Mission:
VITAL THEATRE COMPANY is a community of artists who believe that a shared theatrical experience profoundly affects people’s lives. We create stories that challenge our audience to ask questions, make discoveries and engage in dialogue.
If one adult is inspired,
if one child’s imagination is awakened,
if one student is empowered,
Our theatre is important and vital.
A Brief History of Vital Theatre:
Vital was founded in March of 1999 with the goal of creating a safe home to nurture emerging theatre artists — and that vision has blossomed. Now in its ninth season, VITAL THEATRE COMPANY moved into its spacious new Upper West Side home at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre in November of 2004. Previously, Vital performed at our two intimate spaces on Theatre Row in midtown Manhattan.
As of May 2008, Vital has mounted 34 main stage productions, 12 installments of Vital Signs New Works Festival, plus cabaret and sketch comedy. To date, 23 plays that premiered in Vital Signs have gone on to publication. Vital was commissioned by The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation to create and produce AMERICA IS MY HOME: THE IMMIGRANT JOURNEY TO AMERICA which ran on Ellis Island for seven months. VITAL CHILDREN'S THEATRE has presented 38 productions, many of them new musicals. More than 68,000 NYC students have been touched by Vital Voices, our arts in education program.
VITAL THEATRE COMPANY was honored to recieve two American Theatre Wing Awards for Continued Commitment to Excellence in Theatre and was also named as one of nytheatre.com's "2004 People of the Year" (yes, we're a company, but they stretched their definition...). Vital is a six-time winner of the Off-Off Broadway Review's Award for Excellence for four of our main stage productions, as well as Vital's 2001 - 2002 Children's Theatre Season and the children's piece THE BALLAD OF IRVING THE FROG… ('04). The New York Theatre Experience also named Vital Theatre Company the 2002 Theatre Company of the Year.
Our audiences are growing. In our brief history, more than 102,000 people have attended a Vital production, in addition to the 28,000 who saw the AMERICA IS MY HOME on Ellis Island. Well over 3000 artists have participated in one of our shows, creating a vibrant and ever-increasing community at Vital.
In September 2007 VITAL THEATRE COMPANY became a lead partner in Brooklyn Theatre Arts High School in Canarsie, Brooklyn. Vital teaching artists are integrating theatre arts into the humanities curriculum in an effort to jumpstart academic progress.
|
