Engaged Theatre Tour

Our flagship Lab program, Engaged Theatre, seeks to build authentic relationships through active involvement—bringing productions developed in the Lab to extraordinary audiences: prisons, trauma centers, a youth detention facility, and an active military base. These audiences demand a greater honesty from the actors and the shows resonate with them in unexpected ways.

We keep coming back to Shakespeare because his characters are complex, conflicted, contradictory human beings, in worlds that are every bit as challenging as our own. Our audiences tell us that watching the tragic struggles of Shakespeare’s characters makes them feel less alienated from society; less the sum of their mistakes and more respected as complex human beings.

A number of Seattle’s most talented theatre professionals return year after year to participate with us in Freehold's Engaged Theatre tour. Actor Reginald Andre Jackson, who performed as Brutus in our 2010 production of Julius Caesar and a veteran of Engaged Theatre with five past productions under his belt says:

“People who ask me about Freehold’s Engaged Theatre Program always extol the work we do, while often expressing a strong reluctance to enter the environments we visit. The truth is there is no better audience. While playing an unethical character, a Shakespearean villain absorbed in the contemplation of a dark and dastardly act, an entire audience vocally inserted themselves into the piece with shouts of, “Don’t do it!”, “Seven years.”, “You don’t want to end up in that ward!” This was not the assault of angry hecklers, or bored and unruly school children. This was a group of incarcerated men desperately advising someone to make a better choice. It all took place in a matter of seconds and came from a place of true compassion. In the end, it is they who engage us.”

Actor Jose Gonzales reflects on his work in our 2012 production of King Lear:

Production History

2015 - Emboldened: The Rise and Fall of King Bolden the First by Reginald Andre Jackson

Directed by Robin Lynn Smith, Cast: Earl Alexander, Treavor Boykin, Tracy Hughes, Reginald Andre Jackson, Aishe Keita, Felicia Loud, Richard Sloniker, Kevin Warren, Music scored by D'Vonne Lewis, Musicians: Ahamefule Oluo, Geoff Cooke

Unsung Heroes of Seattle Jazz: A Live Installation
Writers: Daemond Arrindell, Sandra Boas-DuPree, Linda Holden Givens, Company: Jonte Ausler, Isaiah Barnett, Sandra Boas-DuPree, Andrew Lee Creech, Lauren DuPree, Rick DuPree, Linda Holden Givens, Jacob Henthorn, James Kelly, Lake Lewis, Felicia Loud, Merri Ann Osborne, Kevin Warren, Taylor Westerlund, Sharon Nyree Williams, Connor Zaft, dramaturgy by Victoria McNaughton, Filmmaker: John Helde