When we began we didn’t know our work would take us this far, being voted “Best Theatre” by Albuquerque the Magazine every year since our inception (5 years in a row!). What an honor.
Duke City Repertory Theatre began as a shared idea between two friends working at The Barter Theatre in Abingdon, VA. Original co-founders, Amelia Ampuero and Kristi Wiley, wanted to create a theatre company where the focus was on the work and growth of artists (not “spectacle” or “flash”), where artists could earn a living wage, and where the work being done would reach the individual rather than simply entertain an audience. Ampuero envisioned a theatre where the art being created had the very real potential to save the world, bringing communities together over a shared experience and serving a city that had a real need for professional, brave theatre.
While several small cities were considered, the pull of Ampuero’s hometown, Albuquerque, NM, was too strong to ignore: the beautiful scenery, the long history of the arts embedded in local culture, the thriving community theatre scene paired with the relative lack of professional theatre… all this and more made Albuquerque the obvious choice.
In October of 2007, Ampuero permanently relocated to Albuquerque, later joined by Wiley and fellow founding member and Barter Theatre alum, Frank Green. Along the way, the founders encountered artists and professionals from all walks of life who were inspired by DCRT’s mission “to serve the audience,” who offered their work and services to the young company (logo design, 501c3 application, corporate sponsors, directors, designers, and more). We are and always will be grateful to those dedicated supporters who did so much for us in those first two years.
Duke City Repertory Theatre was officially granted 501(c)3 status in August of 2009. The inaugural season consisted of five shows performed at The Filling Station, a refurbished service station from the heyday of Route 66: Trust by Steven Dietz, Oleanna by David Mamet, Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol by Tom Mula, Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, and The Last 5 Years by Jason Robert Brown.
By the end of the first season our small company was ready to grow. We began to explore the kind of art we wanted to create for the city of Albuquerque, and continued to cultivate local artists while working with the best theatre professionals we could find from around the country.
The next three seasons offered us opportunities to work with emerging playwrights (Georgina Hernandez Escobar, Ash Tree), classical theatre (Oedipus, A Christmas Carol) and everything in between. POE, written and directed by John Hardy, a DCRT favorite and company mentor, would be our last production at the beloved Filling Station. The eclectic space provided many challenges for our young company that made us better artists in our service to the community. In May of 2013, Duke City Repertory Theatre moved into The Cell Theatre in the heart of downtown Albuquerque.
Since then, our company has expanded in several key areas:
Artistic Company: We’ve gained six new company members, including Katie Becker Colón (Director of Education), Ezra Colón (Production Manager), Alicia Webb (Resident Stage Manager), Josh Heard (Director of Development), Ashley Daniels (Director of Marketing), and Chesapeake Dalrymple (Resident Set and Lighting Designer).
Education: We’ve launched a host of new education programs – Classrooms Alive!, an educational tour that brings professional, curriculum-based theatre to schools across Albuquerque and beyond; Imagine Action Conservatory, a two-week summer program teaching New Mexico’s youth “Life Skills Through Stage Skills”; and The Art and Craft of Acting, an adult education program for business professionals and theatre artists alike.
Artistic Partnerships: We’ve partnered with other outstanding organizations like Sol Acting Academy, Blackout Theatre Company, Tricklock Theatre, Farm and Table, The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, and Yelp.
Audience Engagement: We’ve introduced the DCRT Dialogue post-show discussions – a platform where our patrons can safely discuss the work they see and begin to grow their own artistic vocabularies.
Community Outreach: We’ve expanded our service capacity by partnering with local non-profits like Road Runner Food Bank, Enlace Communitario, SAFE House New Mexico, Henderson House, and Cuidando los Niños, using our performances as platforms to host donation drives and raise awareness of these important service organizations.
As we move in to the future, Duke City Repertory Theatre continues to look for new ways to engage our audiences and create better art for the city of Albuquerque through the creation of innovative programming and productions. That’s why we’re challenging ourselves to “Think Outside the Box” this season, taking a huge risk by leaving an established theatre home (The Cell Theatre) and moving our productions into found spaces (non-theatre) across the city in an effort to bring theatre to more people and challenge the way we approach our art.
DCRT is deeply committed to serving the audiences of this city, state, and region and we look forward to the honor of doing so for many years to come. We’re on an adventure! Won’t you join us?
Past seasons:
Season 6 (2015-2016)
Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman
The Nutcracker by ETA Hoffman, adapted by Phillip Klapperich and Jake Minton
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, adapted by Dr. John Hardy
The Drunken City by Adam Bock
Season 5 (2014-2015)
The Drowning Girls by Beth Graham, Charlie Tomlinson, Daniela Vlaskalic
All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth by Catherine Bush
Animal Farm by George Orwell, adapted by Nelson Bond
The 39 Steps by John Buchan, adapted by Patrick Barlow
Season 4 (2013-2014)
Gaslight by Patrick Hamilton
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, adapted by John Hardy
These Shining Lives by Melanie March
Season 3 (2012-2013)
Ash Tree by Georgina Hernandez Escobar
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, adapted by John Hardy
Poe by John Hardy
Five Women Wearing The Same Dress by Alan Ball
Season 2 (2011-2012)
reasons to be pretty by Neil LaBute
Wooden Snowflakes by Catherine Bush
Oedipus The King by Sophocles, adapted by John Hardy
Phoenix by Scott Organ
Season 1 (2010-2011)
Trust by Steven Dietz
Oleanna by David Mamet
Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol by Tom Mula
Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare, adapted by John Hardy
The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown