TheatreSquared facts for kids
| Location | 477 W Spring St., Fayetteville Arkansas |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°03′53″N 94°09′57″W / 36.064608°N 94.165850°W |
| Type | Professional Theatre |
| Capacity | 275, 120 |
TheatreSquared started in 2005. It's a professional theater in downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas. They put on seven plays every year. They also host the Arkansas New Play Festival. This means they have about 270 shows each year. Around 60,000 people come to watch, including 20,000 students and their teachers. TheatreSquared is one of only two theaters in Arkansas that has shows all year. It also works with the national actors' union, Actors' Equity Association.
Robert Ford is the artistic director, and Martin Miller is the executive director. Besides putting on plays, TheatreSquared has many programs for schools. They offer a school tour to over 80 high schools. They also have a program called Word/Play to help students with reading. Plus, they offer training for teachers and special shows for students.
In 2011, TheatreSquared won a big award. It was a National Theatre Company Grant from the American Theatre Wing. This award recognized them as one of the top ten new professional theaters in the country. They were also featured in a special series about "Theatre in Arkansas" in 2016.
History of TheatreSquared
TheatreSquared was founded in 2005. Their first play, Bad Dates, was shown in 2006. Robert Ford, who helped start the company, became the artistic director in 2007. Martin Miller joined as executive director in 2009. He used to work at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
Over the last ten years, the theater's yearly budget has grown a lot. It went from $160,000 to $6 million. This makes it one of the biggest cultural places in Arkansas. In 2016, they started a program called "Lights Up!". This program helps more people see shows. It offers free tickets to families with lower incomes. Youth tickets are $10, and people who get SNAP benefits can get tickets for just $1.
The company really likes to develop new plays. They work with many different playwrights. Some of these writers include Qui Nguyen, Lisa D'Amour, and Mary Kathryn Nagle. They help bring new stories to the stage.
New Home for TheatreSquared
TheatreSquared completed a new building in mid-2019. This project cost $34 million. The building is very large, about 50,000 square feet. It has two performance spaces and offices. There are also apartments for actors and places to build sets. Plus, it has a café called the Commons Bar-Café that is open all day.
The design of the building was a team effort. Theatre planners Charcoalblue worked with Marvel Architects from New York. Before this new building, shows were held at the Studio Theatre. This was a 175-seat space at Nadine Baum Studios. They rented it from the Walton Arts Center.
The new building has won several awards. In 2020, it received the American Architecture Award. It also won the AIA New York State Honor Award. And Interior Design magazine gave it a Best of Year Award.
