Shadowland Theatre History

History of Shadowland

Shadowland Theatre was founded as an outgrowth of Cooperative Artists, a collective of 35 theatre artists working together in New York City in the early to mid-1980s. The members of Cooperative Artists led by Ron Marquette moved en masse to Ellenville in 1984-85 when the vacant, art-deco Shadowland Theatre building was made available to the group as a home base. After two seasons under the banner of Cooperative Artists, the company was restructured and incorporated as a non-profit theatre company governed by an elected community Board of Directors.

A decade of growth in budget and audience followed, with corresponding steady improvements to the building. Throughout this period, in a typical season, the company produced from 4 to 6 mainstage productions, as well as frequent educational productions for the schools.

In 1995, under new artistic director Bill Lelbach, the company moved to an Equity contract. In 2002, William V. Morris joined Shadowland as the Producing Artistic Director. Brendan Burke became the new artistic director in 2004.

During the past decade, Shadowland has become the dominant theatre in the region. Shadowland’s five-play season ranges from seldom produced classics (Of Mice and Men, Hedda Gabler) to provocative contemporary work (Keely & Du, Taking Sides) to popular comedies (Noises Off, The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr-Abridged, The Mystery of Irma Vep) to new works and premieres (Veronica’s Position, Bluff). Despite its relatively small budget, Shadowland is renowned for its high-quality, technically inventive productions, typically featuring talent seen in films, on and off-Broadway and in major regional theatres from across the nation.

Thank You
Celebrating 24 Years of distinctive, professional theatre!
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our friends, patrons and supporters who have been so loyal and so giving. To ensure the continued success and growth of Shadowland we need your continued support. Attend a performance. Come to a show with a friend. Purchase a subscription. Better yet, become a donor level subscriber.

Twenty-four years, and counting — it's a great time to be in Ellenville!