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| Rivendell Theatre Ensemble | |
|---|---|
| Name | Rivendell Theatre Ensemble |
| Established | 1998 |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Artistic director | Maya Alvarez |
| Capacity | 120 |
| Genre | Ensemble theatre, new plays, adaptations |
Rivendell Theatre Ensemble is a professional ensemble company founded in 1998 in Chicago, Illinois, presenting new plays, reinterpretations of classics, and devised work by company artists. The company operates within the American regional theatre network alongside organizations such as Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Lookingglass Theatre Company, and Victory Gardens Theater, engaging artists who have worked with Arena Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Public Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and Seattle Repertory Theatre.
Rivendell Theatre Ensemble was founded by a group of actors and directors influenced by the ensemble models of Complicite, Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, Royal Court Theatre, Bard Ensemble, and practitioners associated with Ensemble Studio Theatre, SITI Company, Miller Theatre Company, and Cheek by Jowl; early collaborators included artists who later worked with Lincoln Center Theater, Donmar Warehouse, National Theatre, Electric Theatre Company, and Tableau Vivant Collective. The company's early seasons featured premieres by playwrights connected to New Dramatists, Royal Court, Writers Theatre, Poets Theatre, and residencies supported by foundations such as MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and Joyce Foundation. Over time Rivendell developed co-productions with Steppenwolf, Goodman, Chicago Humanities Festival, Writers Theatre, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and touring exchanges with Fringe Festival Edinburgh, Spoleto Festival USA, Humana Festival of New American Plays, and World Theatre Festival.
The ensemble's stated mission aligns with practices associated with Konstantin Stanislavski, Jerzy Grotowski, Bertolt Brecht, Anne Bogart, and techniques promoted by Suzuki Company of Toga and Michael Chekhov training, aiming to develop ensemble-driven productions that bridge contemporary playwrights and adaptations of works by authors linked to William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen, Sophocles, and Euripides. Artistic vision emphasizes partnerships with institutions such as New York Theatre Workshop, Atlantic Theater Company, Roundabout Theatre Company, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, and The Old Globe to commission texts, workshop scripts through Page 73 Productions and National New Play Network, and present pieces that converse with repertory traditions established at Stratford Festival, Globe Theatre, and Comédie-Française.
Seasons typically include world premieres, commissioned adaptations, and revivals drawing from sources associated with Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, August Wilson, Lorraine Hansberry, Samuel Beckett, and contemporary writers affiliated with Tony Kushner, Suzan-Lori Parks, Amy Herzog, Bruce Norris, and Martyna Majok. Notable productions have involved directors and designers who have credits with BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), Spoleto Festival, Southbank Centre, National Black Theatre, and Royal Exchange Theatre, and have toured to venues including Victory Gardens, Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater, Arena Stage, and Berkeley Rep. The ensemble has mounted festivals spotlighting playwrights from networks such as New Dramatists, Playwrights Horizons, National Playwrights Conference, and Kilroy's List.
Rivendell's education programs collaborate with Chicago institutions like University of Chicago, DePaul University, Northwestern University, Columbia College Chicago, and Juilliard School alumni, and partner with community organizations akin to Big Brothers Big Sisters, YMCA, Chicago Public Library, Chicago Cultural Center, and Illinois Arts Council initiatives. Programs include actor training workshops modeled on techniques from Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, in-school residencies inspired by Young Playwrights Program and Theatre Communications Group curricula, and outreach labs co-presented with Chicago Park District and Chicago Public Schools.
Company members, guest artists, and collaborators have included directors, designers, and playwrights with ties to Maya Lin, Peter Brook, Julie Taymor, Robert Wilson, Simon McBurney, Phyllida Lloyd, Ivo van Hove, Anna Deavere Smith, David Mamet, Edward Albee, and actors who have appeared at Broadway, West End, Kennedy Center, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and National Theatre. Resident playwrights and dramaturgs have affiliations with New Dramatists, Playwrights' Center, Scratch Night, Sundance Institute Theatre Lab, and O'Neill National Playwrights Conference.
Rivendell has received awards and nominations from organizations such as Joseph Jefferson Awards, Jeff Awards, Tony Awards-adjacent recognitions through collaborators, grants from National Endowment for the Arts, fellowships from MacArthur Foundation, Mellon Foundation, and citations from Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Time Out Chicago, American Theatre Magazine, and festivals including Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Humana Festival of New American Plays.
The company operates a black box theatre and rehearsal space in Chicago, sharing technical resources with venues like Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, and neighborhood arts hubs associated with Pilsen Arts District and Lincoln Park Cultural Center. Administrative practices reflect nonprofit models used by Theatre Communications Group, League of Resident Theatres, Association of Performing Arts Presenters, and boards modeled after governance at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Kennedy Center.
Category:Chicago theatre companies