Playwrights Horizons
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| Address | 416 West 42nd Street Manhattan, New York City United States |
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| Owner | Playwrights Horizon, Inc. |
| Type | Off-Broadway |
| Capacity | Mainstage: 198 Peter Jay Sharp: 128 |
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| www | |
Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit American Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work.
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Adam Greenfield[1][2] and Managing Director Casey York,[3] Playwrights Horizons encourages the new work of veteran writers while nurturing an emerging generation of theater artists. Writers are supported through every stage of their growth with a series of development programs: script and score evaluations, commissions, readings, musical theater workshops, Studio and Mainstage productions.
History
[edit]Playwrights Horizons was founded in 1971 at the Clark Center Y by Robert Moss, before moving to 42nd Street in 1977 where it was one of the original theaters that started Theater Row by converting adult entertainment venues into off Broadway theaters. The current building was built on the site of a former burlesque, which previously served as the off-Broadway Maidman Playhouse between 1960 and 1966.[4]
André Bishop served as Artistic Director from 1981 to 1991, followed by Don Scardino who served through 1995. Tim Sanford served as Artistic Director from 1996 until July 2020, serving as "outgoing Artistic Director" during the 2020-2021 season.[1] Adam Greenfield took over as Artistic Director in July 2020.[1] In 2023, Managing Director Leslie Marcus ended her 30-year tenure with the company.[5]
Playwrights Horizons has worked with over 375 writers and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. In 2005, it was among 406 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.[6]
Playwrights Horizons' auxiliary programs include the Playwrights Horizons Theater School, which is affiliated with NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and Ticket Central, a central box office that supports the off-Broadway performing arts community. Designated to give undergraduate students a foundation within various fields of theater. The theater school is split between a traditional two year program, focusing on skills and techniques as a theater artist, and an advanced training program, which is meant to help students build a connection between undergraduate training and their independent careers.[7] Founded in 2010, Clubbed Thumb and Playwrights Horizons founded SuperLab, which aimed to support creative thinking by producing six new plays.[8]
Awards
[edit]Past productions include seven Pulitzer Prize winners:
- Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Sunday in the Park with George (1985)[9]
- Alfred Uhry's Driving Miss Daisy (1988)[10]
- Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles (1989)[11]
- Doug Wright's I Am My Own Wife (2004)[12]
- Bruce Norris's Clybourne Park (2011)[13]
- Annie Baker's The Flick (2014)[14]
- Michael R. Jackson's A Strange Loop (2020)[15]
List of Obie Awards[16]:
| Year | Category | Recipient(s) |
| 1967 | Special Citations | The Open Theatre |
| 1977 | Distinguished Productions | Eve Merriam, Tommy Tune, Kate Carmel, Cast |
| 2005 | Obie Grant | Gina Gionfriddo |
| 2007 | Obie Grant | Young Jean Lee |
| 2016 | Special Citations: Collaboration | Annie Baker (Playwright) |
| 2016 | Special Citations: Collaboration | Dominique Morisseau (Playwright) |
| 2019 | Special Citations | Clare Barron (Playwright), Lee Sunday Evans (Director) |
| 2020 | Playwriting | Michael R. Jackson |
| 2020 | Playwriting | Will Arbery |
| 2020 | Special Citation | Creative Team and Ensemble of Heroes of the Fourth Turning |
| 2020 | Special Citation | Creative Team and Ensemble of A Strange Loop |
| 2022 | Design | Reza Behjat |
| 2022 | Direction | Taylor Reynolds |
| 2023 | Design | Enver Chakartash (Costumes) |
| 2023 | Direction | Dustin Wills |
| 2023 | Playwriting | Bruce Norris |
| 2023 | Special Citations | Design Team: Kate Noll, Cha See, Haydee Zelideth Antuñano, Tei Blow, John Gasper, Nick Hussong |
| 2023 | Sustained Achievement in Directing | Pam MacKinnon |
| 2023 | Sustained Achievement in Performance | K. Todd Freeman |
| 2023 | Sustained Achievement in Performance | Shannon Tyo |
| 2024 | Special Citations | Milo Cramer, Morgan Green |
| 2024 | Sustained Achievement in Design | Jian Jung (Set) |
| 2024 | Sustained Achievement in Directing | Sarah Benson |
| 2024 | Sustained Achievement in Performance | Greg Keller |
Notable Productions
[edit]Notable productions include:
- Assassins – Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman
- Betty's Summer Vacation and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You – Christopher Durang
- Circle Mirror Transformation and The Flick – Annie Baker
- Clybourne Park and The Pain and the Itch – Bruce Norris
- Dance Nation — Clare Barron
- Detroit – Lisa D'Amour
- Floyd Collins – Adam Guettel and Tina Landau
- Grey Gardens – Doug Wright, Scott Frankel, and Michael Korie
- Goodnight Children Everywhere and Franny's Way – Richard Nelson
- Heroes of the Fourth Turning – Will Arbery
- Hir — Taylor Mac
- In Trousers, March of the Falsettos, and Falsettoland – William Finn
- James Joyce's The Dead – Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey
- Lobby Hero – Kenneth Lonergan
- Marvin's Room – Scott McPherson
- The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin – Kirsten Childs
- The Curious Case of the Watson Intelligence — Madeleine George
- The Dining Room – A.R. Gurney
- The Substance of Fire – Jon Robin Baitz
- The Thanksgiving Play — Larissa FastHorse
- The Treasurer - Max Posner[17]
- This – Melissa James Gibson
- Small Tragedy and Prayer for My Enemy – Craig Lucas
- Stereophonic – David Adjmi
- Violet – Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley
References
[edit]- ^ a b c McPhee, Ryan (2019). "Tim Sanford to Step Down as Playwrights Horizons Artistic Director". Playbill. Playbill.com. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ Sherman, Rachel (May 9, 2023). "'Teeth' Adaptation and 'Stereophonic' in Playwrights Horizons New Season". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ "Casey York Joins Playwrights Horizons as Managing Director". Playbill.com. June 28, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
- ^ "Maidman Playhouse". Lortel Archives. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- ^ "Casey York Joins Playwrights Horizons as Managing Director". Playbill.com. June 28, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
- ^ Roberts, Sam (July 6, 2005). "City Groups Get Bloomberg Gift of $20 Million". The New York Times. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
- ^ "Playwrights Horizons Curriculum". tisch.nyu.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
- ^ Schulman, Sophie. "Clubbed Thumb And Playwrights Horizons Launch SuperLab Today, 11/12". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
- ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes". Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes". Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes". Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes". Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes". Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes". Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ "The Pulitzer Prizes". Retrieved July 21, 2020.
- ^ American Theatre Wing (March 25, 2025). "Obie Awards". Obie Awards.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (September 27, 2017). "Review: In 'The Treasurer,' a Son Remembers Mama, as She Forgets Everything". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
External links
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