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A Short History of Mirror Stage Company

Mirror Stage Company was originally founded as Looking Glass Theatre in Los Angeles, CA in 1991. Managing Artistic Director Suzanne M. Cohen and former Producing Director Mona Al-Haddad met at the University of Southern California, where their work with Professor John Edw. Blankenchip in Los Angeles and Edinburgh, Scotland had a profound influence in shaping their theatre ethic and vision.

LGT's Los Angeles productions include Beyond Therapy by Christopher Durang and Seascape with Sharks and Dancer by Don Nigro. Looking Glass Theatre made the move to Seattle in 1992 and incorporated in the State of Washington in 1993 as nonprofit fringe theatre company using no professional actors.

Looking Glass Theatre's 1994 Seattle Fringe Theatre Festival hit production of the West Coast premiere of Mississippi Nude by John Reaves was hailed as "one of the best the Festival has to offer." The West Coast premiere of Moe's Lucky 7 by Marlane Meyer was produced for the 1996 Seattle Fringe Theatre Festival and a three week extension run at Brown Bag Theater drew small but enthusiastic audiences.

On hiatus, the board of directors decided to dissolve the corporation in 1998, and in 2001, Looking Glass Theatre re-incorporated as a mid-sized professional theatre company, using an Actors Equity Association contract to hire professional actors. In 2002, the company started doing business as Mirror Stage Company. In 2006, the board of directors officially changed the corporate name to Mirror Stage.

Mirror Stage Company has consistently offered excellent programming while providing a vital training ground for local talent. Both audiences and critics have collectively praised the artistry and impact of MSC productions.

In October/November 2002, Mirror Stage Company kicked off its Season of Premieres with the West Coast premiere of The Knee Desires the Dirt by Julie Hébert, followed in February 2003, by the Northwest Premiere of Far East by A.R. Gurney. MSC concluded its Season of Premieres in November 2003 with the Northwest Premiere of Abstract Expression by Theresa Rebeck, named "Best Play of 2003" by Seattle Gay News.

Mirror Stage Company launched Feed Your Mind in May 2004 with the first public reading of Hiding Hannah by Seattle playwright Joy McCullough-Carranza. In FY 04-05, MSC presented eight Feed Your Mind readings at the Richard Hugo House in Seattle, plus one special performance on campus of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma for an audience totaling 129.

In FY 05-06, Mirror Stage Company presented a series of eight Feed Your Mind readings, plus one special performance of The Heidi Chronicles, in honor of the passing of playwright Wendy Wasserstein. The 05-06 Feed Your Mind season also added Sunday matinees on campus of Seattle University. By the end of the season, the 05-06 audience more than tripled the number of attendees of the previous season for a total of 388.

For the 06-07 season, nearly half (47 percent) of the actors hired were people of color, including African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latino/Hispanics, and Native Americans. In addition to its season of six Feed Your Mind readings, Mirror Stage Company presented a special performance for the Puget Sound chapter of the Fulbright Association. For January 2007, MSC partnered with the Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance, presented to more than 1,650 audience members across Seattle.

Reflecting the multitude of ethnicities, heritages, backgrounds, and cultures of our community against the backdrop of universal issues with which we all struggle, Mirror Stage Company challenges assumptions, bias and prejudice, while encouraging more thoughtful reflection. It opens doors to new ways of seeing and thinking— entertaining while it enlightens—in provocative and challenging, yet always accessible ways.