Our Founders
A Message from the Executive Director:
We are excited to make ourselves known to the world. Amidst the chaos of 2020, The Thru-Line felt it imperative to elevate marginalized voices in our community of Polk County, Florida. Particularly, the groups we represent - Asian, Blacks, Hispanics, LGBTQ, and Women. And, although this list is not all-encompassing, this is how we are hoping to start. Why Thru-line? It’s a little spelling fun on a particular concept. Let’s do a little vocabulary lesson:
\ˈthrü-ˌlīn\ : (noun) a common or consistent element or theme shared by items in a series or by parts of a whole.
Each season you will see a common thread connecting the stories we wish to tell and the voices we elevate!
- Lydia Lea Real, Executive Director
We are excited to make ourselves known to the world. Amidst the chaos of 2020, The Thru-Line felt it imperative to elevate marginalized voices in our community of Polk County, Florida. Particularly, the groups we represent - Asian, Blacks, Hispanics, LGBTQ, and Women. And, although this list is not all-encompassing, this is how we are hoping to start. Why Thru-line? It’s a little spelling fun on a particular concept. Let’s do a little vocabulary lesson:
\ˈthrü-ˌlīn\ : (noun) a common or consistent element or theme shared by items in a series or by parts of a whole.
Each season you will see a common thread connecting the stories we wish to tell and the voices we elevate!
- Lydia Lea Real, Executive Director
A Message from the Artistic Director:
THANK YOU!!!
Some may find that to be a strange way for a person to start an "introduction," but hopefully this will be the first of many times that I get to say it. As Artistic Director I volunteered to tell why we decided to call ourselves “The Tribe”. Yep. That is what we call ourselves: A Tribe.
\ˈtrīb \ : (noun) a group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest. A family.
What’s that common interest? We’re artists! And, every artist has a child in them and all children want to play. We want you to come play with us. That is an invitation you will get from us a lot. We are five individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, strengths, and voices. We found each other on that playground known as the stage. The more we played, the more we quickly became a family: A Tribe. So, we decide to start a theater company! During a pandemic! We are also kind of crazy, but the best artists are! The face of our world has changed. So has theater. So, we figured, no time like the present to jump in and say, “Hey! Let’s play!”
- Tony Murvin, Artistic Director
THANK YOU!!!
Some may find that to be a strange way for a person to start an "introduction," but hopefully this will be the first of many times that I get to say it. As Artistic Director I volunteered to tell why we decided to call ourselves “The Tribe”. Yep. That is what we call ourselves: A Tribe.
\ˈtrīb \ : (noun) a group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest. A family.
What’s that common interest? We’re artists! And, every artist has a child in them and all children want to play. We want you to come play with us. That is an invitation you will get from us a lot. We are five individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, strengths, and voices. We found each other on that playground known as the stage. The more we played, the more we quickly became a family: A Tribe. So, we decide to start a theater company! During a pandemic! We are also kind of crazy, but the best artists are! The face of our world has changed. So has theater. So, we figured, no time like the present to jump in and say, “Hey! Let’s play!”
- Tony Murvin, Artistic Director
Thru→Line was founded in 2020 by Lydia Leah Real, Tony Murvin, Gretchen Suárez-Peña, Omar Negrón, and Lisa Negrón to elevate marginalized voices and enlighten the minds of audiences.