Shotgun Players Purpose and History

Our Purpose

Shotgun Players is a company of artists determined to create bold, relevant, affordable theatre that inspires and challenges audience and artist alike to re-examine our lives, our community, and the ever-changing world around us.

Our Story

Founding Artistic Director Patrick Dooley started the company in 1992 with ten eager actors and a bucket of black paint. Before finding our permanent home at the Ashby Stage in 2004, Shotgun Players performed in 44 different spaces, always striving for the same core values we believe in today: artistic excellence, social relevance, and community engagement. Nothing excites us more than taking on projects that other companies might deem too expensive, too unwieldy, or just plain impossible. As a result, audience and industry members alike have come to expect astonishing theatre from Shotgun Players.

Our Community

We believe that it’s not enough to create exceptional theatre; we’re also committed to making a difference in our community. Shotgun Players is dedicated to keeping ticket prices affordable, and we offer pay-what-you-can performances for the opening week of each production. Through our Make a Difference (M.A.D.) campaign, we are able to offer $10 tickets to our patrons who are 25 years of age and younger. We also take pride in supporting local businesses! We feature goods from our neighbors in our lobby, and we offer programming that speaks directly to our neighbors by putting their stories onstage.

Our Statement of Values

These are the values that guide us:

Welcoming Spaces

We invite you to participate. To make sure that you can, we will work to make our spaces affordable, accessible, and free of bias and injustice.

People First

We prioritize the health and well-being of our artists, staff, and audience.

Transparency and Accountability

We tell the truth about how we do our work, what we’ve done wrong, and how we plan to do better. We welcome your questions and feedback!

Progress not Perfectionism

We reject perfectionism and embrace the messy work of growing with continuous inquiry and experimentation.

Shift the Spotlight

We will focus our attention and resources on those who have been under- or mis-represented both on and off stage to make the theatre we love and the world we desire.

Dream Big & Take Risks

We leap forward with unconventional thinking and explore the unknown to expand what is possible in theatre and in the world.

The Ashby Stage

Take a virtual tour of the Ashby Stage.

Supporting our neighbors is just as important as how we use materials that impact our community. In 2007, Shotgun Players’ Ashby Stage became the first 100% solar-powered live theater in the country. Since then, we have become a Green Certified Business, and we work diligently to ensure that the resources we use are returned to our neighbors via community outreach.