The Phoenix Theatre Company celebrates its 100th anniversary as Arizona’s oldest arts organization with an enticing 2020 program.
By Douglas Towne | Phoenix Magazine
The Phoenix Theatre Company has thrived for a century thanks in part to its talented ensembles whose creativity knows no bounds. “The battery packs for the mics used in every show are covered with non-lubricated condoms to protect the electronics from sweaty actors,” Cathy Dresbach says. The actress says that during the 2016 run of Twist Your Dickens, the cast made Christmas wreaths out of the remnants as gifts for their stage managers. “Can’t find those on Amazon!”
Such inspired acts are all in a day’s work. This playhouse, after all, helped launch the careers of luminaries as dissimilar as Steven Spielberg and L. Ron Hubbard. But while TPTC is celebrating its centennial season as Arizona’s oldest arts organization, its success was hardly a fait accompli. The theater’s 100 years have been a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs, beginning with its hardscrabble roots in a venue built for animals, not actors.
