Theatrical troupe (
French: ''troupe''), sometimes referred to as an acting company, is a group of theatrical performers working together. They may work in
repertory
A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation.
United Kingdom ...
other types of
theatre
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
s, and may take performances on tour. They are not the same as a
theatre company
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
, which is an organisation that produces theatrical performances, although there is sometimes an overlap in terminology.
The troupe is termed a resident acting company (or resident company) if they are supported by a particular theatre, where they have a home base, such as the
Everyman Theatre in
Baltimore
Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
, Connecticut, United States
The
State Theatre Company of South Australia
The State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA), branded State Theatre Company South Australia, formerly the South Australian Theatre Company (SATC), is South Australia's leading professional theatre company, and a statutory corporation. It ...
, whose home base is at the
Adelaide Festival Centre
Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia's first capital city multi-purpose arts centre and the home of South Australia's performing arts, was built in the early 1970s and designed by Hassell (architecture firm), Hassell Architects. The Festival The ...
, is referred to as the resident artistic company.
Troupes are frequently organised by
theatre practitioners
A theatre practitioner is someone who creates theatre, theatrical performances and/or produces a theory, theoretical discourse that informs their practical work. A theatre practitioner may be a theatre director, director, dramatist, actor, Scenic ...
(e.g.
Bertolt Brecht's Berliner Ensemble
The Berliner Ensemble () is a German theatre company established by actress Helene Weigel and her husband, playwright Bertolt Brecht, in January 1949 in East Berlin. In the time after Brecht's exile, the company first worked at Wolfgang Langh ...
or
Tadeusz Kantor's Cricot 2). The membership can be divided into
permanent or
temporary as, for example, in the
Comédie-Française
The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...
(French: ''
sociétaires'' and ''pensionnaires'').
See also
*
Playing companies
Play is a range of Motivation#Intrinsic and extrinsic, intrinsically motivated activities done for recreation. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but may be engaged in at any life stage, and among other high ...
, historical term for a company of actors in
Renaissance England
References
Stage terminology
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