The Debate Society

The Debate Society is a Brooklyn, New York-based devised theatre company founded by Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen, and Oliver Butler in 2004. The company's first show, A Thought About Raya, began as Bos and Thureen's senior thesis at Vassar College, where they met. Focusing on intensive research, the group has since added a variety of designers to its roster and has produced nine shows since its founding.

The Debate Society
Formation2004
TypeTheatre group
PurposeDevised theatre
Location
Membership
  • Hannah Bos
  • Paul Thureen
  • Oliver Butler
Websitethedebatesociety.org

History

Hannah Bos of Evanston, Illinois, and Paul Thureen who was raised near East Grand Forks, Minnesota,[1] met at Vassar College and first performed in a play together during their sophomore year.[2] The pair dated during college and ended their relationship in what Bos described as a "terrible breakup".[3] They studied abroad together (at the National Theater Institute and in Russia) and cowrote their senior thesis, a play called A Thought About Raya before graduating in 2000.[2]

The company's third member, Oliver Butler, "didn't go to Vassar, but [...] wish[ed] [he] did", according to Butler himself.[2] While Butler, a University of Connecticut graduate,[4] was involved at a battle of the bands at the college in 1998,[2] he didn't meet Bos and Thureen until 2003[1] when he attended a reading of A Thought About Raya at the Drama Book Shop in New York City.[5] He approached Bos and Thureen immediately after the presentation and declared that he wanted to work with them, an idea about which the pair was initially hesitant.[3] During a two-month trial period, Butler challenged Bos and Thureen's established group dynamic by requiring them to articulate to him their ideas which the pair ultimately found to be useful to their process.[3] The company proper came into being in 2004 and is based in Brooklyn, New York City. They have worked with designers such as set designer Laura Jellinek, costume designer Sydney Maresca, lighting designer Mike Riggs, and sound designers Ben Truppin-Brown and M.L. Dogg.[1]

Process and style

The Debate Society is a devised theater company.[6] Their name came as a product of their process which is research intensive; Bos described it as "a nerdy way of working".[3] Bos, Butler, and Thureen begin the process of play-creation by fleshing out a world in which each story takes place. They then find some element of that world that excites them and attempt to theatricalize that element.[1] Their theatermaking process includes acting exercises, listmaking, and intensive research.[3]

Experimental theater director John Collins described the aesthetic of the company's works as having "filmic ambition".[3] In The New York Times, Jason Zinoman wrote that The Debate Society's shows felt "uncannily familiar and teasingly mysterious at the same time."[3]

Works

References
  1. Smith, Jenn (August 8, 2013). "Theater group The Debate Society brings new play to Nikos stage". The Berkshire Eagle. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  2. Bronski, Peter (October 2011). "Room for Debate". This Is Vassar: The eNewsletter for Alumnae/i & Families. Vassar College. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  3. Zinoman, Jason (September 26, 2012). "Old Friends Whose Past Is Always Present". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  4. Rizzo, Frank (January 29, 2015). "Wesleyan Giving Michael Price, Lin-Manuel Miranda Honorary Degrees". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  5. "Ten Young Artists You Should Know: The Debate Society". The L Magazine. September 1, 2010. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
  6. "Best Argument for Devised Theater New York 2010 - The Debate Society". The Village Voice. 2010. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  7. Manly, Lorne (February 18, 2016). "New Works From Kirsten Childs, Debate Society Will Be Part of Playwrights Horizons Season". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  8. Stasio, Marilyn (October 14, 2014). "Off Broadway Review: The Debate Society's 'Jacuzzi'". Variety. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  9. La Rocco, Claudia (October 11, 2012). "High Jinks Draw Neighbors Away From Their 1950s Suburban Worldview". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  10. Zinoman, Jason (June 3, 2010). "Police Station Chemistry: She's New, and He's a Flirt". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  11. Soloski, Alexis (February 16, 2010). "You're Welcome: A Cycle of Bad Plays Is Pretty Good". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on February 23, 2010. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  12. Jones, Kenneth (November 21, 2008). "Drive-In Movies Conjured in Debate Society Premiere Cape Disappointment, Starting Nov. 22 in NYC". Playbill. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  13. Del Signore, John (June 3, 2007). "Opinionist: The Eaten Heart". Gothamist. Archived from the original on December 29, 2010. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  14. Jensen, Mallory (February 12, 2006). "Theater Review: The Snow Hen". Gothamist. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  15. Manson, Caden (January 3, 2010). "Highlights: Festival Overload (NYC)". Contemporary Performance. Big Art Group. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
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