Pig Iron Theatre Company is a multidisciplinary ensemble based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

. The company has created over 23 original works over the past 14 years, performed both locally and internationally.

About

The mission of the company is to "create original performance works which test and break the boundaries of dance, drama, clown, puppetry, music, and text; to experiment with form while staying accessible; to develop a physical, theatrical performance technique that draws from many performance traditions; to re-imagine "classics" with both irreverence and a desire to make them relevant; and to reach out to new audiences by redefining theatre as an interdisciplinary art form; to form and maintain an international ensemble of theatre artists that are flexible and forward-thinking; and to pose the difficult questions of our difficult times." This mission statement is realized through the unique creation process that is used. Using improvisation, company discussion, and a development period of over a year, the projects are all unique and distinct. Shows range from a rock-n-roll cabaret piece emceed by James Joyce’s institutionalized daughter (The Lucia Joyce Cabaret) to an interactive “simulated economic environment” with a cast of 30 (Pay Up).

Pig Iron is made up of 3 artistic directors, 4 company members, a small administrative staff, and a board of directors. The company has received numerous awards for their work, including 9 Barrymore awards and an OBIE Award (2004-Hell Meets Henry Halfway). In 2010 co-artistic directors Gabriel Quinn Bauriedel, Dan Rothenberg, and Dito van Reigersberg won a Fellow award granted by United States Artists

United States Artists

United States Artists is an independent nonprofit and nongovernmental philanthropic organization based in Los Angeles, California and dedicated to supporting the work of living American artists by the granting of cash awards, called USA Fellowships...

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The company has toured both locally and internationally, including festivals in Poland, Lithuania, Scotland, Ireland, Romania, Brazil, Italy, Ukraine, and England. In addition to their main shows, Pig Iron also hosts a cabaret-style show as a fundraiser for the company each year.

Productions

• The Odyssey (1995)
• Dig or Fly (1996)
• Cafeteria (1997)
• Poet in New York (1997)
• The Impossible Play (1998)
• Trip to the Moon (1998)
• Gentleman Volunteers (1998)
• The Tragedy of Joan of Arc (1998)
• The Snow Queen (1999)
• Newborn Things (1999)
• Mission to Mercury (2000)
• Shut Eye (2001)
• Anodyne (2001)
• Flop (2002)
• She Who Makes the Moon (2002)
• James Joyce Is Dead And So Is Paris: The Lucia Joyce Cabaret (2003)
• Hell Meets Henry Halfway (2004)
• Pay Up (2005)
• Love Unpunished (2006)
• Chekhov Lizardbrain (2007)
• Isabella (2007)
• 365 Days/365 Plays (2007)
• Sweet By & By (2008)
• Welcome to Yuba City (2009)
• Cankerblossom (2010)
• Twelfth Night (2011)

Current Company Members

• Gabriel Quinn Bauriedel (Artistic Director)
• Dito van Reigersberg (Artistic Director)
• Dan Rothenberg (Artistic Director)
• Cassandra Friend
• Sarah Sanford
• Geoff Sobelle
• James Sugg