The Alliance Theater Company

The Alliance Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, is one of the most prestigious theater’s in the U.S. It recently won the Regional Theater Tony Award in 2007 and that put it on the map. It has grown from the Atlanta Municipal Theater which staged its first production of King Arthur in 1968. After that production is when it became the Alliance Theater Company. It has had many greats of the theatrical world walk through its doors. People such as Morgan Freeman, Richard Dreyfus, and Cybill Shepard have all been feature in various shows presented there. In 1988, Kenny Leon became the artistic director and ever since, the theater has taken off. He would put on more diverse shows so as to attract many different groups of people such as the African Americans with productions of A Raison In The Sun. Many different shows have gone through there, including Tim Rice and Elton John’s Aida, which went to Broadway shortly after and won the Tony award for Best Original Musical Score. Soon after, Leon resigned and Susan Booth took over in 2000 and under her direction, the production of The Color Purple, which also went to Broadway, and Sister Act: The Musical. Over the course of one year, the Alliance Theater will put on 10 productions, all of Broadway caliber. It is a 770 seat Auditorium, with a 200 seat Studio Theater. The theater also offers and outreach program. They have acting classes and theater for youth. Currently playing is Charles Dickons, “A Christmas Carol.” I consider like any other performing arts center, except for the fact that they welcome shows that could possibly go to Broadway or shows that are previewing before their Broadway debut. That is why I feel that it is so interesting. In our hometown, we have a Community Arts Center that houses touring shows. The Alliance Theater takes on new shows. They even have a studio theater in which, I’m assuming, local theater groups could perform in or other shows could workshop in. They do offer internships as well. It is called the STARS program and it gives younger people the chance to work behind the scenes with technical and management aspects of theater. They also offer volunteer programs for people who are interested in getting involved with theater, no matter what branch. One of the parts of the STARS program is an Ushering Organization. They teach you how to usher, and give you the experience you want working on shows that come through Atlanta. I find that this theater would be a great environment to work in. It seems like they would be very welcoming. It doesn’t seem to be incredibly political like other theaters. They also don’t have an artistic mission posted, but in my opinion, I think that their mission is to spread the world of theater. I love the fact that they do experimental theater. Most people in society frown upon experimental theater, but this is one of the more famous theaters in the U.S. and they are promoting it. All in all, I would have to say that the Alliance Theater Company is one of the more impressive theaters in our society.