About Us

“The purpose of playing, whose end, both at the

first and now, was and is, to hold, as ’twere, the

mirror up to nature; to show virtue her own feature,

scorn her own image, and the very age and body of

the time his form and pressure.”

  –Hamlet

Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion Statement

We believe a diverse group of people with varied ideas and lived experiences enrich the work produced on the stage and the relationships forged with one another. This guiding belief is our cornerstone as we renew our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in all areas of our work.

Social commentary, satire, and similar modes of expression were prevalent in Shakespeare’s work and are still a vital part of theatre today. In our mission to enhance, educate, entertain, and elevate, we will continue producing work by and with a diverse group of contemporary artists that reflects the multifaceted nature of our human experiences.

This work is ever-evolving; as such, we will continue to update this statement to reflect the work.

Our Mission (English/español):

The Rude Mechanicals is a 501(c)3 nonprofit performing arts organization with a mission to enhance, educate, elevate, and entertain. We enhance our community through the performing arts, educate the public on the value and impact of live theatre, elevate the quality of live theatre locally, and entertain the community by delivering high-quality Shakespeare-inspired theatre produced by our ensemble cast and crew.

The Rude Mechanicals es una organización 501(c )3 sin fines de lucro con un misión de aumentar, educar, elevar, y divertir. Aumentamos nuestra comunidad por las artes escénicas, educamos el público de la importancia y efecto de teatro en vivo, elevamos la calidad de teatro en vivo localmente, y divertimos la comunidad con obras de teatro por Shakespeare y otros producido por nuestras actores y equipo técnico.

Our Vision

To inspire a community where innovative, high-quality theatre is celebrated and historical barriers to participation are eliminated.

We believe that Shakespeare doesn’t have to be boring.  Shakespeare should be funny, exciting, relatable, spicy, tragic, unnerving, and most of all entertaining. We want to provide our community with access to professional-quality Shakespeare and Shakespeare-inspired productions, accompanied by ongoing educational opportunities and unique experiences to enhance enjoyment and understanding of Shakespeare’s work.

Why “The Rude Mechanicals”?

“The Rude Mechanicals” name is a reference to the fictional theatre company within one of Shakespeare’s most beloved plays, A Midsummer Nights Dream. The members of the company were all amateurs (Rude); laborers and craftsmen by day (Mechanicals) and actors by night. Our beginnings as a ragtag group of theatricals with day jobs and plenty of passion made the name an obvious choice for our community-driven company.

Can I join in?

Absolutely! Please subscribe to our email list, and follow us on Facebook or Instagram to stay up to date with news, offers, auditions, and more. If you’ve never performed Shakespeare before, don’t worry! As part of our mission to educate, we’re happy to work with you and help you learn.

Don’t like the limelight, but still want to join in?  We’re always looking for help behind the scenes, including areas like costumes, makeup, sets, publicity; all the stuff that goes into putting on a show.  Just let us know how you’d like to help! Feel free to email our Interim Executive Director Liz Fenstermaker at liz@rmtheatre.org.

Are you someone who enjoys making community connections and giving back? Do you have professional skills in leadership, fundraising, business, finance, or theatre production? If you are interested in joining our board of directors, please contact Board President, Emily Richman at emily@rmtheatre.org.

Thank you for your support! We hope to see you at one of our events, productions, or auditions soon!