Gorilla Repertory Theatre Company

The Gorilla Repertory Theatre Company, also known as Gorilla Rep, is an environmental theater company based out of New York City. Best known for its perennial production of A Midsummer Night's Dream,^[1] Gorilla Rep brings plays to parks all over New York City from its inception in 1989 through today.

Gorilla Rep's repertoire consists primarily of the works of William Shakespeare and other classics, with occasional works by modern playwrights.^[2] Most of Gorilla Rep's productions are performed outdoors, in various parks in New York City, with local environmental features worked into the staging of the show.^[3] From scene to scene, both actors and audience change location, with the actors running to the next setting and the audience following behind.^[4]

References

1. ^ Brantley, Ben (1994-09-17). "Back to the Essentials With 2 Young Troupes". The New York Times. http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?_r=2&res=9D01E0DF113BF934A2575AC0A962958260&oref=slogin&oref=login. Retrieved 2006-12-19. 
2. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (2001-10-02). "Lancelot and Guinevere, Trysting in Central Park". The New York Times. http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9405E0DE123DF931A35753C1A9679C8B63. Retrieved 2006-12-19. 
3. ^ Soloski, Alexis (1999-07-07). "Macbeth outdoors". The Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/theater/9927,soloski,6860,11.html. Retrieved 2006-12-19. 
4. ^ Sanderson, Christopher Carter (2000-08-29). "A Gorilla Rep Manifesto". Theatremania.com. http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/983. Retrieved 2006-12-19. 

Gorilla Repertory Theatre Company's mission is to provide the highest quality productions of classical dramatic material with the flavor of contemporary immediacy to people where they are for free.

Christopher Carter Sanderson, (BFA New York University, MFA Yale School of Drama) founded New York’s Gorilla Repertory Theater Company in 1992 after inventing the company’s unique aesthetic for a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Washington Square Park that would subsequently enjoy a ten-year run. This aesthetic, which has inspired dozens of artists and companies around the world, is the subject of his book, Gorilla Theatre (Routledge 2003). Gorilla Rep has produced 80+ productions in its 18 years, utilizing the work of hundreds of Off-Off Broadway actors. Most of Gorilla Rep's productions have been directed by Mr. Sanderson, who also maintains a practice as a freelance director, primarily of world-premier productions of new plays and opera. Gorilla Rep’s work is regularly reviewed by major news outlets including the New York Times, and covered in articles in American Theatre Magazine, The Village Voice, the Sunday New York Times and others. As a developmental dramaturg, Mr. Sanderson’s work has brought him into collaboration with playwrights such as John Guare, Sarah Treem, Laura Lynn MacDonald, Robert Steven Ackerman, Matt Freeman, Leah Ryan, and many others, both independently and for the company. For Gorilla Rep, he has also composed or co-composed music for three musicals and designed numerous productions’ lights, costumes and sound. Mr. Sanderson’s private acting and directing workshops for Gorilla Rep have been a fixture in New York for decades.

External links

• The official web site for Gorilla Rep.

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