Space Pirates Theatre Collective
Our Core Tenets are as follows:

  • 1). We seek to stage immersive theatrical experiences, rooted in the immersive design methodology of Executive Director Ben Zingos. His methodology asks designers to seek out a space in the world that through its natural use and habitation by people living and working in it cries out for a *specific* play to be staged there, rather than trying to transform a theater into a place that feels approximately like it. Designers then work to draw out the latent immersivity of the space with respect to the play's world. This approach not only leads to an incredibly intimate and lived-in effect on the "world" that audiences step into, it also is dramatically more cost-effective than trying to create a similarly immersive effect in a proper theatre--not to mention the fact that unconventional spaces are nearly always cheaper to rent out than a professional theatre space. It also frees us from the cost of having to maintain a permanent building/theatre space, which would by its very nature limit what plays we can do. With this methodology, SPTC "commandeers" a new space with each production, allowing us to bring immersive theatre to the many parts of the greater Los Angeles area in a uniquely mobile way. Over the coming years, we hope to bring productions to audiences across the massive area that is our home, including many historically underserved parts of LA when it comes to theatre.
  • 2). We commit to staging these immersive theatrical productions for an affordable price, and we mean affordable--our tickets sit at just $10. This number is very intentional: we want our theatre to be what the movies, and even longer ago, the theatre, used to be. An affordable form of entertainment for the masses, that anyone, working-class or wealthy, can take themselves out to without causing themselves financial hardship. Even further, we allow those with an active student I.D. to pay what they can, since we will never turn away a student trying to experience theatre due to a lack of funds. In turn, we also encourage those who buy tickets and see the show with the means to pay more to do so.
  • 3). We commit to paying our artists an equal, living wage, at union rates or higher, and to being a fully union theatre collective from top to bottom. This is in an effort to ensure that all artists who work with us--cast, creative, and crew--have health insurance and financial security. Artists are all paid the same regardless of role or number of roles, in recognition of the fact that if you have been brought aboard one of our productions, you are essential, as we do not hire unessential people, and therefore are as deserving of equal pay as everyone else. To be in accordance with all union contracts, this means that whichever person (or position) in the cast, creative, and crew who has the highest minimum wage under their union will set the minimum for the entire production's team. We will always aim to pay well above this number, as minimums are, even under the best union contracts, still minimums, and we want our artists to not only survive, but thrive.
  • 4). We commit to giving each artist who works with us a coequal equity stake in any given production they work on. Each production serves as a "voyage." Inspired by shares-systems used by 17th century pirates, once all production costs and base artists' wages have been covered, any additional money raised through grants, crowdfunding, ticket sales, and concessions for that particular production are split evenly as a bonus at the end of the process for all cast, creative, and crew. We do not carry any profits from one production over to fund subsequent ones, each production and any money it brings in is shared equally and entirely by the artists who worked on it. This is regardless of age, experience, pedigree, fame, or perceived marketability--we're all pirates here, and we all get an equal share.
  • 5). We commit to fostering a safe and inclusive work environment for all artists who work with us, and are an explicitly anti-discrimination, anti-fascist, and anti-hate organization--and before making any art that demonstrates these values, it is imperative that we first "walk the walk" in the way we operate as a collective. We require the use of intimacy coordinators for any scenes of an intimate nature, and commit to following best practice guidelines when working with artists who need any form of accommodation, whatever it may be for, without question, judgment, or discrimination of any kind. We make this same commitment to our audiences as well, guaranteeing a safe and inclusive environment to see theatre in for all. Much of this is required by law, but too often are these seemingly basic necessities handled with the minimum level of effort and intention legally allowed. We place this commitment directly into our mission statement so it's not implied, it's explicit.
  • 6.) We commit to highlighting the work of marginalized and erased peoples, and will reflect this by having at least half of our productions each year be either written or directed by a person belonging to a marginalized or erased group, and at least half of productions will feature a majority nonwhite and/or queer cast. This is an intentional and essential commitment on our part to not only serve marginalized and erased peoples, but to actually put their work front and center. Bringing theatre to underserved communities is pointless if that work isn't at all reflective of, or of interest to those communities in the first place.