TRTC's Resident Company

Revisiting the Lost Ideal of a Permanent Theatre Company

TRTC was founded in 1995 with the desire to create a resident theatre company here in the Roaring Fork Valley. As pointed out by Jean Schiffman in the December, 2001 issue of American Theatre magazine, we were not alone. She mentions that when the well known American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco announced the formation of a core acting company, local audiences responded with a burst of enthusiasm. In fact, many patrons had been longing for the opportunity to watch actors they admire, develop and transform over time. For many years professional actors from around the country have claimed to be “hungry for a company.” An ongoing, committed group of actors-in-residence can nourish an organization, and affect a community in unique ways, and be deeply nourished in return. An acting company is what gives a theatre an identity. Most artistic directors believe that the continuity is crucial to an audience’s long-term feeling of ownership.

Stage-minded actors feel that they have an option of a true artistic home. As company members, they understand from within the challenges of sustaining a theatre, and they become invested in the effort. Actors take on more responsibility for the art form. TRTC is proud that it was founded on this belief system.

Lon Winston
Founder & Executive Artistic Director