Local theater works to unite community in Northwest Arkansas
Saba Naseem
Issue date: 10/24/08 Section: Lifestyles
Located in the heart of Fayetteville on Dickson Street, the TheatreSquared Company is housed in the Walton Arts Center's Nadine Baum Studios.
TheatreSquared was created to fill the lack of professional theaters in Northwest Arkansas and to bring the community together to enjoy theater. It is the second Equity Theatre company in Arkansas, the other one being the Arkansas Repertory Theatre in Little Rock.
"We envision a theater that brings together not only audiences, but all segments of our community, a theater that transcends differences by reminding us of our common humanity and inspires us to do better as people and as a people," said Morgan Hicks, managing director of TheatreSquared.
TheatreSquared was established in the fall of 2003 when five theater professionals - Bob Ford, Kassie Misiewicz, Morgan Hicks, Amy Herzberg and David Pickens - united under their shared belief that theater can transform lives and communities.
They agreed it was time for NWA to have its own professional theater. Their mission is to merge a strong artistic vision with innovative educational programs to develop new audiences through creative partnerships and to foster economic and artistic growth in NWA, according to the TheatreSquared Web site.
"Following two years of rigorous community-building, TheatreSquared went into full swing when pre-production began in the fall of 2005 for our first show, 'Bad Dates,'" Hicks said. "Since then, we have built a strong track record in each of our three principle areas - production, education and new play development."
TheatreSquared is run by an artistic company made up of the co-founding members of the company who decide on the seasons and the shows.
Auditions are hosted twice a year for anybody who wants to be considered for a role. Once chosen, the actors are contracted as professionals and receive nationally competitive wages. This way, TheatreSquared is able to bring the highest level of artistic standard to its productions.
TheatreSquared was created to fill the lack of professional theaters in Northwest Arkansas and to bring the community together to enjoy theater. It is the second Equity Theatre company in Arkansas, the other one being the Arkansas Repertory Theatre in Little Rock.
"We envision a theater that brings together not only audiences, but all segments of our community, a theater that transcends differences by reminding us of our common humanity and inspires us to do better as people and as a people," said Morgan Hicks, managing director of TheatreSquared.
TheatreSquared was established in the fall of 2003 when five theater professionals - Bob Ford, Kassie Misiewicz, Morgan Hicks, Amy Herzberg and David Pickens - united under their shared belief that theater can transform lives and communities.
They agreed it was time for NWA to have its own professional theater. Their mission is to merge a strong artistic vision with innovative educational programs to develop new audiences through creative partnerships and to foster economic and artistic growth in NWA, according to the TheatreSquared Web site.
"Following two years of rigorous community-building, TheatreSquared went into full swing when pre-production began in the fall of 2005 for our first show, 'Bad Dates,'" Hicks said. "Since then, we have built a strong track record in each of our three principle areas - production, education and new play development."
TheatreSquared is run by an artistic company made up of the co-founding members of the company who decide on the seasons and the shows.
Auditions are hosted twice a year for anybody who wants to be considered for a role. Once chosen, the actors are contracted as professionals and receive nationally competitive wages. This way, TheatreSquared is able to bring the highest level of artistic standard to its productions.
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