OUR MISSION
New American Ensemble is a process-driven, actor-focused ensemble theater company. We use rigorous collective investigation to tell stories that overtly contend with the boldest and most dangerous questions of self, community and existential context, in order to reconnect artists and audiences to a vital experience of the human myth.
OUR VISION
As theater became commercialized, the creative process became more about efficiency than discovery. Rehearsal periods were shortened to serve the bottom line, and as a result, the careful workshopping that was once a hallmark of the art form fell largely by the wayside. The truth is, great theater requires time. Rushing the process results in an inferior final result, one that offers little lasting imprint on the audience.
The structure of New American Ensemble is based primarily on the models set forth by world-renowned repertory ensemble theater companies in Europe. While the contemporary American theatrical machine is predicated on celebrity and spectacle, the European ensemble model operates on the belief that the true power of performance does not come from the isolated brilliance of a single actor, but from the total, interwoven strength of an ensemble.
An ensemble process is slow, methodical, and exacting. The work is not rushed or compromised to fit industry demands; rather it is built through trust, repetition, and exploration. In a time when the repertory model is disappearing, when actors are shuffled from project to project without time to root their craft in something deeper, we look to this example as proof that another way is possible.
One of New American Ensemble’s primary inspirations is Lev Dodin, the longtime artistic director of The Maly Drama Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia (the preeminent repertory ensemble theater in existence). In the forward to Maria Shevtsova’s Dodin and the Maly Drama Theatre, one of the only English-language books written about the Maly and their process, acclaimed actor Simon Callow writes:
"Surely somewhere, somehow in the English-speaking world it is possible to truly honour the art of the theatre - to which so much lip-service is paid - by investing in an organisation comparable to the Maly."
We are answering this call to action.
WHY ENSEMBLE?
Performance is, at its heart, a team sport—yet actors in America rarely have an opportunity to develop together over time, deepening their craft as a collective. Ensemble theater, a model as old as the art form itself (and still widespread in Europe), has largely disappeared in the United States. Economic pressures have reduced theater to cash-grab productions geared toward tourists and trends, rather than lasting institutions that serve communities. With this decline comes the loss of a profound artistic depth that once defined the theater experience: a spiritual, communal, personal resonance born only of continuity and collective growth.
Creating a permanent ensemble theater in New York City restores that depth, offering artists a space to commit to their craft for the long term, and audiences a cultural institution rooted in presence, not novelty. Building such a model is no small undertaking. It demands slow cultivation, rigorous development, and the patient assembling of a company truly ready to embody the form. This is the work New American Ensemble is pursuing through a deliberate five-year process, one that builds from first productions and organizational groundwork to the establishment of a permanent, salaried ensemble of actors working in repertory in New York.
OUR VALUES
At New American Ensemble, three pillars guide everything we do: Process, Ensemble, and Performance. Together, they shape how we work, create, and share theater.
Process: Asking Questions
Process is our foundation. Process is not about rushing to answers but about living in curiosity and inquiry—opening every door, taking risks, and allowing the work to grow through authentic investigation. This method challenges risk-averse creativity, strengthens artistic quality, and creates emotionally resonant results.
Ensemble: Building Collective Strength
The heart of our company is the ensemble. It means actors and leaders alike working as a single organism, pushing one another further, and committing to a shared search for truth. This long-term commitment fosters trust and vulnerability, giving the ethos of the company a stable and resilient core.
Performance: Realization in Relationship
Performance is where everything comes together, where the ensemble and the process meet the audience. Each performance is an offering: the stories we build together are made in service to the wider community. Our performances investigate the existential questions that unite us, becoming radical acts of shared vulnerability that spark collective engagement and conversation.
