Actors Theatre of Louisville

Actors Theatre of Louisville is the state Theatre of Kentucky and a leader in artistic innovation within the Theatre industry, with a focus on sociocultural transformation through storytelling. Under the leadership of executive artistic director robert barry fleming, Actors Theatre of Louisville unlocks human potential, builds community, and enriches quality of life by engaging people in Theatre that reflects the wonder and complexity of our time. Actors Theatre of Louisville was formed in 1964 with the merging of Actors, Inc. and Theatre Louisville. Led by producing director jon jory and executive director alexander speer, the Theatre established a complex in the original bank of Louisville building (the third-oldest building still standing in downtown Louisville), with the pamela brown auditorium opening in 1972 and the victor jory Theatre the following year. In 1976, jory created the humana festival of new american plays, which quickly became the premier new play festival in the nation and introduced more than 450 plays into the american Theatre repertoire. Actors Theatre of Louisville serves residents across Louisville and Kentucky, as well as audiences nationwide and internationally. Last year, our programming reached a multitude of people and included members (replacing the former subscription model), single ticket buyers, students, and social media and youtube subscribers. Locally, we served the majority of zip codes in Louisville and many of the counties across Kentucky. Thanks to our digital programming, Actors Theatre of Louisville has reached well beyond our region to engage audiences in 47 states across the u.s. Internationally, we have reached countries outside of the united states, including mexico, canada, england, and germany. This incredible reach cements our place as a nationally-recognized Theatre and builds Louisville's artistic brand across the world. Throughout its history, Actors Theatre of Louisville has led the way in artistic innovation and expression, which has resulted in the Theatre receiving the three most prestigious awards given to regional theatres: the margo jones award, the shubert foundation's james n. vaughan memorial award, and a tony award. Now in our 59th year, Actors Theatre of Louisville is a leader among regional theatres across the united states. In response to the covid-19 pandemic, Actors Theatre embraced the possibilities inherent in both old and new media to become a multiplatform entertainment company, centered in theatrical experiences. This year, we presented digital streaming productions, radio plays, animated shorts, a podcast, live virtual events, and virtual reality experiences for a regional and national audience. We are thrilled to have recently reincorporated in-person performances into our work, resulting in a hybrid model of both virtual and live offerings that are accessible through our new membership program and through single ticket sales.in addition, education and community engagement initiatives are integral to Actors Theatre of Louisville. We have partnered with many mission-aligned organizations to shine a light on and raise funds for their work through our community donation partnerships. Moreover, we have launched an array of programs to host civic dialogue on our platforms: unscripted, live virtual discussions focusing on myriad issues facing our community and featuring local leaders from across the city; borrowed wisdom with robert barry fleming, a podcast featuring conversations with leading figures from a variety of disciplines on a wide range of social justice and community wellness-related subjects; and community conversation, an annual event that brings members of the community together to explore important topics in Louisville's cultural landscape. Our learning and creative engagement offerings include virtual field trips and in-school residencies, reaching thousands of students in classrooms and performance spaces across Kentucky, and nationally through our virtual field trips and residencies.