Associate Professor Movement, Mask, Puppetry, & Staged Violence Directing Performance AI Philadelphia-born, Marotta holds an MFA from the University of Tennessee and trained in Lecoq-based physical theatre and mask performance at the London International School of Performing Arts. His work brings together A.I. and physical performance, designing and performing with masks and puppetry while integrating movement, media, and clown to examine identity, men and boys issues, power, and how stories take shape in the body. His performances and original works have reached audiences worldwide, including Edinburgh, Avignon, New York City, Atlanta, Montreal, Chicago, Portland, and Boulder. An Actors’ Equity member and recognized actor-combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors, Anthony served as Fight Director for the Utah Shakespearean Festival, choreographing violence for multiple seasons and tours, including Macbeth, Richard III, Noises Off, 39 Steps, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Currently on faculty at the University of Georgia, Anthony directs and serves as fight director for mainstage productions. Recent work includes directing the musical Evil Dead and the highly physical She Kills Monsters, where he also designed masks and puppetry and directed all staged combat. His directing credits also include work with the Neil Simon Festival, Brick Playhouse, and Rose of Athens. Anthony has created six original solo works for Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts, including the political puppet adaptation Animal Farm: Farm First!, the live puppet horror film S. Lenderman, and (un)filter, an A.I.-collaborated media clown piece examining lies, identity, and digital performance. His internationally touring solo (becoming) hue man, a physical exploration of masculinities through puppetry, mask, and clown, was published in Best Plays from American Theater Festivals. His adaptation of H.G. Wells’s Island of Dr. Moreau premiered at the Orlando Fringe Festival. Marotta was selected for five summers to collaborate with international artists at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center’s Puppetry Conference. Alongside his performance and directing work, Anthony’s current research and public presentations focus on A.I. as a creative partner in live performance. Rather than treating A.I. as a shortcut or spectacle, his work tests how it can support devising, character creation, mask and puppet design, media integration, and embodied exploration inside the rehearsal room. In June 2025, he presented this work at the Association of Theatre Movement Educators Colloquium with the lecture A.I. in Motion: Exploring A.I.’s Collaborative Role in Character Design and Embodied Exploration. A central goal of this research is to demystify A.I. for performing artists and push back against fear-based resistance by offering practical, artist-led models for experimentation. Through talks, workshops, and new performance work, he encourages artists to engage with A.I. early and critically, helping shape how these tools enter classrooms, studios, and stages rather than being sidelined by them. Education Education: M.F.A., University of Tennessee in conjunction with the London International School of Performing Arts Research Research Areas: Directing Interdisciplinary Arts Performance Art Performance Dramatic Media
