The Gang - The Actors' Gang

The Actors’ Gang mission is to present new, unconventional and uncompromising plays and dynamic reinterpretations of the classics, to restore the ancient sense of the stage as a shared sacred space, to introduce theater to children and help them find their own creative voices, to bring the freedom of self-expression to the incarcerated.

Culture

In 1981, we started this journey in garages, art galleries, and street corners and performed midnight shows in small venues, on dark Hollywood streets. We wanted to tell stories that meant something about the world around us, stories that stood boldly in front of power and mercilessly exposed hypocrisy. We wanted to tell stories about love and heroism and the nobility and dignity of the poor. “We,” back then, meant eight UCLA students. Four decades later, we are 50 committed artists touring throughout the world, still doing theater, still telling timely stories, all while running nationally recognized programs in prisons, reentry facilities, and schools. Our teachers have been joined by formerly incarcerated participants, a relentless staff, and a growing number of women, men, and youth who are using the tools we provide to make life altering change happen.