Welcome to Ambassador Theater

I am delighted and excited to kick off our 2009 season with the DC premiere of Sławomir Mrożek’s Polish masterpiece “Out at Sea”!

Mrożek’s work resonates today just as well as it did in 1961 when the play was first written. His work follows in the tradition of the Theater of the Absurd, using witty dialogue, sharp juxtapositions, and comedic distortion to point out the follies of human nature. “Out at Sea” explores the intrusion of class, politics, and Darwinian natural selection even in the smallest communities.

Working on this production with American actors has been a fascinating process of rediscovering Mrożek again. As a group we have explored various possibilities and interpretations of the play in a new 21st century context. The rest we leave for the audience.


The Story Behind Ambassador Theater…

But for me bringing this production to DC has been the culmination of many years of training, teaching, growing, and dreaming.

Growing up in Warsaw, Poland, I spent my early years soaking up the best of Polish theater and poetry, including works by one of my favorite playwrights, Sławomir Mrożek. My love for his work has brought me from Poland, to Florida, and now to DC.

But my interests are not limited to Polish Theater. After working and traveling with various theater groups and outreach programs, I realized my dream: to form a theater company. But with so many mainstream theater companies in work already, I knew it would be best to bring my experience and the experience of others together in an International Theater. Its mission would be to build cultural awareness through a forum where artists from all cultural backgrounds can share their passion for the arts.

This idea first came to me while watching a parade for the Athens Olympics. Amazed by the group of Americans there (over 300 million), I thought--

“If only 60,000 Americans gave me only one dollar, I would build a theater.”

Years later, my dream would return.

Continuing my love of sharing and learning about other cultures, I spent several years teaching theater to younger students in the DC area. After one particular day teaching drama class for 4-6 years old, one of the student’s parents approached me, thanking me for the work I had done with her son. She then asked:

“When are you going to get started on that theater of yours???”

I immediately thought back to that moment in Athens and explained the financial difficulties with starting a brand new theater.

“Here Ms. Hanna, here’s one dollar for you to start the theater!!”
The son of the parent who was speaking, Thomas, reached into his pocket to produce a brand new dollar bill.

I was overwhelmed by the generosity and hope of a child, and I still keep that dollar to this day.