Theatre Banshee in Burbank, Santa Clara County, United States | Theatre

Theatre Banshee is a non-profit professional Theatre company founded in 1994 in the Los Angeles area of Burbank, California in the United States. Company founders Sean Branney and Leslie Baldwin set out to create live Theatre which excites, engages and entertains audiences. At Theatre Banshee, we believe Theatre is a vital part of our cultural landscape, and we're dedicated to making outstanding productions accessible to all. While Theatre Banshee specializes in the plays and playwrights of Ireland, we seek to create drama that illuminates humanity at large.
Long ago Theatre Banshee in Burbank, California, just produced plays. Then we became a membership company. Members are invited to join the company, and the members themselves sustain the operation of the company. Unlike other companies where members pay cash dues, Theatre Banshee members support the organization primarily through the contribution of time, and audience development. Our shows are primarily cast out of the membership, and members have some say in the operation of the company. Now we operate our own venue and produce a season of three fully mounted shows per year.
Los Angeles Times described our work as, "A sterling ensemble achievement, alternately scalding and magical in its theatricality". Variety lauds "the consistently superb quality of this company's work." We'd love to have you join us and hear the banshee wail at Theatre Banshee in Burbank, California.
The word banshee comes from the Irish words bean sí. In traditional Irish folklore, the banshee, like the leprechaun, is a strange and magical creature. Legend has it that the banshee takes the form of either a beautiful young fairy maiden or a fearsome withered hag. But the banshee is best known for its haunting wail.
According to legend, when a person is about to die, they or their family are visited by the banshee whose mournful and terrifying howl is a harbinger of the dark forebodings ahead.
We were drawn to the banshee as an icon for our company because of its duality. The nature of Theatre is deeply tied to shifting forms and things not always being what they appear to be. Within us all is the beauty of a young maiden, and the darkness of a withered crone.