Marin Theatre Company facts for kids

Marin Theatre is a professional theater in Mill Valley, California. It is a nonprofit group, which means the money it earns is used to create more plays and support the arts. The theater is led by Artistic Director Lance Gardner.

The Marin Theatre has two stages for performances. The main one is the 231-seat Boyer Theatre, and there is also a smaller, 99-seat stage called the Lieberman Studio Theatre.

Over the years, the theater has shown many important plays. These include famous works like Topdog/Underdog, which won a Pulitzer Prize, a major award for writing. They also put on the first local showing of plays like Equivocation, a story about William Shakespeare, and The Whipping Man, a powerful drama set after the American Civil War.

History of the Theatre

The story of the Marin Theatre began in 1966. It was first called the Mill Valley Center for the Performing Arts (MVCPA). It was started by a group of 35 local people led by a woman named Sali Lieberman.

Early Years

At first, the MVCPA was a place for all kinds of arts. They hosted movie nights, poetry readings, dance shows, and music concerts. After putting on several successful plays, the group decided to focus only on theater in 1977.

In the beginning, they didn't have their own building. The group performed plays in many different places, like a golf clubhouse, a veterans’ hall, and even in schools and parks. Despite these challenges, their shows were very popular and won awards.

Becoming a Professional Theatre

In 1984, the group changed its name to the Marin Theatre Company (MTC) to show that it served the whole region. This was the start of a big growth period for the theater.

By 1987, MTC became a fully professional theater. It opened its own theater building, which is still used today. The building has stages and offices all in one place. Around this time, MTC also worked with other local theaters to create fair contracts for actors in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Supporting New Plays

Starting in 2004, the Marin Theatre began a program to help new playwrights. It created workshops where writers could develop their new plays and have them read in front of an audience. In 2007, the theater established two awards to celebrate and encourage new plays.

In 2008, the theater joined the League of Resident Theatres, a group of major professional theaters across the United States. In 2024, the organization simplified its name to Marin Theatre.

See also

• American Conservatory Theater
• Berkeley Repertory Theatre
• TheatreWorks (Silicon Valley)
• San Jose Repertory Theatre
• Marin Shakespeare Company