“how to make an American Son,” NEA Grant Recipient
Arizona Theatre Company has been approved for a $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support how to make an American Son. This project will support salaries and wages for the world premiere production of how to make an American Son,
Returning to the Stage in a Healthy Way
We acknowledge that everything in the world has changed with the worldwide pandemic, and there is perhaps no industry more impacted than the arts. But we’re adapting every single day. We’re working with other theatres
Virtual Student Matinees: Somewhere Over the Border
We are thrilled that our Virtual Student Matinee Series was successful this season! Our production of Somewhere Over the Border, a new musical that follows the story of Reina as she goes on a journey to find a better life for her and her son,
ATC Announces 2022 Gala Date
Arizona Theatre Company will hold its gala, A Celebration of the 54th Season, on Saturday, March 12, 2022, at the Temple of Music and Art in Downtown Tucson. More information coming soon!
Arizona Theatre Company Announces 54th Season
Arizona Theatre Company (ATC) on May 14, 2021, unveiled its 54th Season, including six productions in Tucson and six productions in Phoenix starting in September 2021 and running through July 2022.
Society of Chairs 2021
Congratulations to all of the recipients, including our very own! Sean Daniels and Geri Wright were honored with the Community Champion Nonprofit Executive Award at the Frontdoors Media Society of Chairs Gala!
Robert O’Brien honored by Kennedy Center
Mesa Community College student Robert O’Brien has been honored by the 2021 Kennedy Center American Region 8 College Theatre Festival for his scene,“The Regular Thursday Night D&D Game.”
John Larroquette in ATC’s Audio Play: The Heath
Join us for The Heath, Lauren Gunderson’s heartwarming story based on her grandfather’s life. Lauren turns her storytelling on herself as she wrestles with how you make peace with a beloved relative who seems unlike you in every way.
Digital Play Reading: Ponzi
When a person is defined by something they do or what they have, what happens when their identity changes? As part of RomeroFest, a month-long celebration of the diverse, thoughtful and impactful works of Arizona Theatre Company
Ready, Set, Give!
Save the Date for Arizona Gives Day on April 6, 2021! With every gift of support, you help keep live professional theatre in Arizona. AZ Gives Day is a yearly giving movement with the goal of uniting nonprofit organizations big & small.
Digital Play Reading: Halsted
How do we love and find hope when we don’t have the words? As part of RomeroFest, a month-long celebration of the diverse, thoughtful and impactful works of Arizona Theatre Company Playwright-in-Residence Elaine Romero,
Carol DuVal Whiteman: Emeritus Trustee
The Arizona Theatre Company staff, volunteers, artists and Board of Trustees extend a heartfelt thank you to Carol DuVal Whiteman for her visionary leadership and support of the arts and education in Tucson. She had a love of the stage.
ATCteen Improv Team FUSAI
We’re so proud of ATCteen improv team FUSAI (or the Future Underground Society of Arizona Improv) for performing two shows in February! Earlier this month, they performed in Unscrewed Theater’s Sunday Smashup alongside other teams.
RomeroFest
In collaboration with The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre and Winding Road Theater Ensemble, ATC is producing RomeroFest, a month-long celebration of the diverse, thoughtful and impactful works of ATC Playwright-in-Residence Elaine Romero
We Reached Our Goal!
We Reached Our Goal! Every dollar that was donated to our Bring Us Back to Live campaign has made it possible for us to return to live professional theatre later this year. Along with our anonymous matching funds donors, we couldn’t
Coronalogs: New Works Collaboration
The first Coronalogs: Explorations of Identity, Culture and Well-Being During COVID-19, a partnership between Arizona Theatre Company and local community colleges to create new works by student playwrights focusing on the human
Chanel Bragg: FrontdoorsTV
Carey Pena speaks with Associate Artstic Director Chanel Bragg about how ATC moved quickly to keep subscribers and supporters engaged. Throughout these last 10 months, we have launched a Podcast, Digital Season, and Matching Funds Campaign.
I. Michael Kasser: Super Achiever
Real Estate Mogul, Avid Athlete, Philanthropist By David Pittman From the January edition of BizTucson I. Michael Kasser has many interesting accomplishments to his name after 80 years on this planet. His greatest business success is unquestionably
Gerry Murphy: Honorary Trustee
The Arizona Theatre Company staff, volunteers, artists and Board of Trustees extend a heartfelt thank you to Gerry Murphy for his support. Gerry had a lifelong respect for the ability of the arts to nourish a more civilized society.
