Welcome to the website of the Albuquerque Theatre Guild!

We are a new, but very important organization in the city, and now you can be part of it!

Our Mission: to promote public awareness of theatre in the greater Albuquerque area, to encourage the growth of theatre audiences, to foster cooperation and collaboration among the member organizations, and to facilitate and assist the work of individual members involved in all aspects of theatrical production.

Theatre is Albuquerque’s best kept secret; now we want to shout about it! Believe it or not, more live-theatre happens every weekend right here in Albuquerque than in any other city of similar size. The live drama offerings range from musicals on a big stage to stand-up comedy on a small one. You can see a folk zarzuela or a familiar fairy tale come alive for children. In any given season, you might see classics and top writers from Shakespeare to Arthur Miller, David Mamet to Paula Vogel, John Patrick Shanley to Ntozake Shange. Works by local playwrights, such as Lou Clark or Mark Dunn, also take the stage, in full productions or in staged readings. But for many reasons, from the shrinking of print media to the volunteer nature of many of our theatre groups, it has been hard to find information about what’s to be seen on the live stage here. All that is changing right now! Bookmark this website address so you can quickly get to this source of information about live entertainment in Duke City: www.abqtheatre.org.

History of ATG: It always hurts people putting on a show that they think is exceptionally good when they play to small houses. Later, their friends say that they knew nothing about it. A cry of the heart went out from Ray Orley by email to a few friends about this subject in late 2006, and he was knocked flat by the tidal wave of fellow-feeling that filled his inbox immediately. Soon members of the theatre community were meeting monthly to establish goals and try to work together to improve the situation. Publicity, marketing, and outreach were all being done piecemeal by every theatre, from mid-size to tiny. Uniting for strength had wide appeal. In addition, Albuquerque has a remarkably fluid theatre scene, with actors, directors, and technical personnel moving quite freely from one stage to another, as their talents are needed. The cliques found in other cities are largely absent here. So having one central place to post talents and advertise for help is very useful. The ad hoc meetings produced a Steering Committee to do the paperwork and three committees to start defining strategies and undertaking tasks. It was agreed that the whole enterprise would either rise from the ground in six months or vanish: the Steering Committee was created with a sunset clause. The Guild is thriving, and its activities, including this websit, are evidence that the need for a federation of Albuquerque theatres is not a flash in the pan, but an idea whose time has come.

You can be part of this exciting new development. You can bring your friends to the theatre, help out with office work or backstage, or even try your hand at performing. We need everything from carpenters to designers, from props checkers to hairdressers, from candy sellers to people who will type or photocopy for us. However you choose to get involved, you’ll be building our community, developing local talent banks, enhancing our city. Since the Greeks and before, theatre has given people a way to interpret and understand the world around them. Be prepared to laugh, cry, sing, and clap. Have a look at the possibilities and call a local theatre today!

Contact ATG: info@abqtheatre.org