Sonoma County Repertory Theater

Sebastopol, California

Founded in 1993, Sonoma County Repertory Theater produces a seven-play mainstage season, including the Sebastopol Shakespeare Festival, presented in an intimate 75-seat storefront theater and an outdoor stage in Ives Park. In addition, the company's Young Actors Conservatory offers classes year-round. In 2006, Sonoma County Repertory Theater launched Rep on Tour, which brings 45-minute productions to schools throughout Sonoma County. When the company appointed Jennifer King as executive artistic director and Scott Phillips as producing artist director in 2003, it signaled a more-focused commitment to artistic excellence; since then, subscriptions have quadrupled, the annual budget has grown, the audience now exceeds 10,000 patrons annually, and the Young Actors Conservatory serves more than 500 students each year. In 2008, Sonoma County Repertory Theater broadened the reach of Rep on Tour to include Title I schools by offering the program to these schools at little or no cost.

As part of Shakespeare for a New Generation, Sonoma County Repertory Theater will produce The Tempest in collaboration with The Independent Eye. This will be a live theatrical animation with puppets, masks, actors, digital media, and music. Directed and designed by Conrad Bishop with a score by Elizabeth Fuller, the production will run as an extension to the Sebastopol Shakespeare Festival and then tour to Sonoma County middle and high schools. Rep on Tour will also include study guides, pre-performance workshops, post-performance discussions, and artist residencies, plus a teacher-development workshop where teachers will learn about the play, the artists, and the production process, as well as learning how to develop ways to link the play to their curricula. On performance day, teams of teaching artists will conduct a pre-performance workshop with all of the students who are attending the play. This workshop will help students enter into the world of the play through interactive exploration of the text, plot, characters, and puppetry. Following the performance, students will participate in a post-performance discussion moderated by Mr. Bishop.

Visit them at: www.the-rep.com