The Bushwick Starr

The Bushwick Starr
Name	The Bushwick Starr
Location	Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York City
Type	Nonprofit Off-Off-Broadway theatre
Opened	2007
Closed	2020s
Capacity	~74
Artistic director	Noah Himmelstein; Lee Sunday Evans (co-founders)

The Bushwick Starr was an influential nonprofit Off-Off-Broadway theatre and producing organization located in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York City. Founded in 2007, it became known for commissioning and producing new plays, supporting emerging playwrights and directors, and hosting interdisciplinary performances before announcing closure amid real estate and pandemic pressures. The company maintained a reputation within the New York theater ecology for adventurous programming and artist-driven development.

History

The company was founded by Noah Himmelstein and Lee Sunday Evans in 2007 in Bushwick, Brooklyn, aligning with the neighborhood's growth as an artistic hub alongside Williamsburg, Brooklyn, DUMBO, Brooklyn, Long Island City, Queens, and institutions such as The Public Theater, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and New York Theatre Workshop. Early seasons featured collaborations with artists connected to Yale School of Drama, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Juilliard School, Princeton University, and companies like Soho Rep, Playwrights Horizons, Signature Theatre Company, and Second Stage Theater. Over time the organization accrued recognition from critics at The New York Times, The Village Voice, Time Out New York, Vulture (magazine), and arts funders such as National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, and Harvard University–affiliated fellowships. The theater weathered neighborhood shifts connected to Gentrification in Brooklyn, commercial development tied to Bushwick Collective murals, and broader sector challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City and rising New York City real estate pressures.

Building and Facilities

The venue occupied a storefront and converted industrial space characteristic of Brooklyn theatrical sites like The McKittrick Hotel (site of Sleep No More), HERE Arts Center, and The Flea Theater. Its black box house was intimate with an approximate capacity of 74, similar to spaces at INTAR Theatre and Collapsible Hole. The building's infrastructure echoed adaptive reuse patterns seen at Pioneer Works, St. Ann's Warehouse, and BRIC (Brooklyn arts organization), featuring a flexible stage, audience risers, rehearsal rooms, and a green room used by ensembles originating from programs at The Drama League, Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, and The O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. Accessibility and upgrades were periodically addressed in partnership with city agencies such as New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and advocacy groups including The Broadway League's nonprofit initiatives.

Programming and Productions

Programming emphasized new plays and premieres by emerging and mid-career playwrights connected to networks like The Lark (organization), Clubbed Thumb, New Georges, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, and The Movement Theatre Company. The Starr produced works by artists associated with Maggie Siff, Ethan Hawke, Anne Washburn, Taylor Mac, Young Jean Lee, Sarah Schulman, Jeremy O. Harris, and collaborators from The Civilians. The season mix included staged readings, full productions, residencies, and festivals akin to Humana Festival of New American Plays and development models used by The Public Lab. Its commissioning and development practices paralleled those of National Playwrights Conference and showcased works that migrated to venues such as Off-Broadway, Broadway, The Public Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and regional stages including Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Goodman Theatre.

Community Engagement and Education

The organization ran community-oriented efforts similar to programs at The 52nd Street Project, ArtsConnection, New York City Department of Education partnerships, and neighborhood outreach initiatives like those of Brooklyn Arts Council and Made in NY. It hosted workshops, talkbacks, youth engagement events, and internships drawing participants from institutions including LaGuardia High School, Bard College, CUNY Graduate Center, and community groups tied to Bushwick Community Fridge and local small businesses on Jefferson Street (Brooklyn). Collaborations extended to neighborhood festivals and cultural organizations such as Bushwick Open Studios, Nitehawk Cinema, and Maria Hernandez Park programming.

Leadership and Organization

Artistic leadership was driven by founders with ties to regional and national artist networks including Theatre Communications Group, New Dramatists, and philanthropic partnerships with Ford Foundation and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation initiatives supporting small theaters. The board and staff model reflected governance patterns of peer institutions such as The Public Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, and Penumbra Theatre Company, balancing artistic risk-taking with fundraising, development, and administrative functions. Staff and resident artists often participated in professional development through TDF (Theatre Development Fund), Arena Stage exchange programs, and conferences hosted by Association of Performing Arts Professionals.

Recognition and Impact

The theater earned critical attention from outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Time Out New York, and industry awards programs like the Obie Awards, Lucille Lortel Awards, and Drama Desk Awards for productions and artist support. Alumni from the organization went on to work with entities such as Lincoln Center Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, American Conservatory Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and television and film projects at HBO, Netflix, and AMC. Its closure or reduced activity was noted in conversations about the survival of small nonprofit theaters amid rising costs, parallel to narratives concerning La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Perry Street Theatre, and other Off-Off-Broadway institutions.

Category:Off-Broadway theaters Category:Theatres in Brooklyn