Downstage Left is an Amsterdam-based theatre company that thrives on creativity, collaboration, and community. While we perform in English, we’re proud to come from all corners of the world, bringing together a rich mix of backgrounds, cultures, and languages. Our mission? To create outstanding community theatre by bringing fresh stories to life, whether in conventional theatres or unconventional spaces.
Since 2017, we’ve staged dozens of new and established plays, working together with a wonderful group of creatives to push the boundaries of theatre. We’ve had the pleasure of performing plays like Don’t Dress for Dinner by Marc Camoletti, Proof by David Auburn, The Amsterdam Art Heist by Denis Burke, and many more, including our regular Campfire nights and Playground performances where we showcase new works. We pride ourselves on creating original theatre that surprises and delights audiences, no matter the venue.
But it’s not just about the performances – it’s about building a community. Taking inspiration from repertory theatre, we work with a regular group of talented people to develop long-term relationships, trust, and an evolving creative process. By nurturing each other’s skills, we grow together as artists – whether on stage, behind the scenes, or in the director’s chair.
Our work has taken us far beyond Amsterdam’s borders, with performances at festivals in Ireland (Scene & Heard 2024), the Netherlands (the 10’ International Theater Festival 2020), Northern Ireland (Imagine Belfast 2021), and England (National Drama Festival 2025). We were even honored to win first prize for best play at the FEATS festival 2025 in Hamburg with I’m Home by Denis Burke.
Who are you people?
Downstage Left was founded by Anastasia Reshetnikova, Andy Cowie, Annika van der Vegt, Ben Evans, Borislava Todorova, Brian Ligthart, Denis Burke, Jon Calado, Katharina Olsen, Silvia Pietrosanti, and Yulia Prokhorova. Over time we have expanded our casting pool and membership to include dozens of other creative souls. These days Downstage Left is administered by Andy Cowie, Ben Evans, Denis Burke, Evonne Dunne, Jess Greham, Silvia Pietrosanti and Teresa Fernandez.
how can I get involved with Downstage Left?
A sensible question. We are often looking for technicians, lighting designers, stage managers, stage crew, set designers and builders, marketing and fund raising support, and directors. Actors, please note: we tend to expand our casting pool very very slowly. We occasionally run open auditions. Follow us on instagram or subscribe to our newsletter for updates. Downstage Left is run entirely by volunteers. If you would like to get involved, please get in touch here
Downstage Left 