Andrew Ballard

Biography: Andrew Ballard works as a teacher, actor, and author. Andrew's work in education includes teaching theatre arts to high school students and serving as the program manager for New Voices for the Theater, a high school playwriting residency at SPARC, the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community. As an actor, he has appeared in numerous theatrical, film, and television productions. Favorite theatre credits include Orsino and Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night, Valentine in Arcadia, and roles played while on national tours with Theatre IV (now Virginia Repertory Theatre). Film and TV credits include roles in Sally Pacholok, Veep, and Mercy Street. Andrew began writing creatively in the performing arts, working on texts for performance. After a family friend lost her German Shepherd to long-term illness, Andrew's sister Liz approached him with an idea for a picture book that would help people through the grieving process of losing a pet. This book became The Great Big Ark in the Sky. After writing the book's text along with detailed illustration descriptions, Liz and Andrew found artist Lucy Koo, who took everything that was in their heads and transformed it into beautiful illustrations. The Great Big Ark in the Sky is published by Belle Isle Books, an imprint of Brandylane Publishers. Andrew holds a B.A. in theatre from James Madison University, and he completed a certificate program in public relations and course work in teacher education through the University of Virginia. Andrew is currently a student in the University of Virginia's M.Ed. in Educational Psychology-Social Foundations program.