The Civilians (2009)

Operating since 2001 on a project-to-project basis, never sure whether the company would be able to secure the resources to produce any of its various works in development, The Civilians found themselves thrust into the national theater spotlight in 2009. Audiences, the press, arts funders, and professionals from the theater field had begun to recognize The Civilians as a company to watch, and seemed eager for more. The next logical step appeared to be professionalization: setting the company on the path toward establishing a consistent season of programming, rather than working on a project-to-project basis. But how was this small company going to sustain that level of operation, given its shoestring budget, two full-time staff members, and lack of a theater space to call its own, all on the tails of an economic recession? Perhaps the current production model, though limiting in scope, offered a flexibility that was well-suited to the company’s needs? Simultaneously, The Civilians’ le