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57-668: Theater for the New City , founded in 1971 and known familiarly as "TNC", is one of New York City's leading off-off-Broadway theaters, known for radical political plays and community commitment. Productions at TNC have won 43 Obie Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. TNC currently exists as a 4-theater complex in a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m) space at 155 First Avenue , in the East Village of Manhattan . Crystal Field and George Bartenieff founded Theater for

114-486: A developer . TNC was at that time in default of a loan borrowed against a pledged grant from the Manhattan Borough President 's Office, which never materialized. The City put a lien against TNC in 1997 and unable to find a major donor to pay off the $ 519,634 lien, TNC was forced to agree to the construction of a 12-story tower above their space in order to have the lien forgiven. The Faustian deal

171-503: A Certificate of Occupancy hadn't yet been obtained. Refusing to close doors during renovation, TNC threw up two interim theater spaces, which like its predecessors in the 2nd Avenue building, were named after off-off-Broadway founders Joe Cino and Charles Stanley. The first completed theater was created with the help of sculptor John Seward Johnson II of the Johnson & Johnson family and his wife Joyce. In honor of its benefactors, it

228-605: A Picture aka Explosion of a memory ) and Quartett . In 1994, he was awarded the IV Europe Theatre Prize . Müller died of throat cancer at the age of 66 in a hospital in Berlin on December 30, 1995. He is buried at Berlin's Dorotheenstadt Cemetery . Müller's grave was designed by his last stage designer Mark Lammert . Over a decade after his death, Müller continues to have an enormous influence on European playwriting, dramaturgy, and performance. In 1998,

285-621: A free After School Theater Workshop for low-income Lower East Side children. The Community Festival Program consists of two free annual events, the Village Halloween Costume Ball and the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts . The Halloween Ball showcases over 450 artists and performers at a multi-level theatrical event, with performances that spill out onto the street. The Lower East Side Festival of

342-764: A new home in the Jane West , a former seaman's hotel at 113 Jane Street, in a run-down area of the West Village by the Hudson River . Theater for the New City played a large part in rehabilitating the neighborhood, and the theater it created would later be known as the Jane Street Theater and house successes such as Hedwig and the Angry Inch . During its time at the Jane West, Theater for

399-476: A permanent fixture on the landscape of Theater in New York City. Through its Resident Theater Program, TNC produces 20-30 new American plays per year, providing a forum for both new and mid-career writers to experiment with their work and develop as artists. For newer writers, TNC offers an Emerging Theater Program that commissions and produces 10 plays by fledgling writers each year. The newest division of

456-521: A star-studded lineup of performers; it has been hosted by Charles Busch and Julie Halston , and performers have included Kitty Carlisle Hart , Elaine Stritch , Patricia Neal , Tammy Grimes , F. Murray Abraham , Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson . The 2008 benefit honored playwright Edward Albee and included performances by Elaine Stritch , Marian Seldes , Basil Twist and Bill Irwin . The 2009 benefit honored Elaine Stritch and in 2010, Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson were honored. In 2012, TNC honored

513-545: A young Tim Robbins in the title role. The 1976 play Dinosaur Door by Barbara Garson featured a young Vin Diesel . In 1977, the theater moved from the West Village to the East Village , converting a former Tabernacle Baptist church at 156 2nd Avenue, near East 10th Street, into a cultural complex with a rehearsal room and three theaters named after Joe Cino , Charles Stanley and James Waring . Notable productions in

570-480: Is "a dialogue with the dead". Heiner Müller's texts have been set by composers on various occasions. One composer with a particularly strong relationship to his output is Heiner Goebbels , who has collaborated with him directly. Goebbels' Müller settings include the radio plays Despoiled Shore ( Verkommenes Ufer , 1984), The Liberation of Prometheus ( Die Befreiung des Prometheus , 1985), Volokolamsk Highway ( Wolokolamsker Chausse , 1989/90) and The Man in

627-533: Is held at The National Arts Club . The event, presented in a pageant style, is meant as a fundraiser for TNC, and has honored friends of TNC, patrons of the arts, and, in 2006, the City of New Orleans . TNC donated a portion of the proceeds raised from this Benefit to Southern Rep , a theater company in New Orleans whose space was destroyed in the floods resulting from Hurricane Katrina . This event often features

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684-461: Is used as an Art Gallery year-round, and also contains a small concession stand which is open during performances. TNC's Basement houses the Theater's vast collection of Costumes and Props. The renovation of Theater for the New City came at a great cost to its relationship with the community in 2000 when Mayor Rudolph Giuliani sold the air rights above the theater (which the city had retained) to

741-455: The Actors' Equity Association may be an Equity Showcase production intended to allow actors to be seen by potential future employers. Equity maintains union rules about working in such productions, including restrictions on price of tickets, the length of the run, and rehearsal times. Professional actors' participation in showcase productions is frequent and comprises the bulk of stage work for

798-511: The Annual Halloween Ball , showcases work by new performance artists and musicians. The Community Space Theater was the last theater to be renovated in 2001. It has 91 seats and a sprung wood dance floor. Initially, this space consisted of risers and a stage concealed from the lobby by a heavy black curtain. During the renovation of 2001, an outer wall was added, and a formal dressing room was created as well. TNC's Lobby Space

855-542: The Bread & Puppet Theater and the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers are presented by TNC, and each December, noted Playwright and TNC Alum Charles Busch holds a staged reading of his play Times Square Angel . In 2004, TNC began holding an annual Valentine's Day Benefit. The Love N' Courage Benefit is held on a Monday night, near Valentine's Day. Beginning in 2007, this benefit

912-596: The New York Innovative Theatre Awards (NYIT Awards or IT Awards) have annually honored individuals and organizations that have achieved artistic excellence in off-off-Broadway theatre. The term indie theatre , or independent theatre, was suggested as an alternative for "off-off Broadway" by playwright Kirk Bromley during a speech at the 2005 New York Innovative Theatre Awards . Heiner Muller Heiner Müller ( German: [haɪnɐ mʏlɐ] ; 9 January 1929 – 30 December 1995)

969-697: The Stasi would keep it secret. Due to his growing worldwide fame, Müller was able to regain acceptance in East Germany. He was admitted to the DDR Academy of Arts, Berlin in 1984 – only two years before he became a member of parallel West Berlin academy. Despite earlier honors, Müller was not readmitted to the East German Writers' Association until 1988, shortly before the end of the GDR. After

1026-681: The Village Halloween Parade with puppeteer Ralph Lee . The Parade won an Obie Award under TNC administration, but a desire to be much more commercially viable than TNC's anti-establishment spirit would allow caused Ralph Lee to form his own Parade Committee and split from TNC in 1973. TNC subsequently inaugurated its Village Halloween Costume Ball , which it still holds to this day. TNC saw some major changes in its first year. Kornfeld and Barnes resigned, leaving Bartenieff as Executive Director and Field as Artistic Director. TNC also moved from Westbeth Artists Community and found

1083-504: The West Village . Bartenieff, Field, Barnes and Kornfeld named their new company "Theater for the New City" after a speech in which then-Mayor John V. Lindsay envisioned a "new city" for all. The theater officially opened in March 1971. Its initial two seasons included plays by Richard Foreman , Charles Ludlam , Miguel Piñero and Jean-Claude van Itallie . Theater for the New City also began its Annual Summer Street Theater , and founded

1140-550: The 100th birthday of Bel Kaufman . The benefit in 2013 will honor Charles Busch . TNC is featured in the 2007 Academy Award -nominated film The Savages . TNC announced in January 2013 that the mortgage on their space at 155 1st Avenue, which had begun in 1987 at $ 717,000, had been retired, 5 years ahead of schedule, thanks to a two-year "Burn The Mortgage" campaign that included widespread support from individual donors and independent foundations. This ensures TNC will remain

1197-549: The Arts is a free three-day weekend long extravaganza celebrating the cultural and artistic diversity of the Lower East Side . This event has grown tenfold since its inception in 1996, and is currently attended by over 3,000 people annually. TNC's Art Gallery grew out of the annual art exhibit for the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts, and is now a year-round program of curated shows. Theater for

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1254-1008: The Arts, which was created in 1996 to celebrate the ethnic and artistic diversity of TNC's Lower East Side neighborhood. From 2006 to 2008, TNC presented the NY Uke Fest, a 4 night, 3 day celebration of ukulele music, under the direction of Uke Jackson and the New York Ukulele Ensemble. Many first generation off-off-Broadway playwrights continue to present their work at TNC, among them Charles Busch (who premiered his plays Shanghai Moon at TNC in 1999, The Divine Sister in 2010, and Judith of Bethulia in 2012), Jean-Claude van Itallie and Tom O'Horgan . More recent TNC alumni include Tony Award -winning director Moises Kaufman , who directed his first American plays at TNC after emigrating from his native Argentina , and Nobel Prize winner Gao Xinjian, whose first play in America

1311-586: The Cino Theater is TNC's most modifiable space, and has been at times arranged as a thrust stage and an arena stage. The Cino Theater is slated for a full renovation in the near future, which will include leveling of the floor, fully-moveable seating and a balcony performance area. The Cabaret Theater was renovated along with TNC's basement in 1959 and at 65 seats is TNC's smallest theater. An ersatz-Black Box type space, one-person plays and late-night cabarets often use this space, which as The Womb Room during

1368-509: The Elevator ( Der Mann im Fahrstuhl , 1988). In terms of plays turned into operas , Wolfgang Rihm created his version of Die Hamletmaschine in 1987, Pascal Dusapin composed a Medeamaterial ( fr ) in 1992, and Luca Francesconi 's adaptation of Quartett ( de ) was premiered in 2011. The Slovenian industrial music group Laibach also collaborated with Müller in his lifetime, and released an album based on in his texts under

1425-520: The English speaking world in the mid- and late 1970s; Müller's controversial play Mauser was first performed in 1975 in Austin, Texas . On 17 November 1976, Müller signed together with eleven other writers and artists the petition against the expatriation of Wolf Biermann . Like several others of the signatories, Müller withdrew his signature on 25 November, according to Biermann on the condition that

1482-551: The Johnson Theater opened in 1991 with Grandchild of Kings by Hal Prince . The theater is used for large-scale productions, including the annual Bread & Puppet nativity during the holiday season and an annual pow-wow coordinated by the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers. The Cino Theater is named after Joe Cino and is the third space in TNC's history to bear Cino's name. A long and shallow theater with 74 seats,

1539-486: The New City cemented its reputation for being the most avant of avant-garde theater, offering radical political plays, experimental poetic works, dance theater , musical theater and even film. Mabou Mines found a home at Theater for the New City as did playwrights such as Romulus Linney , Harvey Fierstein , H. M. Koutoukas , Arthur Sainer, Howard Zinn , and Maria Irene Fornes . A musical adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry ’s The Little Prince in 1973 featured

1596-555: The New City in 1971 with Theo Barnes and Lawrence Kornfeld , who was the Resident Director of Judson Poets Theatre , where the four had met. Feeling that Judson Poets Theatre had peaked, they decided to form a theater of their own for poetic work that would also encompass a community ideal. The impulse to form a company coincided with the availability of a space at the Westbeth Artists Community in

1653-481: The New City's annual summer performance festival known as Dream Up Festival started in 2010. The festival is dedicated to new works and performances run in August and September. Theater for the New City is looking for the best writing and or most original concepts to present to New York City. TNC's permanent home is the former First Avenue Retail Market created in 1938 by Fiorello LaGuardia to take pushcart peddlers off

1710-532: The Players Art. At its coalescence, off-off-Broadway was known for its experimental nature. Brooks McNamara wrote that over time, off-off-Broadway work lost some of its experimental spirit, instead beginning to imitate the "characteristics of off-Broadway, which had gradually moved toward reshaping itself in the image of Broadway, though often producing works that were unsuitable for commercial theatre." An off-off-Broadway production that features members of

1767-499: The Resident Theater Program, New City, New Blood, is a reading series for worthy plays in earlier stages of development. Scratch Night at TNC (works-in-progress) is a new program that invites artists to try out their ideas in front of an audience at any stage of development. The Annual Summer Street Theater Tour is a free operetta -for-the-streets that tours 13 locations in all 5 boroughs of New York City. Begun in

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1824-788: The Thunderbird American Indian Dance Concert and pow-wow , which offers ritual and social dances from 17 tribes throughout the United States. TNC's Arts in Education program was developed specifically to foster communication and self-esteem in at-risk and limited English proficient students. It has served P.S. 20, JHS 64, the Regents Family Shelter and the Catherine Street Shelter, and currently consists of

1881-633: The West: this includes Germania Death in Berlin , which was first performed in 1978 at the Munich Kammerspiele . Heiner Müller himself directed a production of The Mission ( Der Auftrag ) in Bochum in 1982. In Paris, Jean Jourdheuil  [ fr ] directed the world premiere of Die Hamletmaschine ( The Hamletmachine ) in 1979. English translations, first by Helen Fehervary and Marc Silberman, then by Carl Weber , introduced Müller to

1938-513: The developer hired non-union workers to build the tower. Notes Off-off-Broadway Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the professional theatre scene and as an experimental or avant-garde movement of drama and theatre. Over time, some off-off-Broadway productions have moved away from

