Axial Theatre's Mission Statement

Our mission is to develop, produce and present new plays in a collaborative and creative process; to engage students of all ages in theatre experiences; and to build a community through education and outreach programs.

OUR WORK

Although principally authored by individual company members, all of our original plays come out of long, collaborative and improvisational processes involving the entire company. We are committed to presenting our work both in workshop and finished Presentations, so as to incorporate audience feedback towards the completion of each play.

The group chooses themes as they emerge from our collective experience, and then further investigates them through an array of experimental and improvisational theatre techniques. From these explorations, exciting seeds for new plays emerge.

Writers pursue these ideas independently until they are ready for more improvisational input. As the emerging play develops, the entire company offers feedback at the conclusion of informal readings. Company members are then cast in the developing roles and engage in further collaboration with the playwright and a director.

When the play will benefit from audience feedback, a workshop production is scheduled and mounted. After each performance, members of the company participate in an open
dialogue with the audience to help sharpen the play.

After the workshop production and subsequent feedback, members of the company return to the process of refining the work. Upon the play’s completion, full productions are mounted in area theatres.

In addition, we are open to meeting writers from outside the company with existing works in progress. Upon selection, a collaborative development process such as the one
described above may begin.

We also provide education in the theatre arts to our community. Howard Meyer's Acting Program, a project of Axial Theatre, Inc., offers training for actors and playwrights at all levels of experience. The guiding principle of this Program is to foster truth in creative expression in a supportive environment committed to individualized attention.