HISTORY

For over 30 years, The Workshop has been an artist-driven organization, led by and working for theater artists.

In 1994, a group of theater artists started to meet informally and read new plays in a fifth floor walk-up on 42nd Street. By 1997, a Board of Directors was formed and The 42nd Street Workshop Inc. received not-for-profit status. Projects that reflect the work from that time include the new play “The Man Who Was Peter Pan” by Allan Knee, which later became the Oscar-nominated film “Finding Neverland,” and outreach initiatives like “ACT-SO Evening of Theater” in affiliation with the NAACP.

By 2002, The Workshop had become an organization that solely developed work for a company of approximately 120 member artists. The company took over a raw space and built a new home in what is now known as “The Theater Building” on 36th Street, thus pioneering the off-off-Broadway scene in the Garment District. Company members constructed two new, handicapped-accessible spaces where full productions were mounted under the AEA showcase code. During this era, administration and artists worked for free, but the commitment and desire to explore new work never wavered. Notable work from this period include Dana and Jonathan’s musical “Liberty” while both Ken Jaworowski’s “Interchange” and Eddie Antar’s “The Navigator” were named Critics’ Picks by the New York TImes. “The Navigator” also received two Drama Desk nominations, for Best Leading Actor (Joseph Franchini) and Best Sound Design (Quentin Chiappetta/mediaNoise). 

 In 2018, The Workshop re-organized under a new strategic vision. We let go of the physical space, moved away from the “company” model, and refocused on our founding impulse of developing new plays. We committed to expanding the range of voices that we supported by diversifying the artists as well as the staff and Board, and to paying artists for their work. Notable recent work includes “Tell Me I'm Gorgeous At The End Of The World” by Aaron Coleman (shortlisted for Yale Drama Prize), Daniel Holzman’s Berlindia (full production at The Tank), and Indian Princesses by Eliana Theologides Rodriguez (full production at Atlanitc Theater Company).

Below are the theatermakers who were Workshop members in 2018.  We wouldn’t be here without the efforts of these artists, and the participation of all artists since 1994.