The Actors’ Gang is an experimental theatre and nonprofit group based at the Ivy Substation in California. It was founded in 1981 by a group of actors, including Tim Robbins, now a member of the board and Artistic Director of the troupe. Speaking to Luis Quintana, via email, the Operations Manager of the Education Department, he enlightens us about this very important nonprofit group which supports the acting community. 

How did the The Actors’ Gang come about?        

Tim Robbins and a bunch of his friends after graduation from UCLA started The Actors’ Gang in 1981. He likes to say a “bunch of crazy punk-rock kids” started it. From the beginning, it was a way to address social issues and inspire change. It was also a tremendous creative vehicle for its members, many of whom went on to great success like Jack Black and John Cusack.

What is your mission statement?

To create new, unconventional, uncompromising plays and dynamic reinterpretations of the classics, to restore the ancient sense of the stage as a shared sacred space, to introduce theater to children and help them find their own creative voices, to bring the freedom of self-expression to the incarcerated.

 

Tim Robbins was one of the founders.  What does he do day to day or overall?           

Tim is still involved in a huge way! He is the Artistic Director at The Actors’ Gang and drives all our creative efforts. He writes plays, directs and performs in some productions. And, he is committed to nurturing new creative voices. He is our not-so-secret weapon. He is a creative genius. In addition to all of the time he spends, for free, as the Artistic Director, he gives us a huge amount of time providing direction and suggestions for education and prison project programming. He is also a tremendous public advocate for criminal justice reform and has testified at the state legislature and Congress. When he’s in town he regularly attends the theater company workshops and performances. And he’s always available to the staff for questions.

In what ways has the HFPA funding helped The Actors’ Gang? 

HFPA has been an amazing partner in this space. TAG-ED programming depends on your foundation and others for support. And during the pandemic, you guys provided us with much needed emergency support which really helped.

Was the industry receptive to your mission when the company started?

That was a long time ago – in fact, TAG is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year. None of the vanguard members were successful yet at that time and I’m not sure if they were taken seriously back then, but I can tell you that today, TAG is very much respected in the industry for its productions and programming.

What were the unexpected obstacles? Unexpected joys in getting it started? 

I think funding is always an obstacle in theater and non-profit programming. And I’m sure that was the case even back in 1981. The unexpected joys come when we see the end result – that our productions are inspiring people to activism and our programming is having a real-world impact in people’s day-to-day lives.  

What is your role?

I have a few here. In addition to being an actor and Teaching Artist, I’m also the Operations Manager of our Education Department.  I maintain and develop positive relationships with the numerous schools we work in. My goal is to have The Actors’ Gang visit as many schools and reach as many students as possible in Los Angeles County.

What does the Education Department do?

The Actors’ Gang Education Department (TAG-ED) provides in-school, after-school, weekend classes and summer camps to more than 2,500 kids in the greater Los Angeles area every year. All TAG programming is based on the 16th century Italian art form, Commedia dell’Arte. We have adopted elements of this art form and have called it “The Style.” Students receive the same training as the professional Actors’ Gang Theater Company. Emotional states (happy, sad, afraid and angry) are explored through Commedia characters in an improvisational form. This highly stylized, emotional and physical work requires focus, expressive use of the voice and body, cooperation among ensemble members and direct eye contact with the audience. The kids think they are just having fun – and they are – but they are also learning important social-emotional skills that will help them succeed at school and get along better with their families at home. The workshops help some kids work through trauma. In fact, the administrators of Malibu Elementary School requested programming to assist them in working through students’ reactions to the traumatic events of the Woolsey Fire.

 

Do you help mentor the students who have gone through the course?     

Some of our students keep in touch with us and that gives us an opportunity to see where they end up. Many of the staff at TAG are also part of the Theater Company and have a creative life in addition to the daily work life, so we will try to help current and former students however we can…reading a play they have written, helping them craft a resume for work, writing letters of recommendation for school or a job. We help however we can. We have even included some of our students to perform with us in our Shakespeare in the Park series that occur every summer with free performances every weekend during the month of August.

How has The Actors’ Gang evolved since when you started?     

Mostly, I’ve been a witness to how The Actors’ Gang Education Department has expanded. Back when I started, we used to host 2 after school programs and 1 tuition-based program on Saturdays per semester. Additionally, we would go to 3-4 schools within LA County. Now, we have been going to over 20 schools per semester and we continue to expand, always adding new and current schools to our roster. We continue to travel to all areas of Los Angeles, from Malibu to Whittier and more.

How did The Actors’ Gang operate during the pandemic?

TAG was very fortunate to have a board and management team who made sure we had an emergency reserve in place. We used that emergency fund the first few months of the pandemic to keep everyone working until we were able to receive government grants and loans. Not one person was furloughed during that time which was remarkable. TAG-ED was one of the first to pivot to a virtual platform and we began offering programming online within days of schools closing. Our theater company created a digital stage and began offering online productions like Hot Chocolate Holiday Club and We Live On. TAG is full of committed, creative artists, so we got into action immediately.

How do you operate on a daily basis?

TAG has 16 full-time staff employees, three part-time staff, and a theater company of 40-50 people. Most of the staff has been involved with TAG in some capacity for multiple years so there is a commitment, dedication and family-like affection among the team. We continue to work remotely or on a hybrid schedule of remote and in-office work. We have weekly staff meetings and communication between departments and team members is ongoing. We really like and respect each other. It’s truly rewarding to know that we are all working towards the same goal which is to keep our theater doors open for all.

What would you like people to know about The Actors’ Gang?    

The first thing is that we are so grateful and appreciate every person who comes to a show or makes a donation of any amount. We see you and we couldn’t exist without you. Then, I would like people to know how hard this team works to change the narrative for kids and justice-involved people on a daily basis. This work comes from the heart and requires a daily emotional commitment. And of course, we want to entertain you and hopefully inspire you.