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| Barrow Group | |
|---|---|
| Name | Barrow Group |
| Established | 1986 |
| Type | Theater company |
| Location | New York City |
| Genre | Actor training, ensemble theater, new plays |
Barrow Group is a New York City–based theater company and actor-training organization founded in 1986. The company operates as an ensemble theater, producing plays and offering training in acting, directing, and writing, with connections to Off-Broadway, regional theaters, and screen industries. It has influenced practitioners associated with institutions such as New York Theatre Workshop, Lincoln Center Theater, Public Theater, The Juilliard School, and Tisch School of the Arts.
The company was founded in 1986 by artistic leaders who had ties to Off-Off-Broadway, Circle Rep, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Atlantic Theater Company, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Early seasons included collaborations with artists who had worked at Brooklyn Academy of Music, St. Ann's Warehouse, Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage Theatre, and Cherry Lane Theatre. Over time, the organization established relationships with producers and institutions such as Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Ford's Theatre, Geffen Playhouse, and Arena Stage. The ensemble crossed paths with directors and playwrights associated with Stephen Sondheim, Tom Stoppard, David Mamet, August Wilson, and Edward Albee through workshops, festivals, and readings at venues like Theatre Row and Westport Country Playhouse.
The mission emphasizes actor-centered training, ensemble collaboration, and producing intimate dramas and new works—objectives resonant with philosophies from Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Actors Studio, Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, Michael Chekhov, and Meisner Technique traditions. Programs include conservatory-style courses reflecting pedagogies practiced at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and training models seen at The Old Vic and The Royal Court Theatre. The organization offers classes and labs that attract performers who also train or teach at institutions like Columbia University School of the Arts, NYU Tisch, Yale School of Drama, Brown/Trinity MFA Program, and University of California, Los Angeles.
Productions range from contemporary dramas to adaptations and new plays premiered through festivals similar to Humana Festival of New American Plays, Sundance Institute Theatre Lab, O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, and Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The repertoire has been staged in Off-Broadway houses and intimate black-box venues such as The Flea Theater, 59E59 Theatres, HERE Arts Center, New World Stages, and Shea Center for the Performing Arts. Collaborators have included designers and composers linked to Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, Roundabout Underground, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Tanglewood Festival, Kirk Douglas Theatre, and Seattle Repertory Theatre.
Alumni and members have moved into film, television, and theater, joining casts and staffs on projects affiliated with The New York Times–reviewed plays, Tony Awards, Obie Awards, Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners, and screen productions tied to Netflix, HBO, AMC Networks, PBS, and NBC Universal. Notable individuals associated through training, performance, or direction have also worked at Royal Shakespeare Company, Donmar Warehouse, Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Minneapolis Children's Theatre Company', Dallas Theater Center, La Jolla Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and Actors' Equity Association. Alumni have been nominated for honors such as Drama Desk Awards, Lucille Lortel Awards, and Gold Derby recognitions.
The educational wing runs conservatory courses, scene study, and audition labs that mirror curricula at HB Studio, Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, Michael Howard Studios, Teachers College, Columbia University, and university programs like Northwestern University School of Communication and University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts. Workshops address screen acting for casting directors working with Casting Society of America and agencies such as Creative Artists Agency, William Morris Endeavor, ICM Partners, and United Talent Agency. Faculty have included instructors with backgrounds at American Conservatory Theater, The Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade, Improvisation, Inc., and Second City alumni networks.
Community initiatives have partnered with cultural organizations like Brooklyn Academy of Music, Lincoln Center Education, Museum of Jewish Heritage, Asian American Arts Alliance, Bronx Council on the Arts, and neighborhood arts programs similar to SoHo Arts Network and Harlem Stage. Educational partnerships extend to K–12 arts programs and nonprofit collaborations with groups such as Lincoln Center Education, New Victory Theater, Youth Speaks, 826NYC, and service organizations reminiscent of CityArts and The Actors Fund. The company participates in festivals, benefit galas, and residency programs alongside institutions such as National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, Creative Capital, and Foundation for Contemporary Arts.
The organization and its artists have received reviews and citations from outlets and award bodies including The New York Times, The Village Voice, Time Out New York, New Yorker, Variety, Backstage, and recognition in competitions and honors tied to Drama League, Obie Awards, Lucille Lortel Awards, Drama Desk Awards, Outer Critics Circle Awards, and local arts commissions. Grants and fellowships have come from entities like National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, MacDowell Colony, Gotham, and statewide arts councils.
Category:Theatre companies in New York City