Table of Contents
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Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids
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| Collection |
| Title: | The Theater Offensive records |
| Dates: |
1987-2005 |
| Call Number: | M82 |
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Historical Note
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The Theater Offensive was founded in 1989 by Abe Rybeck "to form and present the diverse realities of queer lives in art so bold it breaks through personal isolation and political orthodoxy to help build an honest, progressive community." The Theater Offensive grew out of Rybeck's involvement with the United Fruit Company, a guerrilla street theater company based in Boston. The United Fruit Company was created out of the desire for "no more boring demonstrations!" The company agitated against apathy towards AIDS, rampant consumerism, homophobia and homophobic social policy, the war in Nicaragua, and other right-wing political positions with pointedly funny musical sketches. Rybeck saw further potential for activist theater beyond the scope of what the United Fruit Company was able to produce and created The Theater Offensive as an incubator for that theater.
The Theater Offensive seasons initially centered around the OUT On The Edge festival and performance pieces developed by Abe Rybeck himself. OUT On The Edge was conceived as a showcase for the state of current queer theater, and each festival has hosted a number of different local, national, and international performers. As The Theater Offensive became more established, yearly seasons began to include stand-alone runs of single plays and performances, as well as pieces developed by local artists. From the beginning, The Theater Offensive mixed in-house productions with touring productions of nationally known queer performers. As a result, it has become the premier showplace for queer theater in New England, and has hosted a number of world as well as regional premieres.
The Theater Offensive has been strongly committed to fostering the creation of new work by underserved and marginalized groups. Through several channels, principally the annual Plays At Work festival, The Theater Offensive has provided workshop environments for budding playwrights and performers to see their developing work through to the performance stage, and to receive feedback and support to improve the nascent productions. In addition to serving as a political force within and without the queer community, The Theater Offensive also conducts outreach and educational programs. Programs and collaborations they have created have been recognized by artists, activists, and local leaders as models of community organizing through artistic expression.
The Theater Offensive continues to be in residence at the Boston Center for the Arts. |
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| Bibliography |
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The Theater Offensive. http://www.thetheateroffensive.org/ |
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