Acting on the fringeSteve Forth’s job is a dream come true. As artistic director of thespian group Shard Live Performance Collective, the young entrepreneur has incorporated his passion for alternative theater into his professional life.

Forth developed the idea for Shard, a Richmond-based nonprofit group, with some colleagues who were all facing the same problem: "There aren’t too many resources for alternative theater. It started with a group of actors who wanted to do their own thing. We wanted to provide a way for people to do their creative work," Forth says.

Since its inaugural production in February 1999, the group has organized 12 performances. Forth attributes the group’s success to the city’s open attitude toward different theater forms. "There’s a huge market for this in Richmond," he says. "Fringe theater has really gone by the wayside. But I feel there’s a young, vibrant culture in Richmond who’s asking to be represented"

Shard has six full-time employees and about 30 actors, writers and other support personnel who vary from project to project. Members are compensated on a percentage system that continues to grow as productions bring in larger receipts. As their presence in Richmond continues to expand, Forth is taking his ideas to other U.S. cities. The group is considering starting groups in Dallas, Chicago and San Francisco.