I started Everywhere Theatre Group in 2008 with sound designer/video artist Chase Voorhees, who I met in college in Indianapolis, and playwright/director Teddy Nicholas, who I met while “assistant directing” a musical about Global Warming on the lower east side. We found solace in each other amidst working three jobs to be able to afford to hone and create our own art in the most expensive city in the world.  We loved each others work, and decided to begin producing together in order to cut down on costs for rehearsal space and to merge audiences. Before we knew it, we had started a theater company. Since 2008, we’ve been making shows in  downtown NYC venues and basically  anywhere that would take us, and have built an  audience often consisting of  young people who might not normally go to the theater.   By 2009, we had met performer, choreographer and administrator Lindsay Mack,  who quickly took us to the next level of true theatrical  collaboration and now we are not only a company but a family. We work well together beyond imagination. We’re organized. We’re serious.  We each lead and follow and sacrifice and gain. We fight, we cry, we laugh and take care of each other and  elevate each others art. We succeed and fail, sometimes simultaneously.  We’ve been called a lot of things, including vulgar, beautiful, unique, original, unclever, clever, unfunny, funny, smart, talented, stupid, poetic, direct, crazy, sane and a certain voice of a generation. We believe in tackling life obstacles like racism, sexism, technological miscommunication and the societal pressures to be rich, beautiful and well-adjusted, even though we as individuals  are not. So naturally, our plays typically give voice to characters who aren’t those things, but struggle to achieve them anyway, in the face of overwhelming failure. We are artistically concerned with the way our generation lives on an everyday basis presently, and how under represented the underprivileged truly are in the theater. We aim to present all sides of the generational equation with unforgiving honesty, objectivity and humor. You may have seen us  Dixon Place, The Ontological Hysteric Theater, Incubator Arts Project, The Brick, Wings Theater, Ars Nova,  3LD Technology Center, HERE Arts Center  and unconventional theatrical spaces like boats and bars.

At this point, we shouldn’t  pay out of pocket for our shows anymore. Neither Chase, Lindsay, Teddy or I have the ability to quit making theater, so we will and have paid out of pocket  if we have to-  but not being able to eat while we are in rehearsal because we’ve spent all of our money on space, props, costumes and actor/designer  fees  is starting to affect our work creatively. We’re trying to raise $6000 so that we can focus on making the best shows possible for our 2011-2012 season, which includes the premiere of two new plays FLYING SNAKES IN 3D and THIS IS A PLAY ABOUT BEING GAY, as well as continued work on DEAD PEOPLE.  We’re attracting the attention of some amazing venues and have worked with amazing performers like Jen Taher (bobrauchunburgamerica!) , Christopher Andrew Loar ( NY Neofutursts) , Jen Kwok (Eat, Pray, Love)   just to name a few, and have gotten the support of fresh blood- who have helped us sell out those venues and given our actors the audience they deserve. We’ve been called one of the most promising young theater companies in NYC, and we’d love to have your support too.

You can donate any tax-deductible amount to our INDIE GOGO Campaign at http://www.indiegogo.com/project/widget/31745
Just click the link, and make a pledge of any dollar amount.

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If you mention my website when you donate, I’ll write you a song and post it on here for all the world to see.

Thank you guys!

Love

Leah Winkler, playwright and owner of this website