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Updated 2/4/2022

Serious Play Theatre Ensemble

  • M

    MA

Institution/Business Type: Performing Group

Serious Play Theatre Ensemble works toward reshaping society’s conversation on prominent social issues through the art of ensemble theatre. We strive to inspire curiosity, and challenge, tantalize, and engage audiences, and to pose the uncomfortable questions. We are committed to attracting audiences back to the power of the live moment. For Serious Play Theatre Ensemble, theatre is a potent art form. We work collaboratively to seek the truth in each dramatic moment by creating a physical form of expression that engages audiences in a fresh new way, as a true theatrical celebration! We challenge ourselves to explore our individual histories, creativity, and voices, and to fuse our experiences into engaging theatre with strong contemporary messages through “total physical expressiveness on stage.”  

We create original devised work, stage new scripted plays, and reinterpret classic and modern plays informed by the perspective of the ensemble. We perform, teach, and tour locally, nationally, and internationally. Our new Edinburgh Fringe Performance Exchange welcomes important international voices into our national cultural dialogue sharing diverse global perspectives directly with our audiences.

SERIOUS PLAY THEATRE ENSEMBLE is a project of Cultural Images Group, Inc., a tax exempt corporation. Serious Play has received support from the Ford Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Mass Cultural Council, Mass Foundation for Humanities and Public Policy, Kahn Institute of Smith College, Sheila Fortune, Arts Angels, Puffin Foundation, Northampton Arts Council, BJ Goodwin Fund, MCC Creative Schools Grant, Network for Ensemble Theaters, and individual donors. We are an Artist Associate with APE Northampton and the Northampton Comunity Arts Trust, a member of the Network of Ensemble Theaters, and one of the 65 non-profit organizations in Massachusetts chosen by the Phillips Foundation Catalogue for Philanthropy

Find Me

Sheryl Stoodley
Job Title: Artistic Director
Phone: (413) 588-7439
Address:
6 Warner Row
Leeds, MA 01053

Social Media:

Additional Content:

About

Overview

Institution/Business Type:

Performing Group

Legal Status:

Nonprofit - Independent

Year Founded:

1992

Overview

Institution/Business Type:

Performing Group

Legal Status:

Nonprofit - Independent

Year Founded:

1992

Disciplines

Primary Discipline:

Theater - Devised / Artist-Led

Additional Disciplines:

  • Theater - Solo / One-Person Show

Activities and Services

Activities and Services:

  • Arts for Social Change / Creative Activism
  • Performance / Concert / Reading
  • Workshops / Demonstrations / Master Class
Seasons Active: spring, summer, fall, winter
Events Per Year: 5

Communities

Populations Engaged:

  • Adults
  • Elders
  • General Public
  • LGBTQ Populations
  • People with Disabilities
  • Teens
  • Veteran/Active Duty Military Personnel
  • Youth-At-Risk

Geographic Reach:

  • Town / City
  • County
  • Multi-County Region
  • State
  • Multi-State Region
  • National
  • International

Accessibility of Services

Accessibility of Services:

  • Access accommodations for people who use a wheelchair and have limited mobility
  • Access accommodations for people who are Deaf and hard-of-hearing

Media Gallery

I Have Worked With

Affiliations and Accomplishments

Professional Associations

Professional Associations:

  • Member Network of Ensemble Theaters
  • Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

Professional Associations

Professional Associations:

  • Member Network of Ensemble Theaters
  • Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

Awards

Awards:

  • Jane Ahlfeld Award - Dynamic Impact in the Arts NAC - Sheryl Stoodley
  • International Award for Innovation - JoakimInterfest Theatre Festival, Serbia for "Milosevic at the Hague"
  • Recognition in the Catalogue of Philanthropy

Education

Education:

  • Sheryl Stoodley, M.A. Theater, Smith College
  • Anne Bogart, Viewpoints/ Composition Workshop, Saratoga International Theater Institute ( SITI Co.) N.Y.C.
  • Eric Hill, Tadashi Suzuki Theater Training, StageWest, Springfield
  • Kristin Linklater, The Company of Women, Boston
  • Jonathan Croy, Shakespeare & Company, Lenox

Special Designations

Special Designations:

  • New England Presenters (NEP) Member

Artist Info

Teaching Artist

Teaching Settings:

  • Arts and Cultural Center / Venue
  • Community Site / Center
  • Private Studio
  • School / University

Ages Served:

  • High School-age
  • College-age
  • Adults
  • Seniors

Subject Areas:

  • Literature
  • Music
  • Theater

Certifications and Training:

  • MA Theatre-Smith College / Prof. of Theater Holyoke Community College
  • Stage One Theatre Lab. / Boston Center for the Arts

Teaching Artist

Teaching Settings:

  • Arts and Cultural Center / Venue
  • Community Site / Center
  • Private Studio
  • School / University

Ages Served:

  • High School-age
  • College-age
  • Adults
  • Seniors

Subject Areas:

  • Literature
  • Music
  • Theater

Certifications and Training:

  • MA Theatre-Smith College / Prof. of Theater Holyoke Community College
  • Stage One Theatre Lab. / Boston Center for the Arts

Touring Artist

NEST Eligible Artist

Technical Requirements:

  • Requirements vary, depending on show

Fee Range:

$5,000 - $15,000

State of Residence:

Massachusetts

Minimum Number of Performers:

1

Maximum Number of Performers:

8

Venues for Rent/Use

APE@Hawley WorkRoom
Venue Address: 33 Hawley St. Northampton, MA 01060
Venue Phone: 413-586-5553
Venue Type: Theater
Venue Fee Range Minimum: $500
Venue Fee Range Maximum: $3000
Venue Capacity: 200
Venue Accessibility: Facility is physically accessible (such as parking, entrances, accessible restrooms, seating, backstage).
Stage Details: Black Box
Venue Seasons: Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall
Venue Features: Climate Control, Movie Screen / Projection Capabilities, Sound System
Trained Crew Available: Yes
Union Crew Available: No
Additional Comments: As of 11-10-2021 this 78 ft long, 48ft wide, and 22 ft. high space is very raw with unfinished walls and no lighting grid but with a power drop and use of a Genie Lift. There are bathrooms, free parking and a large ground level garage door.