Company History

 In 2015, Tier5 began its life as a collective of graduate students from East 15 Acting School's MFA Acting (International) program in London. Its first project, Ladies in Waiting: The Judgement of Henry VIII, written by co-founder, James Cougar Canfield, was a dark comedy/drama that allowed Henry VIII's wives to finally tell him how much he actually sucked.

The show had a preview runs in London at the Bread & Roses Theatre (March 2016) and the Drayton Arms (July 2016), before receiving its official premiere at the 2016 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Ladies in Waiting went on to have sold-out, critically acclaimed runs in Edinburgh, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C., winning the 2017 Hollywood Fringe International Award and the 2017 TVolution Award for Best Ensemble. In 2018, it made its US regional theatre debut with Southwest Shakespeare Company in Scottsdale, AZ, enjoying another critically acclaimed, sold-out run. The show was so successful, Southwest Shakespeare revived the production for a second run in September 2019. 

Tier5 began work on its second production in late 2017: devising an adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, that put the focus on Louisa’s personal journey writing her American classic and how she did it by finding her truth: through her sexuality, her family, and her drive to create something astonishing.

After a year of improvisation, writing workshops, and research, the company premiered a workshop production of meg jo beth amy & louisa, at Dixon Place in November 2018, followed by a full-length premiere at the Center at West Park in NYC in April 2019. The show had continued success at Hollywood Fringe (Los Angeles) and Capital Fringe (Washington D.C.) with sell-out performances and award nominations. It had its regional theatre premiere with Southwest Shakespeare Company in January 2020.

In 2019, Tier5 premiered its third major production, The Christmas Carol: A Queer Fantasia, written by James Cougar Canfield, at the Access Theater in NYC. A new fabulous take on the Charles Dickens classic, the show became another success for Tier5 with sold out performances as well as being featured on Local Adventurer, Metrosource, and Go Magazine’s Must See Holiday Shows lists. 

While the onset of COVID-19 delayed an in-person season for Tier5 in 2020, the company launched a new virtual concert series, Tier5 Sings!, in June 2020. Every concert focused on it’s own unique theme: books that have been turned into musicals, celebrating the work of queer music icon, Cole Porter, exploring what “Camp” is…  each bringing incredible talent of our Tier5 all-stars to audiences throughout the world during this time of pandemic. After 21 virtual concerts, the Tier5 Sings! series concluded its two year run in June 2022, having featured 130 performers and 480 performances. All of the concerts are currently available to stream under the Tier5 Sings! tab on the website.

On top of venturing into the realm of musical theatre, Tier5 also took the dive into the world of Shakespeare, video games, and animation. In searching for new ways to create virtual theatre during the pandemic, Tier5 produced its first animated event, taking the script of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and bringing it to life through the virtual video game characters of Nintendo’s worldwide phenomenon, Animal Crossing. Pairing those with our Tier5 talent, and you got Shakespeare like you have NEVER seen it before. Tier5’s Romeo & Juliet: The Tragic Tale of Two Animal Cross-ed Lovers, the five part animated theatrical event, premiered February through March 2021. It was eventually featured on Digital World, a series that highlights excellence in digital entertainment. All five acts are currently available to stream on our YouTube channel.

In December 2021, Tier5 premiered Fairytales From Home, a virtual new play festival in which Tier5 curated eight storytellers (writers) to retell classic fairytale stories with their own twists. From well known classics like Hansel & Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Goldilocks, to lesser known fables like the story of Baba Yaga and the mysterious Bluebeard’s Wife, the evening was brought to life by nearly 50 artists across three continents, all filming their scenes in their own home, and the stories being edited together into one seamless evening. All fairytales are now available to stream individually on our YouTube channel.

In December 2022, after nearly a three-year hiatus from live performance, Tier5 returned to in-person productions with a staged reading of James Cougar Canfield’s latest play, Legend of the Chalk Circle, a wild and wacky retelling of Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle, at The Tank NYC. The reading was a sold-out success, and the show transferred to a full production in March 2023 at the American Theatre of Actors in NYC.

Tier5 has continued to partner with The Tank NYC to produce work-in-progress staged readings, including The Secret Garden by James Cougar Canfield (August 2023), Julius: Harlem’s Caesar by M. Hatten (October 2023), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by James Cougar Canfield (January 2024), United in Love, Until Death by Amanda Thomas (January 2024), Styx and Stones by Seth Barnes (May 2024), and John Deserves to Die by Rachel Greene (July 2024). 

In 2024, Tier5 launched A Season of ShakesQueer, revisiting two of Shakespeare’s classics with a new queer twist. Taking up residence at El Barrio’s ArtSpace, the season featured the full production transfer of M Hatten’s Julius: Harlem’s Caesar and concluded with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, both going on to sell out shows and be critically acclaimed.

Tier5’s focus on revisiting classic tales and historical narratives in a modern context with contemporary voices, humor, and pathos has become a staple of the company. Tier5 believes in and will continue to strive towards creating a safe, inclusive, and anti-racist environment for our creatives, actors, and audiences. Social Media: @tier5theatrecompany