To celebrate a landmark 20 years, Extended Play is launching The 20/20 Series, a monthly article series that will delve into The Civilians’ work, artists, activism, and history with a range of retrospective essays. The series will kick off next week with a look into how we support the investigative theater community through our editorial work in celebration of launching Extended Play 10 years ago today. We look forward to sharing insights into our work throughout our 20th Anniversary season which will begin next month with a cabaret performance of Ethan Lipton’s Talent Show, directed by Jade King Carroll.
In 2001, a company of artists gathered and began The Civilians. Founded and led by our Artistic Director Steve Cosson, the company coined the term “investigative theater” and has played an important part in developing the field over the past 20 years. It started with an interest in creating new work that delves into the intersection of the theatrical and the real, of diving into lived experiences, interrogating society and the stories that shape it, and expanding how we think through theater. The Civilians’ philosophy has produced numerous revelatory and critically-acclaimed new plays and musicals. We pursue subject matter with lasting impact from investigating American public discourse and politics in (I Am) Nobody’s Lunch and the climate crisis in The Great Immensity to and Brooklyn’s largest development project in In The Footprint and L.A.’s adult film industry in Pretty Filthy. The Civilians continue to work with Associate Artists and has expanded to working with artists from across the field. We co-produce with a large selection of well-known theaters across New York, the country, and the world and often play a role in developing new works such as Anne Washburn’s Mr. Burns and recent Broadway hit Dana H. by Lucas Hnath.
Fostering investigative theater means fostering investigative theatermakers, a commitment evident in our commissions, our annual R&D Group now in its 11th year, our cabaret series, and our educational workshops. Complimenting this work, we strive to connect audiences and fellow theatermakers within the realm of investigative theater through our open-access journal Extended Play and free podcast. Through these digital hubs, we discuss and share investigative theater through artist interviews, production reviews, industry opinion pieces, behind-the-scenes looks, methodology discussions, current event engagement, and clips of our work. All of these facets of The Civilians’ have contributed to its successful evolution over the past 20 years.
Extended Play is a project of The Civilians. To learn more about The Civilians and to access exclusive discounts to shows, visit us and join our email list at TheCivilians.org.
