Mission Statement…
The New England Studio Theatre produces contemporary and classical works of literary and cultural significance. NEST further seeks to enrich the civic life of our region through educational programming. While we strive for theatrical excellence in all our endeavors, we seek to explore new models of creating theatre that sustain and enrich our artistic community, and make theatre accessible to our region at large.
Studio theatres are generally experimental spaces where non-traditional theatre practices can be explored. NEST is invested in developing new models for making theatre that strive for artistic excellence, nurture the artistic experience, and make theatre accessible to all.
What’s in a name…
Our history…
In 2024, Michael Hinton founded the New England Studio Theatre in the region of Eastern Connecticut traditionally occupied by the Mohegan and Pequot tribes. The goal was to explore non-commercial and experimental methods of producing theatre. Inspired by his time in the UK studying at The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, by artists he’d met while working regionally throughout New England, and by emerging research in the field of Applied Theatre, he started to imagine a new professional theatre company that not only produced theatre in a specific region, but was intimately connected to that region. NEST was intended to be an artistic home for New England theatre artists and the communities that champion them. We produce theatre in New England and are interested in celebrating New England voices. With our inaugural production of Uncle Vanya currently in the works for March 2025, NEST is still very much in its infancy… but the idea is growing! Welcome!