New theater company gives Atlanta Pinch n’ Ouch
I first heard of Atlanta’s newest theater company, Pinch n’ Ouch Theatre, during the post-play Q&A for How Theater Failed America on April 4. Apparently Mike Daisey’s monologue on the sorry state of contemporary stagecraft did not dissuade New York transplants Grant McGowen and Bree Dawn Shannon from launching the new troupe.
Pinch n’ Ouch was founded in New York in 2008 by McGowen, Shannon and other Big Apple-based actors. According to McGowen, the company’s producing artistic director, “The name “Pinch and Ouch” comes from a phrase which legendary acting teacher Sanford Meisner used to teach actors how to respond truthfully under imaginary circumstances. Meisner believed firmly in the importance of listening and placing the actor’s focus onto another person, allowing self-consciousness little time to develop.”