Theatre Exile

Theatre Exile
Name	Theatre Exile
City	Philadelphia
State	Pennsylvania
Country	United States
Opened	1990

Theatre Exile is a professional theatre company based in the Fort Washington region of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1990. It has presented contemporary American plays and adaptations, cultivating relationships with playwrights, directors, and actors from across the United States. The company has been associated with regional collaborators, touring ensembles, and festivals, contributing to Philadelphia's performing arts scene alongside institutions such as the Philadelphia Theatre Company and the Arden Theatre Company.

History

Theatre Exile was founded in 1990 amid a period of regional theatre growth that included institutions like Walnut Street Theatre, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Curtis Institute of Music, Mummers Parade, and Philadelphia Orchestra. Early seasons featured new works and adaptations, attracting artists connected to Yale Repertory Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, New York Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, and La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. Over the years the company navigated funding landscapes shaped by organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, William Penn Foundation, and Philadelphia Cultural Fund. Artistic leadership changes echoed trends from companies like Actors Theatre of Louisville, Long Wharf Theatre, and The Public Theater, influencing season selection, commissions, and co-productions with groups including Philadelphia Fringe Festival, InterAct Theatre Company, and Shipwrecked Theatre Company.

Facilities and Location

Originally presenting work in various Philadelphia venues, the company later established a permanent residence in a converted industrial space in the Fort Washington/Chestnut Hill corridor, near institutions such as Temple University Hospital, Chestnut Hill College, Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, and LaSalle University. The facility includes a flexible black box theatre, rehearsal studios, and administrative offices, comparable in scale to venues operated by InterAct Theatre Company, Pig Iron Theatre Company, and Iron Age Theatre. Technical equipment and design workflows have involved collaborations with local scenic shops and unions represented by the United Scenic Artists, Actors' Equity Association, and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. Accessibility initiatives reference standards promoted by the Americans with Disabilities Act and partnerships with disability arts groups in the Philadelphia region.

Productions and Repertoire

The company’s repertoire emphasizes contemporary American playwrights, new adaptations, and occasional classics reimagined by directors associated with MCC Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, Sundance Institute, O'Neill Theater Center, and Royal Court Theatre. Seasons have included works by playwrights such as Tony Kushner, August Wilson, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, Sam Shepard, Suzan-Lori Parks, Edward Albee, David Ives, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Lynn Nottage, Antony and Cleopatra (as production inspiration from Shakespeare), and adaptations drawing on texts by James Joyce, Franz Kafka, and Virginia Woolf. The company has mounted premieres, regional premieres, and commissioned pieces, collaborating with directors who have worked at Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Carnegie Hall-linked presenters. Touring productions and festivals have connected the company to networks including Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, Theatre Communications Group, and the National New Play Network.

Educational and Community Programs

Educational efforts have included youth programs, playwriting workshops, and community outreach in partnership with schools and nonprofits such as Philadelphia School District, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, Temple University Department of Theatre Arts, Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions (for health-focused theatre), and community centers like West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Playwriting labs and internships have linked emerging artists with institutions like The Juilliard School, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, American Conservatory Theater, Circle in the Square Theatre School, and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art-trained faculty. Outreach programming has aligned with civic partners including City of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, and relief organizations such as United Way of Greater Philadelphia.

Notable Artists and Alumni

Over its history the company has worked with directors, actors, and designers who have also collaborated with major companies and institutions: actors with credits at Broadway, Off-Broadway houses, and film projects from Sony Pictures and Universal Pictures; directors linked to Kennedy Center, Barbican Centre, and Piccolo Teatro; playwrights and dramaturgs associated with Pulitzer Prize winners including Suzan-Lori Parks and Lynn Nottage; designers and composers who have worked for MTC, Steppenwolf, Goodman Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, and Berliner Ensemble. Alumni have progressed to work with organizations like Roundabout Theatre Company, Atlantic Theater Company, Second Stage Theater, The Old Globe, Arena Stage, Center Theatre Group, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and in television series produced by HBO, Netflix, PBS, and AMC.

Awards and Recognition

Theatre Exile has received local and regional recognition, earning nominations and awards from organizations such as the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre, Philadelphia Magazine theatre critics, and citations from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Its productions have been reviewed by outlets tied to critics who cover venues including The Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Times, Variety, Time Out New York, and regional arts publications that track awards like the Helen Hayes Awards and listings maintained by Theatre Communications Group. Grants and fellowships have come from foundations such as the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Knight Foundation, and private philanthropic supporters in the Philadelphia region.

Category:Theatres in Philadelphia