THE PAST PRESENTED
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Nicolas Greco as Edward R. Murrow in Joseph Vtiale's MURROW
What We Are All About
American Chronicle Theatre Company is a performing arts organization dedicated to bringing non-fiction stories of America’s modern era to the stage, allowing audiences to process the present through the lens of the past. Through thoughtfully curated pieces, presented in innovative and compelling ways, American Chronicle Theatre Company aims to examine the American identity while entertaining audiences, exploring the values this nation holds, its triumphs, tragedies, culture and contradictions. Providing more than just education about important events, legacies, and innovations, presenting works that unlock the lessons of our past not only illuminates the complexities of our own time but also shines light on the path forward.
These works, by their very nature, have educational merit and informative value, in bringing America's past to life in a very intimate and real way. In an artistic sense, by choosing live theatre as the means of conveyance for stories about real people, the entry point for audiences to feel connection, relevance, empathy, curiosity, or a need to understand correlates to the type of reflection that sparks conversations, bridging gaps and fostering a sense of community.
WHO WE ARE
Our founder and producing artistic director is Bren Rapp. She has produced over 40 staged works in NY, Chicago, Los Angeles and Dallas with a specialization in new work development. Most notably she co-produced, along with the show's creator and star Ronnie Marmo, the one-man, biographical hit, I'M NOT A COMEDIAN...I'M LENNY BRUCE directed by Tony Award winner and Emmy Award nominee Joe Mantegna. The show ran for 115 performances in Los Angeles, 9 months Off-Broadway and 6 months in Chicago (2018-2021). It is currently touring nationally. Mantegna and Marmo also served as Executive Producers for a non-fiction play Rapp, as producer, took from development in Dallas to New York for an Actors Equity Association showcase run and its world premiere in Los Angeles, SELF-INJURIOUS BEHAVIOR. Most recently (April 2024) she produced a 12 performance run of the biographical MURROW, by Joseph Vitale, for the prestigious Elevator Project in Dallas, put on by The City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs and The AT&T Performing Arts Center.
As founder/producing president of one of the most highly awarded theatre companies in Dallas, Fun House Theatre and Film (2011-2017) Bren received a special citation from the DFW Critics Forum for innovative work as a producer. She also co-founded The Classics Theatre Project in Dallas (2019-present), the only theatre company in the area solely dedicated to producing classic works. Freelance producing highlights in Dallas includes work with PRISM Movement Theatre, the FIT (Festival of Independent Theatres) and Tony-nominated producer Terry Loftis.
Bren Rapp has over 2 decades of experience developing and marketing entertainment and professional sports content, working for some of the biggest franchises in the NFL and NBA and league wide for both with a focus on documentary content. TV/Film credits as an associate producer include the Emmy nominated docuseries CASUALTIES OF THE GRIDIRON from Academy Award nominated documentarian Isaac Solotaroff, ESPN's BONDS ON BONDS and THE SHAQUILLE O'NEAL COMEDY ROASTS.
A LEGACY
This company was founded to honor the legacies of the greatest storytellers its founder, Bren Rapp, has ever known—her late parents, Angela and Harvey Magid. Bren believes their legacy lives on in the rich oral histories they shared, capturing the spirit of their lives and stories of their times. If even one person discovers just one of their stories through ACTC’s work, then the mission is fulfilled. In examining history, Bren ensures that her parents live on.
