The history of Forum

Forum was born from the idea that a theatre company can be so much more. In 2003, Kelly Bartnik, Michael Dove, Paul Frydrychowski, and Mark Wright decided that theatre could be more affecting, provocative, and relevant with a multimedia approach. Instead of using a single performance method, Forum would explore diverse storytelling styles and artistic media to create something unique. The roots of the company came from the founders' combined backgrounds in film, dance/movement, music, visual art, and theatre. In that year, Forum Theatre (then known as Forum Theatre & Dance) began in Washington DC, a city chosen for its emergence as a major theatre community.

From day one, Forum sought not only to create distinctive work, but also to bring new or seldom-performed plays to Washington, using the shows as a springboard for artistic expression and discussion. Audience and critics took immediate notice: the "extreme theatricality" of the pieces caused one critic to remark "how refreshing an addition this company [is]."

In the past four years, the acclaim has increased as audiences followed the company from venue to venue. Forum performed at the Arena Stage at 14th & T Streets, Warehouse Theater, Church Street Theater, The University of Maryland, The Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, and Round House Silver Spring before taking up residence at the H Street Playhouse in historic northeast DC in June 2007. Forum's varied production history includes the world premieres of Israeli playwright Ami Dayan's UpShot and a new translation of The Gas Heart commissioned by the company, along with the DC premieres of Hamletmachine, Vaclav Havel's The Memorandum, Kid-Simple: A Radio Play in the Flesh, Caryl Churchill's The Skriker, and Don DeLillo's Valparaiso.

In October 2006, Forum founded and produced (with Solas Nua) the DC Samuel Beckett Centenary Festival to celebrate the writer's work and impact on contemporary art. The festival, which took place in several DC venues, included two weeks of theatre productions, film screenings, expert panel discussions, academic symposia, book clubs, downloadable radio play podcasts, and the international touring production of Waiting for Godot by Ireland's Gate Theatre. The festival was sponsored by the Embassy of Ireland, The University of Maryland, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

For its 2007-08 season, the company produced Jean Anouilh's Antigone, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis, and Marat/Sade by Peter Weiss, to much critical acclaim. In addition, the launch of OpenForum in the fall of '07 expanded Forum's mission to create distinctive, inclusive theatrical experiences for its audiences.

Today, Forum is a dedicated group of 17 performers, technicians, and theater administrators, supported by a 13-member board.