Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Crowder.
Hi Ryan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
I came to live theatre in high school. It gave me friends and community. It gave me a safe place to express my feelings and creativity. It also challenged me to empathize with others to understand why people do what they do. I majored in Theatre at Abilene Christian University, which taught me to be a well-rounded theatremaker. I continued my training at Ohio University. I received an MFA in acting and earned training certificates from two LORT institutions: the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. I arrived in Central Texas in 2007 to found a theatre company with two friends and colleagues, Nathan Jerkins and Sean Martin. We formed Penfold Theatre because we believe you shouldn’t have to be in New York to see world-class theatre. Everyone should have access to stories that invite us into greater empathy for our neighbors and give us a place to imagine a brighter future together. We dreamed of a truly local theatre where artists can afford to live and create and where audiences can experience top-tier talent that speaks to our community because it is of our community.
In 2009, we discovered a like-minded partner in the City of Round Rock. Cultural offerings were not growing in step with the booming population, so the Greater Round Rock Area Arts Council organized to build a vibrant cultural scene that was distinctly local. We joined a movement alongside a new city arts and culture department and an emerging generation of arts organizations from various artistic disciplines and demographics. A performance venue did not exist in Round Rock to meet Penfold’s needs, so we found creative ways to serve. We partnered with the Parks & Recreation Department to launch “Penfold in the Park,” which offered free theatre-under-the-stars in Round Rock’s historic downtown for over a decade. We also played a leading role on the Round Rock ISD Council of the Arts — creating opportunities for students and teachers to learn from industry professionals — and created a beloved holiday tradition in our annual holiday radio cast performances at the Williamson County Old Settlers Association. At the same time, we produced full seasons of professional plays and musicals in Austin, where performance space could be found and where Penfold built a reputation for award-winning performances, as recognized by the B. Iden Payne Awards, the Austin Critics Table, the Austin Chronicle and the Austin American-Statesman.
However, rising real estate prices have shuttered many Austin theatre venues and caused producers like Penfold to fear there will no longer be spaces available to us there. Last week, the Round Rock City Council approved an arts grant allowing Penfold to open a permanent home and the first professional theatre venue in Round Rock. Instead of spending resources moving from place to place, we will be scaling up our programs, building deeper relationships in the community, and giving other performing artists access to affordable space at a time when venues are disappearing.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story. Has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Like other nonprofit theatre organizations nationwide, ticket sales pay only 60% of our expenses. For the rest, we rely on the generosity of our patrons and sponsors.
Thanks for sharing that. Could you tell us more about your business next?
We aim to offer the Austin-Round Rock metro area intimate stories that speak to its unique character, nurture local professional theatre, promote empathy, and inspire hope. Through our programming, we transform:
- Our City, by investing in Central Texas artists and creating community and dialogue around their work.
- Our Sector, by consciously reimagining the classical repertoire for a modern, diverse, local audience; and
- Ourselves, by telling transportive stories that rekindle a sense of shared humanity, empathy, and hope.
Here is an overview of the programs we offer:
- Professional plays and musicals: Inspiring performances of plays and chamber musicals that promote empathy and hope.
- Student Previews: Steeply discounted student tickets to every show in our professional season.
- Shows for Young Audiences: Performances tailor-made for elementary to high school students with showings during the day for school groups.
- New Play Commission: Investing in local writers and building community and dialogue around their work.
- Apprenticeship: Mentoring the next generation of arts leaders in partnership with Texas State and Southwestern Universities.
- Classes & Camps: Hands-on curriculum to nurture creativity at every age from early childhood to adulthood.
- Partner Hosting: Providing affordable performance space to theatre, music, dance, improv, and education partners from Round Rock and beyond.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.penfoldtheatre.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/penfoldtheatre/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penfoldtheatre/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoHil1eX5jtg0J065OR5pcQ
Image Credits
There are two of our productions of Romeo & Juliet at the Centennial Plaza Amphitheater taken by Henry Huey. Kimberley Mead took two of our productions of A Miracle on 34th Street Classic Radiocast at the Williamson County Old Settlers Association. The last is from our production of Amadeus, in partnership with the Central Texas Philharmonic, taken by Steve Rogers.
