre was made. In addition, it was where I was able to work directly with teachers across San Diego County by sharing with them how theatre can transform classrooms and communities.
After the pandemic hit, I returned to Oregon to be closer to family and stepped back into the classroom teaching theatre. It was grounding to be with students during such a challenging time, but it also planted the seeds for something new. I founded Aggregate Collective with my co-founder Jaese Lecuyer. Aggregate Collective started as a theatre incubator rooted in radical hospitality and shared learning. As we refined our focus over the course of a few years, we realized that merging the play development process with a theatre education experience for young adults served a need in our community and the field at large. This resulted in The Loop Festival, a new work festival where professional artists collaborate with young people acting as cultural consultants in the development of new Young Adult plays and musicals.
I still teach theatre during the school year and in the summer I shift gears and focus on growing the Loop Festival. Last summer, we had 176 submissions for only 3 spots and over 30 young adults informing the development process.
Looking back, my journey has never been a straight line, but the thread running through it all has been the same: theatre as a place of community, courage, and belonging. That’s what carried me through my childhood, and that’s what continues to drive my work today.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not smooth—but I think the bumps have shaped me just as much as the successes. Growing up a military kid gave me resilience, but it also meant I was constantly craving stability and community. That thread has followed me throughout my career—trying to create for others the belonging I was always searching for myself.
As a woman in the theatre industry, one of the biggest challenges has been balancing family and career. Theatre is not a nine-to-five job. It demands nights, weekends, long rehearsals, and emotional energy, and when you layer on raising two young daughters, the push and pull is real. I’ve had to learn to honor my roles as both an artist and a mom, even when the industry isn’t always structured to support that balance.
There have also been systemic challenges. Teaching in rural Oregon meant working with limited funding and having to advocate constantly for the value of theatre. Later, stepping into leadership roles in larger institutions brought different pressures—navigating spaces where education and new play development intersected with the professional theatre world, and sometimes feeling like I had to prove why young people’s voices belonged at the table.
And then, in 2020, the pandemic and the social reckoning that followed forced me to re-examine everything. Like many of us, I was asking: How can we do this work differently? How can we make it more equitable, more responsive, more human? Out of that period of disruption came the seed for Aggregate Collective. I wanted to build something with my community rooted in radical hospitality and shared learning—something that challenged the old models and centered care as much as creation.
So no, it hasn’t been a smooth road. But the struggles—the lack of resources, the juggling act of family and career, the push to rethink old systems—have all shaped me into the kind of theatre-maker I want to be.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Aggregate Collective is a theatre incubator I started with my co-founder Jaese Lecuyer when I returned to Oregon during the pandemic. At its heart, we’re about radical hospitality and shared learning. We create spaces where professional artists and young people can come together in authentic collaboration, with each learning from the other.
Our flagship program is The Loop Festival, which pairs professional playwrights and directors with young adult actors who serve as cultural consultants in the development of new Young Adult plays and musicals over the course of 3 days. This model flips the traditional hierarchy—youth aren’t just participants, they’re active collaborators in shaping new work. That’s something I’m deeply proud of: showing students that their voices and experiences matter in the creation of theatre at a professional level.
One of the big reasons we started The Loop Festival is because there simply isn’t enough high-quality material written for young adult performers. Schools and community theatres often end up choosing from the same small pool of shows that don’t always reflect the diversity, complexity, or authenticity of teen voices. By developing brand-new plays and musicals with and for young adults, we’re filling a real gap in the field. In the future, we want to support theatre educators in building confidence when opting to work with an unfamiliar plays and musicals through workshop experiences.
What sets Aggregate Collective apart is our commitment to doing things differently. We’re not a traditional theatre company—we don’t just produce shows, we cultivate process. We’re known for building community, for making space where artists feel cared for, and for centering the voices of those often left out of the room. We have also leveraged new technologies into our processes, such as online meeting tools like Zoom. Using this tool, playwrights from all around the world can observe rehearsals, interact with the youth, and talk directly with an audience. Geography really has no limit! In addition, we are experimenting with consent based, artist centered and dramaturgically sound techniques to effectively gather feedback from youth and audiences to better support the development process.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud that people describe us as diverse, welcoming, collaborative, and brave. We’ve built a reputation for generosity due to following the platinum rule. Whether that’s providing meals for our participants, paying stipends to youth, or inviting audiences into conversations around the work – we treat others the way that they want to be treated. For me, it’s never just about the end product, it’s about the relationships and values we model along the way.
For readers, I want them to know that Aggregate Collective is a place where the future of theatre is being imagined in real time. We’re developing new plays and musicals with care, we’re empowering the next generation of artists, and we’re inviting the community to be part of that journey.
How do you think about luck?
I don’t really believe in luck. I hold onto the saying that “luck is just preparation meeting opportunity.” For me, it’s always been about doing the work, building relationships, and being ready when the right door opens.
A clear example of that was when I joined La Jolla Playhouse’s Education Department. That opportunity didn’t just appear by chance—I had spent nearly a decade teaching in Oregon, and then earning my MFA in Musical Theatre at San Diego State increased my confidence about being in the room where it happens. By the time the opportunity at the Playhouse came along, I was prepared to step into it fully.
Moving back to Oregon during the pandemic could have felt like “bad luck.” It was a moment of disruption, leaving behind a community and network I loved in San Diego. But in reality, that move helped to bring balance to my personal and professional life while created space to launch Aggregate Collective. What started as a response to upheaval has grown into something I’m deeply proud of—an organization giving young people and supportive audiences a true voice in new play development.
And while I’m based in Oregon now, my professional roots and community in San Diego remain central to who I am. Because of the ability to live stream, all of Aggregate’s events have been shared with audiences everywhere, which means my San Diego collaborators and friends are still part of our journey. Actually, this last summer many of the adult leaders of Loop Festival were San Diego theatremakers who took the easy flight north to participate. My hope is that as the company continues to grow, we can bring this model back to San Diego communities.
So while it might look like twists of good or bad luck from the outside, I see it as preparation meeting opportunity—and using each step, even the unexpected ones, to build something meaningful.
Pricing:
- Adopt an Actor – $50
- Adopt a Stage Manager – $100
- Adopt a Script – $250
- Adopt a Director – $500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.juliacuppy.com and www.aggregatecollective.com
- Instagram: @juliacuppy and @aggregatecollective
- Facebook: @jewlea and @
- LinkedIn: @juliacuppy
- Youtube: @aggcollect
- Other: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14eAMAHLdTDme2VEBEs0N0nnBMD26_rwi?usp=sharing
