The Free Theatre Company of Portland was established in the Spring of 2008 with the hope of bringing lost audiences back into the theatre. At a time when the art of theatre is losing ground to less communal mediums of entertainment, it seems prudent to offer our work at a price that people of all financial backgrounds can afford; which is why we provide our work free of charge.
Our productions are intended to bring people together, encourage communication amongst each other, and build a community united by our love for great entertainment and fellowship. Hence, our work relies heavily on techniques that engage the audience’s imagination, as opposed to painting a completed picture for the audience to absorb. We want our patrons to be a part of the show and we do this by encouraging them to fill in the blanks, draw the connections, and picture that which we present through story. Our hope is that each member of our audience gets a sense of their role as a necessary participant in the work that we produce.
On a broader note, our shows typically span a range of styles and moods, going from abject terror to gut-busting humor, and then back through the cache of everything in between! Our plays begin with a recycled title or concept, transformed in order to ignite the imagination and challenge preconceptions on life and society. And this is done in the midst of an assortment of catchy original tunes performed by the company!
