What is No Exit Theatre Collective?

No Exit is an artist-led theatre collective founded in response to the COVID-19 pandemic helmed by artistic directors Ben Natan and Zeynep Akca. 

We provide a (digital) space for young theatre professionals to experiment and continue working. Each show, we test the bounds of Zoom theatre. We are constantly asking how we can deliver our art in this different medium, through our live-streams of public domain plays and the development of new works. 

Social justice is at the core of the work we do. We are committed to gender- and color-conscious casting and staffing. After the murder of George Floyd, we thought it was important and necessary to actively support activist organizations. Every show week, 20 percent of what we accumulate in our “tip jar” will go to an activist organization, selected by the creative team of that show.

For more information and live streams, see our Facebook page.

What’s the difference between a theatre collective and a theatre company?

“Collective” isn’t just an alternative way to say “company.” It reflects a core value in our creative process: democracy in collaboration.

It’s important that we create a democratized space, where all artists involved feel empowered to collaborate equally. The word “collective” is extremely important to us. We believe that having artists on equal footing is the best way to make the best art. We try to reduce or eliminate hierarchies in our creative processes by insisting that everyone: actor, director, tech person and anyone else working behind the scenes, has equal space to give input on a production.

When working with classical theatre, telling these age-old stories in a new way is an exciting challenge we face with every reading. Giving artists free rein to explore the text and bring their own interpretations to the rehearsal room gives each one of these readings a one-of-a-kind feel. 

What kinds of shows does No Exit do?

Our main fixture, where we all started, is the Fortnightly Reading Series. The turnaround for these shows is a week from casting, to rehearsing, to our live-streaming, which happens on our Facebook page. 

We are also working on fully-produced shows. These shows will have longer rehearsal schedules. We can’t wait to officially announce these productions, so keep an eye out and subscribe to this Substack!

How can I support No Exit?

Our virtual tip jar is where you can support our work. Each show week, 20 percent of tips go toward an activist organization selected by the creative team. The remainder of that money is equally split among the artists involved in the production.

On off-weeks, the funds from this tip jar go towards supporting the collective — buying rights to shows, upgrading our streaming capabilities, and expanding our team. Any funds that remain roll over to the following week’s performance. Our tip jar is on Venmo, @NoExit-TC.

What’s a Substack?

This is how we’ll be delivering rolling updates. You can receive our updates as emails, or read through an archive of our posts.

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No Exit Theatre Collective is a community-oriented artist collective and multimedia performance arts platform that functions as an innovative playground for radical thought, practice, and exploration.