A Long Time Coming: BSB in 2025

Brigit Saint Brigit (BSB) has never been a “proper” theatre. Our plays—despite sometimes originating with works hundreds of years old—have always been deeply personal. The direction and performances are always vital and immediate. A BSB show feels like a BSB show. We would (and could) never skimp on that promise. We have always been an artisan brand as opposed to one that dominates the market. Our operating budget is humble and more than two-thirds of that goes to the artists who make magic with us.

THE HISTORY

Cathy Kurz founded BSB in 1993 and is still the theatre’s active Artistic Director today. She staged the inaugural production, Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, renting space at the Joslyn Museum. This was a great fit given her proclivity for the classics, yet the lecture hall space was extremely limited performance-wise.

In 1995 we relocated to Bellevue University thanks to a patron who happened to be a professor there. We did some riveting work there: A Streetcar Named Desire, The Little Foxes, Juno and the Paycock (to name a few). This location, too, presented significant functional limitations, and so it was in 1997 (again, due to the kindness and aid of educators and patrons—starting to see a pattern?) we were offered space at the College of St. Mary (CSM).

The space was not at all intended to perform theatre, but it was a significant upgrade! This was the first time we felt like we had a home. And we spent the next eleven years doing incredible work and building a repertory style whose structure is still the beating heart of BSB today.

TOP LEFT: Anna Christie (2008) - Laura Campbell

BOTTOM LEFT: Doubt (2008) - Aaron Zavitz, Jennifer McGill, Cathy MW Kurz

CENTER: Henry IV Part One (2002) - John Hatcher, David Sindelar, Terry Doughman, Murphy Wulfgar

TOP RIGHT: The Importance of Being Earnest (2000) - Amy Kunz and Carol Knopfler

BOTTOM RIGHT: The Seagull (2006) - Charleen JB Willoughby and David Mainelli

In 2008, CSM had grown significantly and the demands on their space meant it was time for us to find a new home. Through an alignment of the stars, Susan Clement, who had directed and acted with us before—and was Artistic Director of Bluebarn Theatre, just happened to be looking for a roommate at their old space on 11th Street in the Old Market.

After many productions (including a delightful co-theatre collaboration of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple), in 2011, Bluebarn needed their space back full time, and it was time for BSB to roam. This is where the most recent chapter of our story began. After spending nearly two decades defining ourself by the space we were in, BSB had a choice to make: continue consistently producing theatre without a set location, or go dark until a space could be procured.

A major driver in the decision to choose the former path was a commitment to begin paying all our actors. So, BSB made a concerted effort to get even more creative with our staging and channel our financial resources into the people who create the art rather than the place in which it is created.

We managed to keep going and continue performing work at the level our audiences had come to expect whether at First Central Congregational Church (the closest thing we have to a home, now), the Joslyn Castle, or even a storefront on 10th & Capitol where, incidentally, we had to load the entire theatre (walls and all!) in and out every summer to make room for College World Series vendors. We persevered.

This path was not, however, without its perils.

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THE PRESENT

Enter 2020. A global pandemic. A game-changer (whose effects are still being felt) for anyone producing live entertainment. We survived, and when we emerged in 2021 with Ronald Harwood’s The Dresser, we found our audience ready and waiting—despite mask mandates and vaccination requirements.

Since then, we have had a few starts and stops, a few venues that fell through and the addition of some wonderful new ones (Rainwood Farm, Joslyn Carriage House, Benson Theatre, B’nai Israel Synagogue, etc.). Through it all, we have discovered new and  immersive ways of doing theatre and collaborative ways to work with other groups and organizations.

We also understand that more flexibility and creativity in venue can mean less certainty in terms of programming an entire season of theatre. Setting a show and a space six months to a year in advance can prove challenging, if not downright impossible at times. This is why BSB has moved away from offering Season Passes at the beginning of each year. We found we spent more time amending the season and looking for ways to compensate than just accepting this new reality and setting those expectations.

This is why we are formally announcing that we will no longer offer season tickets. We may sacrifice some upfront sales, but it allows us flexibility to deal with an environment of changing conditions, from the venue we play in to the world around us. It also allows us the freedom to follow more actively our creative impulses and produce shows that speak to a moment or to an artistic thread we come across in reading or simply just navigating our daily lives.

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THE FUTURE

One of the most noticeable changes you will see right away—beginning with this post—is establishing more frequent communication with our audience. We will feature updates about what the theatre has planned, new titles for production, stories from company members (past and present) about productions they worked on, or things that are important to them. We want to stay connected with you and help brighten your life with something more enjoyable than doom scrolling on the internet. We think you would agree the world needs a little more of the positive right now.

This summer, we are going to bring back some fun, informal, non-mainstage programming, as well. Remember our Get Lit! Series at the Bookworm Bookstore reading passages from well-loved books and short stories? Enjoyed our Fireside Tales series out at Rainwood Farm but didn’t love the cold weather? BSB has always found innovative, intimate and FREE ways to bring you a well-told story, so expect more of that to fill the time between productions!

We have also reimagined BSB’s Tír na nÓg [teer-nan-ŌG] Society, a small group of dedicated individuals to help with all things BSB. From time to time, you will receive communications from them with opportunities to volunteer in a plethora of ways, or invitations to attend fundraising events to ensure the theatre stays active and vital despite its incredibly small staff! If you are interested in volunteering for The Tír na nÓg Society, please reach out to Murphy Wulfgar (mswulfgar@bsbtheatre.com).

Bottom line: BSB isn’t going anywhere. You have lots to look forward to and we’ll see you soon!