Our Mission
Through artistic collaboration,
we challenge classic text and amplify original work with a contemporary aesthetic to cultivate community, reframe underrepresented roles, and activate imagination, creating the tomorrow we want to see, today.
Why The Collective Troupe?
Introduction
The Collective Troupe is guided by Co-Producing Artistic Directors A.M. Sannazzaro and Matthew Shaffer, whose combined vision merges theatre-making with cultural dialogue. Through intentional collaborations, The Collective Troupe sustains equitable practices that center underrepresented voices and ensure that artistry and activism move hand in hand. By blending artistry with activism, from site-specific theatre and devised works to workshops and educational initiatives, The Collective Troupe creates spaces where audiences are not just witnesses, but collaborators in shaping stories that resonate, challenge, and transform.
The Problem
Or “The Opportunity!" We're in a cultural moment where underrepresented voices are finally starting to take center stage—but sustaining that momentum requires infrastructure, imagination, and community. Too often, bold new work still struggles to find resources, and artists are expected to conform to outdated models that no longer serve today’s world. The Collective Troupe exists to challenge that system—by creating platforms for boundary-pushing, inclusive, and community-driven performance.
Our Solution
The Collective Troupe exists to shape the future of theatre—right now. Rooted in collaboration, experimentation, and care, we produce immersive events, reimagine classic works, and elevate bold new voices. We launched with The Broadcast—a daring one-act written and directed by AM Sannazzaro, starring Lindsay Plake—which was met with powerful responses and affirmed our vision. Now, we’re building on that momentum. Our upcoming Cabaret Gala is more than a fundraiser—it’s a vibrant artistic welcome to the community we’re growing, together.
Meet The Team
Co-Producing Artistic Director
A.M. Sannazzaro
is a multidisciplinary artist with over 20 years of experience as a producer, writer, director, actor, and educator. He has taught acting, improv, and classical theatre at institutions like Cedar Street Theatre and Theatricum Botanicum, where he leads in-school programs and workshops in Elizabethan styles. Anthony founded The Industrial Players, a pop-up ensemble creating donation-based performances in unconventional spaces, and has been a core member of City Garage Theatre for over a decade. His work is rooted in access, mentorship, and the belief that great theatre can happen anywhere.
Co-Producing Artistic Director
Matthew Shaffer
brings over 25 years of experience across stage, television, film, and academia. His nonfiction books—So You Want To Be A Dancer and Dancing Out of the Closet—extend that storytelling to the page, exploring identity, artistry, and the pursuit of connection. With an interdisciplinary MFA, Shaffer centers collaboration and experiential learning to foster curiosity and equity in every setting. Whether directing and choreographing large-scale productions like Matilda the Musical or working with emerging artists in community spaces, he crafts environments rooted in empathy, imagination, and access.