Theatre in the Rough is a theatre that arises from delight, from mystery, from essentials. Fifteen years ago, we asked the question: “What do we want to do for our audience in Juneau?” The answer then and now is the same: we want to delight. This super-objective is the lamp at our feet. It guides our season selections, steers our design decisions, and colors every aspect of our work.
Delight most often comes when we embrace the deepest mystery that theatre exists in between audience and stage, in an ongoing conversation on every sensory level and in an everchanging discovery and agreement about what is real.

Delight and mystery demand that we travel light. We need words, written and spoken. We need actors, dancers, and puppeteers to make the words come alive. Our clothes are rich, our sets are minimal and our lighting spare. This keeps eyes on the actors and the conversation moving ever forward.
Theatre in the Rough has produced eleven Shakespeare plays as well as numerous other classical works. In 2002, TR received the Governor‘s Award for the Arts from the Alaska State Council on the Arts. Four years later, on March 12th, nearly our entire stock of costumes and props, and all of our puppets, sets, lights, and sound equipment were lost in the fire that claimed Holy Trinity Church. With massive community support, TR is rebuilding. In December, we will produce a readers theatre version of “A Christmas Carol” at Centennial Hall, broadcast live over KTOO radio. The season continues in January with Shakespeare‘s “The Tempest,” and in the spring, with an original adaptation of “The Three Musketeers.”

Theatre in the Rough is co-directed by actor/director/designers Katie Jensen and Aaron Elmore. Katie holds degrees in thea-tre and opera in performance from Brigham Young University, and Aaron holds a degree in graphic design from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA. They would like to express their heartfelt thanks and love to Juneau and our vibrant arts community for all their support since
the Holy Trinity fire. Here‘s to the struggle and the mystery. RTR!