Loading Dock Theatre
Loading Dock was formed by playwright/director Leegrid Stevens and actor Erin Treadway. The company is based in Brooklyn where we rehearse and build shows. The primary focus of Loading Dock is to create original plays that explore the extremes in human behavior. We produce emotional, character driven plays with an experimental edge.
As a company, Loading Dock has earned 9 Innovative Theatre Award nominations and 4 wins in its short history. We have worked with talented designers, actors and artists, building an artistic community of collaborators who are proud of the work they are allowed to do with rigorous, creative Loading Dock productions.
Critics have called Loading Dock productions “a marvel of theater craft and theater art” (NY Theatre – Spaceman), “a work of compassion, humor, and keen insight” (NY Science Fiction Review – Spaceman), “hits us right in the gut and heart” (Theatre That Matters – The Twelfth Labor), “boasts performances that are nothing short of spectacular” (Stage Buddy – The Twelfth Labor). Ms. Julie, Asian Equities was named one of Broadway World’s Top Eleven Theatrical Experiences of 2015.
Past productions include:
SPACEMAN Loading Dock’s inaugural production was Spaceman, which was produced as part of Incubator Arts. Spaceman was nominated for four Innovative Theatre Awards, including: • Outstanding Premier Production of a Play for Loading Dock Theatre • Outstanding Full Length Script for Leegrid Stevens • Outstanding Solo Performance for Erin Treadway (won) • Outstanding Sound Design for Leegrid Stevens (won) Spaceman picks up with astronaut Molly Jennis seven months into her eight-month, one-way, solo trip to Mars. We sought to bring the difficulties of interplanetary space travel to life in exacting detail. Radiation exposure, long term weightlessness, low light, extensive communication delays and poor hygiene are just a few of the challenges Molly must face as the first to Mars. But she soon finds nothing compares to the psychological effects of having so much time alone. Time spent mulling over the decisions she has made and what might be waiting for her when she finally reaches her destination.
THE TWLEFTH LABOR Loading Dock’s second production was Leegrid Stevens’ The Twelfth Labor, which went up at the Gene Frankel Theatre in New York City. The Twelfth Labor uses the myth of The Twelve Labors of Hercules to explore the inner workings of a World War II-era family, It following a single day, October 15, 1949, where the audience sees the world of an Idaho family through the eyes of the eldest daughter Cleo, a girl with a damaged mind. Through her fragmented memories, prophetic dreams, and swirling language, the play explores the price she and her family have paid for a little dignity. All while they await the return of their long absent father, lost in somewhere in war, half a world away.
The Twelfth Labor was nominated for four Innovative Theatre Awards: • Outstanding Premier Production of a Play for Loading Dock, • Outstanding Direction of a Play for director Matt Torney • Outstanding Lighting Design for Simon Cleveland • Outstanding Set Design for Carolyn Mraz (won)
MISS JULIE: ASIAN EQUITIES Leegrid Steven’s adaptation of August Stindberg’s Miss Julie called Miss Julie: Asian Equities. The play takes Strindberg’s classic play and updates it for the 99% and the 1%, with the sexual politics and class warfare fully intact. What happens when you decide to see how the other half lives? And is it possible to still rise to the top when you’ve reached the very bottom? On an evening of holiday parties at investment bank HadleyMoore, Julie Harper – Director of Equity Sales – decides to forgo wine and cocktails with coworkers at a nearby club and opts to stay on the trading floor for chips and beer with the bank’s maintenance staff. Her desire to cut loose for a night leads her to Juan, a janitor for the firm. After some innocent flirting turns to something more serious, both Julie and Juan find themselves faced with a crisis of choice and consequence.
THE DUDLEYS In The Dudleys!, family memories are brought to life as a malfunctioning 8-bit video game. Vic returns to his childhood home late one night and discovers his old NES, and as he plays vintage games from his youth, he starts remembering…and his memories become the game itself. By dodging ghosts, undying zombies, and evil Aunts side-scrolling through the neighborhood, Vic tries to win a game that might not be for winning. Featuring 8-bit video animation and music composed on reprogrammed Atari, Commodore, Gameboy, and Nintendo consoles, The Dudleys! is a story of family, regret, and the games we play to get by. Press start. Play The Dudleys. The Dudleys! won the Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Innovative Design.
FORKLIFT READING SERIES
Our Forklift reading series & development program provides exciting new writers and theatre-makers space to develop new work in Brooklyn. Our objective in creating the series was to help facilitate and become part of the theatre community in Brooklyn.
Forklift is a curated series that provides each artist a minimum of 8 hours of rehearsal, 2-4 hours of tech and a public performance, all in our space in downtown Brooklyn. We typically host 5-6 unique pieces each season: once a month from March – August. At each public showing we provide drinks and pizza to help create a sense of community and celebration.
Learn More: http://loadingdocktheatre.org/leegrid/plays/spaceman/