Info

Company of Fools was born out of a belief in the unique rewards that can only be achieved by a permanent company of theatre artists sharing a common artistic point of view, a specific approach to the creative process and a shared attitude toward life. This belief is at the core of Company of Fools' mission and the symbol of this mission is the fool. Company of Fools' notion of the fool comes from a little known essay by the late English painter, Cecil Collins. Collins says, "The Fool is not a philosophy, but a quality of consciousness of life, an endless regard for human identity. The Fool is the essential poetic integrity of life itself, clear and naked, overflowing in cosmic fun; not the product of intellectual achievement, but a creation of the culture of the heart." Company of Fools began in Richmond, Virginia in May 1992 with a series of discussions between then artistic director Rusty Wilson and original company members Vicki Bodin, John Glenn, Denise Simone, Robert Throckmorton and Joel Vilinsky. Rusty initiated these discussions for the purpose of articulating and clarifying his vision of a living theatre vital to the needs of its community. As a result of these talks, Rusty secured a loan, converted his garage into a studio, and on August 23, 1992, the company's training process began. This process was led by Rusty as the company continued to evolve and develop a common working vocabulary and approach to the art and craft of acting. The company's first project, Something Unspoken: Two Evenings of Tennessee Williams One-Acts, presented at Hanover Tavern in Hanover, Virginia; was a huge success, finishing the run with a long waiting list. Next came Williams' The Glass Menagerie, co-produced with Barksdale Theatre. A grant from Partners in the Arts allowed Company of Fools to perform at the Virginia Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities in the summers of 1995 and 1996. The company's final production in Virginia was John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, performed in June 1996. In November 1996, Company of Fools artistic director Rusty Wilson and founding member Denise Simone arrived in the Wood River Valley intent on continuing the company's work. Since 1996, Company of Fools has contributed to the rich cultural life of the Wood River Valley and greater Idaho. Today the Company creates dynamic year round work for the stage while providing arts-in-education programming throughout Idaho. Governor Dirk Kempthorne recently honored Company of Fools as a recipient of the 2004 Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. In December 2000, the Company became the first theatre in Idaho's history to receive Constituent Theatre status from Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for the professional, nonprofit American theatre. Company of Fools' work can be divided into two main areas: performance programming and arts-in-education programming. Community outreach initiatives support both areas of work. From student scholarships and reduced tickets through the Company's Pay What You Can program to corollary programming like Fools Unplugged: An Artist/Audience Encounter, the Company seeks to engage an ever-growing cross section of the communities it serves. In July 2007/ 2008 the Company entered its 12th Anniversary Season in the Wood River Valley.