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| Last updated on November 19, 2008 |
TheatreFIRST is a nonprofit professional company dedicated to presenting the finest theatrical works to Bay Area audiences. Our emphasis is on international themes, and on offering works rarely seen in this region.
Description:
The company has been producing theatre for 12 years in Alameda County, presenting 21 regional or national premieres, and has won ten awards for acting and directing, as well as the regional GOLDIE (Guardian Outstanding Local Discovery Award) and Best Small Theatre in the East Bay (East Bay Express) awards in 2004.
Our aim is to throw light on the art and culture of diverse nations, as well as our own, while providing our patrons with high quality entertainment. TheatreFIRST is based in Oakland, where it is committed to making first-rate theatre available and accessible to everyone in this multi-cultural community.
Our mission is to bring visions of other cultures to the East Bay theatre-going public. This in itself is a direct benefit to the community, especially in these times and in this place – which can sometimes seem remarkably insulated from the rest of the world. Our audience, of which typically 70+% are from Alameda county, is likely to number almost 3,000 in 2008-9 season, and 10% more in the 2009-10 season. In addition, we anticipate employing 120 artists and theatre technicians during 2008-9, mostly from Alameda County. We will also provide volunteer opportunities to a further 35+ county residents.
History:
It’s been more than a dozen years now since TheatreFIRST started producing fine international drama for East Bay audiences. We have presented plays that illuminate a variety of cultures – from Russia to Israel to Argentina and Australia, among many others – with a focus on events or issues that deeply affect people’s lives: the Israel/Palestine conflict, perestroika in Russia, genocide in Africa, aid to the developing world, post-Pinochet political life in Chile.
Most recently, we produced a German classic about religious tolerance – Gotthold Lessing’s Nathan the Wise – and an earthy and penetrating treatment of the human costs of war by John Arden, Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance.
At the start, we were established as an artists’ collective, and as we have developed into a more orthodox arts organization, we have continued our commitment to the best of Bay Area artists – actors, directors and stage designers. The resulting accomplishment of this commitment has been a dazzling array of plays performed to the highest standards of stage artistry. Our earliest productions included the U.S. premiere of Argentinian playwright Manuel Puig’s fanciful Under a Mantle of Stars and Australian Louis Nowra’s epic The Golden Age.
Many notable productions followed as TheatreFIRST continued to energetically challenge itself and its audiences: the regional premiere of David Hare’s important Racing Demon; Ariel Dorfman’s challenging Death and the Maiden;
Dennis Potter’s heartbreakingly funny Blue Remembered Hills about childhood in wartime; and Nagle Jackson’s bittersweet The Quick-Change Room, set in Russia at the fall of communism.
Then came our move to Oakland, and a succession of memorable three play seasons, featuring such works as Joe Penhall’s moving Love & Understanding; David Hare’s remarkable A Map of the World and Via Dolorosa; Sue Townsend’s poignantly funny The Great Celestial Cow; Paul Slabolepszy’s powerful Mooi Street Moves (performed in Berkeley); Peter Nichols’ darkly humorous Joe Egg; and Guillermo Verdecchia’s trenchant Fronteras Americanas.
As we moved downtown our work continued to gain momentum with memorable productions such as The Arab-Israeli Cookbook, Loveplay and World Music. Not only has the company assembled many remarkably talented casts and remained dedicated to fine quality and provocative ideas, but is has been entertaining in the best sense of the word.
Some words of praise from the critics can serve as testimonials to the work of TheatreFIRST. Robert Hurwitt (San Francisco Chronicle): “mesmerizing intensity”, “beautifully detailed performances”, “the kind of thing the company does best...drama exploring weighty issues”; Chad Jones (Oakland Tribune): “a cracking good company”; Robert Avila (SF Bay Guardian): “magnetic performances”, “subtle and artful”; Leslie Katz (The Examiner): “an exhilarating, enlightening, one-of-a-kind experience”; Lisa Drostova (East Bay Express): “once again,...a play from another country that tells us something important about our own”, “Somebody needs to give TheatreFIRST a big pile of money and a dedicated space of their own.”
Our audiences have come with high expectations and have left with deep satisfaction and joy for time well spent. Witness the fact that despite a history of changing venues – six to date – our core audience has grown substantially, and continues to find us and to respond with enthusiasm.
Now we are seeking a venue where our distinguished work and our appreciative audiences will find a long-term home in Oakland. We hope to convince the City of our value as a vital urban arts institution, and ensure our longevity in a dedicated theatre space of our own.
Contact people:
Address:
Web Site: http://www.theatrefirst.com
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