ABOUT US: MISSION, VISION + HISTORY
At Bridge Rep, live theatre is not an end unto itself, but rather a means of connection.
Our mission is to connect actors to audiences, artists to artists, and the theatre to our city.
Our mission is to connect actors to audiences, artists to artists, and the theatre to our city.
OUR VISIONWe pursue our mission to connect by focusing our efforts around these principles:
1) We produce intimately staged productions rooted in top-notch acting, and driven by the dynamic relationship forged between live performers and a live audience in a community space. 2) We value quality over quantity, pouring more resources into fewer productions, and giving our creative teams the time and space they need to create the very best experiences they can for themselves and for our patrons. 3) We endeavor to create world-class art and participate in national and international dialogues, while remaining true to our neighborhood, its people, and its community values. 4) We curate a wide range of theatrical genres, including classical, contemporary, and brand new plays, as well as musicals. 5) We cultivate creative teams and audiences that are diverse in age, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, and other demographics. 6) We teach ourselves new skills and seek to innovate every aspect of our industry. 7) We hold ourselves to the highest standards of professionalism and learn from our mistakes. 8) We create joy, culture and community through the event of live theatre. |
OUR ORIGIN STORYBridge Rep was founded in 2012 by a group of six theatre artists, all under the age 30 at the time. We called ourselves Founding Artistic Associates, and committed ourselves to creating intimately staged productions from a variety of genres, all rooted in the captivating connection formed between live actors and live audiences.
Other chief values were the creation of job opportunities for early-to-mid career artists, the inclusion of underrepresented populations in our creative teams, and the cultivation of an audience diverse in age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. As the first years passed, our core team evolved, and we exchanged the term Founding Artistic Associates for Playmakers, a title we devised in response to the common conception of an organization’s “staff” -- the key difference being that our Playmakers, including our Producing Artistic Director, have not yet been able to take a single dollar in salary, and in fact have continued to work full time day jobs, as we’ve poured every single dollar we raise into supporting our creative teams and the work you see on stage. In Year Five we began a groundbreaking residency at the Multicultural Arts Center, and shifted to a strict "quality over quantity" philosophy when it came to our approach to making theatre. The result: the year-long development and world premiere production of George Brant's Dark Room, inspired by the life, death and photography of Francesca Woodman, featuring a cast of 22 women. It achieved record attendance and garnered three Elliot Norton nominations, including Best Director. Dark Room was followed by Year Six's Who Is Eartha Mae?, a one-woman world premiere play with music about the life and times of Eartha Kitt, which also enjoyed robust audiences and accolades. As Year 7 approached, it became clear that our residency at the Multicultural Arts Center could not continue, due to what we experienced as the venue's toxic management practices. Rather than scramble to find a new home and muscle through 2019-2020 programming, we've decided to take a year sabbatical to restore our spirits and preserve our resources. We look forward to a year of rest and reflection, and will keep our community posted as our return takes shape! |