ABOUT US
Image Theater is a Massachusetts not-for-profit corporation that produces original, unpublished theatrical plays and musicals by New England playwrights and composers.
Being playwrights and composers ourselves, the board of directors seek to create a theater that can prove itself as a testing ground for new and exciting voices in the theater. Festivals will also be produced that feature many of New England’s top playwrights and composers, allowing local audiences to sample a variety of offerings from many short works.
Recently Image Theater has delved into the world of film making with our 2012 production of
Memories for Sale . We also hosted our first film festival and look forward to offering our audience an opportunity to view exciting new works by area film makers.
It is our belief that the Greater Boston area harbors some of the finest writers in the country, and, by helping to shine a light on their works with quality local actors, directors, and technical staff, the Image Theater can be an important first stepping stone for these exciting artists.
Co~Founders
Jerry Bisantz
Jerry has been involved in theater in the Boston area for over thirty years as an actor, playwright, director, producer, and , recently, a film maker. His screenplay “Memories For Sale” (www.memoriesforsalefilm.com) has screened in a host of film festivals, recently seen in Cambridge, UK , Romania, and received the Audience Choice Award at the SENE Festival in Providence, RI.
As a playwright, his politically incorrect backstage comedy “Boys At Play” received the “Best New Play” award from the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE Award) and is published by Samuel French. “Romance 101” and “Sex Education” have been produced at the Boston Theatre Marathon and are published by Bakers Plays. “The Old Ways”, a short play of his, is published by JacNeed Publications, and he is also published in “River Muse” (Sons of Liberty Publishing) and “Where The Road Begins” (The Cultural Organization of Lowell). His play “What I Did On My Summer Vacation” was the recipient of both the “Audience Choice” award and the “Playwrights’ Choice “ award at the Boston Playwrights’ Platform Festival. Jerry’s play “Fallen Star” received the “Excellence in Playwriting Award” at the EMACT Festival at Brandeis University, and was performed at The Shea Theatre in Turner’s Falls, MA. His feature length play “Sunday Visitors” was performed at the Theatre Cooperative in Somerville, MA, as was his feature length play “Tit For Tat”. “The Straight Line”, his neo-Western, was produced by Image Theater.
As a producer, Jerry is the founder of the Hovey Summer Shorts Festival in Waltham, MA, and produced the Playwrights’ Platform Festival of Plays at Playwrights’ Theatre, Boston, MA. Together with his partner Ann Garvin, Jerry is the co producer of The “Keep Your Kids At Home” Naughty Readings, “Mill City Minutes”, “Femnoire: The Women’s Playwriting Festival”, 3 For 3: A Mixed Media Mash-Up”, “City Stories”, “The Restaurant Readings”, and has had a hand in all of Image Theater’s offerings.
Jerry has also directed plays for Image Theater, Hovey Players of Waltham, Arlington Friends of The Drama, Deertrees Theatre, MN, Turtle Lane Playhouse, The Weston Friendly Society, The Carlisle Savoyards, The Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA, and the Boston Theatre Marathon.
Originally from Buffalo, NY, he resides in Lowell, MA with his wife, Sharon. Children Kate and Max are living “the life” in NY, NY, and he is proud of their accomplishments.
Ann Garvin
Ann has been involved in theater in the Metro West and Merrimack Valley area for well over 15 years on and off stage.
As a Stage Manager, Ann has worked with The Turtle Lane Playhouse , The Hovey Players , Playwrights Platform Festival of Plays at Playwrights’ Theatre, Metrostage Company , ACME Theater and Our Voices Festival IV and V.
At Image Theater she has directed numerous plays including IRNE nominated Kerouac’s Last Call. She has also directed for The Boston Theater Marathon, Our Voices, A Celebration of Boston Area Women Playwrights and The Atlantis Playmakers.
She is the founder of Image Theater’s Femnoire, The Women’s Playwriting Festival. Ann also has co produced along with her partner Jerry Bisantz, Image Theater’s Mill City Minutes, Keep Your Kids at Home Naughty Readings, 3 For 3: A Mixed Media Mash Up, The Restaurant Readings, City Stories and Femnoire.
She co produced The Our Voices Festival IV and V held at Regis College.
Ann is the Executive Producer of Image Theater and Breaking Branches Pictures recent film Memories for Sale