Theatre of NOTE

Theatre of NOTE
Name	Theatre of NOTE
Address	1517 N. Cahuenga Boulevard
City	Los Angeles
Country	United States
Capacity	99
Opened	1981
Years active	1981–present

Theatre of NOTE is a small professional theater company based in Los Angeles, California, known for producing original plays, world premieres, and new adaptations. Founded in the early 1980s, the company emerged amid a flourishing Off-Off-Broadway and regional theater movement, interacting with a milieu that included institutions such as The Public Theater, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and The Guthrie Theater. Theatre of NOTE has cultivated relationships with playwrights, directors, and actors associated with New Dramatists, Actor's Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA, Geffen Playhouse, and Mark Taper Forum.

History

Theatre of NOTE was established during a period that saw parallel developments at Pacific Resident Theatre, Latino Theater Company, Cornerstone Theater Company, Nada Theatre Company, and Pads on the Stage. Its founders drew inspiration from seminal groups like The Wooster Group, Ensemble Studio Theatre, LaMama, Great Jones Repertory Company, and Bread and Puppet Theater. Early seasons presented work alongside playwrights and ensembles connected to Steppenwolf, Actors' Gang, South Coast Repertory, and Victory Gardens Theater. The company navigated funding landscapes influenced by agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and private supporters linked to Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Getty Trust.

Mission and Artistic Vision

Theatre of NOTE articulates a mission resonant with trends at New York Shakespeare Festival, Tectonic Theater Project, National Theatre of Great Britain, and Royal Court Theatre: to champion new plays, foster playwright collaborations, and experiment with form. Its artistic vision intersects with dramaturgical practices found at American Conservatory Theater, Juilliard School, Yale School of Drama, Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Program, and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Theater, Film and Television. The company often programs works that align with initiatives at New Dramatists, Playwrights Horizons, Pipeline Theatre Company, and New Georges to support emerging voices and innovative staging.

Notable Productions and Premieres

Notable productions have included world premieres and Los Angeles debuts in conversation with productions at Center Theatre Group, Geffen Playhouse, Ahmanson Theatre, Ford's Theatre, Arena Stage, and Hartford Stage. Theatre of NOTE has mounted plays by playwrights comparable to those represented by Neil LaBute, David Mamet, Sarah Ruhl, Tony Kushner, August Wilson, and William Inge—while also cultivating newer writers associated with Sarah Silverman, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Anna Deavere Smith, Lynn Nottage, and Katori Hall. Staging choices have echoed experimental approaches from Richard Schechner, Jerzy Grotowski, Peter Brook, Anne Bogart, and Ming Cho Lee.

Company Members and Leadership

Leadership and company members have included artistic directors, managing directors, dramaturgs, and resident artists whose careers overlap with institutions such as The Kennedy Center, Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Lincoln Center Theater, and Goodman Theatre. Collaborators have come from conservatory backgrounds at Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, LAMDA, and Guildhall School. Directors and actors associated with the company have also worked with Actors' Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA, Theatre Communications Group, Theatre for a New Audience, and St. Ann's Warehouse.

Venue and Facilities

Theatre of NOTE operates in a small black box venue comparable in scale to spaces at PS122, The Wilma Theatre, The Village Theatre, The Matrix Theatre Company, and Zephyr Theatre. Located in Los Angeles neighborhoods connected to venues like Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Broad Stage, El Rey Theatre, and ArcLight Cinemas, its facilities support intimate productions, readings, and workshops. Technical collaborations have paralleled practices at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre and design approaches used at CalArts and UCLA TFT.

Community Engagement and Education

Theatre of NOTE's outreach and education efforts mirror programs at Theatre for Young Audiences, Second Stage Theatre, Big Thought, APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals), and National New Play Network. Initiatives include stage readings, playwright incubators, and partnership programs with local arts organizations such as LA Stage Alliance, Los Angeles Unified School District, Inner-City Arts, Skirball Cultural Center, and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA). The company has participated in festivals and exchanges like Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Humana Festival of New American Plays, FringeArts Festival, and New York International Fringe Festival.

Critical Reception and Awards

Critical coverage and recognition of Theatre of NOTE's productions have been featured alongside reviews of work from Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Variety (magazine), The Hollywood Reporter, and arts criticism in outlets that also cover The New York Times and The Guardian. Awards, nominations, and commendations relate to programs from Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Ovation Awards, Stage Raw Awards, NAACP Theatre Awards, and honors comparable to those from Tony Awards and Obie Awards—reflecting the company’s role within the broader Los Angeles and national theater ecosystems.

Category:Theatre companies in Los Angeles