The original founding members of New Century Theatre Company.
The founding members of New Century Theatre Company. Scroll down to see some of their best work over the years. Courtesy of New Century Theatre Company

After ten years of very strong work, New Century Theatre Company is throwing in the towel. The company was founded by a bunch of talented theater artists who weren't getting the kind of work they were most interested in making, so they set out to do it themselves. Ten years later, many of the founding members as well as artists who joined the group later have ascended to the upper echelons of Seattle's theater establishment.

There may have also been some burnout. It's hard for very small companies to get audiences into seats, no matter how good a show is.

As NCTC says in a statement: "The company helped launch the careers of many of Seattle’s best-known theatre professionals and helped pave the way for other innovative and risk-taking theatre organizations." The statement goes on to say:

The company’s decision follows the departure of several longtime and founding members to pursue other opportunities and leadership roles in the arts—as well as a realization by the remaining members that their own busy careers made it increasingly challenging to maintain a collectively run organization on a lean budget and with a tiny part-time administrative staff.

As one of the few mid-level theatre companies in the region to pay its artists professional wages, NCTC maintained a steadfast commitment to supporting the working artist. Despite ever-present financial challenges in meeting this commitment, NCTC is debt free as it closes its doors.

NCTC had announced a leadership change a few months ago, and intended at the time to keep making work, even though the group's leader and many of its founding members had decided to move on. So what happened? "The remaining members were really busy, really successful in their freelance careers, and we realized we didn't have the level of commitment necessary to revitalize a company," an insider told The Stranger.

Darragh Kennan in The Adding Machine, with costumes by Pete Rush and scenic design by Jen Zeyl, the new artistic director of Intiman.
Darragh Kennan in The Adding Machine, with costumes by Pete Rush and scenic design by Jen Zeyl, the recently named new artistic director of Intiman. Victoria Lahti/Courtesy of New Century Theatre Company

My Name Is Asher Lev starred the fantastic Conner Nedderson, whos currently in A Christmas Carol at ACT.
My Name Is Asher Lev starred the fantastic Conner Nedderson, who's currently in A Christmas Carol at ACT. Elise Bakketun/Courtesy of New Century Theatre Company

Bright Half Life won a Gregory Award for outstanding lighting, designed by Jessica Trundy.
Bright Half Life won a Gregory Award for outstanding lighting, designed by Jessica Trundy. Rich Smith's review of Bright Half Life is here. MJ Sieber/Courtesy of New Century Theatre Company

Amy Thones performance in Festen is still burned into everyones minds. I’ve never seen so much emotional information conveyed in a glare and an exit stage right in my life, Stranger critic Rich Smith wrote at the time. Thone won a Stranger Genius Award in 2007.
Amy Thone's performance in Festen is still burned into people's minds. Thone won a Stranger Genius Award in 2007. Rich Smith's review of Festen is here. John Ulman/Courtesy of New Century Theatre Company

O Lovely Glowworm had scenery by Roger Benington and lighting by Andrew W. Smith.
O Lovely Glowworm had scenery by Roger Benington and lighting by Andrew W. Smith. Chris Bennion/Courtesy of New Century Theatre Company

Orange Flower Water had scenery by Matt Smucker, lighting by Geof Korf, and costumes by Melanie Burgess.
Orange Flower Water had scenery by Matt Smucker, lighting by Geof Korf, and costumes by Melanie Burgess. Courtesy of New Century Theatre Company

Gratuitous bonus image from Orange Flower Water of actors Jen Taylor and Hans Altwies being sexy.
Gratuitous bonus image from Orange Flower Water of actors Jen Taylor and Hans Altwies being sexy. Courtesy of New Century Theatre Company

Tails of Wasps starred Paul Morgan Stetler and Sylvie Davidson, who just won rave reviews as the leads in ACTs The Crucible.
Tails of Wasps starred Paul Morgan Stetler and Sylvie Davidson, who were seen together again most recently as the leads in ACT's The Crucible. Chris Bennion/Courtesy of New Century Theatre Company

The Flick starred Sam Hagan and Emily Chisholm, who won a Stranger Genius Award in 2016.
The Flick featured performances by Sam Hagan and Emily Chisholm, who won a Stranger Genius Award in 2016. John Ulman/Courtesy of New Century Theatre Company

The Trial was masterful, visceral, claustrophobic, and sexy, Stranger critic Brendan Kiley wrote in 2013.
The Trial was masterful, visceral, claustrophobic, and sexy, Stranger critic Brendan Kiley wrote in 2013. Chris Bennion/Courtesy of New Century Theatre Company

Peter Crook, Darragh Kennan, and Peter Dylan OConnor in The Walworth Farce.
Peter Crook, Darragh Kennan, and Peter Dylan O'Connor in The Walworth Farce made for an unmissable show. Chris Bennion/Courtesy of New Century Theatre Company

The Realistic Joneses—starring Evan Whitfield, Brenda Joyner, Peter Dylan OConnor, and Sunam Ellis—was NCTCs final production.
The Realistic Joneses—with Evan Whitfield, Brenda Joyner, Peter Dylan O'Connor, and Sunam Ellis—was NCTC's final production. Rich Smith's review is here. Courtesy of New Century Theatre Company

RIP, NCTC. Thanks for the years of amazing work.