In the summer of 2015, Frank Mihelich, at that time professor of performance in the theatre program at California Baptist University, fulfilled a long-time dream of launching a theatre company. With the generous support and encouragement of a local theatre patron and a handful of theatre makers and dedicated CBU Theatre students and alumni, New Threads quickly became one of the cutting-edge theatre companies in the Inland Empire of Southern California. Between 2015 and 2020, New Threads produced Oleanna, God of Carnage, True West, Asleep in the Arms of God, The Crucible, All in the Timing, and The Christians. In the spring of 2022, Frank stepped away from teaching to focus full-time on relaunching and building this exciting artistic community.

New Threads fosters an innovative approach to production development, for both established plays and new works, bringing the audience into every step of the process. In addition to our original three programs - Mainstage, In-Dialogue, and New Works - we recently launched the New Threads Writer’s Group to develop original plays and talented playwrights as part of its commitment to help emerging artists develop their theatrical voice.

New Threads wants to explore the issues we’re not supposed to talk about at Thanksgiving dinner - politics, religion, culture, etc. - and create a welcoming space for having hard conversations with people we might disagree with. New Threads is dedicated to building truly inclusive community around the “third-rail” social issues of our day, and we envision a day when all voices will be invited into the cultural conversation.