Hello World! We're the Network Effects Theater Company

At a time when many theater companies are closing and shrinking, here's 6 reasons why we decided to take the leap with a new one...

1. Ipsheeta and Mike aren’t from theatre. Ipsheeta is from tech and Mike is from advertising. They’ve done fairly well making not-theater. Well enough to convince themselves … maybe we can be good at theatremaking, too.

   

   We really like nature.

2. While we’re on the subject, the word “theatre” kind of irritates them. What is that? British? Just be yourself, theater. There’s no reason for the pretense.
   Stop holding people at arm’s length. Especially now, when people have 28 kinds of Netflix to choose from. We’re going to call ourselves “theater.”

3. Since the first tech boom of the 1990’s more stage productions in our beloved Bay Area have explored 15th Century Danish courts than explored the effects of our very own, homegrown digital revolution. This was our complaint until we realized it was our opportunity: Network Effects Theater Company was founded to explore the effects of the network.

4. On the topic of technology, it’s amazing how the same thing that radically and intimately changes our lives can make us numb to its effects. This is why on-stage and off-screen is the perfect place to rethink that phone in your pocket, Nextdoor post about your neighbor, dating app used by your daughter and much, much more. That’s how we found our motto: Make Passive Impossible.

5. Why theater? It’s fun. Fun to talk about. Fun to make. Fun to write. It's also very complex, requires a ton of human capital and ingenuity, and is not done in a silo. Theater is about collaboration with a community––defiantly off-screen, human and IRL. That’s still worth pursuing for us, and we hope it is for you, too. 

6. Speaking of which…we’ll be sharing opportunities to join us In Real Life via this newsletter. So tell a friend or bring them to a talkback, staged reading of developmental plays, or encourage them to try a generative workshop. NFX Theater isn’t a theater without you. We can’t wait to see you off-screen!