Our Mission
Our name “The Seeing Place” is the literal translation of the Greek word for theater (theatron): “a place of seeing”
We are a collaborative, interdisciplinary, performance group that fosters interactive and p(art)icipatory dramatic experiences with live audiences. In other words, we believe in art participation over art appreciation and create theatre as a forum for social action and community building. We investigate social issues, envision new possibilities through creative play, and rehearse solutions to catalyze positive change. Each performance is driven by the ideas and identities of the unique community present.
We produce stories that center people from underrepresented cultures, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, and abilities. We devise imaginary space in reality that encourages communal curiosity, empathy, and reflection to explore the ways in which we might collectively see:
to come to have understanding or awareness.
to look beyond the superficial appearance.
to discover by observation, inquiry, or reflection.
to recognize the truth or potential of someone or something.
to be brought into the open or to public exposure or attention.
to investigate what needs to be done about a problem.
to perceive in the mind's eye or in a dream or vision.
to participate in...to see action…to see and to be seen.
to acknowledge one another…and ourselves.
How Do We Achieve This Mission?
The Seeing Place - a 501(c)3 charitable organization - is an ensemble company built and sustained by a group of artists and educators. We co-create an anti-oppressive and non-hierarchical space where we bring diverse people with different areas of artistic knowledge together to learn from one another. We collaborate on the direction, design, writing, performing, and facilitation of our productions. Together, we envision new avenues for live performance that are accessible, affordable, and affirming.
The Network of Ensemble Theatres defines an ensemble as “a group of individuals dedicated to collaborative creation, committed to working together consistently over years to develop a distinctive body of work and practices. Ensemble members, both artists and administrators, are empowered as core decision-makers and help to shape their company's artistic direction and organizational structure.”
As an ensemble, we are passionately committed to these core beliefs:
Theatre is more than words and behavior; it is a spatial art form that involves sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, and kinesthetic sensations.
Live art can extend into online space to create unique performances that are accessible to many that would be unable to participate in person.
Art should be affordable and available to the public – regardless of an individual’s ability to pay anything.
We value people over spectacle. We create compelling, engaging, and interesting worlds in resourceful and minimalist ways. Imagination goes a long way.
Anyone and everyone can imagine, play, and has important ideas to contribute, even if they’ve never engaged in creative arts before.
Theatre exists at the intersection of social action, education, and entertainment.
Social change begins in small moments between people and grows from our investigation of who we are and how we want to be in the world. In pursuit of that exploration, our work asks questions instead of giving answers, and as a result . . .
Theatre is the act of making meaning together.
Our artistic work takes many forms, but in all of them we set out to dissolve the traditional barriers between writer, performer, and audience. We deconstruct and reimagine classic stories in ways that are relevant to our everyday lives, we write new narratives based on current issues, and we collectively create works of live art that are improvised and incorporate the ideas of the unique community present. Our performances span from interactive (performers engage with audience) to immersive (audience is part of the circumstance) to participatory (audience makes decisions that affect the outcome of the story). We build imaginary worlds in performance spaces, online spaces, and even site-specific spaces. Throughout, we reflect together and investigate social reality as we build strategies for co-liberation.
Inspired by the ideologies of Paulo Freire, Augusto Boal, Bettina Love, adrienne maree brown, and bell hooks, we set out to transform our world into a more empathic and equitable place and see theatre as a rehearsal for revolution. We center stories of oppressed people with the ultimate aim of liberating ourselves and our oppressors by raising consciousness, celebrating identity, and combatting the imperialist, white supremacist, capitalist, patriarchal mass media. We take further action by partnering with community organizations specifically addressing the issues present in our stories.
We have embraced a model of donation-based ticketing and audiences pay what their budgets allow. Tickets are subsidized through grants, private funding, and public fundraising events/campaigns to ensure that theatre is financially accessible for all. The Seeing Place Theater is a 501(c)3 non-profit performing arts organization. Your contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.