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Open Arenas Productions is a non-profit theatre company that has been working with students from high school through college level for the last decade in a variety of places. The company has performed 20+ productions and has seen a multitude of students cross its path.

History
Open Arenas Productions was founded in 2009 by University of Puget Sound alumnus Grant Freeman, while he was a student there. His intent with the company was to be able to create theatre "anywhere and everywhere."[1] The idea is that you don't need a theatrical space to make theatre. Productions through the company have taken place in may different areas in the cities of Tacoma, Washington; Richmond, Virginia; and Mount Vernon and Lisbon, Iowa. Open Arenas started as a way to sidestep finding producers and a production company. At one point in time, the name was changed to Pennymob Productions, before switched back to Open Arenas Productions.

The performances travel with the founder, who is the only permanent member of the company, though many have passed through and participated in the productions. Open Arenas has performed at least two shows/projects a year since its founding. Those shows include five 24-Hour Play Festivals, five different productions of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, and a couple of Drunk Shakespeare performances (which were performed by those of the legal age).[2]

This company was created to make theatre, specifically and most importantly to make theatre with students. Casting is meant to give opportunities for students who are usually cast as the ensemble or back row characters. It has never been the goal of the company to cast stars. The founder, Grant, has always had the ability to see the capability of the students he works with, and Open Arenas gives him the chance to see in what form these students work the best and how they shine.

Funding and Development
Open Arenas started out by being funded by Grant Freeman's own pocket. He would fund any projects that could give a student an opportunity that they couldn't get from their school. The company has performed to make money for others, but never themselves. Grant makes it very clear that he would not continue to have Open Arenas if he wanted to make money. He wants the company to exist only if he can break even every season. This is truly a company that just wants to make theatre, on any budget, anywhere, and everywhere.

Now, the company has the current goal to establish itself, beyond Grant. The hope for the company is to eventually have a board of directors and a consistent space, or home base, in order to create opportunities from. In Lisbon, there was an office that the group was almost able to rent out. It was heavily considered, but eventually fell through and the company is still looking for a place to call home. However, the company will never detract from any town’s community theatre, the founder is against weakening any theatre program already in existence. It does not good for either the community or Open Arenas.

Founder
The founder of Open Arenas Productions is Grant Freeman of Mount Vernon, Iowa. Grant attended University of Puget Sound for undergrad and Virginia Commonwealth University for graduate school. While there, he spent time directing and performing dramaturgy work, with both the schools and Open Arenas. He has worked as the Field Organizer for Cochise County for Gabbie Giffords and the Arizona Democratic Party in 2010 and is currently living in Mount Vernon, Iowa as the High School Speech Coach for the past five years.

Notable Alumni
Some notable people that have worked in the company are Adam Valentine and Denver Crawford. Adam Valentine worked as an actor for a while before becoming a server at the Jefferson Hotel Richmond. He then worked as an actor at TheatreLAB [3] and currently at The Continental Westhampton [4] restaurant in Richmond. Denver Crawford graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2016. He has worked with Open Arenas while there and has since then moved on to work as a server and barista for The Park Restaurant, Bluestone Lane, and Spring & Varick. He is currently working as an accompanist for The Harlem School of Arts.[5]

Grant says, “We’re not making professional actors, we’re making professional people.”[6] Many other students in Open Arenas went into theatre education, following the footsteps of the founder.