fbpx Rural Theatre | HowlRound Theatre Commons

Rural Theatre

Content in this section focuses on theatre created outside of urban and suburban centers. Here, artists discuss the unique challenges and opportunities of creating work in rural environments all over the world. The Rural Theatre series, focusing on artists and companies in the United States, is a great place to start.

The Latest

Reengineering Education in the Adagbabiri Community Through Theatre for Development
Essay
Reengineering Education in the Adagbabiri Community Through Theatre for Development
by Eseovwe Emakunu, Dennis OBIRE
17 August 2023
Maintaining Connections from the Hyperlocal to the International
Podcast
Maintaining Connections from the Hyperlocal to the International
by Jeffrey Mosser, Jennifer Johnson, Carlos Uriona
5 April 2023
Worldmaking 101: Imagination and Reparation at Double Edge Theatre and Ohketeau Cultural Center
Essay
Worldmaking 101: Imagination and Reparation at Double Edge Theatre and Ohketeau Cultural Center
by Jonathan Eburne
14 November 2022
A troupe of dancers in formation mid-performance smile.
Reengineering Education in the Adagbabiri Community Through Theatre for Development
Essay

Reengineering Education in the Adagbabiri Community Through Theatre for Development

17 August 2023

Eseovwe Emakunu and Dennis U. Obire, co-founders of the Shanty Theatre, chronicle their work in the Adagbabiri Community in Bayelsa State, which is one of the most educationally deprived states in Nigeria. Using a theatre for development model, the group worked with local children to create a performance that demonstrated the importance of education in the social development of a community and nation.

From the Ground Up Podcast Teaser image.
Maintaining Connections from the Hyperlocal to the International
Podcast

Maintaining Connections from the Hyperlocal to the International

5 April 2023

Carlos Uriona and Jennifer Johnson, co-artistic directors at Double Edge Theatre, connect with Jeffrey Mosser to discuss how working in rural Massachusetts for over thirty years has enabled them to share art on the world stage.

Eight actors in a space with hardwood floors dancing together.
Worldmaking 101: Imagination and Reparation at Double Edge Theatre and Ohketeau Cultural Center
Essay

Worldmaking 101: Imagination and Reparation at Double Edge Theatre and Ohketeau Cultural Center

14 November 2022

Writer and educator Jonathan P. Eburne details how he first came to know of Double Edge Theatre and the Ohketeau Cultural Center and discusses their unique approach to worldmaking, land sharing, and theatremaking.

Several people sitting in a field watching a puppet show.
Bringing Trouble: An Account of a Travelling Bicycle Puppet Show
Essay

Bringing Trouble: An Account of a Travelling Bicycle Puppet Show

25 January 2022

In 2021, Ian McFarlane and Laura Stinson of North Barn Theatre launched into a bicycle tour that brought a puppet circus to rural communities across Nova Scotia. They discuss the creation and performance of their show, which joyously embraced troublemaking as a path to activism.

From the Ground Up Podcast image featuring David Catlin.
Growth Through Touring and Tension
Podcast

Growth Through Touring and Tension

12 January 2022

Founder, Ensemble Member, and Former Artistic Director of Lookingglass Theatre Company, David Catlin, shares how their limitless aesthetic showcases their Chicago-based artists across the country. In addition we dive into their unique shared leadership model, their growth and goals for the future, and how tension with your board members can be a good thing.

A map with two-faced performing arts symbols located within the US and in northwestern Europe.
Taking Rural Playwriting International
Essay

Taking Rural Playwriting International

20 May 2021

Jacob Juntunen shares how the MFA playwriting program at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale adapted their new play festival for the online world and how open-access software and streaming platforms helped students at the rural school transcend geography.

three clowns posing with a handmade banner
Action and Reaction / Acción Y Reacción
Essay

Action and Reaction / Acción Y Reacción

The Experience of a Chilensis Clown Circus Theatre Company / Experiencia de una compañía chilensis de circo teatro payasx

11 November 2020

Members of Chile’s Compañía Siató—Valentina Paz Berger Correa, Jean Carlo Montecinos Carreño, Hernán Enrique Huerta Vargas, and Felipe Jesús Pereira Godoy—discuss clowning across Latin America; their show Sacrilegio, which denounces and ridicules religion, the church, and the police; the political duty of the artist; and more.

a group of performers outside
Theatre for Development in Malawi
Essay

Theatre for Development in Malawi

5 November 2019

Isaac Mafuel talks about Malawi’s most prevalent form of theatre, its history, and its impact and challenges.

a youtube screenshot
A Look at Independent Theatres in Mexico
Essay

A Look at Independent Theatres in Mexico

Un vistazo a las salas de teatro independiente en México

3 July 2019

Mariela López talks about her research on independent theatres across Mexico, including the challenges, the benefits, and recommendations for anyone wanting to create a company. / Mariela López nos habla de su investigación sobre los teatros independientes en México, incluyendo los desafíos, los beneficios y recomendaciones para cualquiera que quiera crear uno.

a band onstage
Nomadic Theatre Keeps its Traditions Alive in France / En France, la perpétuation du théâtre Sinti et nomade
Essay

Nomadic Theatre Keeps its Traditions Alive in France / En France, la perpétuation du théâtre Sinti et nomade

13 March 2019

Marine Leduc discusses the nomadic theatre traditions of the Hognon family, who travel southwestern France staging plays that explore their Tsigane identity. / Marine Leduc explore les traditions du théâtre nomade des Hognons, une famille qui voyage à travers le Sud-Ouest de la France et y joue des pièces qui parcourt leur identité tsigane.

