Atlantic Theater Company

Atlantic Theater Company
Beyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	Atlantic Theater Company
Established	1985
Location	New York City
Artistic director	(see Leadership and Artistic Staff)
Website	(official site)

Contents

Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway theatre company founded in 1985 in New York City by a group of theatre artists associated with the Zero Mostel Theatre and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. The company grew out of a commitment to the acting techniques of Stanislavski, Stella Adler, and collaborative work practiced by artists connected to David Mamet, William H. Macy, and the Atlantic Acting School. Atlantic has produced premieres by playwrights linked to American Theatre movements and nurtured performers who later worked on Broadway and in Hollywood, television, and film festivals.

History

Atlantic was launched by alumni of the Nevada Repertory Theatre and participants from the New York Shakespeare Festival who sought an ensemble-driven model inspired by the Group Theatre and the Actors Studio. Founders included individuals active in productions at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company and collaborators from the Royal Court Theatre and Circle in the Square Theatre. Early seasons featured work by playwrights associated with the Obie Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama circuit, commissioning new plays and revivals that toured to venues such as the Public Theater and festivals like the Spoleto Festival USA and the Lincoln Center Festival. Over decades Atlantic developed co-productions with institutions including the Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, and international partners like the National Theatre and the Sydney Theatre Company.

Artistic leadership has included founders connected to David Mamet and William H. Macy, with producing directors who previously worked at the Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage, and the Long Wharf Theatre. Administrators and artistic staff have been drawn from programs at Juilliard, Yale School of Drama, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and have included resident directors who trained under artists from the Atlantic Acting School, the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, and the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. The company's boards and executive teams have featured trustees with backgrounds at the New York Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, and the Sloan Foundation, and guest directors have come from the Public Theater, Berkshire Theatre Festival, and Goodman Theatre.

Atlantic's seasons have presented premieres and revivals by playwrights whose works intersect with the Tony Awards, Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and the Obie Awards. The company has produced plays that later transferred to Broadway houses such as the Ethel Barrymore Theatre and the Booth Theatre, and works that were adapted into films screened at the Sundance Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, and Cannes Film Festival. Resident ensembles have included actors who performed in productions at the Royal National Theatre, Shakespeare in the Park, and regional houses like the Seattle Repertory Theatre and Alley Theatre. Atlantic has run development programs with the National Endowment for the Arts, workshop series in partnership with the Lila Acheson Wallace Theater, and co-commissioned new writing with the Roundabout Theatre Company and the Signature Theatre Company.

The Atlantic Acting School grew as a conservatory training program drawing pedagogical lineage from Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, and collaborators linked to Lee Strasberg. The School offers two- and four-year conservatory tracks that attract applicants from institutions such as Juilliard, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Faculty have included directors and teachers who worked at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and the BAM curriculum, and alumni have gone on to credits with NBC, HBO, Netflix, ABC, and film studios like Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros.. The School runs youth programs in collaboration with organizations such as Lincoln Center Education and outreach partnerships with community groups connected to the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Atlantic's headquarters and theatres are located in Chelsea, Manhattan and nearby arts districts that include venues represented on maps with the Lincoln Center and the East Village theatre scene. The company has operated stages comparable in scale to Off-Broadway houses like the Cherry Lane Theatre and technical facilities used by companies such as New York Theatre Workshop and the MCC Theater. Backstage and rehearsal spaces have hosted residencies for guest artists from the BAM Fisher and touring productions affiliated with the Walker Art Center and European partners like the Schaubühne. Administrative offices have collaborated with cultural funders including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and municipal entities such as the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Atlantic has been honored through associations with recipients of the Tony Award, Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and Obie Awards, and its productions and alumni have earned nominations and wins at the Drama Desk Awards, Lucille Lortel Awards, and the Outer Critics Circle Awards. Plays developed at Atlantic have been cited in lists by critics from The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Variety, and alumni have received individual accolades from institutions including the Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, and Golden Globe Awards. The company's contribution to theatre training and new play development has been recognized by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ford Foundation, and awards administered by the American Theatre Wing.

Category:Theatre companies in New York City