"One of Los Angeles' Most Respected Theatre Companies ......"

Los Angeles Times

To provide greater Los Angeles with a resident theatre company dedicated to providing programming of the highest quality, presented in an environmental and participative style, in order to entertain, inform and educate our multicultural community. To rediscover rarely performed classics, and to foster and develop new works through the collaboration of an artistic ensemble influenced by social relevance, past, present and future. To promote the theatre arts by providing opportunities for artists and craftsmen to develop and enrich their skills.

Established in 1985 as the Pacific Theatre Ensemble (PTE), this company was conceived as an artistic cooperative embracing actors, directors, playwrights and designers all of whom shared a common background and a common vision. Having worked, trained and taught at some of the nation's leading repertory companies and conservatory training programs (including American Conservatory Theatre, Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts and the Denver Center Theatre), they desired to create a company committed to the exploration of new and innovative plays by developing writers as well as the re-examination of uncommon classics.

Since its inaugural production in 1985, PRT has presented 43 critically acclaimed productions focusing on the lesser known works of such established playwrights as Maxim Gorky, Tennessee Williams, Thornton Wilder, Augustin Daly, John Gay, William Shakespeare and Raymond Chandler, as well as new plays by such developing writers as Carol Kaplan, Robert Alan Beuth, Rob Harrison, Jamie Baker, Daniel O'Connor, D. Paul Yeuell and Anthony Grubach.

In the summer of 1990, PRT hosted DEAR YELENA SERGIEVNA produced by Moscow's distinguished "Theatre on Spartacus Square," presented in tandem with the PRT production of ALIENS by Los Angeles playwright Steven Morris. Also in 1990, PRT launched its own conservatory program, in association with UCLA Extension, for the training of students committed to pursuing a career in the professional theatre.

1992 was a particularly significant year for PRT, one marked by expansion in both its physical environment and its artistic mission. This year heralded the development of the "Next Stage" program, PRT's ongoing effort to embrace the greater Los Angeles community by examining theatrically its multi-cultural heritage. Additionally, PRT doubled its audience capacity by moving into a new theatre at 8780 Venice Boulevard.

Echoing the desire of its founders to create and maintain an artistic laboratory, PRT established a "black box" workshop theatre at 705 1/2 Venice Boulevard. In this environment, members of the PRT Cooperative have presented and/or developed over 40 productions, drawing from the works of such internationally renowned writers as Saroyan, Wedekind, Pinter, Shaw, Mamet Dorothy Parker, Chekhov and Kopit as well as such Los Angeles playwrights as Jamie Baker, Steven Morris and Oliver Goldstick.

In July of 1993, Pacific Theatre Ensemble formally changed its name to Pacific Resident Theatre Ensemble, and then later to Pacific Resident Theatre, and was awarded the Los Angeles Drama Critics' Circle's prestigious Margaret Harford Award for continuous achievement in the small theatre arena.

Perhaps the best description of the then-entitled PTE was offered by Los Angeles theatre critic Polly Warfield in April of 1991. Prior to presenting the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for "Best Ensemble Production" to the cast of THE BEGGAR'S OPERA, she said,

"PTE. Those initials could stand for many things. They could stand for "Powerful Theatre Experi-ence." Or they could stand for "Prodigiously Talented Entertainers." Or they could stand for "Pretty Tricky Enterprise." But, in our book, PTE stands for "Pacific theatre Ensemble," to which all the above apply. Ensemble. The dictionary defines it as, "A group of complementary parts that contribute to a single effect. A group of musicians, singers, dancers or players who perform together. The quality of performance by a group of actors, especially as judged in regard to their success in achieving a unity and balance of style and technique." Well, that's it, that's them. That's Pacific Theatre Ensemble, as they have proven with their memorable productions of SLAUGHTERHOUSE ON TANNER'S CLOSE, THE BLUE DAHLIA, and most recently THE BEGGARS' OPERA, where they gave us a wonderfully vivid staging of John Gay's slice of low life and high jinks in 18th century England. And where they achieved a genuine sense of ensemble by creating harmony from dynamic diversity."