The American Place Theatre was founded in 1963 by Wynn Handman , Sidney Lanier, and Michael Tolan at St. Clement's Church, 423 West 46th Street in Hell's Kitchen , New York City, and was incorporated as a not-for-profit theatre in that year. Tennessee Williams and Myrna Loy were two of the original board members.
28-1042: The first full production at this off-Broadway theatre was The Old Glory , a trilogy of three one-acts by the poet Robert Lowell , produced in November 1964. The play would go on to win five Obie Awards the following year, including "Best American Play." In addition to producing Robert Lowell's first play, The American Place Theatre has produced and developed the first plays of outstanding writers from other literary forms including Donald Barthelme , Robert Coover , Paul Goodman , H. L. Mencken , Joyce Carol Oates , S. J. Perelman , Sylvia Plath , Anne Sexton , May Swenson , and Robert Penn Warren . Significant playwrights have been nurtured and, in many cases, initially produced at The American Place, such as: Also, major attention has been brought to unconventional, contemporary actor/writers such as Eric Bogosian , Bill Irwin , John Leguizamo , Aasif Mandvi , and Dael Orlandersmith . The American Place Theatre played an important role in
56-509: A new outlet for "poets, playwrights, actors, songwriters, and designers. ... The first great Off-Broadway musical was the 1954 revival" of The Threepenny Opera , which proved that off-Broadway productions could be financially successful. Critic John Gassner argued at the time, however, that "Broadway is just as eclectic – and just as footless – as 'Off-Broadway'." Theatre Row , on West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues in Manhattan,
84-663: A performance written and performed by students from Newcomers High School , a high school for students who have recently immigrated to the US, in Long Island City . Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres , but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer than 100. An "off-Broadway production"
112-482: Is a concentration of off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway theatres. It was developed in the mid-1970s and modernized in 2002. Many off-Broadway shows have had subsequent runs on Broadway, including such musicals as Hair , Godspell , Little Shop of Horrors , Sunday in the Park with George , Rent , Grey Gardens , Urinetown , Avenue Q , The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee , Rock of Ages , In
140-555: Is a production of a play , musical , or revue that appears in such a venue and adheres to related trade union and other contracts. Some shows that premiere off-Broadway are subsequently produced on Broadway. The term originally referred to any venue, and its productions, on a street intersecting Broadway in Midtown Manhattan 's Theater District , the hub of the American theatre industry. It later became defined by
168-561: Is based on the capacity given for the respective theatre at the Internet Off-Broadway Database . Literature to Life The American Place Theatre was founded in 1963 by Wynn Handman , Sidney Lanier, and Michael Tolan at St. Clement's Church, 423 West 46th Street in Hell's Kitchen , New York City, and was incorporated as a not-for-profit theatre in that year. Tennessee Williams and Myrna Loy were two of
196-600: The Lucille Lortel Award (created in 1985 by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres & Producers), and the Drama League Award . Although off-Broadway shows are not eligible for Tony Awards , an exception was made in 1956 (before the rules were changed), when Lotte Lenya won Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for the off-Broadway production of The Threepenny Opera . Capacity
224-732: The 2009/2010 season was Greg Mortenson 's best-selling book Three Cups of Tea . Also, adapted and directed by Wynn Handman, the show features sixty minutes of performance from this best seller. Every year, the American Place Theatre hosts its annual Gala, the Literature to Life Awards. The 2011 Literature to Life Awards took place on May 23, 2011. They began with an adapted theatrical performance of Down These Mean Streets starring actor Jamil Mena and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao starring Elvis Nolasco and honored Piri Thomas and Junot Díaz. The evening also included
252-597: The 2009/2010 season was Greg Mortenson 's best-selling book Three Cups of Tea . Also, adapted and directed by Wynn Handman, the show features sixty minutes of performance from this best seller. Every year, the American Place Theatre hosts its annual Gala, the Literature to Life Awards. The 2011 Literature to Life Awards took place on May 23, 2011. They began with an adapted theatrical performance of Down These Mean Streets starring actor Jamil Mena and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao starring Elvis Nolasco and honored Piri Thomas and Junot Díaz. The evening also included
280-399: The American Place Theatre began with its first Literature to Life performance in 1994 of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye . Literature to Life, the American Place Theatre's performance-based literacy program, presents professionally staged verbatim adaptations of significant American literary works. This educational program gives students a new form of access to literature by bringing to life
308-399: The American Place Theatre began with its first Literature to Life performance in 1994 of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye . Literature to Life, the American Place Theatre's performance-based literacy program, presents professionally staged verbatim adaptations of significant American literary works. This educational program gives students a new form of access to literature by bringing to life
SECTION 10
#1732790740770336-667: The Broadway Box are the Laura Pels Theatre and The Theater Center . The off-Broadway movement started in the 1950s as a reaction to the perceived commercialism of Broadway and provided less expensive venues for shows that have employed many future Broadway artists. An early success was Circle in the Square Theatre 's 1952 production of Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams . According to theatre historians Ken Bloom and Frank Vlastnik, off-Broadway offered
364-932: The Heights , Spring Awakening , Next to Normal , Hedwig and the Angry Inch , Fun Home , Hamilton , Dear Evan Hansen , Hadestown , and Kimberly Akimbo . In particular, two that became Broadway hits, Grease and A Chorus Line , encouraged other producers to premiere their shows off-Broadway. Plays that have moved from off-Broadway houses to Broadway include Doubt , I Am My Own Wife , Bridge & Tunnel , The Normal Heart , and Coastal Disturbances . Other productions, such as Stomp , Blue Man Group , Altar Boyz , Perfect Crime , Forbidden Broadway , Nunsense , Naked Boys Singing , Bat Boy: The Musical , and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change have had runs of many years off-Broadway, never moving to Broadway. The Fantasticks ,
392-574: The League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers as a professional venue in Manhattan with a seating capacity of at least 100, but not more than 499, or a production that appears in such a venue and adheres to related trade union and other contracts. Previously, regardless of the size of the venue, a theatre was considered a Broadway (rather than off-Broadway) house if it was within the "Broadway Box", extending from 40th Street north to 54th Street and from Sixth Avenue west to Eighth Avenue , including Times Square and West 42nd Street . This change to
420-462: The contractual definition of "off-Broadway" benefited theatres satisfying the 499-seat criterion because of the lower minimum required salary for Actors' Equity performers at Off-Broadway theatres as compared with the salary requirements of the union for Broadway theatres. The adoption of the 499-seat criterion occurred after a one-day strike in January 1974. Examples of off-Broadway theatres within
448-426: The emerging African-American theatre beginning in the early 1960s by producing the first productions of plays by Michael Bradford , Ed Bullins , Kia Corthron , James de Jongh, Joseph Edward, Lonne Elder III , Phillip Hayes Dean, Elaine Jackson, Alonzo D. Lamont Jr., Ron Milner , Matt Robinson, Charlie L. Russell , and Vincent Smith. Its American Humorists' Series has transferred from the page to live performance
476-426: The emerging African-American theatre beginning in the early 1960s by producing the first productions of plays by Michael Bradford , Ed Bullins , Kia Corthron , James de Jongh, Joseph Edward, Lonne Elder III , Phillip Hayes Dean, Elaine Jackson, Alonzo D. Lamont Jr., Ron Milner , Matt Robinson, Charlie L. Russell , and Vincent Smith. Its American Humorists' Series has transferred from the page to live performance
504-614: The first plays of outstanding writers from other literary forms including Donald Barthelme , Robert Coover , Paul Goodman , H. L. Mencken , Joyce Carol Oates , S. J. Perelman , Sylvia Plath , Anne Sexton , May Swenson , and Robert Penn Warren . Significant playwrights have been nurtured and, in many cases, initially produced at The American Place, such as: Also, major attention has been brought to unconventional, contemporary actor/writers such as Eric Bogosian , Bill Irwin , John Leguizamo , Aasif Mandvi , and Dael Orlandersmith . The American Place Theatre played an important role in
532-575: The funding initiative of Literature to Life, was starting during the 2008/2009 season to ensure that reading, writing, and the arts remain a primary component of the education of young American citizens. Spokespeople for Project 451 include Meryl Streep , Alec Baldwin , Sam Waterston , and Jessica Lange . The titles for the 2010/2011 season were Junot Díaz ' The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao , adapted and directed by Elise Thoron, and Piri Thomas ' Down These Mean Streets adapted and directed by Wynn Handman . Literature to Life's new adaptation for
