Founded in March 1998 by writer-director Michael Smith and director
Maurice Lord, Genesis West is a Santa Barbara theatre company devoted
to the work of contemporary playwrights. To date, Genesis West has
presented fourteen plays in Santa Barbara: “The Pillowman” by Martin
McDonagh, Sam
Shepard’s “The God of Hell” and “Buried
Child”; Edward
Albee’s “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?”; “Blue Heart” and “Far
Away” by
Caryl Churchill, Michael Smith's "Trouble," "Dogs Bark All Night," and
"Turnip Family Secrets"; Canadian playwright George F. Walker's
"Criminal Genius," "Featuring Loretta," and "Escape from Happiness";
and two plays by Maria Irene Fornes, "Mud" and "The Danube."
Productions have been seen at both Center Stage Theater and the Lobero
Theatre. Numerous Indie awards have celebrated the work of the company.
Genesis West, today a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation, continues its
tradition of presenting stimulating plays by contemporary writers.
Mission Statement
The mission of Genesis West is to present
transgressive plays by contemporary noted playwrights in order to make Santa
Barbara a more artistically vibrant community. Our thought-provoking work is
often audacious, experimental, avant-garde, and even farcical, but it always
has a greater purpose—to enlighten audiences
emotionally, psychologically, and socially.