Sacred Fools Theatre Company Announces North Star Program

April Fools Day has always been a special day for the Sacred Fools Theatre Company. Not only does the holiday feature 'Fools' in its name, it's also the anniversary of the company's first public event, held on April 1, 1997. Typically, it is also the date when the Artistic Directors announce the upcoming season at a gala event, the grand finale of a selection process where a handful of plays emerge from proposals generated by company members. But of course, this year is anything but typical and the company is unable to host such an event because of the public gathering issues brought on by the global pandemic Covid-19.

While there is uncertainty about when Sacred Fools will next be able to produce a play before a live audience, the company is confident that once the uncertainty passes, there is a vibrant future ahead. So with an eye towards moving forward, the company is committing to a new initiative called North Star.

"Sacred Fools has always been a stubborn group of artists with enough determination to weather all storms," says co-Artistic Director Vanessa Stewart. "Every artist's dream is to have their vision realized at some point, and Sacred Fools has decided to commit to giving one artist every season their own 'north star' - a guarantee that their original work will be produced."

That North Star will be granted to a Sacred Fools Company member, with the stipulation that they collaborate with other members in the company to achieve their vision. Unlike a production slot based on an existing play, the Artistic Directors are making a commitment based on the artist.

This year's artist and the inaugural participant of the North Start program is Padraic Duffy. While known for wearing the hat as the managing director of Sacred Fools, Duffy is also an accomplished playwright. "A few things were important to me when deciding. I wanted someone who was dedicated to the company. I needed someone who knew how to create a project that truly reflected the Fools aesthetic- so for me it helped to know that this artist has already written around many of our actors and has worked intimately with many of our designers on previous successful plays for Sacred Fools including "Puzzler" and "Past Time". We are very excited to see what this talented artist will next bring to our stage."

The North Star artist will be chosen by the incoming newly elected, first-year Artistic Director (each of the three Artistic Directors serve staggered terms), who will shepherd the project over their three year tenure, culminating in a production of the North Star project either during the Prime Season, The Hollywood Fringe Festival or Secondary Programming; whichever is best suited for said project.

"The aim of North Star is to create an 'artistic factory' of new works cultivated by the membership in order to put our own stamp of Foolish uniqueness into the LA Theater Community on a continual basis," adds Stewart. "Some of our most memorable pieces have been created internally, and we hope this program increases the resources and planning needed to keep doing so while providing more opportunities for our members."

Sacred Fools and its Artistic Directors look forward to seeing how freely the company's artists will be able to dream when given the promise of their own North Star.

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