ABOUT TRADEMARK THEATER
About
TRADEMARK
Founded in 2017 by Tyler Michaels King, TRADEMARKTHEATER is in its ninth season of presenting bold new theatrical works in the vibrant Twin Cities arts community. Our company fills an important role in the Midwest: Trademark is the only non-profit theater in Minnesota that is solely focused on the creation development, and production of new theatrical productions. We see ourselves as the innovators; the champions of taking big swings to present adventurous new stories for our audiences. In only nine years, Trademark has produced 9 world premiere productions and supported the development of nearly 20 new works from local artists.
Trademark remains at the forefront of the new works community by promoting boldness and risk-taking in all of our programming. We are nimble too: Trademark is nomadic, meaning we don’t have a theater of our own. because of this, we’re able to bring awareness to many of the area’s vibrant performance venues, grow our impact on our community, and allows us to cater each venue to the needs of the production we present.
Our non-profit theater is committed to serving both theater-goers and artists by commissioning and fostering new plays created by emerging playwrights, composer/lyricists, and theater-makers. Because of Trademark’s commitment to high-quality entertainment, our organization invests in extensive workshop and development processes for all of our productions. Each development timeline can range from 2 to 4 years or more. From conception to full production, Trademark guides both the art and the artist to discover the most impactful interpretation of each story told.
In 2020, Trademark formalized its IN THE WORKS commissioning platform which seeks to bring a diversity of emerging and innovative theater-makers under the Trademark umbrella to create and develop new stories for the stage, supporting the earliest stages of the creative art-making process. Over one calendar year, artists are given financial support, critical feedback, and a workshop and showcase reading via the In The Works Showcase which provides each team of artists with a 20 minute “proof of concept” presentation of their work for live audiences.
Since the platform's inception, Trademark has worked with many talented artists to bring their ideas to fruition such as Harrison David Rivers, JuCoby Johnson, David Darrow, Kira Obolensky, Meghan Kreidler and her rock band Kiss the Tiger, Eric Sharp, Keith Hovis, Emma Lai, Hannah Bakke, and Vinecia Colman.
How we MAKE our NEW WORKS
Why NEW WORKS?
We believe new works of theater are vital to our arts community. That’s why TRADEMARKTHEATER is the only theater company in the Twin Cities area fully committing all of its resources to both the development and production of new works. We maintain that innovation and risk-taking both challenge and invigorate our fellow arts organizations and theater-makers as well as our patrons and our supporters. We don't reinterpret the stories of yesterday... We tell the stories of today and tomorrow.
It’s our vision the new works hub of the midwest, welcoming artists from across the country to workshop and produce their work on our stages, while also sharing our local talent with other communities by supporting and empowering Minnesota-based theater-makers to create new works at Trademark.
TRADEMARKTHEATER develops new works by utilizing the talents of its artistic staff and by commissioning playwrights, composer/lyricists, and other creators to create new stories.
