Ensemble Studio Theatre builds plays from the ground up, and for artistic director William Carden, the process鈥攖he readings, the workshops, the rehearsals鈥攊s just as important, if not more so, than the final production.
鈥淚鈥檓 passionate about what you do to make a play work. There鈥檚 a process that involves how you work on a play that is really the heart of what we do,鈥� says Carden, who has been at the helm for ten years. A key part of that process involves nurturing playwrights at the earliest stages of their careers, which the theatre does through Youngblood, a collective of emerging professional playwrights under the age of 30. The program is designed to take the pressure off young playwrights by allowing them the space to grow. Notable alumni include Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Baker (The Flick), Drama Desk nominee Clare Barron (You Got Older), Tony nominee Robert Askins (Hand to God), and Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Herzog (4000 Miles). 鈥淵ou write to find your voice and to challenge yourself,鈥� says Carden. 鈥淵ou write to become the writer you want to be.鈥�
The group鈥檚 members are not only encouraged and guided through the writing process, they find a long-lasting community in their peers and collaborators, as well as further opportunities via EST鈥檚 other developmental initiatives. Because EST only produces the plays that have come through the theatre in some capacity, Carden says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 like farm-to-table: We鈥檝e grown all the ingredients.鈥�
EST invests in its artists and their creative lives long-term. Each production is just as much about the artists as it is about the play itself. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how you grow, from seeing your play in front of an audience,鈥� says Carden. 鈥淚f we can provide her or him with this opportunity, they will be a different artist.鈥�
Part of the theatre鈥檚 mission in helping its artists come of age is by also allowing them to take risks that may not be possible elsewhere. With a 74-seat capacity, the majority of the theatre鈥檚 budget is funded. It鈥檚 a structure that allows Carden to tell a young playwright like Sylvia Khoury, whose play Against the Hillside he directed on EST鈥檚 mainstage earlier this season, that, yes, it is possible to change the ending midway through rehearsals. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we produce at this level,鈥� he says.
Part of Carden鈥檚 job, in preserving the company鈥檚 50-year legacy, is ensuring that EST remains dedicated to the creative process. It also happens to be what Carden cares about most. As he says, 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e working on plays, you鈥檙e living in a state of discovery.鈥�
