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California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes) redefines the classical theater for the 21st Century, making works of extraordinary artistry that engage with our contemporary moment so we might learn about ourselves and each other in the fullness of our world. There are three pillars of our work: Make, Learn, and Engage. MAKE: We create art that represents the best of what we can do, and the making of it makes us better. Cal Shakes creates exemplary productions of works both old and new interpreted in vital and urgent ways. We do this with a commitment to bold theatricality, innovative interpretation, thoughtful excavation, to expanding cultural ownership of classic stories, and to being our best selves as artists, stewards, and members of our community. LEARN: We nurture a culture of learning where we are both teacher and student. Cal Shakes seeks to both teach and learn through our art—not simply about the theater but about our world. We transform young minds through the practice of theater, we listen to and amplify seldom heard voices, we confront our own insecurities and ignorance with an openness to new ideas. ENGAGE: We forge community by dismantling barriers to participation. Acknowledging that the theater is a rare public forum, we pursue a robust culture of participation that values above all authentic discourse around the work we make. We endeavor to hold space for all points of view because it provides a deeper, richer, more nuanced and human experience of the world.

Founded in 1979, MRT primarily serves the Merrimack Valley – a region of northeast Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire located about 45 minutes from Boston – where it is the only professional theatre. It also draws audiences from the greater Boston area (where it is one of three LORT Theatres), New England, and beyond. Merrimack Repertory Theatre has become known for its unwavering commitment to high production standards and selection of mostly regional and world premieres. This tradition has been embraced by artistic director Sean Daniels, who continues to develop MRT as a leader of new play production in the country. MRT attracts leading professional playwrights, directors, actors and designers from around the country, who share the company's commitment and welcome the opportunity to make MRT one of their theatrical homes. During the 2016-17 Season, the intimate 279-seat theatre will feature seven vibrant plays and musicals about who we are as a people, a country, and New Englanders, that “advance the cause of human understanding through the art of theatre." The lineup includes four world premieres, and three plays that explore New England themes. The Theatre has mounted over 200 productions in its 37-year history, including 23 world premieres and 40 regional premieres. MRT is governed by a 30-member Board of Trustees and receives advisory assistance from a Board of Overseers. Both boards are composed of community leaders, entrepreneurs, and business leaders.

New York Classical Theatre’s mission is to reinvigorate and create audiences for the theatre by presenting free productions of popular classics and forgotten masterpieces that pop up in non-traditional public spaces throughout the five boroughs. We are the only all-free professional theatre in New York City. Our free productions currently pop up outdoors in Central Park, The Battery, Battery Park City Parks, Prospect Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park and indoors in Brookfield Place and One Liberty Plaza. New York Classical’s hallmark is Panoramic Theatre, a style created by Founding Artistic Director, Stephen Burdman, to build a unique relationship between the actor, audience and venue. Scripts are adapted to fully embrace each performance space and through the influence of 19th century staging and single camera cinema techniques, the audience is placed at the center of the action of the play, giving them access to a deeply immersive theatrical experience. Our outdoor productions in expansive public locations push Panoramic Theatre further. At each performance, the audience follows the actors from place to place as the plot unfolds from scene to scene, following the journey of the characters. Using different areas to stage specific scenes opens up endless creative possibilities for performers and our audience. By utilizing large physical environments as our playing arenas, audiences literally inhabit the world of the play and become active participants in the drama unfolding around them. By offering our Off-Broadway performances for free, we ensure that all people, regardless of their economic, ethnic or educational background have access to the highest quality professional theatre. Our open rehearsals in public venues also allow our audience to observe the evolution of a production while demystifying the language and poetry of classical theatre. We firmly believe that the themes of the classics remain relevant to the lives of all New Yorkers today. Through the lens of classical theatre, we come to better understand human nature and our role in contemporary life. As a result, our free performances build new and future audiences for live theatre by attracting many underserved and non-traditional spectators.

Arts, Culture and Humanities

At EPAC, they always have and will continue to be fiercely devoted to telling these essential stories of connection, belonging and humanity.

DENIZEN Theatre will explore what it means to be human in all its duality and complexity, producing new works that provoke, challenge, and inspire often ignored conversations.

The mission of Suncoast Singers is to provide, preserve and present culturally rich music in a professional manner; to celebrate one of the greatest instruments, the human voice; and to provide a supportive, educational and enjoyable experience for the singer.

From the website: "Our choruses, along with the choruses in the national Giving Voice Network, are created for people living with dementia as active participants. That’s right, people living with dementia are the singers in our chorus. Our chorus members are defying dementia through music." Please note that this is a different organization than Giving Voice of LaGrange Park, IL.

The mission of Arlekin Players Theatre is twofold: 1) to enrich, educate and entertain the audience by adapting classical and contemporary Russian literature in a playful and thought provoking way; 2) to build meaningful connections between Russian and American cultures through shared human experience.

Mad Cow's mission is to produce highly entertaining works of theatre to an ever-widening audience – promoting, enhancing, and celebrating the human condition through art. They celebrate the word and the actor through a combination of passionate, skillful acting and compelling, insightful writing, all nurtured by an attentive and ever-changing process.

The missions of Fendig Theatre for Children are to provide youth with an opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the production of theatre; to provide the community with theatre that is both artistically and educationally challenging; to help local youth develop a better understanding of the potential of theatre for fostering human development, while also helping them understand the technical aspects of theatre; and to use theatre as a means of developing a sense of community.

The mission of the Iron Horse Theatre Company is to provide thought-provoking and entertaining theatre that will enrich the cultural life in what is now known as the "rust belt" area of southwestern Pennsylvania. We will provide the people of this community the opportunity to not only attend but also to participate in quality presentations and theatrical works. The symbolic name, "Iron Horse" represents the hard-working and "iron-willed" people in this part of the world. It is in this spirit that we will create theatrical experiences that celebrate the grit, determination, and strength of the human character.