Fremont Centre Theatre

Mission Statement:

It is FCT's mission to discover and rediscover plays of value to produce in an artistic atmosphere that nurtures creativity, originality, and excellence. In addition, FCT is committed to producing theatre that promotes diversity and attracts diverse audiences.

History:

The California Performing Arts Centre opened the Fremont Centre Theatre (FCT) in 1997 under the Co-Artistic Director leadership of James and Lissa Reynolds. Since then, more than 50 shows have graced the FCT stage.

FCT's first production was Three Songs, an original play by William Mesnik about Hollywood blacklisting. A runaway hit, this inaugural show became an Equity production, setting the tone for FCT's mission to encourage, nurture and launch new plays and new playwrights.

In addition, FCT is committed to theatre that reflects and promotes diversity. Its productions include I, Too, Am America!, a play about the African American experience; Herotique-Ahh, chronicling the lives of three African-American women over age 40; Dibujos De Nuestra Frontera, an exploration of Mexican identity and immigration; National Pastime, the story of Jackie Robinson and the desegregation of baseball and of the United States; Coming To America - Transformations, based on the experiences of women from other countries now living in the U.S.; and Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, TopDog/Underdog, which went on to New Jersey's Cape May Stage as an Equity production. Recent FCT world premiere productions include South Of Delancey, drawn from the real-life struggles of seven working class Jewish residents in New York City's Lower Eastside; and Holding On - Letting Go, an examination of illness and end-of-life issues.

FCT gained an international presence when it sent its critically acclaimed production of Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey's A Woman of Independent Means to the Winnipeg Fringe, the Cape May Stage and the Vancouver Fringe Festival (where it won the Popular Choice and the "Pick of the Fringe" awards).

In recent years, FCT was the regular venue for Pulitzer Prize-winning author/playwright Ray Bradbury and his Pandemonium Theatre Company. We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague.

FCT has been honored by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, The Valley Theatre League, The Pasadena Arts Council, Women In Theatre, The South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, The City Of South Pasadena and The NAACP, among many other organizations.