From the Artistic Co-Directors:
I, Marguerite Mathews, founded Pontine Theatre in 1978 after completing studies with Etienne Decroux at his L'Ecole du Mime Corporeal in Paris, France and with his protege, Thomas Leabhart, at the University of Arkansas and at the Valley Studio in Spring Green WI. From its inception, an actor-centered, ensemble approach to the creation of original theatre works, and a distinctly physical approach to acting, have been the bedrock of Pontine Theatre’s artistic philosophy.
I, Greg Gathers, began designing for the company in 1982, after graduating from the Cleveland Institute of Art, and became artistic co-director in 1984. Since that time, we have incorporated various forms of puppetry, projected visuals and toy theatre elements into the work, resulting in a multidisciplinary approach that has become a hallmark of Pontine Theatre’s production style.
The synthesis our complimentary backgrounds and interests has lead to a distinctive body of work readily recognizable to our regional audience.
As an actor-centered ensemble, we have resisted institutionalizing the organization in order to concentrate our resources on the evolution and the development of new work.
We nourish & revitalize our artistic vision through an ongoing association with a network of fellow artists who inspire and inform our process by including their work in our annual performance series. In recent seasons we have hosted performances by Concrete Temple Theatre (NYC), Independent Eye (Sebastapol CA), Bread & Puppet (Glover VT), Great Small Works (NYC) Sandglass Theatre (Putney VT), Paradox Teatro (USA/Mexico), Farm Arts Collective (Damascus PA) Touchstone Theatre (Bethlehem PA) & Kingfisher Theatre (Nazareth PA). The opportunity to see and discuss our mutual endeavors informs our work and inspires the ongoing development of our artistic vision.
In choosing projects for our at-home performance series and subsequent tours, we endeavor to reflect the interests of the audiences we serve. We are fortunate to live and work in a region with a particularly rich history and a citizenry deeply interested in this legacy. As other cultural organizations work to preserve historic landmarks and significant architecture, we have dedicated many of our performances to celebrating classic works of New England literature: some well-known, others obscure gems. We also create works based on original research that explore various aspects of New England culture and history.
Over the years, we have visited hundreds of New England towns, bringing performances and workshops to small, rural communities. Our touring programs are designed for the predominantly non-traditional spaces available in the region we serve. Our intimately-scaled chamber productions are an ideal fit for the small town audiences who gather in church basements, town halls, libraries and senior centers to share our work. The intimate scale of our productions reflects an aesthetic choice to magnify the theatrical power and artistic integrity of our wok through concentrated attention to the details of each element comprising the whole.