Our History

The company began in the 2001-2002 season at the Pantheon Theatre in Manhattan with the presentation of the classic play The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, performed in repertory with the world premiere of Strange Bedfellows by Bruce Cohen.

The 2002-2003 season,which was presented at the Pelican Studio Theatre in Manhattan, consisted of Sophocles’ classic Greek tragedy Antigone in repertory with the world premiere of Ismene by Celia Montgomery.

The 2003-2004 season was presented at Manhattan Ensemble Theater and included a rarely seen production of Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths in repertory with the East Coast premiere of Time to Burn by Charles L. Mee.

The 2005 season, presented at the Ohio Theatre, included a new three man adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest by Victor Maog in repertory with the world premiere of La Tempestad by Larry Loebell.

The 2006-2007 season, presented at the Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row, included a new all female adaptation of Molière's The Imaginary Invalid by Rebecca Patterson in repertory with the world premiere of The Mail Order Bride by Charles L. Mee.

Resonance Ensemble returned to its home at Theatre Row for the 2007-2008 season with Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard in repertory with the world premiere of Arthur Giron’s The Coffee Trees. Additionally, for the first time, the company offered a third play as part of its season in January 2008, a new one man show by Victor Cahn inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic literary hero, Sherlock Holmes, entitled Sherlock Solo. This season also marked a dramatic expansion of the play development program, with the addition of more readings and workshops, and the launch of a new Playwright’s Residency program that developed J. Holtham’s Shakespeare-inspired Lovers to Bed.

The 2008-2009 season marked Resonance Ensemble's largest production to date: Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra in repertory with the world premiere of Christopher Boal's 23 Knives. Another first was the third production: a collection of classically inspired short plays including a rarely seen Catastrophe by Samuel Beckett, Swan Song by Anton Chekhov, and world premieres of Our Town by Alvin Eng, What Happened Then by Michael Feingold and Compromise by Ian Strasfogel. The play development program featured three play readings and weeklong workshops of a new version of Booth by Austin Pendleton and Maria by Alberto Bonilla.

The 2009-2010 season was presented at the Clurman Theatre at Theatre Row and featured the new play, The Glass House by June Finfer in repertory with Ibsen's The Master Builder. The play development program featured a new musical by Daniel John Kelley and Nick Moore entitled Plagued: How to Escape Persecution at the Hands of an Angry Mob and we presented readings of Buzz by Susan Ferrara and The Artifacts by Steven Fechter.