Swine Palace facts for kids
Swine Palace is a special kind of theatre group. It's a non-profit company, which means it uses its money to put on plays, not to make a profit. This professional theatre company works with the Louisiana State University (LSU) Department of Theatre. You can find it in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The theatre's home is called the Reilly Theatre, located right on the LSU campus.
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The Story of Swine Palace
How Swine Palace Began
Back in 1992, there was an old building called the Swine Palace. It was a historic place where livestock judging used to happen. This building was the very first one built on the current LSU campus. It was almost torn down!
But instead, it was chosen to become the home of a new theatre company. This company was also founded in 1992 by Barry Kyle. He used to be a director at the famous Royal Shakespeare Company's Swan Theatre. The new theatre company was named "Swine Palace" after the building itself. Their big goal was to become the best professional theatre in Louisiana.
Building the Reilly Theatre
To turn the old building into a theatre, they needed a lot of money. They started a "capital campaign" to raise $3.5 million. This was a special effort to get donations for the project. The theatre was built thanks to a partnership between the government and private donors. This is called a public-private partnership.
The new theatre opened for plays in the 1999–2000 season. It has 500 seats and can be set up in different ways for shows. The State of Louisiana helped pay for it, along with a big gift from the Reilly Family of Baton Rouge. Because of their generous help, the Swine Palace building was renamed the Reilly Theatre. The design kept the original look of the old building.
Interestingly, the very first play in the Swine Palace building wasn't by the Swine Palace company. It was an LSU Theatre student play of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, back in 1973.
Swine Palace Today
Today, Swine Palace is still a very important part of the arts in Louisiana. It's also a key place for theatre education. It is led by Kristin Sosnowsky, who is the LSU Theatre Chair, and Vastine Stabler, the Managing Artistic Director.
The company quickly became known for its amazing plays. They put on new versions of famous books like A Confederacy of Dunces and All the King's Men. Swine Palace is also known for helping the community. They even won an award in 2006 for their programs that connect with social issues. They've done plays like Fences, The Laramie Project, and The Exonerated, which deal with important topics.
International Performances
In 2007, Swine Palace worked with another theatre group to put on a new play called Cocktail. This play was about a real scientist from Thailand, Krisana Kraisintu. It showed her struggle to create an affordable medicine for people with AIDS.
Later in 2007, LSU Theatre and Swine Palace went on their first international tour! They performed Wendy Wasserstein's "The Heidi Chronicles" in China. They played at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and the Beijing Central Academy of Drama. They were the first theatre company to perform Ms. Wasserstein's play in China. They were also one of only a few U.S. companies to perform at these famous places.
The China tour was part of a bigger plan by LSU to connect with China. Thirty-one people went on the month-long trip. This included 15 college students, six teachers, and some friends and family.
Because of all its achievements, Swine Palace received the 2006 Governor's Arts Award. This award recognized them as a top large arts organization.
Images for kids
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The Reilly Theatre, home of Swine Palace
