Mission
Strawberry Theatre Workshop is committed to the idea that the theatre is the people's place of aspiration, and that any voice from the stage is translated exponentially into conversations at coffee shops, bus stops, classrooms, and play fields. Strawshop is dedicated to the idea of ensemble, in the broadest sense of the word. Our ensemble does not only mean a resident company of workers, but a collective that includes our work, our audience, and our neighborhood. This is an activist stance. To be a good neighbor is to be a relevant neighbor, a responsible neighbor, and a vocal neighbor.
Land
Historically, Seattle’s city districts rose above the reclaimed tide flats populated by the native Duwamish people. The Indigenous Land now called Capitol Hill is the ancestral home of the Coast Salish people and has been occupied illegally by non-tribal people for nearly 200 years. The Hill embodies that tension. For a century, the neighborhood was segregated by white-owned banks and developers that red-lined African and Asian American families from owning property north of Madison Street. Today, Capitol Hill is the people's destination place for protest against civic authority, it is the heart of Seattle’s LGBTQ community, and is home to more artists than any other neighborhood in the city. Its residents, more than 80% of whom are renters, represent a range of identities, backgrounds, and voices.
Strawberry
Our name is derived from the Strawberry Fields of popular music, and the Beatles, who used their recording studio as a daily laboratory of expression. Like a musical ensemble, which still allows the ear to identify the craft of individual players, the Strawshop aesthetic strives toward multiple layers of performance, meaning, and engagement. Our inspiration comes from social leaders, scientists, and artists of all disciplines who seek to motivate collective action by expanding collective wisdom.
Fair Share
Strawberry Theatre Workshop is a workplace of professionals, earning professional wages and bringing professional standards to every aspect of creation. We are not fringe in any sense of the word. We are an essential and permanent neighborhood institution. With the gravity of professional status, Strawshop can legitimately engage in dialogue with our professional neighbors as equal partners in the issues of common concern.
Since our begining, 60% of all Strawshop production expenses have gone into artist contracts. None of these people have been paid what they deserve, but the company has remained dedicated to providing balanced wages as it grows and expands.
Since our begining, 60% of all Strawshop production expenses have gone into artist contracts. None of these people have been paid what they deserve, but the company has remained dedicated to providing balanced wages as it grows and expands.
Support
The vast majority of our financial support come from individual ticket sales and donations. Please support Strawshop with a donation through PayPal or send a check to:
Strawberry Theatre Workshop
PO Box 20245
Seattle, WA 98102
The company has been recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 organization, and thus all donations are fully tax deductible.
Strawberry Theatre Workshop
PO Box 20245
Seattle, WA 98102
The company has been recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 organization, and thus all donations are fully tax deductible.