Merrimack Repertory Theatre


Merrimack Repertory Theatre is a non-profit professional theatre located in Lowell, Massachusetts, USA. Known for its productions of contemporary work and world premieres, the company presents a September - May season of seven plays at the Nancy L. Donahue Theatre in the historic Liberty Hall, a 279-seat theatre located adjacent to the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. MRT is the only professional theatre company in the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and one of three League of Resident Theatres members in Massachusetts.
MRT operates under the leadership of its artistic director Sean Daniels.

History

Merrimack Repertory Theatre was co-founded in 1979 by Barabara Abrahamian, John Briggs and Mark Kaufman, who had met while working at a New Hampshire summer stock theatre. They conceived the idea of a professional non-profit theatre company in Lowell and formed the Committee for Legitimate Theatre in Lowell.
The company was incorporated as Merrimack Regional Theatre on February 1, 1979. MRT's first venue was Mahoney Hall at the University of Lowell. Its first production, The Passion of Dracula,opened on October 23, 1979. Nancy Donahue assumed presidency of the company. Kaufman and Briggs were the theatre's first producing artistic directors.
Dan Schay was hired as producing artistic director in 1982 and, in 1983, the company moved to its current location at Liberty Hall, changing its name to Merrimack Repertory Theatre. Schay produced MRT's first world premiere in 1987, and has been succeeded by David Kent, Charles Towers and Sean Daniels.
In 2012, the theatre underwent an extensive $750,000 renovation. Improvements included wider seats with more legroom, a refurbished theatre lobby and concession area, and a larger, more accessible box office. The theatre was named in honor of founder Donahue.
NameYears Served
Mark Kaufman & John R. Briggs1979-1982
Dan Schay1982-1989
David Kent1989-2001
Charles Towers2001-2015
Sean Daniels2015–present

NameYears Served
Tom Parrish2005-2011
Steven Leon2011-2013
Elizabeth Kegley2013–2017

Notable productions

2006-07 season
2007-08 season
2008-09 season
2009-10 season
2010-11 season
  • The Complete World of Sports by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, directed by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor
  • Four Places by Joel Drake Johnson, directed by Charles Towers
  • Beasley's Christmas Party by C.W. Munger, directed by Carl Forsman
  • Tryst by Karoline Leach, directed by Joe Brancato
  • The Exceptionals by Bob Clyman, directed by Charles Towers
  • Two Jews Walk Into a War... by Seth Rozin, directed by Melia Bensussen
  • A Picasso by Jeffrey Hatcher, directed by Charles Towers
2011-12 season
  • The Persian Quarter by Kathleen Cahill, directed by Kyle Fabel
  • This Verse Business by A.M. Dolan, directed by Gus Kaikkonen
  • The Ultimate Christmas Show by Reed Martin & Austin Tichenor, directed by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor
  • The Voice of the Turtle by John Van Druten, directed by Carl Forsman
  • Daddy Long Legs by Paul Gordon & John Caird, directed by John Caird
  • Mrs. Whitney by John Kolvenbach, directed by Kyle Fabel
  • Ghost-Writer by Michael Hollinger, directed by John Kolvenbach
2012-13 season
2013-14 season
2014-15 season
2015-16 season
2016-17 season
MRT’S 38th season focused on local stories, with three of the seven productions on New England themes. The seven plays were:
In 2015, Merrimack Repertory Theatre launched the Patriot Program, an artist residency program conceived by Artistic Director Sean Daniels. The MRT Patriots are a group of 69 theatre artists and professionals, from across the country, with access to short-term residencies at MRT throughout the year. The MRT Patriots use MRT resources and housing while developing new work for the stage.

Education and community engagement

MRT offers student matinees. Many of these groups are eligible for grant funding through the Partners in Education program.
MRT has offered a summer youth theatre program called Young Company since 1997. Young Company was suspended for summer 2015, but was set to resume in July 2016 and to focus on participant-generated work. The program was to extend beyond the summer, with year-long student participation in workshops and open rehearsals at MRT.
In 2015, MRT launched the Cohort Club, an audience engagement program modeled after a similar initiative at Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, New York. The Cohort Club is composed of community members who are given access to a show's entire rehearsal and production process, and are then asked to write about their experiences in a format of their choice.
Other programs include post-show discussions and open-invite receptions before and after select performances.

Selected awards