The Valley’s live theater scene is more diverse and outré than you may think, with local troupes pushing the boundaries of performance well beyond the Broadway norm. Here’s a look at five local companies who challenge convention with bold subject matter and daring, hilarious stagecraft.
Drunk Shakespeare
The premise of Drunk Shakespeare is simple: One actor takes five shots and stumbles through a performance while the sober actors try to keep things together. Last summer, though, the Bard took a backseat to swashbucklers in Drunk Pirates. Actor Jack Taylor shared what happens backstage.
About how long until the shots take effect?
I’d say within a few minutes, but up there performing, you have so much adrenaline.
Have you ever blacked out or had a bad hangover?
No. [The crew] makes sure that we’re all healthy and safe. We have full control over what we’re drinking. I do tequila personally. It’s a little easier on the recovery. I wouldn’t say that I’ve ever had a hangover.
Does the play change every night?
You hear the title, Drunk Pirates, and you expect Pirates of the Caribbean, but what we’ve done is take Treasure Island and make it almost a parody. The play is still the play, but the energy is very different as each actor’s personality comes out when they’re the
drunk one.
Drunk Shakespeare
The Rose Theatre
455 N. Third St., Phoenix
drunkshakespeare.com
All Puppet Players
Puppets aren’t just for kids, says Shaun Michael McNamara (pictured), the creator and artistic director of All Puppet Players. Proof can be found in the ever-rising popularity of this R-rated puppet troupe, largely buoyed by its annual holiday performance of Die Hard: A Christmas Carol. McNamara took a moment to dispel some myths about his felt actors and the people pulling their strings.
Puppet Fact No. 1: They have a short life span.
No crazy accidents have happened to McNamara’s felt creations, but that doesn’t mean they last forever. “They go through a rigorous cleaning process every year,” he says. “But overall, I only have them five to six years, tops, before they’re sort of worn out.”
Puppet Fact No. 2: There’s less improv than you think.
If you’ve ever seen an All Puppet Players show, you know anything can happen. The truth is that the shows are more scripted than you think. “What looks like maybe improv on stage might be a very well-rehearsed bit,” says McNamara. “Most of the time, no one will ever know which is which.”
Puppet Fact No. 3: No lawsuits, yet.
There’s been some cease-and-desist letters through the years, but McNamara says those go away once the lawyers realize his shows are a parody and, thus, legally protected. So next season’s IT spoof (PuppIT) and Jaws sequel (Jaws Once More) should go on without a hitch. But recently there was one big-time movie director who requested McNamara write a puppet show based on his work. “Next year we’re going to do a Kevin Smith show, but other than that, Hollywood largely ignores me,” he says.
All Puppet Players
Playhouse on the Park Theater
1850 N. Central Ave., Phoenix
allpuppetplayers.com
Stray Cat Theatre
This progressive yet unconventional company has been putting theater on blast for 25 seasons, and its 2026-27 season (starting October 9) is no exception. For example, the setting for the upcoming play Downstate is a home for registered sex offenders, and Teeth is based on an indie horror film in which the main character harbors a dangerous secret between her legs.
Stray Cat Theatre
Tempe Center for the Arts
700 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., Tempe
straycattheatre.org
Order Chaos Theater Company
When brothers Mark and Jean-Paoul Clemente co-founded the Order Chaos Theater Company, they committed themselves to bold storytelling and inclusive casting. Five seasons later, that devotion has served this nonprofit well. Last year, the troupe was named a Resident Company at Downtown Phoenix’s Herberger Theater Center. And its 2026-27 season (starting in September) is its most ambitious yet, with productions of The Vagina Monologues and Jean-Paoul’s original holiday-themed play, Claus and Effect.
Order Chaos Theater Company
Herberger Theater Center
222 E. Monroe St., Phoenix
orderchaostheater.org
Space 55 Theatre Ensemble
Experimental doesn’t even begin to describe the work performed by this local acting troupe. For two decades, Space 55 Theatre Ensemble has pushed the boundaries of live theater, from performing inventive live radio plays like Night of the Chicken and hilarious late-night improv variety shows. More recently, the ensemble has inveighed on Phoenix’s never-ending gentrification with award-winning playwright Ashley Naftule’s John Waters-inspired Peppermint Beehive.
Space 55 Theatre Ensemble
Various locations
space55.org
