All About ACTORS inc

In 2005, a group of local artists, all with a background and history in live theatre, got together to discuss a shared vision and common goal. These individuals all had some level of experience and/or training in theatre arts, and all had a vision to develop a different kind of community theatre organization. The vision was that of a company that would provide individuals a forum in which to exhibit their skills and training, and that would provide the Merrimack Valley with high quality live entertainment at an affordable price. The members of this group had a passion and a love for live theatre and wanted to be able to share that passion with the general public, and continue to keep that passion alive for years to come.

What’s in a name, you ask? Well that was the next step. You would figure that with the number of brain cells that were in that room we would have been able to come up with a catchy name without a problem, right? WRONG. Six whole weeks later, we had come up with three possibles: The Wicked Good Theatre Company, The Dress Circle, and A Community Theatre Company Reaching for the Stars… Inc. Let’s pick one of the shorter ones, we said. Why would we want to do that? So after all that work, we chose the longest name in the history of theatre companies. Soon after, we had to shorten it cause it wouldn’t fit on a business card. Thus, ACTORS inc was born.

Business was booming and show ideas were flying this way and that. Our inaugural show was decided upon and with the assistance of the Village Inn Dracut, ACTORS inc played Jack Neary’s “Sandbag, Stage Left (or one dead Dolly)” to six sold out audiences. Somehow the director turned a straight book show into a musical dinner theatre. “Godspell” soon followed and, though things were going well, we had an epiphany: actors don’t have much of a business sense. So, in early 2007, ACTORS inc added some members that acted like they knew what business was all about. Business continued to boom, thankfully.

Looking back on the past couple of years, the start-up members of ACTORS inc were able to form a new mission statement and determined that the company was founded to serve two basic functions. The first was to provide the Merrimack Valley an opportunity to experience quality live theater productions at an affordable price. ACTORS inc has successfully done that with its now four productions. The second was to provide individuals a forum in which to display their talents, learn and build new skills, and be able to experience the thrills and excitement of participating in live theatre productions. This too has been accomplished. ACTORS inc now has over 20 active members and hopes to add many more in the very near future. These two premises will continue to be the foundation of the work conducted by ACTORS inc.