ATCteen Participates in #ENOUGH
Nine students from the Tucson area, Mesa and Laveen participating in our ATCteen program are playing key roles in the digital premiere of seven winning plays from #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence, a national short play competition
Education & The Realness
In November, over 300 students from six schools in three different Arizona Counties, tuned in to watch our Digital Reading of The Realness. In addition to watching the digital production, schools received a worksheet with discussion questions.
Digital Play Reading: The Realness
T.O. has escaped the suburbs and comes to the big city to immerse himself in authentic, “REAL” hip-hop culture. It doesn’t get much more real than MC Prima. The moment he meets her, T. O. falls madly in love. But when he becomes
Bring Us Back to Live: Matching Funds Campaign
Arizona Theatre Company Launches New Fundraising Campaign ‘Bring Us Back to Live’ will help ensure the show will go on A “ghost light” is a small, single-bulbed light that shines whenever a theater is dark. Some say it chases away spirits;
THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE to Become Amazon Series
Things I Know To Be True, the Andrew Bovell play that ATC co-produced the American premiere of, is in the works to become an Amazon series starring and executive produced by Nicole Kidman. ATC co-produced the American premiere of
Slivy Edmonds: Honorary Trustee
The Arizona Theatre Company staff, volunteers, artists and Board of Trustees extend a heartfelt thank you to Slivy Edmonds for her visionary leadership and support of the arts and education in Tucson. As a longtime ATC trustee and honorary trustee,
Benjamin Scheuer: In Concert From London
In an Arizona Theatre Company exclusive, award winning singer-songwriter/children’s-book-author Benjamin Scheuer streams in from England, performing one of London’s first in-person concerts. The video will be available to ATC subscribers on October 15th
Digital Play Reading: Slow Food
Irene and Peter just want to have a nice meal out on their big anniversary in Palm Springs. But their highly neurotic waiter, Stephen, will not bring them their food, and everything goes horribly, ridiculously wrong. This absurd server will have
Eliana Pipes Wins 2020 ATC NLPA
Eliana Pipes, a playwright, actor and filmmaker, has won Arizona Theatre Company’s 2020 National Latinx Playwriting Award for Dream Hou$e, which follows two Latinx sisters on an HGTV-style show who are selling their family home,
A Message from Geri Wright, ATC Managing Director
Dear ATC Friends and Supporters, Arizona Theatre Company’s board and staff are determined to continue bringing you high-quality theatre virtually and as soon as it is safe in-person on our stages. Hear from our Managing Director Geri Wright
Digital Play Reading: Alma
Audiences will be able to enjoy the launch of our first of in a series of creative digital performance offerings with Alma, the story of a daughter and her mother and the thread of the American dream. Written by Benjamin Benne, our 2019 Latinx
Char & Alan Augenstein: Frontdoors Magazine
10 Questions with Char and Alan Augenstein: Philanthropists and arts supporters. From the August 2020 Issue of Frontdoors Magazine 1. Where did you move to Arizona from, and when? CHAR: We were excited to have the opportunity
The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues
The 24 Hour Plays will partner with Arizona Theatre Company on an exciting edition of The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues, available July 14th on IGTV @24hourplays, on The 24 Hour Plays’ Facebook and YouTube channels, and on their website.
Chanel Bragg: Associate Artistic Director
Arizona native Chanel Bragg, an artist and passionate advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion, has been named Associate Artistic Director. A graduate of Northern Arizona University and Cortez High School, Bragg is a producer, director,
Hang & Focus: The Podcast
Arizona Theatre Company has launched a podcast! Available on Facebook, Youtube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Hang & Focus Live allows us to share the connection to the art we create, the artists we love and support, our staff and you, our patrons
The White Chip: A Benefit Reading
The original Off-Broadway cast of The White Chip will perform a live reading for audiences to see of ATC’s Sean Daniels’ play about his unusual path to sobriety as a fundraiser for The Voices Project, a grassroots recovery advocacy organization, and ATC.
We Will Weather The Storm
Dear Friends, First and foremost, I hope you and your family are safe and sound. I know for me, I’m waking up every morning grateful to be in this community, working at and fighting for the theater that changed my life when my parents brought me
Behind the Scenes: Trees for Women in Jeopardy!
