Swine Palace

Swine Palace is a non-profit professional theatre company associated with the Louisiana State University Department of Theatre in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Mission

Through the presentation of celebrated works of Southern literature and the innovative exploration of classic and contemporary theatre, Swine Palace strives to have a significant impact on the cultural and economic landscape of Louisiana.

History

Under the leadership of Artistic Director/LSU Theatre Chair Michael Tick, Associate Artistic Director John Dennis and Managing Director Kristin Sosnowsky, Swine Palace is a leading voice in Louisiana arts and an important center for theatre education. Swine Palace was founded in 1992 by Barry Kyle (former Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan Theatre) in association with LSU Department of Theatre with the goal to become Louisiana's premier professional theatre.

In 1992, an historic livestock judging pavilion on the campus of LSU was identified as the future home of the company, and a capital campaign to raise $3.5 million for the renovation of the structure was undertaken. The offspring of a public/private partnership, the 500-seat flexible theatre opened during the 1999-2000 Season, funded by the State of Louisiana and a generous grant from the Reilly Family of Baton Rouge, for whom it was named The Reilly Theatre. The Reilly has been designed to maintain the architectural integrity of its earthy origins as one of the oldest buildings on LSU’s campus.

Artistically the company made immediate impact with important world premiere adaptations of "A Confederacy of Dunces" and "All the King's Men". In recent years, Swine Palace has become recognized for community outreach as well as its artistic excellence and was awarded the Baton Rouge YWCA's 2006 Racial Justice Award for its many programs. These program initiatives have been produced in conjunction with socially relevant works like "Fences", "The Laramie Project", "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom", and "The Exonerated".

During the spring of 2007, Swine Palace (in conjunction with the LSU Performing Arts Series and Ping Chong and Company) produced the world premiere of renowned theatre director Ping Chong's "Cocktail" written by Vince LiCata and Ping Chong. Based on the true struggles of Thai scientist Krisana Kraisintu, this play follows the struggle to create an affordable version of the anti-HIV drug AZT for the thousands of Thai AIDS patients.

In June 2007, LSU Theatre and Swine Palace embarked on the first-ever international tour performing Wendy Wasserstein's "The Heidi Chronicles" directed by Michael Tick at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and the Beijing Central Academy of Drama. As such, they were the first theatre company to perform Ms. Wassersteins's work in China, and one of only a handful of U.S. companies to perform at either of these prestigious institutions.

The China tour was conceived as part of LSU's University-wide China initiative and included five performances at the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre, the largest performing arts institution in Shanghai, and three performances at the Beijing Central Academy of Drama, one of the finest academies in Asia. The play was originally performed as part of Swine Palace's 2006-2007 season. In total, 31 people made the month-long trip, including 15 undergraduates and graduate students; six faculty members and a number of friends and family.

In recognition of Swine Palace's many accomplishments, it was recently awarded the 2006 Governor's Arts Award for Large Arts Organizations.

Production History

See also

[http://www.swinepalace.org/ Official site]