1995-480: The early 1970s and embodying the grassroots ideals of that decade, Street Theater aims to raise social awareness in the communities it performs in, creating civic dialogue that inspires a better understanding of the world beyond the communities' geographic boundaries. Written and directed by Crystal Field, TNC's Street Theater features a company of 50 and performs on Weekends in Parks, Playgrounds, Closed-off streets and

2052-445: The early 1980s and Theater for the New City was forced to find another home in 1984 after its rent increased 300%. With the help of Bess Myerson , Ruth Messinger and David Dinkins , the theater was able to purchase an underutilized 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m) former WPA building one block east at 155 First Avenue in 1986. The first Halloween Ball to take place in the new location was held in tents pitched on 10th Street because

2109-719: The eccentric Joe Cino , who early on took a liking to actors and playwrights and agreed to let them stage plays there without bothering to read the plays first, or to even find out much about the content. This DIY aesthetic also led to creative acts of object repurposing by playwrights and directors, who cobbled together sets from materials scavenged from local streets. Also integral to the rise of off-off-Broadway were Ellen Stewart at La MaMa , and Al Carmines at Judson Poets Theatre , located at Judson Memorial Church . Other theaters of note that presented many plays were Theatre Genesis , New York Theatre Ensemble, The Old Reliable, The Dove Company, The Playwrights Workshop, and Workshop of

2166-902: The fall of the Wall, Müller became final president of the DDR Academy of the Arts from 1990 until its 1993 merger with the western academy. In 1993 it was alleged that Müller worked from 1979 to 1990 as unofficial collaborator (an informant ) under the code name "Heiner" for the East-German Stasi . Müller, who at the time was not a member of the East German Communist Party or the East German Deutscher Schriftstellerverband , admitted that he had contact with Stasi officials, but never provided any material. In 1992, he

2223-420: The first theater to finish renovation in 1991. Funding for the theater was provided by sculptor John Seward Johnson II of the Johnson and Johnson family, and his wife Joyce. Johnson designed and created the silver archway into the theater. One of the largest theaters off-off-Broadway, and the only space that can be used as a 99-seat off-off-Broadway theater or be transformed into a 240-seat off-Broadway theater,

2280-500: The journal New German Critique devoted a special issue to his work. He is the only playwright to have ever received such an honor. In 2009, one of Europe’s leading intellectual publishing houses, Suhrkamp , issued the final three volumes in a twelve-volume edition of Müller's collected works. Müller has also paved the way for a new generation of directors, playwrights, and dramaturgs who regard themselves as "samplers". Müller adopted Brecht's notion of Kopien (German for "copying"),

2337-480: The last half-decade of his life, Müller also worked towards transforming the interview into a literary genre. Among his better known works, other than those already mentioned, are Der Lohndrücker ( The Scab ), Wolokolamsker Chaussee ( Volokolamsk Highway ) Parts I–V, Verkommenes Ufer Medeamaterial Landschaft mit Argonauten ( Despoiled Shore Medea Material Landscape with Argonauts ), Philoktet ( Philoctetes ), Zement ( Cement ), Bildbeschreibung ( Description of

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2394-548: The late 1970s and 1980s include the American premiere of two of Heiner Muller ’s plays, Hamletmachine in 1984 and Quartett in 1985; and Buried Child by Sam Shepard in 1978. The Theater for the New City production of Buried Child moved off-Broadway to the Theatre de Lys and in 1979, and became the first off-off-Broadway play to win the Pulitzer Prize . Rent in New York City began to increase exponentially in

2451-574: The like. In 1983, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs praised the theater's work as "a very valuable asset for the people of this city." The Presenting Theater Program is TNC's vehicle to providing a showcase for performing groups without a permanent base. Each winter, the Presenting Program hosts Bread & Puppet Theater , the oldest continuing experimental theater company in America and

2508-587: The logic of association, rather than linear "dramatic" narrative. Jonathan Kalb , theater critic for The New York Times , describes Müller's legacy on theatre as replacing the "closed" didactical form of the Brechtian parable with "open" dramatic forms offering multiple meanings based, in Hans-Thies Lehmann's words, on a surreal "montage dramaturg ... in which the reality-level of characters and events vacillates hazily between life and dream and

2565-587: The majority of New York actors. There has been an ongoing movement to revise the Equity Showcase Code, which many in the community find overly restrictive and detrimental to the creation of New York theatre. In 1964, off-off-Broadway productions were made eligible for Obie Awards , and in 1974, the Drama Desk Awards began evaluating such productions with the same criteria as it used for Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Since 2005,

