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OUR STORY

A BRIEF HISTORY

Askew Theatre Company was originally founded in 2009 in Los Angeles, California by Obed Medina, Micheal Iran Leon and Gabriel Green to fill a need to produce original works by local and emerging playwrights of color in the Arts District of North Hollywood. 

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ATC developed six original works from local Los Angeles playwrights, recorded four short contemporary Radio Plays, and produced a hit Off-Broadway play. Highlights of the company included productions produced and financed by theatre artists of color. 

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In 2013, two of the original founders, Obed and Micheal, moved to Southern Oregon to pursue opportunities at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Although not producing under the Askew name, when not at work at OSF, they continued to work as a team producing and directing four plays for various community theatres in Southern Oregon.​ In 2015, Obed co-founded Collaborative Theatre Project in Medford.

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In 2018, Obed received a grant from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's FAIR Program that will be used to relaunch Askew Theatre Company to better pursue an equitable theatre company with the company's original values that reflect equity, diversity and inclusion in community theatres.

THE FOUNDERS

THE FOUNERS

MICHEAL IRAN LEON

 

Micheal is a Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival winner for his wig design for The School for Scandal (Los Angeles City College). He is co-founder of Askew Theatre Company (producer and designer). Favorite productions include Blithe Spirit (Azusa Pacific University), The Color Purple (Celebration Theatre), Les Miserables and La Cage Aux Folles (Camelot Theatre). His wig work can be seen in Christina Aguilera’s music video "Candy Man". He currently works at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as Wig Master on OthelloSense and SensibilityThe Book of Will, and The Way the Mountain Moved, Hairspray, and All's Well That Ends Well. Micheal attended Woodbury College and completed his internship at A Noise Within - a mainstay repertory theatre in Southern California showcasing classic plays.

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OBED MEDINA

 

Obed co-founded Askew Theatre Company in 2009 for new and emerging playwrights of color in Los Angeles. He has been a member of the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights and the Los Angeles Stage Alliance. Favorite productions include The Virgin Dictator: A Love Story Starring Kim Jong Ill (Askew Theatre Company), You and Me and She and I (Eclectic Company Theatre, *Winner Best Director Hurricane Season New Plays Festival). Film credits include In the Middle of a Movie (writer) in collaboration with Finnish artist Tellervo Kalleinen. Obed currently works at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Access Services. He has worked as Literary Assistant at Center Theatre Group, was a member of evidEnce Room and Eclectic Comany Theatre. In the Rogue Valley, Obed is a board member of the Jackson County Cultural Coalition. He is a play reader for Sundance Theatre Lab and Ashland New Plays Festival. In 2015, he completed training in the inaugural cohort group at artEquity, an organization that provides tools, resources, and training to support the intersection of art and activism.

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