A MESSAGE FROM CRY HAVOC’S FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

For everything there is a season…

Last year we announced that Cry Havoc Theater Company would sunset as a nonprofit organization in the spring of 2023. When I launched Cry Havoc in the fall of 2014, I intended to devote a season of my life to it before embarking on other endeavors. I hoped that Cry Havoc would inspire young artists to embrace devised theatre as a way to create important conversations within community – something they would carry with them long after leaving the organization. And, I hoped that Dallas audiences would be challenged to see art created by young people in a whole new light. I am immensely proud of the work we (the many professional and teen artists of Cry Havoc) have accomplished over the last 9 years. We have exceeded all hopes and expectations, have opened minds and hearts in Dallas and beyond, and have raised the bar nationally for what youth theatre can look like. It has been a very beautiful season.

Whether you’ve followed us for years or are just joining us for our final production, thank you for being a part of our journey.

I’m often asked, “What is devised theater?” The simplest answer I can offer is that it’s theater created by an ensemble without a pre-written script. The director walks into the room with an idea or a concept, and the actors, designers, and other professionals work together to create something from nothing. Each sixty seconds the audience eventually sees onstage in the final performance takes roughly sixty minutes to create. In devised theatre, a lot of really great ideas get worked and reworked only to be discarded hours or days later. The process is tedious and time-consuming. It takes herculean self-discipline and a willingness to leave ego at the door. For this reason, very few adult, professional theatre companies devise theatre. And there are only a handful of youth theatre companies in the United States that solely produce devised work. We are proud to have been one of them. Enjoy the show!

Mara Richards Bim