|
The
Shotgun Players were born in 1992 when eleven people got together and
put on a play in the basement of a pizza parlor. Now,
we have grown to include a wide subscriber base, enthusiastic critical
support and a faithful audience of theatre lovers.
We
have won prestigious Dramalogue awards for direction, set design
and production; the 1998 SF Weekly Black Box Awards for Best
Company, Production and Acting; the 1999 SF Bay Guardian Award
for Outstanding Theatre Company; and four 1999 Bay Area Critics Circle
Awards for Entire Production, Original Script and Ensemble for local
playwright Adam Bock's Swimming in the Shallows and Choreography/Fight
Direction for Romeo & Juliet.
The
group that once depended solely on Artistic Director Patrick Dooley's
determination and resourcefulness now has a growing annual budget, a
managing staff, company members, artistic associates, a board of directors
and an ambitious seven-show season. Our passion and resolve fuels our
work more strongly than ever as we propel ourselves into the new millennium
and our tenth season of premieres, collaborations and inventive reworkings
of old classics.
Breaking
It Down
The Shotgun Players is an ensemble of artists on a mission to create bold, relevant, affordable theater. We believe in the power of theater as a mechanism through which we and our community examine ourselves and the world.
Commitment
To
Supporting New Plays
Our
strategy in 1992 was to build an audience base by doing rarely produced
plays by oft produced playwrights. Even if an audience member didn't
know who we were, they would be familiar with Mamet, Pinter or
Shakespeare. As we have continued to grow and strengthen our organization,
we have multiplied the number of new plays on our roster. While we will
never become a company that only does new plays, we firmly believe
that it is our responsibility to create theatre that reflects our times.
Just
as we are devoted to developing the skills of designers, actors and
directors, we are pledged to the cause of the earnest playwright. In
service of this commitment, we persistently involve our authors in the
experience of rehearsing their new plays. We have also instituted a
system of workshops that enrich communication between directors, actors
and company members. We find the challenge of inventing revolutionary
work uniquely inspiring and well-suited to our personality as a company.
|
