The Raleigh Ensemble Players Theatre Company (REP) is the brainchild of Tom Dawson and Roy Dicks.  Established in 1982 as a summer community theatre, REP was created in order to expose area audiences to contemporary, cutting-edge works.  The vision and passion of REP’s founders enabled the company to blossom from a gypsy troupe of volunteers into an emerging-professional company with a permanent home in Artspace, garnering along the way the praise and admiration of critics and audiences alike.

Today, the “granddaddy of alternative theatre in the Triangle” is a professional company employing local and regional artists, both equity and non-equity.  REP continues to embrace the charge of its founders, providing the adventurous patron with powerful, penetrating, and provocative theatrical experiences.  Additionally, REP is committed to growing its educational and outreach arms, providing all artists, as well as underserved populations, with a means to continually explore, develop, and nurture their talents and gifts.

We believe that our company’s professional leadership is essential to the continued growth, development, and ultimately, success of REP.  It is the responsibility of these individuals to guide us on our collective journey.  Representing both general and specific areas of the theatrical and performative spectrum, our guides set the example for all involved with the company, possessing strong communication and people skills, an inspired need to express themselves through collaboration with others, and an unrelenting passion for the work.

While the collaborative fire depends upon the commitment and diligence of each member of the company’s professional leadership, that fire’s fuel must be provided by the Artistic Director.  The Artistic Director is the heart and soul of the company, setting its tempo-rhythm as well as defining its work and its direction. 

At the center of all we do as a company is the ensemble ethic.  We are a group of individuals—representing diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives—who choose to work together as one toward a common goal: the highest quality theatrical experience possible for both audience and artist.  We believe that in order to maintain and grow this center, all involved must employ appropriate levels of discipline, commitment, trust, and respect not only for self, but also for the abilities, viewpoints, and time of others.  This is not negotiable.  Additionally, we believe that it is imperative that all members of the ensemble actively contribute toward the ensemble’s goal/s in a positive, professional, and proactive manner.  Honesty and openness are expected, as well as an understanding that there will be times when we disagree…and there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as we work together to find a common denominator, a place where all are comfortable.

Ultimately, the work of REP will reshape and redefine the local and regional theatre landscape, inciting both artists and audience to rethink what theatre is...what theatre can be. Our united efforts will create a forum for the continual exploration of challenging and diverse ideas, subject matter, and opinions, while engaging the broadest audience possible and encouraging all involved to invest emotionally, physically, and financially in the further development of REP, its process, and the the theatre experience.