We were lucky to catch up with Sandbox Theatre Collective recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sandbox Theatre Collective, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Sandbox Theatre Collective was created in the summer of 2022 to fill a hole we all felt in our creative lives – in an industry where you spend a lot of time waiting for an opportunity to work, we all felt strongly about creating a structure that would enable us to make those opportunities for ourselves. This would also mean we could prioritize the projects that were most fulfilling and relevant to both the community and the collective members.

Our debut project was as scrappy as it comes. We chose two well-loved plays, we delegated roles based solely on interest, and we got to work in members’ living rooms. Rehearsals took place around work schedules during late nights and early mornings. When it came time to perform the plays, admission was free in line with our core value of creating accessible theatre. Our first audiences had eight people per show, but you wouldn’t know that based on audience reactions. We were moved to hear that the experience had left just as large a mark on audiences as shows they had seen in much larger theaters.

This conceit – doing plays in living rooms – not only influenced the visions of these shows but set the stage for the heart of the collective. At our core, we are a group of friends putting on plays together.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

What started as a group of friends doing a play in a living room has blossomed into a fast-growing collective with a full season and shared-ownership structure. In our first season, Sandbox Theatre Collective hosted multiple fully staged productions, a new-play workshop series, and an array of smaller projects spanning across theatre arts and into film and other media. STC’s mission is to foster a safe and enthusiastic environment for resident artists to pitch their ideas and receive support and funding to help them come to life.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being part of the arts for our collective is building community, fostering empathy, and creating a space to learn and grow. Theatre is all about telling stories that touch the hearts and minds of the audience, and that remains the heart of everything we do.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

You don’t need a massive audience to cultivate an engaged following. We believe it’s more meaningful to attract those who will support us consistently and enthusiastically rather than growing a number for optics sake. Social media has allowed us to create and foster a community where every single follower shows up for our collective.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @sandbox_theatre
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sandbox-theatre-collective