History

In 1991, Artistic Director Peter Meineck founded Aquila Theatre with the desire to create bold reinterpretations of classical plays for contemporary audiences that sought to free the spirit of the original work and recreate the excitement of the live performance that made it become a classic play. Our mission is simple yet very ambitious – to bring the greatest works to the greatest number. We believe passionately that everyone should be forded the opportunity to engage with classical drama of the highest quality at an affordable price right in their own communities, experience arts from other places and exchange ideas, discuss and explore these works in an accessible and exciting format. Based in New York City since 1999, Aquila has gone on to win popular, critical and academic acclaim worldwide and regularly appears at international festivals with performances in places as diverse as Carnegie Hall, the Ancient Stadium at Delphi, The Los Angeles Cathedral Plaza and the White House. We are determined to bring the works of Shakespeare, ancient Greek playwrights, appropriations of both these and new American classics to vivid life and to help make theatergoing part of the fabric of American cultural life. Aquila presents a season of classical plays in New York at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, tours nationwide to between 50-70 cities per year and provides the following extensive educational programming: Shakespeare Leaders, an after-school program in Harlem and the Bronx, which trains students to perform and produce a classical play; Workshop America, a nationwide initiative designed to demystify classical drama whilst making theatre-going an un-intimidating experience; and Theatre Breakthrough, which provides a unique opportunity for students in underserved rural and urban communities to witness a live performance at a professional theatre. Aquila also recently received a National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman’s Special Award for Ancient Greeks / Modern Lives, a new national public program, which places live theatrical events, reading groups and lectures in cultural institutions to inspire people to come together to read, see, and think about classical literature and how it continues to influence and invigorate American cultural life.

Past Productions