The Festival
A Think Tank for New Theatre
Catalyst (C3T) is completely writer friendly, geared to giving writers what they need for their work.
C3T brings world-class theatrical collaborators to our work; designers, directors, music directors, choreographers, and the potential for union actors as needed.
C3T trains and utilizes passionate theatre students; we audition and hand-pick students as performers, stage managers, designers and technical crew. This is a unique opportunity to provide professional-level experience and training on a university campus.
C3T connects plays and playwrights to a national network of theatre makers.
Festival History
When Broadway veteran Mindy Cooper joined the faculty at UC Davis, one of her first acts was to enlist the Department of Theatre and Dance as a producing partner in the newly formed Ground and Field Theatre Festival (GFTF), a collaboration with local theatre directors Tom Burmester, Lisa Quoresimo and Danika Sudik. A few months later, GFTF was inaugurated on the UC Davis campus. Together, these four directors created a student ensemble and produced readings, workshops and productions, growing our audiences from 300 the initial season to 2600 audience members just two years later. Lisa Quoresimo joined the faculty at Southern Utah University, and the name was changed to Catalyst: a Theatre Think Tank to encompass the new relationship between the two universities and the widening of our offerings into year-round readings and workshops.
What Playwrights are Saying
“Working alongside Mindy Cooper allowed me the space and resources to create new music, and refine the existing material while having a safe place to receive feedback, critique, and new collaboration”
“I really enjoyed working with you and the festival helped me gain clarity on the piece!”
“Working with the students of UC Davis was one of the highlights of my 2018. They were hungry to learn, eager to please, and ready to work hard every day. If they’d have me, I’d come back in a heartbeat.”
“It was incredibly illuminating to hear the play explored by local professionals and excited young actors. The workshop helped me discover things that were working and take them farther, and helped me identify the things that weren’t. That freedom to experiment in a place that knows this is an early draft was so helpful. I certainly have a stronger script because of the experience. ”
“[Catalyst] struck a great balance between treating my work seriously and having all the fun in the world putting it on its feet. A great launch pad, surrounded and supported by great people.”