Nearly Naked Theatre was founded by Artistic Director Damon Dering in 1999-2000. Dering, working as an actor all over town, had grown tired of performing in the same plays over and over at different theaters... all of them very safe, very boring plays again and again. Interested in producing work that was thought-provoking and challenging, not just to the audience but to the artists creating it, he founded Nearly Naked with two of his college theatre friends, using his 1999 tax return to produce n2t's first play. The response to Nearly Naked was immediate. Audiences looking for a change from the mainstream and for theatre that wasn't so "safe" and "family friendly" began to find us, and talk about us, and recommend us.
Nomads for our first three seasons, n2t produced at any available space in central Phoenix, hopping from theater to theater, often having problems with censorship over our content and themes. Two theaters eventually allowed Nearly Naked to produce uncensored: Black Theatre Troupe. In the middle of our third season we became resident at The Little Theatre at Phoenix Theatre. Having already gained the confidence of the media with our provocative and honest theatrical style, and with a permanent theater to call "home," our production values and our audiences began to grow... and we are now the flagship of alternative theater in the Valley. Some of the best actors and directors in town come to work with us because they will not get to do such challenging pieces anywhere else. Over the past few seasons we have been named Best Theatre (or Best Small Theatre) by every one of the Valley's major periodicals; The Arizona Republic (twice), The East Valley Tribune, and The Phoenix New Times (three times). We were also voted best theatre company by Echo Magazines Readers’ Poll.
Noted for NOT doing the same kind of theater as every other company in the Valley, n2t has brought Phoenix the Arizona premieres of Lilies, Salome's Last Dance, The King of Infinite Space, The Shape of Things, Valparaiso, Shakespeare's R&J, Gilgamesh, Sordid Lives, Paul Rudnick's Valhalla, Take Me Out, Bat Boy: The Musical, Reefer Madness and Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses... as well as the first local production of The Who's Tommy and the World Première of E2: a heretical adaptation of Christopher Marlowe's Edward the Second. This trend continues for Season Ten, which will include the Arizona premieres of Times Square Angel, Killer Joe, and the musical Blood Brothers.
...We have also been voted best theatre company by Echo Magazines Readers’ Poll FOUR YEARS IN A ROW.
Noted for NOT doing the same kind of theater as every other company in the Valley, n2t has brought Phoenix the Arizona premieres of Lilies, Salome's Last Dance, The King of Infinite Space, The Shape of Things, Valparaiso, Shakespeare's R&J, Sordid Lives, Paul Rudnick's Valhalla, Take Me Out, Bat Boy: The Musical, Reefer Madness, Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses and Evil Dead: The Musical... as well as the first local production of The Who's Tommy, RENT the World Première of E2: a heretical adaptation of Christopher Marlowe's Edward the Second. This trend continues for Season 12, a FULL SEASON of Arizona Premieres: Saucy Jack & The Space Vixens, The Muckle Man, Devil Boys From Beyond, The Blue Room and the musical Eating Raoul.
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