560-575: The funding initiative of Literature to Life, was starting during the 2008/2009 season to ensure that reading, writing, and the arts remain a primary component of the education of young American citizens. Spokespeople for Project 451 include Meryl Streep , Alec Baldwin , Sam Waterston , and Jessica Lange . The titles for the 2010/2011 season were Junot Díaz ' The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao , adapted and directed by Elise Thoron, and Piri Thomas ' Down These Mean Streets adapted and directed by Wynn Handman . Literature to Life's new adaptation for
588-681: The longest-running musical in theatre history, spent its original 42-year run off-Broadway and had another off-Broadway run from 2006 to 2017. Off-Broadway shows, performers, and creative staff are eligible for the following awards: the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award , the Outer Critics Circle Award , the Drama Desk Award , the Obie Award (presented since 1956 by The Village Voice ),
SECTION 20
#1732790740770616-403: The original board members. The first full production at this off-Broadway theatre was The Old Glory , a trilogy of three one-acts by the poet Robert Lowell , produced in November 1964. The play would go on to win five Obie Awards the following year, including "Best American Play." In addition to producing Robert Lowell's first play, The American Place Theatre has produced and developed
644-706: The project grew into a separate entity, Women's Project Theater . Actors for whom The American Place Theatre has been a launching pad include Mary Alice , Ellen Barkin , Roscoe Lee Browne , Kathleen Chalfant , Michael Douglas , Faye Dunaway , Sandy Duncan , Morgan Freeman , Aasif Mandvi , Connie Britton , Kim Raver , Raul Julia , Mira Sorvino , Jou Jou Papailler , Anna Deaver Smith , Denzel Washington , Richard Gere , Joel Grey , Dustin Hoffman , Frank Langella , Mary McDonnell , Lauren Graham , Zakes Mokae , Howard Rollins , John Spencer , Ralph Waite , Sam Waterston , and Sigourney Weaver . A new chapter for
672-651: The project grew into a separate entity, Women's Project Theater . Actors for whom The American Place Theatre has been a launching pad include Mary Alice , Ellen Barkin , Roscoe Lee Browne , Kathleen Chalfant , Michael Douglas , Faye Dunaway , Sandy Duncan , Morgan Freeman , Aasif Mandvi , Connie Britton , Kim Raver , Raul Julia , Mira Sorvino , Jou Jou Papailler , Anna Deaver Smith , Denzel Washington , Richard Gere , Joel Grey , Dustin Hoffman , Frank Langella , Mary McDonnell , Lauren Graham , Zakes Mokae , Howard Rollins , John Spencer , Ralph Waite , Sam Waterston , and Sigourney Weaver . A new chapter for
700-619: The work of outstanding humorous writers, among them George Ade , Robert Benchley , Roy Blount Jr. , A. Whitney Brown , Jules Feiffer , Bruce Jay Friedman , Cynthia Heimel , Dorothy Parker , Roger Rosenblatt , Damon Runyon , Jean Shepherd , James Thurber , and Calvin Trillin . The theatre later moved to 111 West 46th Street. In 1978, The Women's Project, directed by Julia Miles, was designed to encourage, develop, and produce women playwrights and directors. After nine years of producing many groundbreaking works at The American Place Theatre,
728-564: The work of outstanding humorous writers, among them George Ade , Robert Benchley , Roy Blount Jr. , A. Whitney Brown , Jules Feiffer , Bruce Jay Friedman , Cynthia Heimel , Dorothy Parker , Roger Rosenblatt , Damon Runyon , Jean Shepherd , James Thurber , and Calvin Trillin . The theatre later moved to 111 West 46th Street. In 1978, The Women's Project, directed by Julia Miles, was designed to encourage, develop, and produce women playwrights and directors. After nine years of producing many groundbreaking works at The American Place Theatre,
756-886: The world of books with performances that create an atmosphere of discovery and spark the imagination. Literature to Life has received multiple grants from the Carnegie Corporation , an organization that has supported more than 550 New York City arts and social service institutions since its inception in 2002, and which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg . Books that have been adapted for Literature to Life's theatrical performances include Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 , Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried , Richard Wright 's Black Boy , Jonathan Safran Foer 's Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close , Sue Monk Kidd 's The Secret Life of Bees , Khaled Hosseini 's The Kite Runner , and Lois Lowry 's The Giver . Project 451,
784-812: The world of books with performances that create an atmosphere of discovery and spark the imagination. Literature to Life has received multiple grants from the Carnegie Corporation , an organization that has supported more than 550 New York City arts and social service institutions since its inception in 2002, and which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg . Books that have been adapted for Literature to Life's theatrical performances include Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 , Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried , Richard Wright 's Black Boy , Jonathan Safran Foer 's Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close , Sue Monk Kidd 's The Secret Life of Bees , Khaled Hosseini 's The Kite Runner , and Lois Lowry 's The Giver . Project 451,
#769230