While we get ready for The Legend of Georgia McBride to hit our stage, our Production is already hard at work building the set for our next show, Women in Jeopardy! As part of that set build, they are creating some amazing trees! Click through
Artist Spotlight: Patrick Holt (Tempest DuJour)
Spotlight on Patrick Holt (Tempest DuJour), Costume Designer for The Legend of Georgia McBride. When strangers discover that I do drag I get one of two responses. There’s either an exclamation of fabulosity and delight, or an uncomfortable pause
ATCteen Phoenix at ADE Youth Arts Showcase
ATCteen Phoenix was asked by our friends at the Arizona Department of Education to perform at their Youth Arts Showcase Event on March 6th. A group of our students will be devising a piece of theatre based on a painting by the Arizona winner
The Honors College Visits “Master Harold”…and the Boys
ATC would like to thank ASU’s Dr. Mathew Sandoval and his 40+ students from Barrett, The Honors College who attended a performance of “Master Harold”…and the Boys as part of their Human Event course work. Dr. Sandoval integrated the important
ATC@FilmBar: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Don’t miss our ATC@FilmBar film series! Our last film screening of the season is, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Wednesday, March 25, 6:00 p.m. Arizona Theatre Company, in collaboration with FilmBar, presents ATC@FilmBar, a short series of films
February 2020 ATC Donor Events
ATC donors and friends had an amazing month of events at Arizona Theatre Company. Great Food, Good Friends and Stimulating Conversations are what you can expect at Opening Night Dinners at ATC! The Giving Circles Opening Night Dinner at
From our Cohorts: Opening Night
“Master Harold and the Boys”, Opening Night, January 24th, 2020 One of the privileges of being in the Cohort Club is to see the evolution of a play from the first rehearsals all the way through to its opening night. One can enjoy the whole
From our Cohorts: January 14, 2020
Cohort Club, “Master Harold and the Boys”, January 14th, 2020 This was the first day of tech rehearsals in the theater with the stage manager and lighting and sound personnel situated in the middle of the theater with their equipment and computers. The first part of this (first session) was spent discussing
From our Cohorts: January 10, 2020
Cohort Club, “Master Harold and the Boys”, January 10th, 2020 First morning session. This session focused on the first part of the play up to the end of Hally’s first phone call with his mother. The director’s emphasis was on the nuances of mood and mood shift. One concern of the director was to ensure […]
From our Cohorts: Cabaret Opening Night
Opening night (December 6th 2019) One of the great things about being in the Cohort Club is that one gets to see the evolution of a production from its earliest beginnings all the way through to opening night. In the case of Cabaret I was able to attend the earlier rehearsals but, unfortunately, had to […]
From Our Cohorts: Cabaret, November 12, 2019
The final session of the day (4:30pm – 7:30pm) in the rehearsal room was a “stumble through” of Act I with the entire cast present. And yes, “stumble through” is official theater terminology! Before the start of the scene the director pointed out that up until now the cast had been working
From Our Cohorts: Misha Kachman and the Design of The Royale
By Howard Allen & Royce Sparks On my first day in the Arizona Theatre Company’s new Cohort Club, I listened to a table read of “The Royale,” the first play of the season and the first play choice of ATC’s new Artistic Director Sean Daniels (who brought the Cohort Club community sharing idea with him […]
From Our Cohorts: Why We Go To the Theater
There are many reasons why we go to the theater: to be amused by wit, parody, and satire; to learn something new or to see something we thought we knew in a new way; to be provoked and sometimes infuriated. But why the theater, that most ancient of art forms, when we could be at […]
From Our Cohorts: The Royale, September 1, 2019
Day 18, September 1st, 2019 This Sunday was the last day of rehearsals in the rehearsal room before the technical rehearsals begin in the theatre next week. The last two afternoon sessions involved going over certain the details at end of Scene 5 and the beginning of Scene 6, a
From Our Cohorts: The Royale, August 24, 2019
Day 11, August 24th, 2019 The last two sessions of the day were devoted to scene 6. This is the climax of the play. It is a complex scene with many moving parts that have to mesh together at the end to deliver, as it were, the knockout punch. The scene centers on the confrontation […]
From Our Cohorts: The Royale, August 21, 2019
Day 8, August 21st, 2019 The last two afternoon sessions focused on Scene 5. This scene is set in the locker room just before the big fight between Jay and Bixby. The three main components are: (i) Fish presenting Jay with a gramophone; (ii) The meeting between Jay and his sister,
From Our Cohorts: The Royale, August 17, 2019
