About
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Vermont Stage is Northern Vermont's home for exceptional theatre. Founded in 1994, the company has produced over 150 shows and is known for staging some of the most timely and engrossing plays emerging nationally; fulfilling the region's appetite for vibrant theatre that captures the spirit of our culture.
Our Mission To create theatre that makes our community a better place. We do this by: * Producing plays that show us what we have in common is more powerful than what separates us * Providing a supportive professional environment in which theatre artists are inspired to perform their best work * Enhancing the cultural and commercial vitality of our community * Encouraging the development of Vermont audiences and their love of theatre Vermont Stage operates as a not-for-profit organization relying on community support to produce an exceptional season of plays, musicals, and education programming with over 100 performances and special events every year.
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History
The Glass Menagerie, 1994
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Founded in 1994, Vermont Stage became the first professional theatre company in Burlington in nearly a decade. The company spent its first 6 years producing plays out of Champlain College's Hauke Auditorium, the Royall Tyler Theater at UVM, and went on a Barn-Storming Tour of their play Mad River Rising across the State of Vermont.
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The Tempest with Burlington's Taiko Drummers
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By 2000, Vermont Stage won 3 Bessie Awards for Best Play given by Burlington City Arts and grew from a modest itinerant company to become an integral part of Northern Vermont’s cultural scene. It became the resident theatre at FlynnSpace, at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Burlington.
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Actors performing during a Vermont Young Playwrights Festival
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In 2004, Vermont Stage was the recipient of a New England Theatre Conference Regional Award for Outstanding Achievement in the American Theatre for its acclaimed education program Vermont Young Playwrights. Since 1995, Vermont Stage’s award-winning Vermont Young Playwrights program has helped over 12,000 middle and high school students from across Vermont write their first play, bringing 500 of those plays to life for an audience in funny and thought-provoking ways.
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"The Legend of Georgia McBride," April/May 2019.
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In December 2018, Vermont Stage opened its first show in its completely refurbished and newly outfitted theater at Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center on the Burlington Waterfront. This move provided Vermont Stage with the much needed space for improved artistic and patron experiences as well as room to grow.
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Jabari Matthew and Victoria Fearn in "I and You," 2016.
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In 2024, Vermont Stage expanded its education programming to include a “Teen Tour”, which brings educational theatre to middle and high schools students Statewide, and a “Youth Theatre Lab” summer camp program designed to broaden the acting training and performance opportunities for Vermont teens.
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Greg Pierce discusses his play "The Quarry", a Vermont Stage commission, 2014
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Vermont Stage is a vital part of Vermont's economy, employing over 3,000 local actors, designers, directors, and technicians and attracting over 200,000 people to its shows since its founding -- driving business to local restaurants, bars, and shops along the way. This year alone, Vermont Stage will have touched the lives of over 10,000 people.
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