Bred from the experimentation of the ’60s, Broom Street Theater has always stood for freedom of expression against all odds.

A black box theater, Broom Street Theater offers an interactive intimacy that coincides with the theater’s experimental mission. Its shows are often performed in a “thrust style” — when audience members are seated on three sides of the stage, the fourth side serving as the background.

Thanks to local playwrights and the Broom Street Theater community, the company’s works are entirely original. Heather Renken, who has served as artistic director since 2010 believes that this quality sets Broom Street Theater apart from the rest.

“What makes our theater truly unique is that 100 percent of our season is original works,” she said. “You’re probably not going to see that anywhere else.”

The company was founded in 1969 by Stuart Gordon as a direct response to University of Wisconsin’s attempts to censor his on-campus theater troupe, Screw Theater, Renken said.

Screw Theater was under scrutiny after their 1968 production of “Peter Pan” featured nudity.

The theater then found its bearings under the artistic direction of Joel Gersmann. From 1970 until his death in 2005, Gersmann cultivated this theater co-op to become one of the most imaginative and inspired theaters Madison has to offer.

Under Renken’s direction, Broom Street Theater’s season has expanded to 10 shows, each with four week runs. Playwrights from across the country submit plays for Renken to review, but it is common for the staff, actors or anyone else in the Broom Street Theater community to write their own plays for the season.

Renken said the theater urges local playwrights to share their work, allowing them free range of choice when it comes down to the style and manner of the story they want to tell. But the Broom Street Theater particularly encourages an experimental style, she said.

This theater’s set-up is constantly changing based on the story and the needs of the writers and directors. The theater’s moveable bleachers make this flexibility possible.

“Sweet William,” Broom Street Theater’s current show written by local playwright Doug Reed, is performed in a traditional “proscenium style,” where the audience is seated on one side of the stage.

The play tells the story of a curmudgeon baseball player who has hidden himself away, but when a filmmaker makes a documentary about him his life is revealed through a series of flashbacks.

Having been a part of virtually every facet of the theater, Renken said the theater emphasizes including people regardless of experience or inclination.

“People can come and participate in any way they choose,” she said. “Whether they are only here for acting, or only here for tech — it doesn’t matter. We are happy to initiate them into this art form.”

For nearly 50 years, Broom Street Theater has allowed Madison’s theater community a space to let their creativity run wild. With Renken’s artistic direction and the passion of the community, the future of Broom Street Theater is nothing short of thrilling.