Day 5, August 17th 2019 The cast are now rehearsing on their feet. They are, as it were, finding out where they stand in the play and where they stand on the stage. The focus of the first morning session was Scene 1, the fight between Fish and Jay. The director emphasized precise positioning of […]
From Our Cohorts: The Royale, August 14, 2019
Day 2, August 14th 2019 I attended the “Table Work” sessions from 12 – 3pm (the day ended at 6pm). Scenes 1 and 2 were read through, two or three times each, and the concepts and characters were refined in the course of this iterative process. A couple of things stood out to me. In […]
Meet the Artist: LOW DOWN DIRTY BLUES Scenic Designer
VIDEO: Courtesy of Second Nature Productions, LLC. Click here to watch the video interview. Vicki Smith is the scenic designer for ATC’s production of Low Down Dirty Blues and a longtime collaborator at ATC. Most recently, she designed the set for our production
In Context: Irish Farming Traditions and OUTSIDE MULLINGAR
AUTHOR: Lorraine Koleski, ATC Dramaturgical Volunteer, with Erin Treat Schauer, Dramaturg In part, Outside Mullingar revolves around four characters who are deeply tied to the traditions of Irish family farming. The characters’ essential connection to the land, to their ancestors,
Flip The Script: The Poetry of Marisela Treviño Orta
We’re thrilled to be producing Marisela Treviño Orta’s magical play The River Bride. The play is one of a trilogy of grim Latino fairy tales penned by the playwright, including Wolf at the Door (premiering at the New Jersey Repertory Company next fall) and Alcira. In addition to writing for the theatre,
Community Partnership: Chapel Haven West
AUTHOR: Erin Treat, Online Engagement Coordinator As part of our renewed commitment to our Arizona communities, Arizona Theatre Company is proud to share the details of a burgeoning partnership with Chapel Haven West! Chapel Haven West (CHW) is a private nonprofit agency in Tucson
Meet the Artist: CHAPTER TWO Director Marsha Mason
VIDEO: Second Nature Productions, LLC. Click here to watch the video interview. Marsha Mason is the director for ATC’s 2017/2018 season opener, Chapter Two. Ms. Mason returns to ATC this season after directing last season’s production of An Act of God. She has received four Academy Award
In Context: SHERLOCK HOLMES IN POP CULTURE
AUTHOR: Chloe Loos, Artistic Intern ATC’s Holmes and Watson carries on a long and storied tradition of reimagining the canon (which refers to the short stories and novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), characters, situations, and even time or location of the famous detective. Why has he survived
Flip The Script: Roots Music In RING OF FIRE
AUTHOR: Chloe Loos, Artistic Intern Did you know that some of your favorite songs have been in the making since the time of your great-great-(maybe even great)-grandparents? Due to America’s history of immigration and colonialism, our early music came from a wide variety of people.
In Context: Johnny Cash’s Influence Today
AUTHOR: Chloe Loos, Artistic Intern Not many artists can say that they’ve had a music career spanning over fifty years, released 96 records across multiple different labels, and sold over 90 million copies, but Johnny Cash can. That – and his inclusion in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame,
Meet The Team: Phoenix Box Office Manager Geri Silvi
Re-published with permission from OnMedia Publications. Meet Geri Silvi, Arizona Theatre Company Box Office Manager and the March Arts Hero. Geri is often the first point of contact for theatregoers, and she uses the opportunity to make their experience positive.
Flip The Script: Rasquachismo and LA ESQUINITA, USA
AUTHOR: Chloe Loos, Artistic Intern Despite the striking set design and incredible use of sound and lights in La Esquinita, USA, perhaps the most striking feature is the unique aesthetic attitude the show maintains. As the show’s first regional production,
In Context: El Teatro Campesino
AUTHOR: Chloe Loos, Artistic Intern La Esquinita, USA was developed at El Teatro Campesino, the longest running Chicano theatre in the United States. The company was founded in 1965 by Luis Valdez on the Delano picket lines of the United Farmworkers Union
In Context: From The Creative Behind LA ESQUINITA, USA
AUTHOR: Rubén C. González, Playwright / Performer of La Esquinita, USA I began writing La Esquinita, USA in 2007. I was working as a substitute teacher in Southeast Los Angeles to subsidize my acting career, when I was asked to teach a class of troubled high schoolers for ten weeks.
In Context: A Note From The Director Of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
AUTHOR: David Ira Goldstein, ATC Artistic Director and Director of Fiddler on the Roof When Fiddler on the Roof opened on Broadway in 1964, it was instantly embraced. Fiddler became the first Broadway show to run for more than 3,000 performances, it spawned hundreds of productions
Behind the Scenes: FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Rehearsals
AUTHOR: Arizona Theatre Company We can’t invite you directly into the rehearsal room (we wouldn’t all fit!), but we’re giving you the next best thing! Our first-ever video blog gives you a special, behind-the-scenes look at the first week of rehearsals for Fiddler on the Roof.
