Theater for a New Audience

Theater for a New Audience
Name	Theater for a New Audience
City	Brooklyn, New York
Country	United States
Capacity	299
Opened	1979
Founder	Joseph Papp; Jeffrey Horowitz

Theater for a New Audience is an arts organization and theatrical company founded in 1979 in New York City that produces classical and contemporary works with a primary emphasis on William Shakespeare and modern playwrights. The company has mounted productions in venues across Brooklyn, Manhattan, and regional theatres, collaborating with institutions such as the Public Theater, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and international presenters. Over several decades it has attracted artists linked to Laurence Olivier, Ian McKellen, Derek Walcott, Joanathan Miller, and a wide network of directors, designers, and scholars.

History

The company was established during the late 20th century, amid conversations involving Joseph Papp, New Dramatists, Shakespeare in the Park, and off-Broadway initiatives led by producers like Richard Foreman and venues including The Public Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and The New Group. Early seasons featured collaborations with directors influenced by Peter Brook, Tadashi Suzuki, Robert Wilson, and text-driven approaches connected to scholars from Columbia University, New York University, and Yale School of Drama. Through the 1980s and 1990s the organization presented works at settings such as Theatre for a New Audience's original storefront, touring exchanges with Royal Shakespeare Company, partnerships with Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and guest productions at Barbican Centre and Shakespeare's Globe-related events.

Mission and Artistic Vision

The company's mission emphasizes rigorous readings of classical texts, creative commissions, and international exchange, drawing on methodologies associated with William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe, Euripides, and contemporary dramatists like Tony Kushner, August Wilson, and Suzan-Lori Parks. Artistic directors have cited influences from practitioners such as Peter Hall, Garry Hynes, George C. Wolfe, and dramaturgs aligned with Royal Shakespeare Company scholarship and archival practices at institutions including the Folger Shakespeare Library, British Library, and New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The vision balances textual fidelity, new translations, and interdisciplinary collaborations with designers from the world of Alexander McQueen-level fashion, composers connected to Philip Glass and John Adams, and choreographers associated with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Productions and Notable Premieres

The repertory has included canonical titles by William Shakespeare such as productions resonant with stagings by Peter Brook, Trevor Nunn, John Gielgud, and revivals informed by versions performed at Stratford-upon-Avon and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Notable premieres and commissions have involved playwrights and adapters including Tony Kushner, Edward Albee, A.R. Gurney, August Wilson, Wole Soyinka, Caryl Churchill, and translations of works by Bertolt Brecht, Anton Chekhov, Eugène Ionesco, and Jean Racine. The company has mounted high-profile actors whose careers intersect with Ian McKellen, Dame Judi Dench, Brian Cox, Benedict Cumberbatch, and directors with pedigrees from Royal Court Theatre, National Theatre, and Donmar Warehouse.

Education and Community Programs

Education initiatives are structured around school residencies, workshops, and public talks engaging students from the New York City Department of Education, conservatories such as Juilliard School, Tisch School of the Arts, and graduate programs at Yale School of Drama and Columbia University School of the Arts. Community partnerships have involved Brooklyn Public Library, borough cultural programs tied to Brooklyn Borough President offices, and outreach with non-profits including Lincoln Center Education, Educational Theatre Association, and arts funders like NEA and New York State Council on the Arts. Programs combine actor training influenced by techniques from Stella Adler Studio, Method acting traditions associated with Lee Strasberg, and text studies informed by scholars at Folger Shakespeare Library and British Library.

Leadership and Organizational Structure

Leadership has included founding artistic figures and executive directors with experience across nonprofit theatre networks such as The Public Theater, Lincoln Center Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, and A.R.T. (American Repertory Theater). Boards have comprised trustees from cultural institutions like Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Lincoln Center, and major philanthropic entities including Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Administrative departments manage production, development, education, and marketing units operating in tandem with unions and guilds like Actors' Equity Association, United Scenic Artists, and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

Facilities and Venue

The organization developed a permanent home in Brooklyn with a black box/mainstage space designed by architects who have collaborated with venues represented by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Frank Gehry, and firms engaged by Lincoln Center and Barbican Centre. The 299-seat theater supports settings for productions resembling configurations used at Donmar Warehouse and Studio Theatre; ancillary spaces host rehearsals, education studios, and offices akin to facilities at New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and Julliard School rehearsal halls.

Critical Reception and Awards

Productions have received reviews in outlets associated with critics who write for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Financial Times, and trade coverage in Variety and Deadline Hollywood. Honors and recognition have included nominations and awards from bodies such as the Obie Awards, Lucille Lortel Awards, Drama Desk Awards, and eligibility considerations for Tony Awards when productions transfer to Broadway or through co-productions with entities like Lincoln Center Theater and Roundabout Theatre Company. Critical discourse often frames the company's work alongside historical repertory movements at Royal Shakespeare Company, The Public Theater, and contemporary initiatives at Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre and Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Category:Theatres in Brooklyn