The Actors Company Theatre (TACT) is an

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 tha ...

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

company that was founded in 1992 by a group of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

stage veterans. For their first several years, TACT produced a number of concert performances, a cross between a

staged reading A stage reading, also known as a staged reading, is a form of theatre without sets or full costumes. The actors, who read from scripts, may be seated, stand in fixed positions, or incorporate minimal stage movement. There is an overlap with t ...

and a full production. In 2006, TACT began a residency at the Beckett Theatre on Theatre Row to produce two full plays a year. TACT focuses on reviving lesser-known productions that have not been performed in New York for several years. Their mission statement, according to their website, is "to present neglected or rarely produced plays of literary merit, with a focus on creating theatre from its essence: the text and the actor's ability to bring it to life."

History

The Actors Company Theatre was founded in 1992 by a group of actors. Beginning in the 2006–2007 season, TACT produced its Mainstage Off-Broadway productions in the Beckett Theatre. The following year, TACT became a resident company of NYC's Theatre Row. TACT also presented a Salon Series in a studio space at 900 Broadway. For their Sixteenth Season, TACT followed the trajectory begun in 2006 and presented two more productions on their Mainstage at Theatre Row. TACT also ran a program for creating new works called new tactics. For all their productions they commissioned original incidental musical scores through their partnership with The Manhattan School of Music. In January 2018, TACT announced that their 25th season would be their last.

Past productions

TACT has received notably positive reviews, particularly from the New York Times for its productions of *'' Lovers'' *''

Lost in Yonkers ''Lost in Yonkers'' is a play by Neil Simon. The play won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Production The play premiered at The Center for the Performing Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on December 31, 1990, then moved to Broadway at ...

'' ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...

'' and '' Eccentricities of a Nightingale''. Notable productions: *'' Lovers'' –

Brian Friel Brian Patrick Friel (c. 9 January 1929 – 2 October 2015) was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. He had been considered one of the greatest living English-language dramatists. (subscription req ...

*''

'' –

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

*''

'' –

David Storey David Malcolm Storey (13 July 1933 – 27 March 2017) was an English playwright, screenwriter, award-winning novelist and a professional rugby league player. He won the Booker Prize in 1976 for his novel ''Saville''. He also won the MacMillan ...

*'' The Sea'' –

Edward Bond Edward Bond (born 18 July 1934) is an English playwright, theatre director, poet, theorist and screenwriter. He is the author of some fifty plays, among them '' Saved'' (1965), the production of which was instrumental in the abolition of the ...

*''

The Runner Stumbles ''The Runner Stumbles'' is a 1979 American drama film directed and produced by Stanley Kramer, based on the Broadway play by Milan Stitt. The film was the last of Kramer's long and distinguished career. It stars Dick Van Dyke, Kathleen Quinlan, Mau ...

'' –

Milan Stitt Milan Stitt (February 9, 1941 – March 12, 2009

*'' Eccentricities of a Nightingale'' –

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

*''

Bedroom Farce A bedroom farce or sex farce is a type of light comedy, which centres on the sexual pairings and recombinations of characters as they move through improbable plots and slamming doors. Overview The most famous bedroom farceur is probably George ...

'' –

Alan Ayckbourn Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. He has written and produced as of 2021, more than eighty full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of ...

*''

Incident At Vichy ''Incident at Vichy'' is a one-act play written in 1964 by American dramatist Arthur Miller. It depicts a group of men who have been detained in Vichy France in 1942; they are being held for their "racial" inspection by German military officer ...

'' –

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' ( ...

Awards and nominations

In 2012,

TACT Tact or TACT may refer to: * The sense of touch – see somatosensory system * Tact (psychology), a term used by B. F. Skinner for a type of verbal operant * The Actors Company Theatre (TACT) * Actors Orphanage, formerly The Actors' Charitable Tru ...

produced Neil Simon's "Lost In Yonkers" and Brian Friel's "Lovers" to critical and commercial success resulting in the

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

naming

Company of the Year A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

'' saying ''"...Smart programming, superlative productions, a track record of consistent excellence: TACT is what off-Broadway ought to be."'' In addition, their production of ''

'' by

brought

their first

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

nomination, being nominated for ''

Outstanding Revival of a Play "Outstanding" is a song originally performed by the Gap Band and written by member Raymond Calhoun. The song originally appeared on the group's platinum-selling 1982 album ''Gap Band IV''. It is one of their signature songs and biggest hits, rea ...

''. A list of reviews for TACT's other productions can be found on thei
website

Members

TACT's co-artistic directors are founding members

Scott Alan Evans Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Sask ...

and actor

Cynthia Harris Cynthia Lee Harris (August 9, 1934 – October 3, 2021) was an American film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for her roles in the television series '' Edward & Mrs. Simpson'' and the sitcom ''Mad About You''. Life and career C ...

, along with Jenn Thompson. Company members include: *

Cynthia Darlow Cynthia A. Darlow (born June 13, 1949) is an American actress. Education Darlow graduated from Hampton High School in 1967 and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in 1970. Career For five seasons, Darlow was an ensemble player ...

– Actor *James Murtaugh – Actor *

Joseph Trapanese Joseph Trapanese (born 1984) is an American composer, arranger, and producer. He works in the production of music for films, television, records, theater, concerts, and interactive media. Early life and education Raised in Jersey City, New Jers ...

– Composer *

David Staller David Staller (born November 16, 1955) is an American theatre director and actor. He is the founding artistic director of the Off-Broadway theatre company, Gingold Theatrical Group. Early life Staller was born in Glencoe, Illinois. He attende ...

- Actor and Director * Jack Koenig - Actor

References

External links

TACT Official WebsiteThe Actors Company Theatre Records, 1987-2018
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Actors Company Theatre Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan Off-Broadway theaters Theatres in Manhattan Performing groups established in 1992 1992 establishments in New York City Defunct Theatre companies in New York City