Theater for the New City
40°43′43″N 73°59′05″W / 40.7286°N 73.9848°W
Theater for the New City, founded in 1971 and known familiarly as "TNC", is one of New York City's leading
History
1970s
Crystal Field and
The theater officially opened in March 1971. Its initial two seasons included plays by
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
In 1977, the theater moved from the West Village to the
1980s-1990s
Rent in New York City began to increase exponentially in the early 1980s [7] and Theater for the New City was forced to find another home in 1984 after its rent increased 300%.[8] 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 m2) former WPA building one block east at 155 First Avenue in 1986.[9] The first Halloween Ball to take place in the new location was held in tents pitched on 10th Street because 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 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 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.
Current status and events
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 the Arts, which was created in 1996 to celebrate the ethnic and artistic diversity of TNC's
In addition to their Community Festivals, several outside groups are presented at TNC. Annually, the
In 2004, TNC began holding an annual
TNC is featured in the 2007
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 a permanent fixture on the landscape of Theater in New York City.
Programs
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 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.[10] Begun in the early 1970s and embodying the grassroots ideals of that decade,[11][12] 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.[13] 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 the like.[14] 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."[15]
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
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 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 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 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.
Facility
TNC's permanent home is the former First Avenue Retail Market created in 1938 by
Seward and Joyce Johnson Theater
The Seward and Joyce Johnson Theater was the first theater to finish renovation in 1991. Funding for the theater was provided by sculptor
Cino Theater
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, 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.
Cabaret Theater
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 the Annual Halloween Ball, showcases work by new performance artists and musicians.
Community Space Theater
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.
Lobby Space and basement
TNC's Lobby Space 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.
Controversy
The renovation of Theater for the New City came at a great cost to its relationship with the community in 2000 when Mayor
References
Notes
- ^ Interview with George Bartenieff, "The Long Run: A Performer's Life", New York Foundation for the Arts, summer 2003.
- ^ Fields, Crystal (n.d.). "Too Big For Your Britches". New York Theater Wire.
- ^ Gussow, Mel (December 22, 1984). "Hamletmachine in American Premiere". The New York Times.
- ^ Gussow, Mel (December 24, 1985). "Heiner Muller's 'Quartet'". The New York Times.
- ^ Eder, Richard (November 7, 1978). "Buried Child". The New York Times.
- ^ "John Cheever Collection Wins Pulitzer for Fiction". Miami Herald. Associated Press. April 17, 1979. p. 2A. Retrieved August 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Freedman, Samuel G. (December 22, 1985). "For Arts Groups in Manhattan, The Lease is the Thing]". The New York Times.
- ^ Freedman, Samuel G. (November 26, 1984). "Theater Seeking New Home". The New York Times.
- ^ Nelsen, Don (February 5, 1985). "Mom-and-pop theaters: the struggle to survive". New York Daily News. p. 30. Retrieved August 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Colford, Paul D. (August 11, 1984). "Two troupes bring shows to the streets". New York Newsday. p. II/7. Retrieved August 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Baker, Rob (August 9, 1977). "Field day in the street". New York Daily News. p. 43. Retrieved August 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ O'Haire, Patricia (August 2, 1976). "Music from the stars for the masses". New York Daily News. p. 22. Retrieved August 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Eftimiades, Maria (August 2, 1985). "Vaudeville for the City Streets". Newsday. p. Weekend-11. Retrieved August 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "People, Places & Things". New York Daily News. July 31, 1975. p. 83. Retrieved August 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kaufman, Bill (September 21, 1983). "Traveling street theater puts its act under a roof". Newsday. p. II/58. Retrieved August 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "New City Associates, LLC.", Real Estate Weekly, May 24, 2000.
- ^ Hannaham, James (August 7, 2001). "Theater for the New Condos". The Village Voice.
- ^ Robbins, Tom (July 10, 2001). "Tower of East 10th Street". The Village Voice.
External links
- Theater for the New City official website
- Theater for the New City on Facebook
- 15 photos from Robert Patrick’s TNC play, “Orpheus and Amerika”
- 58 photos from Robert Patrick’s TNC play, “The Beaux Arts Ball”
- Crystal Field at IMDb
- Crystal Field at the Internet Broadway Database
- Dreaming Up New Roles for Performance
- Theater for the New City Hits the Streets (ALL ARTS)