MAD COW THEATRE ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

Mad Cow Theatre began in late 1997 as a simple 2 - show project between a group of actor/directors in a former blueprint studio in Maitland, Florida. Audiences and critics took notice and Mad Cow Theatre continued, featuring works of consistent quality and simplicity. Mad Cow's seventh season will continue in downtown Orlando after an initial 4 year period of renting space from such mainstay Central Florida organizations as Rollins College, The Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival and The Civic Theatres of Central Florida. As part of the downtown community, Mad Cow has built collaborative relationships with other downtown businesses and recently was awarded a Golden Brick Award for outstanding contribution to downtown life. Mad Cow Theatre has also been named Best Theatre by Orlando Magazine for two years in a row.

Mad Cow Theatre is one of Orlando's most respected professional theatre companies presenting compelling works of theatre for a wide-range of audiences. With a passion for both classic and contemporary plays representing the best of American and World literature, Mad Cow will present its 29th mainstage production with the start of the 2003 - 2004 season. Past seasons have included works by Chekhov (The Cherry Orchard), Fugard (Master Harold … and The Boys), Wilson (Burn This), Mamet (Speed The Plow), Williams (The Glass Menagerie), Pinter (Betrayal), Overmyer (On The Verge), Henley (Crimes of The Heart), Sondheim (Marry Me A Little), Ionesco (The Chairs), Kaufman (The Laramie Project), Shaw (Candida) and Jones/Schmidt (The Fantasticks), Shaw (Candida); Lonergan (Lobby Hero) and Brecht (The Life of Galileo).

Mad Cow Theatre attracts the area's most talented and gifted actors, designers and directors. A mainstay of the company is its dedication to the process of creating theatre, incorporating in-depth rehearsal and research periods along with a nurturing collaborative process. The company has received numerous awards, including Arts Innovator of the Year by United Arts of Central Florida, several Umbrella Awards at The Orlando International Fringe Festival and Best Theatre Company from Orlando Magazine and The Orlando Weekly.

Central Florida audiences have responded to Mad Cow's programming and ticket sales have tripled over the past 3 seasons and an initial subscription offering in 02 - 03 resulted in a hundreds of subscribers for the 2002 - 2003 season. Mad Cow Theatre is also widely recognized for its touring program for Young Audiences with original works for students in grades K-5. Additional components of Mad Cow's Education Department are a school offering classes for young people and adults, a summer internship program for high school students and free performances for high school drama classes.