Theatre
West is an internationally acclaimed non profit
arts organization in Hollywood, California. Established
in 1962, Theatre West is the oldest continunally
running arts organization in Los Angeles. Our productions
have toured both sides of the Atlantic, including
the Edinburgh and Dublin Festivals, New York City,
Atlanta, South Carolina, Seattle, San Francisco,
and throughout California. Over the years Theatre
West's plays have transferred to Broadway (Spoon
River Anthology, Aesop in Central Park) and to feature
films (A Bronx Tale, Faithful).
Some
of Hollywood's brightest lights have made Theatre
West their artistic home, including Betty Garrett,
Lee Meriwether, Richard Dreyfuss, Carroll O'Connor,
Harold Gould, Beau Bridges, Martin Landau, Bridget
Hanley and Philip Abbott
Theatre
West is a democratic artistic cooperative dedicated
to the artistic growth of its members. Our threefold
mission statement is to conduct workshops to further
our member's artistic growth, present performances
grown from those workshops and to do outreach to
the greater community, which we accomplish through
both education (Associate Members who study for
free), children's theatre, and-- in the case of
A Christmas Carol-- partnering with local schools
to include children in the play, educate teachers
in making art, and creating a fun curriculum, based
on the play in English, vocabulary, math, history,
and geography.
Theatre
West has offered some 2,000 professionals over 5,000
workshops in acting, musical comedy, playwrighting,
Shakespeare, and improvisation; produced over 250
plays--two-thirds of them original pieces--while
maintaining a free weekly workshop for young Associate
Members. Our work has been applauded with Tony Awards,
Obies, 9 LA Drama Critics Awards, 7 NAACP Image
Awards, and over 130 Drama-Logue Awards. Internationally,
we have been nominated by the BBC for the Best of
the Fringe, and awarded the coveted Cover of the
Scotsman at the Edinburgh Festival, as well as Best
Ensemble Award at the Dublin Festival.
Since
1984 Storybook Theatre has been part of our company
--honored last year by The United States Senate
and House of Representatives, The County Board of
Supervisors, the City Council of Los Angeles and
Mayor's Office. Storybook presents non-threatening,
interactive musical theater appropriate for children
3-9 years old, performed by professional members
of Actors Equity Association.
Youth Theatre for kids 10-14 has already received
grants from both the City of Los Angeles Cultural
Affairs Dept and the County Arts Commission. According
to Joe Garber at A.E.A., we are one of only two
union children theater companies working in Los
Angeles. Youth Theatre's premiere season was greeted
with kudos by The Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly,
and one of its productions has already been selected
by the California Arts Council for its Touring Artists
Directory.
In
2005 Theatre West launched the Chestnuts program,
dedicated to staging revivals of great classic and
contemporary plays.
Theatre
West routinely gives back to the community through
benefits for local schools, the Valley Jewish Storefront,
Hollygrove Orphanage, S.T.A.G.E., APLA, Concern
II, and other groups. In 2006 alone we raised $6,000
for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights A.I.D.S.
