TELOS Ensemble
Telos - derived from the Greek Ï„Îλος meaning ‘purpose’, ‘end’ or ‘goal’
Mitchell Pope and Dan Blick met while studying at the acclaimed William Esper Studio in New York City. Two years after meeting at the studio, and significantly inspired by the direct tutelage of Suzanne Esper, Mitchell and Dan began Telos Ensemble with the first performance of 'Telos', an original play written by Dan Blick and performed at the Chain Theatre.
The name for our Ensemble is derived from the Aristotelian concept of ‘Telos’ often translated as ‘end, purpose or goal’. We strongly believe in the role of art, specifically
theatre, giving purpose and meaning to mankind, which we strive to achieve through the
messages that we advocate in our original works. There is a consistent theme within
our work of ethical questions and the moral code that man can choose to live by or
ignore, and the consequences of such decisions. We are driven by the aim of leaving
our audiences with their own thoughts on how their personal understanding of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ affects their unique everyday lives, through examining content specifically
surrounding romantic relationships and family dynamics – two essential and inescapable aspects of humanity. ​We tend to take on work that examines the 'darker' side of human
nature, bringing to light truthful aspects of human existence that we may tend to ignore or overlook in our everyday experience: the things that we do not admit to thinking or feeling, even to ourselves. Telos Ensemble does not shy away from taking the intrusive thoughts that we, as humans, experience daily and placing them under the microscope for an audience to see; through examination of the private lives of others, on stage or in film, we hope to inspire audience members to turn an introspective eye onto their own experiences.
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Our first performance, in September 2023, was a production of 'Telos', an original play written by Dan. The performance debuted to 3 sold out nights at the Chain Theatre in New York City. A second run of the play was performed in
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May and June 2024, again at the Chain Theatre, for 10 sold out nights.
The Telos Ensemble premiered a new original work by Dan Blick - 'Lake George' - in November 2024 at The Chain Theatre in New York City. This work was produced again March 5th-16th, 2025 at the Chain Theatre.
Purgatory, a reading series, was launched in December 2024. Planned to be a bi-monthly event, the next reading is occuring in February 2025. Please see the Purgatory page for more info.
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The Telos Ensemble's International Debut will occur on April 10th as we bring the Purgatory reading series to London, UK at the Omnibus Theatre.
Dan Blick - Founder/Producer/Playwright
Dan graduated from the William Esper Two Year Meisner Program where he trained under Suzanne Esper. Before trading London for NYC, Dan trained under Adrian Noble in Oxford, Philippe Bosher at Drama Lab, and was a member of the National Youth Theatre. Dan has a degree from Cambridge University in Theology and Religious Studies, specializing in Islamic studies. Learn more at danblick.net
Mitchell Pope - Founder/Producer
Mitchell is a graduate of the William Esper Studio Two Year Meisner Program where he trained under Suzanne Esper. Before moving to NYC, Mitchell received his BFA in Performing Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design training under Craig Anton, Joan McMurtrey and Victoria Mack among others. Mitchell was also a member of the 2020 SCAD Performing Arts Showcase.​ You can learn more at mitchellpope.com