About Us

Established in 1988, VOICETheatre is an international theatre company dedicated to creating social change by giving voice to new works in the theatre; educating its’ artist’s in new techniques and styles and developing a theatre that cuts through barriers of language, culture, age, ethnicity and national boundaries to promote bridge building and mutual respect between diverse peoples.

Shauna Kanter researched the expression of voice and text with her first production in Paris in 1987. The creation of Family Cycles with thirty French actors led to the inception of VOICETheatre in New York City in 1988 and in that same year VOICETheatre produced Pushing Through , a music theatre piece developed and performed by Palestinian and Israeli women. Pushing Through , written and directed by Ms. Kanter was the first theatre piece in the United States and possibly the world to unite Palestinian and Israeli artists. On the cutting edge, Pushing Through was performed to sold-out houses and through-out America protests and pickets lines appeared outside theatres. The play was featured on NPR's Weekend Edition and in nationwide editorials. Ms. Kanter explored vocal techniques that allowed her actors to sculpt the truth, expressing the forbidden, bitter fruit of both sides.

In 1993 VOICETheatre produced The Homecoming Project , a music theatre piece about an American developer who tries to carve up a rural Scottish town in order to create seventy-two interlocking Swiss chalet time-shares on a lake. The themes of greed and community versus profit were extremely potent in Columbia, Maryland - a planned and developed community where the play was co-produced with the Columbia Festival of the Arts. The play was performed by an international cast and forty residents of Columbia. The Homecoming Project culminates with the audience voting on the fate of the planned development in the last scene.

Later that year Ms. Kanter moved to London and in 1995 several members of VOICETheatre, New York joined British actors at the Bristol Old Vic to create Legacy, a music theatre piece about the rescue of a Jewish family out of Berlin in 1939.

In 1994 the American Embassy in East Jerusalem introduced Ms. Kanter to Ashtar Theatre in Ramallah, Palestine. This resulted in Ms. Kanter directing workshops and plays for Ashtar. In 1998, Sir Edmund Rothschild, the Peres Centre for Peace, the Palestinian Regional Authority and VOICETheatre, produced, Warriors of Fate. The actors, from both sides of the conflict risked their jobs, homes and their very lives as rehearsals and performances took place on the West Bank and Israel .

Due to the success of the British premiere Legacy toured Germany and France in 1997 and the following year VOICETheatre produced Legacy in London to sold-out houses. In 2003 Legacy received rave reviews, for it's New York premiere at the T. Schreiber Studio, (title only for T. Schreiber- The Gift ).

As a result of the New York production of Legacy Ms. Kanter decided to reform VOICETheatre in New York City and a promenade performance of The Laramie Project by Tectonic Theatre Company took place in 2003 at the Loft Theatre in the Theatre Building. This was followed in 2004 by Mamet Miller Dreaming and in 2005 VOICETheatre produced Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker at the CSV Cultural Center’s La Tea Theatre. In 2006, VOICETheatre produced the Off-Broadway production of RETZACH at 59E59 Theatre.

In 2009, VOICETheatre is developing a new play entitled Birds on a Wire which was workshopped in August at Circle Lodge in Upstate New York. In the winter of 2010 we are working with two off-Broadway theaters who are presenting readings. A production of Birds on a Wire is slated for late spring of 2010 in New York CIty.

Our explorations continue to bring us to the infinite expressive possibilities of the actor's body and voice. These explorations combined with live original music, movement, the uniquely styled voice work of VOICETheatre and the text continues to create the highly theatrical experience of VOICETheatre.

VOICETheatre has toured Europe, the Middle East, the U.S.A., and performed in New York City. On-going classes and workshops take place in New York City and exploration workshops for the community are led by VOICETheatre when we are on tour. Ensemble members take part and lead workshops which focus on integrating VOICETheatre techniques and the social, political and economic questions of our plays.

VOICETheatre Members:

Artistic Director
Shauna Kanter

General Manager
Miriam Alon

Musicians
Margot Leveret
Laura Liben
John LaBarbera

Dramaturg
Deidre O’Keefe

Designers
Amelia Dombrowski
Graham Kindred
Casey Smith

Board of Directors
Robert Langdon Lloyd
Jon Gershon
Shauna Kanter