Philip Bryan of Aithon Theatre

Aithon Theatre Company was founded in January 2006 as an ensemble based theatre company, owned and operated by Philip Bryan in collaboration with Landon Weiszbrod. The name Aithon derives from the Greek mythical horse which drew the chariot of many strong leaders of that time. The name itself means fiery or burning. Together it symbolizes the burning passion for our art that leads our artists to new ventures. Aithon will produce live theatrical productions during the first year, 2007, that will provide a theatrical experience and make available additional entertainment in the Valley. The goal is to eventually purchase a permanent venue.

An additional long-term goal is to offer Aithon as an avenue for writers to submit their works for new productions. Philip encourages new works from local artists and is willing to put the company’s time and effort in to developing a single concept into an entire theatrical production.

During the 2006 semester, Philip created the Student Outreach Program (SOP) to develop relationships with teachers and students in an effort to create awareness and promote live theater. Aithon Theatre Company performed The Complete History of America (abridged) to high school students at various locations FREE of charge; Roosevelt High, Sunnyside High, Edison High and Fresno High. Written by Adam Long, Reed Martin, and Austin Tichenor, the play featured Philip Bryan, Landon Weiszbrod, and Byron Watkins. Roosevelt High School utilized this unique performance as a fund-raiser for the students who would be attending the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in the spring. The show was scheduled as an evening performance for students and the general public and turned out to be a great success, generating over $800 for the Roosevelt program. Even though this was an expense for his company, Philip felt the benefit to bringing live theatre to the students outweighed the expenditure.

The Complete History of America (abridged) production was also performed at the 2007 Rogue Festival and was chosen by Fresno Bee’s Donald Munro as one of the Rogue’s “can’t miss” picks.

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Artist website: www.aithontheatre.com