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Sonoma County Repertory Theater was founded in 1993 as Main Street Theater. The inaugural production, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Ernest directed by Jim dePriest, quickly set the standard for professional quality theater in Sonoma County .
In 1995, under the leadership of then Artistic Directors Jim de Priest, Diane Bailey and J. Eric Cook, a second theater was opened in Santa Rosa , thereby prompting a name change to Sonoma County Repertory Theater (the Rep). Economic challenges of operating two theaters forced the closing of the Santa Rosa theater in 2000.
In 2003, the Rep’s Board of Directors ...Read More
Sonoma County Repertory Theater was founded in 1993 as Main Street Theater. The inaugural production, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Ernest directed by Jim dePriest, quickly set the standard for professional quality theater in Sonoma County .
In 1995, under the leadership of then Artistic Directors Jim de Priest, Diane Bailey and J. Eric Cook, a second theater was opened in Santa Rosa , thereby prompting a name change to Sonoma County Repertory Theater (the Rep). Economic challenges of operating two theaters forced the closing of the Santa Rosa theater in 2000.
In 2003, the Rep’s Board of Directors invited Jennifer King, an accomplished director and arts administrator, to become Executive/Artistic Director. In 2004, Scott Phillips, a nationally respected actor, technician and director was hired as Co-Artistic Director, thereby signaling a more focused commitment to artistic excellence.
Ms. King, putting her expertise and efforts to bear on the organizational infrastructure of the theater, was able to alleviate all fissures created by the rapid growth in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Mr. Phillips, understanding that the artists on stage define the image of the Rep, attracted and hired renowned directors, actors and designers from the Bay Area and beyond. Together, King and Phillips reinvigorated the Rep's commitment to extraordinary storytelling by creating and fostering innovative approaches to design, staging and management. Within ten months of their arrival, annual subscriptions doubled, the theater retired its debt, conservatory enrollment grew, and education and artistic programming expanded.
Operating out of an intimate, downtown storefront theater and in Ives Park , our annual audience now exceeds 10,000 patrons annually and continues to grow. We produce a 7-play mainstage season, including the Sebastopol Shakespeare Festival. In addition, Sonoma County Repertory Theater serves over 5,000 young people a year through our arts education and outreach initiatives.
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