History
The Complete History of Bare Bones (abridged!)
In 1998, newly retired Jeff Bennett needed something to do. After catching up on some sleep and relaxation following 31 years of teaching and directing high school students, Jeff created what would eventually grow into the Bare Bones Theater Company. Proving that you can take the teacher out of the school but not the school out of the teacher, Jeff formed an adult education course on the Fundamentals of Acting at the Laurel Avenue School in Northport, NY. The class was a popular success, so a few years later Jeff gathered his students and moved a few blocks west to the Posey School of Dance, right in the heart of Main Street, Northport. Soon, one class became two, two became three, and three became what is now the Bare Bones Theater Company.
As the group achieved success with its classes and open-to-the-public showcases, Jeff decided it was time for a full-fledged evening of one-act plays – “Zoo Story”, “Hotline”, and “The Actor’s Nightmare” – to be presented under the umbrella title Nightmares and Daymares. It was the company’s first formally staged production and it scored a resounding ‘thumbs up’. Audiences were taken with the unusual lineup of shows and believability of the actors’ performances, and as a result, the Bare Bones Theater Company was selected in 2005 to present Brooklyn Boy for the grand opening of the newly renovated Northport Theater.
In 2008, ten years after offering that first adult education course, Jeff introduced an innovative and exciting new initiative: The Bare Bones Repertory Company. Utilizing the same diverse and dynamic group of actors that called Bare Bones home, the Repertory Company produces a full season of plays each year and showcases a wide array of talent. Long Island theatergoers have flocked to the Posey School’s upstairs performance space to experience a unique assortment of plays, from American classics like A Streetcar Named Desire to side-splitting comedies like The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged!). With guest teachers, staged readings and special events like the annual film festival and the Hurricane Sandy relief benefit, the group has evolved from an eight student acting class in an adult ed catologue into one of Long Island’s most respected theater companies.