The Actors' Gang
The Actors' Gang is an experimental theatre and nonprofit group based at the Ivy Substation in Culver City, California. It was founded in 1981 by a group of actors, including Tim Robbins, now a member of the board and artistic director of the troupe.
History
The Actors' Gang has produced more than 150 plays in Los Angeles, in forty US states, and on five continents. The company was founded in 1981 by a group of young artists. Tim Robbins is the founding artistic director.The Actors' Gang has presented the work of theater artists including Georges Bigot, Simon Abkarian, Charles L. Mee, David Schweizer, Bill Rauch and the Cornerstone Theatre Company, Tracy Young, Roger Guenveur Smith, Eric Bogosian, Oskar Eustis, Danny Hoch, Beth Milles, Jon Kellam, Brian Kulick, Stefan Haves, Namaste Theater Company, Culture Clash, JR Reed, Michael Schlitt, and Tenacious D.
The Actors' Gang ensemble has included actors such as Jack Black, John Cusack, John C. Reilly, Helen Hunt, Kate Walsh, Fisher Stevens, Jeremy Piven, Ebbe Roe Smith, Jon Favreau, Lauren Lane, Brent Hinkley, Kate Mulligan, Lee Arenberg, Kyle Gass, and Tim Robbins.
Guest artists that have appeared on The Actors' Gang stage include: Jackson Browne, Sarah Silverman, Ben Gibbard, John Doe, Tom Morello, Jenny Lewis, Wayne Kramer, Paul Provenza, Zooey Deschanel, Serj Tankian, David Crosby, Felicity Huffman, Jill Sobule, William H. Macy, Philip Baker Hall, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Durga McBroom, T. C. Boyle, and Gore Vidal.
Community outreach
The Actors' Gang Education and Outreach Program provides free after-school, in-school, and summer programs for Los Angeles County youth. Company actors/teaching artists work in collaboration with youth to create original ensemble theatre.The Actors' Gang Prison Project provides eight-week workshops in California prisons in order to unlock human potential in the interest of effective rehabilitation. One of the few remaining arts programs inside California's correctional system. Since the program's inception 8 years ago, the Prison Project maintains a 0% recidivism rate.
Other community outreach programs include weekly pay-what-you-can performances and free Shakespeare-in-the-Park every weekend in August. The Actors' Gang contributes ticket vouchers for group trips and non-profit fundraising activities.
Productions
In 2014, the Actors' Gang toured its production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Tim Robbins. The tour schedule included:- Beijing – Centre for the Performing Arts, China, June 2014
- Shanghai – Daguan Theatre, Shanghai Zendai Himalayas Arts Centre, China, June 2014
- Spoleto – Spoleto Festival, Italy, July 2014
- Los Angeles – Ivy Substation, California, USA, July and August 2014
- Nashville – OZ Arts, Tennessee, USA, September 2014
- Porto Alegre – Porto Alegre Em Cena, Brazil, September 2014