The Epic Theatre Ensemble is a professional
social justice
Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...
theatre company
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. As well staging well known traditional plays, its productions often focus on promoting engaged citizenship and social change.
History
The Epic Theatre Ensemble was founded in 2001 by original members Ron Russell, Melissa Friedman, Zak Berkman, James Wallert, Teri Lamm, Craig Rovere, and Shaheen Vaaz. Its work is influenced by the
Epic Theatre
Epic theatre (german: episches Theater) is a theatrical movement arising in the early to mid-20th century from the theories and practice of a number of theatre practitioners who responded to the political climate of the time through the creati ...
movement.
In 2009 the Ensemble's
remix
A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
of
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
’s plays performed in several
New York City Public Schools
The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (or the New York City Public Schools) is t ...
was awarded the
National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
, then called the Coming Up Taller Award.
Significant productions include the 2010 rendition of
Sarah Ruhl
Sarah Ruhl (born January 24, 1974) is an American playwright, professor, and essayist. Among her most popular plays are ''Eurydice'' (2003), '' The Clean House'' (2004), and ''In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play)'' (2009). She has been the rec ...
’s Passion Play and ''Pike Street'' in 2015.
In 2012, the theatre received funding from the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
to create a contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare's ''MacBeth''.
As well as performing traditional dramas, the Ensemble also commissions and stages new plays.
The Ensemble includes both professional and student actors. In 2016, Epic Theatre Ensemble presented ''10467'', a fifty-minute play that discusses
educational equity
Educational equity, also known as equity in education, is a measure of achievement, fairness, and opportunity in education. The study of education equity is often linked with the study of excellence and equity.
Educational equity depends on two ...
in New York City's public schools. .
"NYC High Schoolers Stand Up for Their Educational Rights on Stage"
Anita Abedain, ''The Village Voice'', March 22, 2016 The play was written and performed by students of Epic's artistic and youth development program Epic NEXT
References
{{Reflist, 30em
External links
Official website
Arts organizations established in 2001
2001 establishments in New York City
Theatre Ensemble in New York City