The Shotgun Players is a

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

East Bay The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Wi ...

regional theatre group located in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

. It runs 6 to 7 productions per season. Its main stage is the Ashby Stage located in the Lorin District near the Ashby BART station.

About

The ''Shotgun Players'' was founded in 1992 by Artistic Director Patrick Dooley. Dooley and ten other actors formed the company in La Val's Pizza Shop. Before moving to a permanent location at the Ashby Stage in 2004, Shotgun Players performed in 44 different spaces. In December 2007, the Shotgun Players' Ashby Stage performance space in Berkeley's Lorin District became the first live theater venue in the nation to convert fully to solar power. The Ashby Stage hosts all main stage shows and the Champagne Staged Reading Series. With donations from the community, Shotgun Players bought 1201 University Ave, which was previously Serendipity Books, and converted the building into a rehearsal studio and workshop in 2015. In addition to rehearsing Shotgun Players' own productions, the Shotgun Studios is a rehearsal space and creative hub for emerging performing arts groups.

Production history

Since 1992, Shotgun Players has produced over 140 plays, 30 of which were newly commissioned works.

Main Stage Shows

Shotgun Players has one season per year and produces an average of 6 shows per season. In 2015, Shotgun Players announced a season of all works by women playwrights, including 6 full productions and 6 staged readings. In 2016, the company presented its season in repertory to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

Notable Productions

* '' Arcadia'' by

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

(2018) * '' Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812'' by

Dave Mallow Dave Mallow (October 19, 1948 – March 11, 2025) was an American voice actor. Life and career Mallow was born on October 19, 1948. His father worked in radio and television and was a 30-year on-air veteran at Chicago's WGN. After graduating ...

(2022) * ''Thirty-Six'' by Leah Nanako Winkler (2023) * ''Iron Shoes'' (2018) - a collaboration between Shotgun Players and Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble * '' The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets'' (2017) - contributions from

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist. He is widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major Postmodern literature, postmodern author who influen ...

, and Robert Wilson * ''Shipwreck'' by

(2013) * ''

Woyzeck ''Woyzeck'' () is a stage play written by Georg Büchner. Büchner wrote the play between July and October 1836, yet left it incomplete at his death in February 1837. The play first appeared in 1877 in a heavily edited version by Karl Emil F ...

'' by

Georg Büchner Karl Georg Büchner (17 October 1813 – 19 February 1837) was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose, considered part of the Young Germany movement. He was also a revolutionary and the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büchn ...

(2012) * ''Bonnie & Clyde'' by Adam Peck (2013)

References

{{authority control Theatre companies in Berkeley, California Performing groups established in 1992 1992 establishments in California Buildings and structures in Berkeley, California League of Resident Theatres Regional theatre in the United States Tourist attractions in Berkeley, California Culture of Berkeley, California Theatres in the San Francisco Bay Area

About

Production history

Main Stage Shows

Notable Productions

See also

References