Juggernaut Theatre Company was formed in 1994 by a group of Juilliard graduates interested in taking new approaches to theatre while maintaining the integrity of their classical training. Our approach to theatre is three-fold: we write and produce full-scale plays; develop training programs for theatre practitioners; and produce scholarly readings and symposiums for theatre community as well as the public. Specific interests include: creating theatrical work out of non-theatrical artifacts and discovering new technology and performance techniques that can be integrated as a means of telling dramatic stories in new ways. In all productions, Juggernaut seeks to evince through structure, performance styles and technology, the “liveness” of theatre. We find that a longer development period ultimately leads to more relevant and profound productions.
The company is managed and governed by five core members who also serve on the board; this structure allows us to be maximally efficient. Lisa Dove (founding president) actor and composer; Gwynn MacDonald, artistic director; Laura Tietjen(treasurer) actor; Cathy Caplan (secretary) playwright; Greg Paul (technical director) playwright and actor. In addition, Juggernaut Theatre Company has a large body of associate members, who include theatre practitioners and other artists who get involved on a project by project basis.
Our wonderful funders include: NYSCA, The Alliance of Resident Theaters, The Liman Foundation, The Laurie Tisch Sussman Fund, The New York Council on the Humanities, The National Foundation for Jewish Culture, The Fox Foundation and Pixar.
Server space provided through a partnership with Arts Wire and the Master of Arts Management Program ofCarnegie Mellon University. Arts Wire is a program of theNew York Foundation for the Arts.
Mission Statement
The Juggernaut Theatre Company is a group of classically trained theatre artists who create original work in a fearlessly collaborative manner; often bringing musicians and dancers into the process, and at least once a year working in conjunction with an established avant-garde artist. Productions and workshops are enjoined to bring together professional artists of similar training with an opportunity to stretch creative wings as performers, writers and directors and rise above the constraints of the commercial world.
The Role Of Diversity
Juggernaut might never be a theater company known for one thing. We have sought diversity through membership, styles, opinions, artist participation, programming, venues and media as a way of keeping theater work alive and relevant, a way of keeping Juggernaut up to the stylistic challenges of each unique project in order to fulfill our mandate to present the audience a bold new work performed with the rigorous commitment of highly trained artists.
Company History
The Juggernaut Theatre Company was formed in 1994 by a group of Juilliard Drama Division alumni interested in applying their classical training to experimental or conceptually adventurous pieces. The company now has seven core members, and a large body of associate members. It was incorporated in 1995 and received its non-profit status in 1997. It has received financial support from the William and Eva Fox Foundation and the Elizabeth Foundation as well as from corporate and private donors, including PIXAR. Juggernaut most recently received a Fox Grant to conduct a Suzuki Method training workshop with Ellen Lauren, Suzuki master and Associate Artistic Director of The Saratoga International Theatre Institute.