Lose Your Marbles Theatre Company

Lose Your Marbles Theatre Company
Name	Lose Your Marbles Theatre Company
Location	Seattle, Washington
Founded	2004
Artistic director	Unknown
Genres	Contemporary theatre, new plays, devised work

Lose Your Marbles Theatre Company is a regional theatre ensemble based in Seattle, Washington, known for producing contemporary plays, new works, and devised performances. The company has engaged with the Pacific Northwest theatre scene, collaborating with playwrights, directors, and actors associated with institutions such as Seattle Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre Festival, ACT Theatre (Seattle), and Northwest Film Forum. Its work has intersected with festivals and venues like the Fringe Festival (Edinburgh), Bumbershoot, and the Vancouver Fringe Festival.

History

The company's origins trace to the early 2000s, emerging alongside peers in the Seattle arts ecosystem such as On the Boards, The 5th Avenue Theatre, and Seattle Children's Theatre. Founding members drew inspiration from national movements represented by groups like Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Wooster Group, Complicité, and Lazy Susan Theatre Company, and from playwrights affiliated with New Dramatists, Playwrights Horizons, and The Public Theater. Over time the company participated in residencies at institutions including Cornish College of the Arts, University of Washington School of Drama, and ArtsWest.

Artistic Vision and Repertoire

The ensemble foregrounds contemporary American playwrights and devised performance, aligning with practices seen at SITI Company, Bread and Puppet Theater, and LaMama Experimental Theatre Club. Repertoire choices reflect affinities with writers such as Sarah Ruhl, Tony Kushner, August Wilson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Annie Baker, and with adaptations of texts by authors like Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, and Margaret Atwood. The company's aesthetic dialogues with directors and scenographers from institutions including Woody Allen (director), Julie Taymor, Robert Wilson, and design collectives associated with Pratt Institute and Yale School of Drama.

Productions and Notable Works

Productions have included premieres, remounts, and collaborative pieces reminiscent of stagings at Lincoln Center Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, Goodman Theatre, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre. The company has presented new plays by playwrights connected to New Play Exchange, commissions from writers associated with Roundabout Theatre Company, and site-specific projects similar to those by Third Rail Projects and Punchdrunk. Touring and festival appearances placed shows alongside programs at Humana Festival of New American Plays, Theatre Communications Group, and National New Play Network.

Company Members and Leadership

Leadership has rotated among ensemble artists trained at institutions such as Juilliard School, Carnegie Mellon University, California Institute of the Arts, and Columbia University School of the Arts. Company collaborators have included directors, designers, and actors with credits at Seattle Opera, Pacific Northwest Ballet, The Old Globe, and Alliance Theatre. Guest artists have come from networks tied to Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage, and Actors Theatre of Louisville.

Education, Outreach, and Community Engagement

Educational programming has partnered with schools and organizations like Seattle Public Schools, Seattle Central College, Youth Theatre Northwest, and ACT Theatre's serving program, echoing outreach models used by Roundabout Theatre Company education initiatives and Lincoln Center Education. Workshops, staged readings, and mentorships have involved playwrights and teachers associated with Young Playwrights Festival, Brown University theatre initiatives, and the National Endowment for the Arts grant-funded programs.

Awards and Recognition

The company has received regional attention parallel to honors from bodies such as Seattle Times critics, The Seattle Weekly arts coverage, and nominations relevant to awards like the Gregory Awards, Gypsy Rose Lee Awards, and acknowledgments by Americans for the Arts. Reviews and citations placed the company in conversations alongside recipients of Obie Awards, Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalists, and Tony Awards-connected artists.

Facilities and Touring

Performances have been mounted in alternative and black box venues similar to those at Vashon Center for the Arts, Richard Hugo House, and Elizabethan Theatre (Seattle) spaces, with tours to festivals in Portland, Oregon, Vancouver, British Columbia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Production collaborations used technical resources and scenography partnerships associated with Seattle Center, Velocity Dance Center, and fabrication shops linked to University of Washington programs.

Category:Theatre companies in Washington (state)