Duke School Under the Oak Magazine, Fall 2017

for the creation of new circus work, and
the general attitude of the public and
of arts foundations towards circus.”
integrated forms like the circus, and as I got more
and more into that community I felt more and
more at home,” he says.
CIRCUS THEN
Adam’s mom, Patti Rieser, believes that
Adam grew up in Durham, and is an only child.
“My interest in theater started at Duke
School, with Act One Act Now, a small
youth theatre run by Cindy
Blackburn,” he says.
From Duke School Adam
went to the Durham School
of the Arts, and completed
his senior year in the high
school drama program of the
University of North Carolina
School of the Arts (UNCSA).
He attended Emerson
College for two years before returning to UNCSA
to ultimately complete his bachelors of fine arts in
directing in 2007. After college, he went to circus
school at the New England Center for Circus
Arts, and then the Circus Center in San
Francisco.
Duke School had a lot to do with her
son’s success. “He deeply benefitted from and
embodies the mission and core values of Duke
School,” she says. “He’s become an excellent and
“I think the thing that
Duke School has most
given me is a sense
that I can solve my
own problems; I’m an
independent learner and
I understand both how
I learn and how best to
direct my own learning.”
well-loved teacher, a
creative artist, and a
leader in his field.”
“I think the thing that
Duke School has most
given me is a sense
that I can solve my
own problems; I’m an
independent learner
and I understand
both how I learn and how best to direct my own
learning,” says Adam. “In my life, I’ve taught
myself website creation, social media marketing,
financial management and strategic planning—
not on my own, but because I’ve always felt
empowered to pursue my own learning and
“My interest in theater was
always towards populist,
unintimidated to seek out experts or resources to
learn from.”
UNDER THE OAK
17