Contemporary Theater Company
Contemporary Theater Company is a Wakefield, Rhode Island performing arts nonprofit founded in June 2005 as The Courthouse Summer Theater Company by a group of local artists seeking to restore live theatre to southern Rhode Island. The company settled at 327 Main Street in Wakefield in 2012, purchasing the building outright in 2018. A weekly Micetro competitive improv format launched in 2012 has been recognized as Best Improv Competition by Rhode Island Monthly.
History
Founding and Growth (2005)
Contemporary Theater Company was founded in June 2005 as The Courthouse Summer Theater Company, an unincorporated group of young local artists who wanted to bring scripted live theatre back to southern Rhode Island. The organization began as a summer-only operation before expanding to year-round programming.
Wakefield Home and Improv Programming (2012)
The company settled at 327 Main Street in Wakefield in 2012 and added weekly Micetro (Maestro) competitive improv to its programming. Rhode Island Monthly named the Micetro format Best Improv Competition in 2015. The organization purchased its 327 Main Street building outright in June 2018.
Artistic Identity
Contemporary Theater Company programs scripted mainstage productions alongside improv, youth camps, and theater classes from its Wakefield home. Its Micetro competitive improv format runs weekly as the primary improv programming within a mixed theatrical season.
Key Events
Contemporary Theater Company Founded in Wakefield
A group of young local artists founded Contemporary Theater Company as The Courthouse Summer Theater Company in June 2005 in Wakefield, Rhode Island, to restore live theatre to southern Rhode Island.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Contemporary Theater Company. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/companies/contemporary-theater-company-ri
The Improv Archive. "Contemporary Theater Company." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/companies/contemporary-theater-company-ri.
The Improv Archive. "Contemporary Theater Company." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/companies/contemporary-theater-company-ri. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.