2622-528: The movement's early experimental spirit. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as a "complete rejection of commercial theatre". Michael Smith gives credit for the term's coinage to Jerry Tallmer in 1960. Among the first venues for what would soon be called "off-off-Broadway" theatre were coffeehouses in Greenwich Village , particularly the Caffe Cino at 31 Cornelia Street, operated by

2679-436: The practice of regarding texts by others as material to be used, imitated, and rewritten. In regards to Brecht's own oeuvre, Müller stated "To use Brecht without criticizing him is treason." For Müller, the work of other writers and artists was not seen as private property; it was to be used as raw material for his own work. Thus, Müller's work in the theater marks the beginning of a tradition of densely poetic dramaturgy based in

2736-410: The stage becomes a hotbed of spirits and quotes outside any homogeneous notion of space and time." In reference to Müller, Tony Kushner declared, "Write into the void, learn to embrace isolation, in which we may commence undistractedly our dreadful but all-important dialogue with the dead. Forget about love and turn your face to history." With Müller's work, theater is a forum for examining history; it

2793-458: The streets. TNC purchased the building in 1986, but to its later regret, was not able to purchase the air rights above the one-story facility. After moving into the space in September 1986. it created two interim theaters to continue production while raising the $ 2 million needed for renovation funds. The building currently consists of four theaters: The Seward and Joyce Johnson Theater was

2850-739: Was a German (formerly East German ) dramatist , poet, writer, essayist and theatre director. His "enigmatic, fragmentary pieces" are a significant contribution to postmodern drama and postdramatic theatre . Müller was born in Eppendorf, Saxony . He joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany in 1946 which was in the course of the forced merger of the KPD and SPD subsumed into the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands, SED). He

2907-629: Was censored in 1961 after only one performance. Müller was expelled from the Writers' Association in the same year. The East German government remained wary of Müller in subsequent years, preventing the premiere of Der Bau ( Construction Site ) in 1965 and censoring his Mauser  [ de ] in the early 1970s. Yet despite these hardships, Müller's work began to gain popularity both in West Germany and internationally at this time. Many of his best-known plays from this period were premiered in

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2964-783: Was invited to join the directorate of the Berliner Ensemble , Brecht 's former company at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm , as one of its five members along with Peter Zadek , Peter Palitzsch , Fritz Marquardt  [ de ] and Matthias Langhoff  [ de ] . In 1995, shortly before his death, Müller was appointed as the theatre's sole artistic director. During the last five years of his life, Müller continued to live in Berlin and work all over Germany and Europe, mostly directing productions of his own works. He wrote few new dramatic texts in this time, though, like Brecht, he did produce much poetry in his final years. In

3021-503: Was named the Joyce and Seward Johnson Theater . It is currently one of the largest theaters off-off-Broadway. Renovation of the building was finally completed in 2001. Responding to the homeless problem of the late 1980s and government cutbacks in the arts, TNC created an after school Arts-in-Education program for shelter children in 1990. Budget cuts also forced the theater to reluctantly raise its admission prices from $ 4 to $ 5–$ 7 in 1993 ($ 7

3078-465: Was somewhat sweetened by giving TNC an extension on their mortgage and allowing the theater to have one seat on the condo board. Being vastly taller than the 6-story tenement buildings prevalent in the Lower East Side, the condo tower was seen as a threat to the character of the neighborhood and construction in 2000 occurred amidst great protest. The tower became even more of a controversy when

3135-820: Was soon expelled for lacking enthusiasm and failing to pay dues. In 1954 he became member of the German Writers' Association ( Deutscher Schriftstellerverband ). Müller became one of the most important dramatists of the German Democratic Republic and won the Heinrich Mann Prize in 1959 and the Kleist Prize in 1990. His relationship with the East German state began to deteriorate, however, with his drama Die Umsiedlerin  [ de ] ( The Resettler Woman ) which

3192-460: Was staged at TNC in 1997. Other notable playwrights to have their work presented at TNC include Bina Sharif , Barbara Kahn, Laurence Holder , Raymond J. Barry , Trav S.D. and Matt Morillo . TNC continues to be a haven for Emerging playwrights, and in 2006, a play reading series, New City, New Blood , was created in order to further showcase new works. In addition to their Community Festivals, several outside groups are presented at TNC. Annually,

3249-517: Was then the price of a movie ticket) and then to $ 10 in 1994. The current cap on ticket prices is $ 20. Other major changes in this period include the resignation of George Bartenieff in 1992. Crystal Field remains as Executive Artistic Director. TNC continues to produce 30-40 new plays per year, along with its Annual Summer Street Theater, the Annual Village Halloween Costume Ball and the Lower East Side Festival of

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