ABOUT THE AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER
Diane Paulus, Artistic Director
The AMERICAN REPERTORY THEATER (A.R.T.) is one of the country’s most celebrated resident theaters and the winner of numerous awards — including the Tony Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and numerous local Elliot Norton and I.R.N.E. Awards. In 2002 the A.R.T. was the recipient of the National Theatre Conference’s Outstanding Achievement Award, and in May of 2003 it was named one of the top three theaters in the country by Time magazine.
Founded by Robert Brustein in 1980, over its twenty-nine-year history the A.R.T. has welcomed major American and international theater artists, presenting a diverse repertoire that includes new American plays, bold reinterpretations of classical texts, and provocative new music theater productions. The A.R.T. has performed throughout the U.S. and worldwide in twenty-one cities in sixteen countries on four continents. It has presented over two hundred productions, over half of which were premieres of new plays, translations, and adaptations.
The A.R.T. is also a training ground for young artists. The theater’s artistic staff teaches undergraduate classes in acting, directing, dramatic literature, dramaturgy, design, and playwriting at Harvard University, and in 1987 the A.R.T. founded the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University. In conjunction with the Moscow Art Theater School, the Institute provides world-class graduate level training in acting, dramaturgy, and voice.
Last fall the A.R.T. welcomed its new Artistic Director, Diane Paulus. Under her leadership, the Theater has developed a new initiative, EXPERIENCE THE A.R.T., which seeks to revolutionize the theater experience through a sustained commitment to empowering the audience. This initiative recognizes that theater is not just a play on the stage, but also a social occasion for people to come together and experience community. This audience-driven vision speaks directly to the A.R.T.’s core mission — “to expand the boundaries of theater.” By expanding its focus to include the audience’s total theater experience, the A.R.T. seeks to give audiences a voice, a sense of ownership, and a feeling of importance in the theatrical event.
FROM THE PRESS
“One of the top three theaters in the country.” – Time Magazine, 2003
“…an unfailing source of new dramatic ideas.” – New York Times
“… the nation’s most prestigious resident theater.” – Time Magazine
“the most successful, cosmopolitan, and ambitious repertory theater in present-day America. “ – London Observer
“… the most important repertory theater in the United States.” – La Nuova Venezia
“One of the most vital influences on the U.S. stage in the last twenty years.” – International Herald Tribune
“Stretching the limits of artistic possibility with an imaginative daring the has few parallels on the contemporary scene.” – Washington Post
“More ideas, wit, and originality than one stage can easily hold… Wonderful and extraordinarily interesting…the most audacious season of any theater in the country.” – Newsweek
“… more concentrated, provocative quality than New York City has delivered all year.” – USA Today
“When we walk into the American Repertory Theater it’s most often like entering a parallel universe. We’re not exactly sure where we are. The ground, or most recently, the gravel beneath our feet, is always threatening to give away. This, of course, is often the mark of great theater in general. It creates a different world while reminding us of our own.” – Elliot Norton Award introduction by Ed Siegel, May 2006
