Current Work in Theatre Arts

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Shaffer is a performer in the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble's Improv Troupe!  

About the Company: The Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble (BTE), founded in 1978 by recent graduates of Northwestern University, relocated to Bloomsburg for two years of master classes with the legendary acting teacher Alvina Krause (1893-1981).  

Inspired by Krause, we established a resident ensemble of actors, directors, writers, and teachers who are empowered to articulate the theatre's mission and determine its artistic programming. Our goal is to create a theatre that, in Krause's words, is "as important to its community as schools and churches." As a leading force in the ensemble theatre movement, BTE is a co-founder of the Network of Ensemble Theaters (NET). Since its inception in 1995, NET has grown to over 160 members, promoting ensemble theatre practice and generating interest in ensemble as a sustainable model for community-based work. Through NET, we toured Letters to the Editor in California in 1998.  

Despite being based in a small town, BTE has an international reach. In 1991, the US State Department selected us to tour The Voice of the Prairie and Along the Susquehanna to five African nations. Two years later, we collaborated with African actors and musicians on a TIC show, Under African Skies.  

In 2016, the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble received the Outstanding Theatre Award from the National Theatre Conference.  

Since our founding in 1978, BTE has welcomed and nurtured many new influences, including innovative playwrights, to complement the original dream. The successes we have yet to create and the risks we have yet to dare, as part of our journey, continue to be our sustenance, alongside our commitment to the Reclaimed Performing Arts Company.

Shaffer serves as the Vice President of Administration, Marketing Director, and Historian of Reclaimed Performing Arts Company, which is dedicated to embracing the suspension of disbelief in the arts. Our mission is to break free from the boxes that define performers by their perceived 'type,' fostering an artistic space uninhibited by societal limitations. We aim to highlight the experiences of artists, including those from the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, and encourage meaningful conversations. 

Reclaimed Performing Arts Company's vision statements include: 

1. To eliminate stereotyping and bias in the casting and production processes. 

2. To educate artists, including aspiring playwrights, about their rightful resources and treatments, empowering them to advocate for the respect and opportunities they truly deserve. 

3. To showcase and uplift the often underrepresented voices within the performing arts community. 

To learn more about Reclaimed Performing Arts Company, click the button below!