Who We Are
Our Mission
Strawdog’s Mission is to enrich the lives of our community, our audiences, and our artists with dynamic, intimate theatre experiences; crafted through compassion, inclusivity and ingenuity.
Our Vision
Theatre cannot exist without people coming together to build it. That is why at Strawdog Theatre Company we prioritize people when it comes to making art. From our company members to our guests artists and audiences, we invest in the well being and enrichment of our community.
Strawdog uses five values at the core of our decision making: Community, Ensemble, Challenge, Genuine Connection and Equity. With these five tools we aim to build inclusive and creative environments, bring people together with compassion, explore challenging stories and story telling techniques, foster collaboration through ensemble work and bring to life the relevant complexities and wonders of human nature.
We believe the benefits that come from experiencing live theatre shouldn’t be limited to a small few, and so Strawdog is committed to providing admission-free programming and expanding accessibility to all of our productions.
We aim to do our small part in building a world where people come first.
Our History
Strawdog Theatre Company was ignited in 1988 Chicago by Lawrence Novikoff and Paul Engelhardt as a small ensemble based storefront theatre. Since then, Strawdog has grown to an ensemble of nearly 30 directors, designers, actors and theatre-makers committed to elevating the arena of ensemble based theatre.
We have garnered numerous nominations and Non-Equity Jeff Awards. In 2018 we celebrated our company’s anniversary with a Special Jeff Award for 30 years of Collaboration as an Innovative and Provocative Ensemble.
Our stories are not only daring, dynamic and intimate, they are also free to the public. Our audiences enjoy our raucous, off-beat, late-night events and our MainStage shows where we produce challenging new plays, re-invent classics and defy expectations of genre and style to create impressive, all-encompassing design.
We call ourselves Strawdog because like the people who built and burnt the straw dogs used in ancient ceremonies, we take the utmost care in elaborately crafting all the intricate and valuable elements that make up a theatre experience. We offer up each performance like straw dogs to the fire so that it can be consumed in a blaze of glory. That is why it is so important to make theatre with purpose that serves our community and fulfills us. Because live theatre is fleeting. It only exists for a short time; when we are all gathered together around the warmth of its glow.
Our Free Theatre Model
Guided by our core values of Community, Ensemble, Challenge, Genuine Connection, and Equity, Strawdog adopted a Free Theater Model in 2021 to expand access to our productions. This initiative has allowed us to better serve longtime patrons, welcome new audiences, and increase accessibility within the Chicago theater community.
However, rising production costs and a decline in grants and donations have made it unsustainable for us to maintain a fully free theater model. While we can no longer offer completely free admission to all performances, we remain deeply committed to accessibility. For every Strawdog production, we reserve a portion of tickets at either free or low-cost rates to ensure our shows remain available to as many people as possible.
We rely on the generosity of our patrons to help sustain this commitment. Recurring contributions, no matter the size, make a meaningful difference in covering our operational and artistic expenses. By donating, you help us keep theater accessible and ensure the continuation of the community-centered programming you value.
Our Supporters
Strawdog Theatre Company is supported in part by The MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Illinois Arts Council Agency, The Small Business Association, The Cliff Dwellers Arts Foundation and The Saints Grant Commission.
Strawdog was awarded a weekend retreat through the League of Chicago Theatres at the Bright Angel Retreat in Union Pier, Michigan. For more information on arranging a retreat for your company at Bright Angel, please visit www.brightangelretreat.com.
Click Here to get a full list of our supporters.