American Repertory Theater facts for kids
Loeb Drama Center
|
|
| Address | Loeb Drama Center 64 Brattle Street OBERON 2 Arrow Street Cambridge, Massachusetts United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°22′29.84″N 71°7′21.54″W / 42.3749556°N 71.1226500°W |
| Type | Regional theater |
| Capacity | Loeb Drama Center: 556 |
| Years active | 1980 to present |
The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It's a "not-for-profit" theater, which means it uses its money to create great shows, not to make a profit for owners.
Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, A.R.T. is famous for showing new American plays and musicals. They also bring back older plays, giving them a fresh, new look. Over the years, A.R.T. has won many important awards. These include a Pulitzer Prize (1982) for a play, and a Tony Award (1986) for theater excellence. In 2003, Time magazine even called A.R.T. one of the top three theaters in the country!
A.R.T. is located at Harvard University in a building called the Loeb Drama Center. They share this building with Harvard's student drama club. A.R.T. also runs a special school called the Institute for Advanced Theater Training.
In 2002, Robert Woodruff took over from founder Robert Brustein as the artistic director. An artistic director is like the main leader who decides which plays to put on. In 2008, Diane Paulus became the new artistic director. She is well-known for directing plays and operas. Her work includes The Donkey Show, which was very popular. She also directed Hair in 2008, which won a Tony Award for being the best revival of a musical.
Contents
History of A.R.T.
The American Repertory Theater started at Harvard in 1979. It was created to be a professional theater group on campus. It also offered college classes in acting, directing, and dramaturgy (the study of plays). Professional actors and directors from the company taught these classes.
Robert Brustein was the artistic director until 2002. Then, Robert Woodruff took over. In 2008, Diane Paulus became the artistic director.
For over 40 years, A.R.T. has welcomed many famous theater artists. They have shown a wide variety of plays, including many new American plays and musicals. Out of more than 250 shows, over half were brand new plays, translations, or adaptations. A.R.T. has performed all over the U.S. and in 21 cities around the world. It's still a place where young artists can learn and grow. The artistic staff teaches college classes in acting, directing, and more.
In 1987, A.R.T. started the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard. This is a special graduate program that works with the Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia.
Diane Paulus, the current artistic director, loves to make theater more exciting. She tries to change how plays are created and performed. She wants the audience to feel more involved and make the experience interactive. Shows like Sleep No More, The Donkey Show, and Pippin have made audiences part of the show. They use physical interaction and unusual staging.
A.R.T. shows have won many awards, including eighteen Tony Awards. They won "Best Revival of a Musical" for Pippin (2013) and Gershwins' Porgy and Bess (2012). They also won "Best Musical" for Once (2012) and "Best Play" for All The Way (2014). A.R.T. also received the Tony Award for "Outstanding Regional Theater."
Recent Productions
A.R.T. puts on many different kinds of shows each year. Here are some from their recent seasons:
2023–2024 Season
- Gatsby: A musical based on the famous novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It features music by Florence Welch.
- Becoming a Man: A play created by P. Carl.
- Real Women Have Curves: A musical based on a play and an HBO show.
- The Half-God of Rainfall: A play created by Inua Ellams.
2022–2023 Season
- Evita: A famous musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
- The Wife of Willesden: A play adapted by Zadie Smith from Geoffrey Chaucer's old story.
- Life of Pi: A play based on the popular novel by Yann Martel. This show went to Broadway after its run at A.R.T.
- Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992: A play created by Anna Deavere Smith.
2021–2022 Season
- 1776: A musical about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This show also went to Broadway.
- Ocean Filibuster: A unique show about the ocean.
- WILD: A Musical Becoming: A new musical with music by Justin Tranter.
- Macbeth In Stride: A show created and performed by Whitney White.
- Chasing Magic: A show created by Ayodele Casel.
2019–2020 Season
- Six: A popular musical about the six wives of King Henry VIII. This show also went to Broadway.
- Black Light: A show created by Daniel Alexander Jones.
- Moby-Dick: A musical based on the classic novel.
- Thumbelina: A Little Musical: A musical based on the fairy tale.
- Gloria: A Life: A play written by Emily Mann.
Educational Institution
In 1987, A.R.T. started the Institute for Advanced Theater Training. This is a special five-semester program for people who want to become professional actors, dramaturgs, or voice students. Part of the program includes three months of training at the Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia.
For many years, students in this program earned a Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree. An M.F.A. is a special graduate degree for artists. Starting in 2017, students began earning a master of liberal arts degree from Harvard Extension School.
In 2017, the U.S. Department of Education noted that some students had a lot of student loan debt after the program. Because of this, the A.R.T. Institute paused new admissions for three years. They wanted to find ways to help students with financial aid. They are still talking with Harvard University about offering an M.F.A. degree again.
Performance Venues
A.R.T. uses different places to put on their shows.
OBERON
OBERON was a special club theater venue. It opened in 2009 as A.R.T.'s second main stage. A.R.T. first used OBERON for their show The Donkey Show, which was very popular. They then turned it into a full club theater. This meant it was a place where audiences could interact more with the shows.
In 2021, A.R.T. decided not to continue their lease, and OBERON closed.
Other Venues
Before OBERON, A.R.T. sometimes used the old Hasty Pudding theater as a second space. This was in addition to their main stage at the Loeb Drama Center. In May 2015, A.R.T. put on an opera at the Shubert Theater in Boston. This was their first time using that venue.
See Also
- List of American Repertory Theater productions
