Shotgun Players

Shotgun Players is a company of artists on a mission to create bold, relevant, and affordable theatre. We believe in the power of theatre as a mechanism for examining ourselves, our community, and the world. Founding Artistic Director Patrick Dooley started the company in 1992 with ten eager actors and a bucket of black paint. Before finding our pe... rmanent home at the Ashby Stage in 2004, Shotgun Players performed in 44 different spaces, always striving for the same core values we believe in today: artistic excellence, social relevance, and community engagement. Now in our 22nd year, nothing excites us more than taking on projects that other companies might deem too expensive, too unwieldy, or just plain impossible. As a result, audience and industry members alike have come to expect astonishing theatre from Shotgun Players. We believe that it's not enough to create exceptional theatre; we're also committed to making a difference in our community. Shotgun Players is dedicated to keeping ticket prices affordable, and we offer pay-what-you-can performances for opening week of each production. Through our Make a Difference Campaign, we give away over 1,000 tickets each year to students, youth groups, seniors, and community organizations. We also take pride in supporting local businesses: we feature goods from our neighbors in our lobby, and we offer programming that speaks directly to our neighbors by putting their stories onstage. Supporting our neighbors is just as important as how we use materials that impact our community. In 2007, Shotgun Players' Ashby Stage became the first 100% solar-powered live theater in the country. Since then, we have become a Green Certified Business (www.greenbiz.ca.gov), and we work diligently to ensure that the resources we use are returned to our neighbors via community outreach. To find out more about the company go to: www.shotgunplayers.org.Read More