STAGE TUBE: I AM THEATRE Project - Curt Columbus

BroadwayWorld.com is excited to share a weekly series developed by the Theatre Communications Group! This week actor and director Curt Columbus shares pivotal moments in his theatre career and why the arts matter to him!

Curt Columbus became Trinity Repertory Company's fifth artistic director in January 2006. His directing credits for Trinity include THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, HIS GIRL FRIDAY, CAMELOT, CABARET, THE ODD COUPLE, THE SECRET RAPTURE, THE RECEPTIONIST, MEMORY HOUSE, BLITHE SPIRIT, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, CHERRY ORCHARD AND THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE COMPLETELY FICTIONAL, UTTERLY TRUE, FINAL STRANGE TALE OF Edgar Allen Poe. Trinity has been home to the world premieres of three of his plays, PARIS BY NIGHT, THE DREAMS OF ANTIGONE, and SPARROW GRASS. In addition to his work at Trinity, he also heads the Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA programs in Acting and Directing. Prior to coming to Trinity, Curt lived and worked in the Chicago theater scene for almost twenty years. His directing credits there include THE HOUSE OF LILY, DIVISION STREET: AMERICA, A DYBBUK, MACBETH, OUR TOWN, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, EARTH AND SKY, THE DEATH OF ZUKASKY and many, many more. He was artistic associate of Victory Gardens Theater from 1989-1994, the director of the University of Chicago's University Theater from 1994-2000, and the associate artistic director of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater Company from 2000-2005, where he premiered his translations of Chekhov's UNCLE VANYA and CHERRY ORCHARD. Curt's adaptation of Dostoevsky's CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (with Marilyn Campbell) has won awards and accolades at theaters around the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. His translations of Anton Chekhov's plays are published by Rowman and Littlefield, including a volume of collected translations called CHEKHOV: THE FOUR MAJOR PLAYS. Curt lives in Pawtucket, Rhode Island with his partner, Nathan Watson. He is originally from New Castle, Pennsylvania.

I AM THEATRE spotlights the stories of theatre practitioners, in their own words. With 50 videos over the next 50 weeks, TCG is celebrating its 50th anniversary by sharing stories from a diverse group of people who are creating, supporting, and engaging with theatre. YOU ARE THEATRE: We want to hear your stories! TCG will release a new video each week of individuals sharing pivotal moments in theatre - and hope they will inspire you to tell your stories too. Join us as we seek to raise the international awareness of the depth, diversity and impact of the theatre field. WE ARE THEATRE! Today, not-for-profit professional theatres in the U.S. employ 130,000 people annually, inspire more than 30 million attendees and contribute $2 billion directly to the U.S. economy. What if thousands of theatre artists across the world posted their own video testimonies of why they do what they do and why theatre matters? How might that transform communities' awareness of our work? Please share the stories we've recorded, and we'll share the videos you make, and together we'll testify in a voIce That everyone will hear...I AM THEATRE. YOU ARE THEATRE. WE ARE THEATRE!

For 50 years, Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, has existed to strengthen, nurture and promote the professional not-for-profit American theatre. TCG's constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to nearly 700 member theatres and affiliate organizations and more than 13,000 individuals nationwide. TCG offers its members networking and knowledge-building opportunities through conferences, events, research and communications; awards grants, approximately $2 million per year, to theatre companies and individual artists; advocates on the federal level; and serves as the US Center of the International Theatre Institute, connecting its constituents to the global theatre community. TCG is North America's largest independent publisher of dramatic literature, with 11 Pulitzer Prizes for Best Play on the TCG booklist. It also publishes the award-winning AMERICAN THEATRE magazine and ARTSEARCH®, the essential source for a career in the arts. In all of its endeavors, TCG seeks to increase the organizational efficiency of its member theatres, cultivate and celebrate the artistic talent and achievements of the field and promote a larger public understanding of, and appreciation for, the theatre. www.tcg.org

More Articles by This Author...