Meet The Artist: KING CHARLES III Scenic Designer G. W. Mercier
AUTHOR: Erin Treat, Online Engagement Coordinator G. W. Mercier is the scenic designer for ATC’s 50th Anniversary Season-opener, King Charles III. His past work includes Head of Passes (Public Theater), for which he received Lucile Lortel and Drama Desk Award nominations;
Meet The Artist: DISCORD Actor Mark Gagliardi
AUTHOR: Erin Treat, Online Engagement Coordinator Mark Gagliardi plays Charles Dickens in ATC’s much-loved production of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord. He has appeared on stage (and online)
Meet The Artist: DISCORD Actor Larry Cedar
AUTHOR: Erin Treat, Online Engagement Coordinator Larry Cedar plays Thomas Jefferson in ATC’s current production, The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord. His work spans theatre, film, television, voice acting, and more.
Flip The Script: Intersecting Lives
AUTHOR: MERLE REAGLE Merle Reagle, who passed last August, was the Sunday crossword creator for the Arizona Daily Star, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and 50 other major papers. Merl grew up in Tucson and was a longtime friend of Discord playwright Scott Carter.
Meet the Artist: DISCORD Actor Armin Shimerman
AUTHOR: Erin Treat, Online Engagement Coordinator Armin Shimerman plays Count Leo Tolstoy in ATC’s latest production, The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord. He’s best known for his work on the science-fiction series
Meet The Performer: Lola Yamasaki
Author: Katherine Monberg, Literary Associate Meet Lola! Lola is a nine-year-old shepherd mix, and our esteemed canine guest for the Tucson run of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. In the text of Steinbeck’s novella and on the stage, Lola is a symbol: of love and connection
Behind The Scenes: FENCES – A Story In Paint
AUTHOR: Lydia Lopez, Scenic Art Intern How does a scenic artist tell a story? A painter of theatrical scenery brings the set to life by way of paint color matching, style of application, texture, and surface finishes. Sometimes it’s a very realistic set, other times it’s about cleanliness
Meet The Artist: FENCES Actor James T. Alfred
AUTHOR: Erin Treat, Online Engagement Coordinator James T. Alfred plays Lyons in ATC’s critically acclaimed production of August Wilson’s Fences. Other ATC credits include Jitney, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, To Kill a Mockingbird, and most recently, The Mountaintop.
In Context: Reading In The Digital Age
AUTHOR: Chloe Loos and Katherine Monberg “People don’t read things!” A common complaint around my desk and my dinner table, as my colleagues and family will attest, from a dramaturg whose craft revolves around literature and language. But my assertion really isn’t quite true;
Staff Picks: Digital Content We Love
Among other things, Sex With Strangers deals with a writer’s life in the blogosphere. Many up-and-coming writers and artists are now getting their start online – writing blogs, self-publishing e-books, hosting podcasts and YouTube channels, etc.
Meet The Artist: Stray Cat Theatre
Author: Ron May, Stray Cat Theatre Artistic Director Arizona Theatre Company has added a seventh show to the 2015-16 season as it presents Sex With Strangers, a very special production from Stray Cat Theatre, one of Arizona’s leading indie theatre companies. Stray Cat Theatre
In Context: The American Century Cycle
Author: Katherine Monberg, Literary Associate August Wilson’s American Century Cycle is a collection of ten plays that chronicle a collective century of the Black American experience, with each of the ten plays set in a different decade spanning the 20th century. Nine of the ten plays
Flip The Script: Songs From SNAPSHOTS
If you’re a fan of Wicked, Godspell, or Pippin, chances are you recognize some of the tunes in ATC’s latest show, Snapshots. But can you name all 28 songs? We’ve put together a playlist of some of the songs that appear in Snapshots, sung with their original lyrics, to help you “name that tune” when […]
Meet The Artist: ‘DISGRACED’ Scenic Designer John Ezell
John Ezell is the Scenic Designer for ATC’s exciting Arizona premiere production of Disgraced. We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Ezell to discuss his work on the production. ATC: Your original background is in painting. How did you transition from painting to scenic design?
In Context: Music, the World, and Irving Berlin
AUTHOR: KATHERINE MONBERG, LITERARY ASSOCIATE Hello, and welcome to the ATC blog! My name is Katherine Monberg, and I’m the Literary Manager at ATC. Among the many theatrical aspects that all combine to make a production is the wonderful world of dramaturgy:
Flip the Script: The Dulcet Tones of Tin Pan Alley
AUTHOR: KATHERINE MONBERG, LITERARY ASSOCIATE Tin Pan Alley is the designation given to the collection of music publishers and songwriters that developed and dominated the music publishing industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,
In Context: Stray Cat Artistic Director Ron May
AUTHOR: RON MAY, STRAY CAT THEATRE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR I’m on Facebook a lot. I tend to be a colossal smartass: my posts are rarely safe for work, I have a total potty mouth, and I also have a running gag of posting what people have called my “guy on scruff” posts. They are interactions I […]
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