The Zaidi Theatre (often referred to as the Black Box or Stage II) was added to the Villagers Theatre in 1988. From the time of its construction until the fall of 1996 it served only as a “multi-purpose room,” being used to host our Kidsvill series, rehearsals and special events. Occasionally, it was used as a performance space for shows that needed more intimacy than provided by the main auditorium or that were a bit more challenging than we felt was appropriate for our traditional Main Stage audience.
That is until the fall of 1996, when it became the permanent home of our “Black Box Series.” It was in this series where we regularly presented more intimate and challenging productions. It is where our directors, actors and audience members have “a safe place to do unsafe things.” Productions in this series ran from outlandish and absurd comedies like David Ives’ All in the Timing and Christorpher Durang’s Durang Durang, to intense dramas like Lanford Wilson’s Burn This! and David Mamet’s Oleanna.
Starting in the fall of 2010, the Black Box Series was temporarily suspended and was replaced by the Villagers Independent Producers Series. This change allowed the creative staffs of the shows produced in the space even more creative and artistic control over their work.
However we are happy to announce that in the fall of 2012, the Black Box Series has returned to production. However we will still host VIP productions when possible.