San Jose Repertory Theatre
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The San Jose Repertory Theatre (or San Jose Rep, SJ Rep or, locally, just the Rep) was founded in 1980 by James P. Reber as the first resident professional theatre company in San Jose, California, and is currently the largest non-profit, professional theatre company in the South Bay. Artistic Director Timothy Near's vision of reaching the ethnically diverse San Jose population was highlighted by opening the newly built new home of the Rep with the West Coast premiere of Thunder Knocking on the Door by African American playwright Keith Glover, with a Rep-commissioned score by Michael Butler and local blues legend Chris Cain.
Like many organizations concerned by the humanitarian needs posed by the recent Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the Rep held a benefit performance February 14, 2005, with some of the proceeds going to victims of the disaster.
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[edit] History
The San Jose Repertory Company (the name would later be changed to San Jose Repertory Theatre) was founded in 1980 by James P. Reber, with the support of the San Jose Fine Arts Commission and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. During his tenure as Executive Producer, Reber oversaw the conversion of the "community" group into San Jose's first resident professional theatre,[1] paying actors competitive wages and securing the first contracts from Actors' Equity, the professional theatre actors union.
The Rep's original venue was Montgomery Theatre in downtown San Jose,[1] and the first production was Noel Coward's Private Lives in 1980.[2]
Among the more distinguished productions of the San Jose Rep:
- A WWII version of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew directed by Anne McNaughton and featuring John Callahan, who later went on to a successful television career.
- A series of large productions done in collaboration with the now-defunct San Jose Symphony, sponsored by Merrill Lynch and known as the Merrill Lynch Great Performances. These were produced in the San Jose Center for Performing Arts and had very short runs. The first was The Tempest, with music by Sibelius, and the second was Peter Shaffer's masterpiece, Amadeus.
- The world premiere of Emily Mann's award-winning play about Dan White and the murders of San Francisco mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, Execution of Justice, a joint production with the Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the Eureka Theatre.[2]
The arrival of Timothy Near as Artistic Director in 1987 signaled a more focused commitment to produce plays that spoke to the city’s diverse community both directly or by inflection. The Rep achieved this with modernized versions of the classics, contemporary works and a commitment to developing new plays.[1]
In 1997 the company moved from the Montgomery Theatre into a new, purpose-built building in downtown San Jose. No longer restricted by space or required to share their venue with other organizations, the Rep was able to offer a wide range of programming, produced to high artistic and technical standards. Since moving to the new building, the Rep has commissioned several new works, and produced World premieres, U.S. premieres, and West Coast premieres.[1]
[edit] Current Leadership and Staff
- Rick Lombardo, Artistic Director
- Nick Nichols, Managing Director
- Kirsten Brandt, Resident Director
- Monika Churchill, Director of Development
- Cecilia Clark, Director of Marketing
- Bruce Elsperger, Artistic Associate/Casting Director
- Christopher Morris, Production Manager
- Karen Altree Piemme, Director of Outreach
- Christa Stiner, Director of Finance
- Leslie McGarry, Assistant Director of Development
- Michael Mulhern, Associate Director of Operations
- Jean Rivers, Controller
- Erik Sunderman, Technical Director
[edit] Facilities
The Rep runs all of its performances from the Sobrato Auditorium. The theater consists of three seating sections, seating 584 people.
[edit] Seating
- Orchestra: 166 seats (Modified Thrust)
- Front Orchestra: 56 seats (Proscenium)
- Parterre: 197 seats
- Balcony: 165 seats
[edit] Accommodations
Wheelchair and handicap access are available in the orchestra and balcony only. Assisted listening devices are available upon request. Slight variation in seating configuration may occur based on the needs of the show in performance. It is also possible to make the front orchestra slightly less intimate, configuring it with two rows instead of three, resulting in 41 seats rather than 56.
[edit] See also
- American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco
- Marin Theatre Company, Mill Valley, California
- TheatreWorks (Silicon Valley), Palo Alto, California
- Berkeley Repertory Theatre
[edit] Citations
- ^ a b c d The History of San Jose Rep, San Jose Repertory Theatre.
- ^ a b Production Timeline, San Jose Repertory Theatre.
