Ned Farley and K. Sandy O’Brien, the founders and co-producers of Outcast Productions have announced the results of their first full season as a theater company operating in the Fine Arts Building at the former Island County Fair Grounds in Langley. Ned says, “We are pleased and proud of the response we received. We sold 95% of the seats, and 23% of all ticket sales came from off-island.”
OutCast Productions is a private, not for profit theater company incorporated in Washington State. Aside from the consistent excellence of the productions, what really makes Outcast Productions exceptional is its focus. As their website emphasizes, they are "theater with a social conscience."
Sandy notes, “We want to create productions that encourage critical thinking about the social issues of our time. Our goal is to provoke a dialogue about such issues as oppression, human rights, politics and the psychological and emotional worlds of human beings at large.”
Two years ago, Farley and O’Brien developed their vision and approached the managers of fairgrounds property with their idea to create a black box theater. Ned says, “The Board decided it was a good thing for the property, and they love what we are doing here.”
Establishing the theater in this venue required a good deal of work. The improvements and alterations to the building included: painting the entire space, converting it into a true black box theater, painting the risers, and hanging light bars for lighting to free up more space.
Recently, the stage was expanded from the original 12’ deep X 20’ wide to the current 14’ X 29’ which allows room for larger cast shows, and a tech booth was also added. The company is in the process of completing three insulated dressing rooms (for which the actors are quite grateful).
The official name of the theater is now The Black Box Theater, with the name prominently displayed on the outside of the building. Soon there will also be better sound equipment, and a more professional job of installation of audio wires and speakers. All of this is planned for completion by summer.
All of the productions have drawn rave reviews from the audiences. Still remaining for this season are: Ain’t Misbehavin’, playing March 22 – 30; Lettice and Lovage, May 3 – 18; Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, July 19 – August 3; and High School Reunion, The Musical, September 20 – October 5.
Tickets can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets http://www.brownpapertickets.com or by emailing Outcast Productions at ocp@whidbey.com and letting them know how many tickets you would like held at will-call (cash and checks only at the door).
For more information about Outcast Productions, visit their website:
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