How the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre Partners with Communities
Essay

How the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre Partners with Communities

13 August 2017

Joan Schirle, Founding Artistic Director of Dell’Arte International, presents an overview of the history of Dell’Arte’s Rural Residency Program and the program’s relationship to community engagement in Northern California.

Double Edge Theatre’s Latin American Cycle Builds Bridges Across Massachusetts
Essay

Double Edge Theatre’s Latin American Cycle Builds Bridges Across Massachusetts

20 October 2016

Josh Platt on Double Edge Theatre’s Latin American Spectacle in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, Cada Luna Azul / Once a Blue Moon in Ashfield, Massachusetts, and the Springfield Spectacle, in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Red Carpet Academy
Essay

Red Carpet Academy

Celebrating the Arts in Western Kansas

15 December 2015

Cole Matson shares his experience attending a one-day event in Kansas that advocates for the local arts scene.

From the Village and Back Again
Essay

From the Village and Back Again

27 August 2015

Mncedisi Baldwin Shabangu writes about his career as an acclaimed actor and director in South Africa, and the decisions that led him to currently work exclusively in a rural village.

Your Guide to Theatre Education
Essay

Your Guide to Theatre Education

Double Edge Theatre Company

10 August 2015

In this installment, David Dudley interviews four members of Double Edge Theatre Company about the company’s unique approach to training and living.

A Conversation between Stacy Klein of Double Edge Theatre and Jennifer Johnson of The Charlestown Working Theater
Essay

A Conversation between Stacy Klein of Double Edge Theatre and Jennifer Johnson of The Charlestown Working Theater

29 April 2015

Jennifer Johnson, of The Charlestown Working Theater, who has trained with Double Edge Theatre, interviews Stacy Klein, Founding Artistic Director of Double Edge about the evolution of Double Edge’s training method.

Beyond Cliché
Essay

Beyond Cliché

Dramatizing Our American Identity

22 March 2015

Pregones Theater and Roadside Theater review their twenty-one-year artistic collaboration and their upcoming Off-Broadway production of BETSY!.

Conversation about BETSY! The Appalachian-Puerto Rican Musical at Roadside Theater
Video

Conversation about BETSY! The Appalachian-Puerto Rican Musical at Roadside Theater

Thursday 12 February 2015
New York, NY, United States

Roadside Theater and Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater presented a conversation about BETSY! The Appalachian-Puerto Rican Musical  livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 12 February at 7 p.m. EST (New York) / 6 p.m. CST (Chicago) / 4 p.m. PST (Los Angeles).

Panel for walk on the wild side.
Art for All
Essay

Art for All

What South Carolina Taught Me About Radical Theatermaking

5 September 2014

Over my time in Spartanburg, I learned firsthand that South Carolina is not a homogenous place. There are all kinds of people in South Carolina, people with voices and powerful stories. A lot of those stories are invisible because of the cultural and political climate that surrounds them. That doesn’t mean they aren’t there—but it means that to those living outside of the state, they don’t exist.

Friday Phone Call # 52
Podcast

Friday Phone Call # 52

Matthew Glassman & Amrita Ramanan of Double Edge Theatre

14 March 2014

Listen to weekly podcasts hosted by David Dower as he interviews theater artists from around the country to highlight #newplay bright spots. This week: Matthew Glassman and Amrita Ramanan of Double Edge Theatre, located in Ashfield, Massachusetts.

Logo for Sod House Theatre.
Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Visit visits rural Minnesota
Essay

Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s The Visit visits rural Minnesota

24 September 2013

Chris Garza visits The Visit staged in rural Minnesota, and reflects on how immersive theater invites audiences complicity in a play about mob psychology, vengance, and greed.

NET's MicroFest USA: Kentucky/Tennesse
Video

NET's MicroFest USA: Kentucky/Tennesse

Friday 26 October and Friday 27 October 2012
KY, TN; United States

The Network of Ensemble Theater presented MicroFest Kentucky/Tennessee livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 26 October and Friday 27 October 2012.

Several people walking towards a colorful tent.
Towards a Commons
Essay

Towards a Commons

The Rural Arts and Culture Working Group

6 October 2012

In the belief that rural artists need to be represented, Double Edged Theatre Company headed a conversation with fellow rural artists about action steps for the communities to take.

Image of Patrick Overton.
Celebrating the New/Old Work of Community Arts Development in Rural/Small Communities in the United States
Essay

Celebrating the New/Old Work of Community Arts Development in Rural/Small Communities in the United States

4 October 2012

Patrick Overton on the history of cultural development in Rural/Small communites across the United States, and the nessisety of that development to the health of the community.

A stage set as an early American settlement.
Toward a Rural Arts Education
Essay

Toward a Rural Arts Education

3 October 2012

Scott Walters discusses the necessity of creating independant and interdisciplinary Rural Arts programs.