About Us
Mission Statement
Empty Chair Theatre Company was founded in 2007 to provide young artists with unique opportunities to study and perform Shakespeare and other classical theatre in a collaborative, professional context. Inspired by a deep love for art and theatre, we strive to create a community of artists centered on that passion. We celebrate the accessibility of Shakespeare's work, and continually reaffirm its relevance to the here and now. We believe in the magic of learning to love theatre at a young age, and do what we can to share our enthusiasm with others in our camp programs, performances and our benefit series. We remain rooted in those who made us who we are while continuing to move forward and making new connections. We, in our present youth, look to the brilliant material and tools of the past to create a future full of celebration, understanding and life.
What are Original Practices?
The term “Original Practices” refers to the concept of doing things the way William Shakespeare’s actors would have done them, way back in Elizabethan England. Main Original Practices include:
Universal Lighting: Shakespeare’s playhouses were lit by sun or candlelight, and the audience and actors were equally lit.
Thrust Staging: having audience on three sides of the stage puts them right in the action of the play.
Doubling: Though Shakespeare's plays had as many as 40 speaking roles, they were usually performed by only 15 or so actors, many of whom played multiple characters
Gender-Blind Casting: In Shakespeare's day, since women were not permitted to act, men played characters of any gender. Today this practice has been expanded to include gender-blind castings of all sorts; in an interesting twist, the male actor playing a female character has become one of the least common cross-gender castings.
Live Music: Shakespeare’s plays were bookended by paid musicians playing popular songs of the time; nowadays, this refers to the actors providing music before shows, at intermissions, and sometimes during the plays. From The Decemberists to Coldplay and Lenny Kravitz the stories of Shakespeare can be found in modern music everywhere.
Why Original Practices ?
Though Original Practices are 400 years old, using them creates a unique experience, cementing the bond between actor and audience by pulling spectators into the world of the play they are watching. Empty Chair chooses to explore the possibilities found in live productions where everyone is part of the performance.
History
Empty Chair Theater Company was founded in 2007 by Julia Sears and Elizabeth Nearing both juniors in high school at the time. The company was formed with the goal to give young artists a creative outlet and the chance to explore deeply layered texts while working with their peers to create innovative theatre. Empty Chair performed a Shakespeare Showcase in June of 2007, Taming of the Shrew in January of 2008, and Richard III in July 2008. They produced a summer repertory season in 2009 of King Lear and Measure for Measure. Empty Chair became incorporated through the state of Virginia in the Spring of 2008, and is pending 501(c)3 non-profit status from the IRS.