Mission

The mission of City Theater Company is to create a body of work for the stage that is consistently high-quality, provocative and new; a body of work that takes risks and breaks barriers in order to engage new theater audiences in an exciting exchange of ideas, images and energies.

Vision

City Theater Company’s artistic vision is to evolve into a Delaware-based professional theater company recognized nationally as a premiere producer of exciting works for the stage, and as a major voice in the direction American theater should take in the 21st Century.

Artistic Mission

City Theater Company is committed to ridding the planet of complacency, redundancy, indifference and fear — therefore clearing the way for fun, electricity, cool art, and some major chutzpah. We seek out what makes us most afraid and then attack it with an odd, supernatural fury. We breathe in and out in time with our audience, and the resulting electrical charge produces theatrical shock waves that demand attention. The folks here believe that theater should be filled with big energy, big ideas, big fun, and other big stuff we haven’t even thought of yet. Meanwhile, we burn bridges and bite bullets. We pound the pavement, shoot the moon, damn the torpedoes, and laugh ’til it hurts. We do stuff that rocks, and we have one hell of a time!

CTC is indebted to everyone who has ever been a part of what we do. And from onstage to offstage, the following folks merit some especial props for keeping Delaware’s Off-Broadway alive and kicking.

Our People

Producing Artistic Director
Michael Gray

Board of Directors
Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald President
Frank S. Stransky, Financial Advisor
Boyd Holmes, Secretary
Charles “Ebbie” Alfree
Damon Betz
Chip Cappelli         
Stephanie L. Duncan
Michael Gray
Jeff Robleto
Connie Stenger-Fairer

CTC Guy
Jim Burns

CTC Girl
Kerry Kristine McElrone

CTC Barker
Todd Holtsberry

Delaware Safe Dating Theater Project Coordinator
George Tietze

Community Series Coordinator
Georgiana Staley

House Manager
Crissy Montgomery

Chief Lobby Volunteers
Julie Snow Regan, Kevin Regan, Connie Georgov

Video Guys
Kevin Regan & Joel Rickenbach

Website Design
Greg Robleto

Founding Artistic Directors
Jon Cooper, Michael Gray, Tom Shade

Our History

1993-1994

• THREE SHORT PLAYS: 73 MINUTES OF UNCERTAIN BEHAVIOR: Sure Thing, by David Ives, Springtime, by Maria Irene Fornes, Waiting for McDougal, by Mickey Kaus (O’Friel’s Irish Pub, 600 Delaware Avenue)

1994-1995

• LAUGHING WILD, by Christopher Durang (O’Friel’s Irish Pub)
• GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA (GOOD MORNING JULIET), by Ann-Marie MacDonald (OperaDelaware Studios)
• MORE SHORT PLAYS (O’Friel’s Irish Pub)
• FAT MEN IN SKIRTS, by Nicky Silver (OperaDelaware Studios)

1995-1996

• FOUR DOGS AND A BONE, by John Patrick Shanley (Delaware Premiere) (OperaDelaware Studios)
• BABY WITH THE BATHWATER, by Christopher Durang (OperaDelaware Studios)
• GODSPELL, by Stephen Schwartz (OperaDelaware Studios)
• THE FIRST ANNUAL DELAWARE 10-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL (OperaDelaware Studios)

1996-1997

• COMPANY, Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by George Furth (OperaDelaware Studios)
• THREE (More Short Plays) (O’Friel’s Irish Pub)
• RAISED IN CAPTIVITY, by Nicky Silver (OperaDelaware Studios)
• THE 2ND ANNUAL DELAWARE 10-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL (OperaDelaware Studios)

1997-1998

• THE MARRIAGE OF BETTE AND BOO, by Christopher Durang (Delaware Premiere) (OperaDelaware Studios)
• PUB PLAYS IV (O’Friel’s Irish Pub)
• ASSASSINS, by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman (OperaDelaware Studios)
• THE 3RD ANNUAL DELAWARE 10-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL (Loading Dock Stage, Grand Opera House)

1998-1999

• OUT OF THE RAIN, by Michael Ching and Hugh Moffatt (WORLD PREMIERE, Collaboration with OperaDelaware) (OperaDelaware Studios)
• THE FOOD CHAIN, by Nicky Silver (Delaware Premiere) (OperaDelaware Studios)
• THE BIG SLAM, by Bill Corbett (Delaware Premiere) (OperaDelaware Studios)
• THE 4TH ANNUAL DELAWARE 10-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL (Loading Dock Stage, Grand Opera House)
• BLOOD,SWEAT and CANNIBALISM: City Theater Company celebrates the first five years. (OperaDelaware Studios)

1999-2000

• FREEDOMLAND, by Amy Freed (Delaware Premiere) (OperaDelaware Studios)
• ANGELS IN AMERICA, PART I: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES, by Tony Kushner (Delaware Premiere) (OperaDelaware Studios)
• PUB PLAYS V (O’Friel’s Irish Pub)
• HELLO AGAIN, by Michael John LaChiusa (Delaware Premiere) (OperaDelaware Studios)
• THE FIFTH ANNUAL DELAWARE 10-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL (Loading Dock Stage, Grand Opera House)

2000-2001

• GOODNIGHT DESDEMONA (GOOD MORNING JULIET), by Ann-Marie MacDonald (The Baby Grand Theatre)
• SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM, Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (The Baby Grand Theatre)
• PUB PLAYS VI (O’Friel’s Irish Pub)
• NEVERLAND, by Jon Dorf (WORLD PREMIERE) (The Baby Grand Theatre)
• THE 6TH ANNUAL DELAWARE 10-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL (The Baby Grand Theatre)

2001-2002

• THE 8 GREATEST PLAYS OF ALL TIME!! (The Best of the Delaware 10-Minute Play Festival) (The Baby Grand Theatre)
• DIRIGIBLE, by Dan Dietz (East Coast Premiere) (The Baby Grand Theatre)
• THE FANTASTICKS, by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones (The Baby Grand Theatre)
• THE 7TH ANNUAL DELAWARE 10-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL (The Baby Grand Theatre)

2002-2003

• THE 8 GREATEST PLAYS OF ALL TIME!! (DANCE REMIX) (The Best of the 2002 Delaware 10-Minute Play Festival) (The Baby Grand Theatre)
• MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by George Furth (The Baby Grand Theatre)
• THE SANTALAND DIARIES, by David Sedaris THE 1ST ANNUAL CTC HOLIDAY CABARET (The Baby Grand Theatre)
• THE COMPLEAT WORKS OF WLLM SHKSPR (ABRIDGED), by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield (The Baby Grand Theatre)
• INTO THE WOODS, by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine (The Baby Grand Theatre)
• THE 8TH ANNUAL DELAWARE 10-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL (The Baby Grand Theatre)

2003-2004

• HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask (The Baby Grand Theater)
• THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF AMERICA (ABRIDGED) DELAWARE PREMIERE! by Adam Long, Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor (The Baby Grand Theater)
• LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (The Baby Grand Theater)
• “LOUDER! FASTER! FUNNIER! CITY THEATER CELEBRATES THE FIRST 10 YEARS” (The Baby Grand Theater)

2004-2005

• BAT BOY – THE MUSICAL Book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, Music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe (The Baby Grand Theater)
• THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES by Eve Ensler (The Baby Grand Theater)
• A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM By William Shakespeare (The Baby Grand Theater)
• COMPANY Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by George Furth (The Baby Grand Theater)
• THE 10TH ANNUAL DELAWARE 10-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL (The Baby Grand Theater)

2005-2006

• THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW Book, music and lyrics by Richard O’Brien (The Baby Grand Theater)
• PETER PAN by J.M. Barrie, in a new version by Trevor Nunn and John Caird (The Baby Grand Theater)
• THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES, by Eve Ensler (The Baby Grand Theater)
• LOVE’S FIRE Eric Bogosian, John Guare, Tony Kushner, Marsha Norman, and Wendy Wasserstein Original music by William Finn and Adam Guettel (The Baby Grand Theater)
• AS THOUSANDS CHEER Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin Sketches by Moss Hart (The Baby Grand Theater)

2006-2007

• MRS. BOB CRATCHIT’S WILD CHRISTMAS BINGE by Christopher Durang (The Baby Grand Theater)
• TWELFTH NIGHT; or, WHAT YOU WILL by William Shakespeare. (The Baby Grand Theater)
• ALICE IN WONDERLAND by Lewis Carroll in a version by The Manhattan Theater Project (The Baby Grand Theater)

2007-2008

• THE SEX PLAYS (OperaDelaware Studios)
• HAIR Book and Lyrics by Gerome Ragni James Rado Music by Galt McDermot (OperaDelaware Studios)
• GOLDILOCKS and A HILL OF MAGIC BEANS by Matt Casarino Part of the CTC Community Series (OperaDelaware Studios)
• HOMELAND SECURITY by Drury Pifer (WORLD PREMIERE) (OperaDelaware Studios)

2008-2009

• PROM NIGHT! 2008 BENEFIT SHOW & CARNIVALE (OperaDelaware Studios)
• CABARET Book by Joe Masteroff Based on a play by John Van Druten & stories by Christopher Isherwood Music by John Kander Lyrics by Fred Ebb (OperaDelaware Studios)
• CASARINO ROYALE by Matt Casarino Part of the CTC Community Series (OperaDelaware Studios)
• THE BEARD OF AVON by Amy Freed (AREA PREMIERE) (OperaDelaware Studios)

2009-2010

• PROM NIGHT! 2009 BENEFIT SHOW & CARNIVALE (Delaware Center for Contemporary Art)
• SWEENEY TODD Book by Hugh Wheeler Based on a version by Christopher Bond Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (OperaDelaware Studios)
• BY GEORGE! by George Tietze Part of the CTC Community Series (OperaDelaware Studios)
• FALSETTOS Book by William Finn and James Lapine Music and lyrics by William Finn (OperaDelaware Studios)